Five Things you forget about doing a show

There are always little details that get lost in the hustle and bustle of a show. These are things I forget until they happen: and if you’re in theater, you may forget too.

• 5. Vanishing Bobby Pins
  
  
  My dragon costume has two lovely horn/hat things that are stuck to my head with an assortment of pins each night. And each night, my carefully gathered pins vanish into the ether between shows. Either they fall out of the hats, or far more likely, other actors snatch them. Lord knows I have.
  
  
  How bad is inter-cast pin theft? I’ve NEVER brought a bobby pin in eighteen years.
  
  
  4. Backstage Funk
  
  
  The stage is hot. Lights blaze overhead, costumes trap the heat, singing and dancing cast members sweat and glisten.
  
  
  Backstage you have double the costumes, double the body heat, and usually half the space.
  
  
  As I write this I sit baking in my Witch costume. Even with the hat, onstage is far cooler than this. Alas, I don’t go back on for seven more scenes. Off to the drinking fountain!
  
  
  3. Don’t Eat That!
  
  
  You don’t eat in costume. Cardinal rule of theater. You spill something, poof, instant emergency. So food is kept out, and drinks are limited to water. In theory.
  
  
  Acting burns calories. Singing and dancing under those hot lights wears you out quick. Soda and coffee give you a energy, even if it’s terrible fro your voice. Sometimes there’s no time to eat until you’re here. So we eat, drink, and are merry in costume. Right now I’m inches away from glazed doughnut holes, and luscious caramel chocolate espresso cupcakes, provided by one of our more talented cast members. I’ve had two so far.
  
  
  We do keep some things out: pasta is frowned on, as is ketchup and anything else with dripping red sauce. Garlic and other strong-smelling stuff is tabooish. Other than that, open wide.
  
  
  2. Energy Fluctuations
  
  
  The nervous energy can and does dissipate quickly. On Thursday and Friday I was bustling everywhere. By tonight (Saturday) I’m sitting back, watching the monitor, and writing. I slept in and did work around the house today, but not enough to set me back this far.
  
  
  It’s not just me. The rest of the cast is low-key backstage. We’re conserving out energy for trotting the boards. It’s worked fine: the audience is amazing tonight, and we’re getting more than enough feedback to pick us up, if needed.
  
  
  Tomorrow is a matinees, so the energy will come back. Afterwards we’ll all be dragging, but it’s Sunday night, so who gives a rat’s ass?
  
  
  1. New Things
  
  
  There’s always something new. A few moments ago I saw my husband, who plays the whole show on his knees with fake legs to simulate shortness, do his ‘kneeling’ to propose bit. It was a stitch. The rest of the cast is congratulating him, and rightfully so. We’d never seen it before. New shit is always appreciated, especially after watching the same show for three months.
  
  
  Does this mean go off the rails, add lib, and fuck shit up? No. Just watch a performance carefully. If it’s any good, you’ll always see something new. The crowd changes what we do from day to day, in hundreds of small ways. Timing, energy, mood: it’s fluid. And tonight, it was rocking.
  
  P.S. We got a standing ovation. First one at Fenton. Hooray!