Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

A very pleasant Friday to you! Here’s your tip!

A costume does not an act make.

Burlesque is very costume-dependent. Performers lavish lots of money and time on elaborate and highly embellished layers of costume. However, a costume is just one part of an act. Relying on a dazzling costume is not enough. You also need to have choreography, music, a storyline, engagement with the audience, &c.

A spectacular costume will get applause at the beginning of an act, but if that’s all the performer has, there probably won’t be much at the end. In contrast, I’ve seen performances with very simple costumes absolutely wow audiences because of everything else the performer brought to the stage.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s a tip that I should listen to more.

Dream big.

When coming up with a new act or costume or show &c., go wild. Think of the greatest version of what you want to do. Now, it might not be possible due to time, budget, skills, &c., but maybe someday… Scale back and keep your options open in case circumstances change.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Many folks I know, including Scratch and Ava, are at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend right now. That event plus yesterday’s missive inspired this week’s tip.

Our Legends are non-renewable resources.

And their numbers are dwindling. Seek them out. Listen to their stories. Learn from them.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ve been having a wonderful time working in my garden, but I wouldn’t forget your tip. Here it is!

When cast in a theme or other one-off show, think about the reusability of your act.

Your time and creativity are valuable. Spending a lot of time on an act that you’re only going to perform once is kind of a waste. Throwing one together because you’re never going to perform it again is a disservice to yourself and the audience. Consider how you can create the act to be used in other shows or how you can adjust an existing act or costume you already have to fit the theme.

And while we’re talking about themed shows, mark your calendars for Secrets of the Illuminaughty on July 8 at a redacted location (okay, it’s at Deacon Giles Distillery).

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much, especially Rob who just rejoined! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s a lovely Friday here at The Manor! Mostly because I don’t have to be anywhere — a welcome change from the past six weeks or so.

Here’s your tip!

No idea is stupid.

When trying to come up with a new act or costume or show, there is no such thing as a stupid idea. It may not be feasible for certain reasons — budget, space limitations, technology, your own skills — but maybe it’s a jumping off point. Maybe it’s something you can come back to later when circumstances have changed. Or maybe it’s just a great idea. It took seven years after Brigitte suggested it, but eventually we did have The BeauTease Go Bananaz, the all-banana show and Betty still does one her acts from it, even in non-banana themed circumstances.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons, especially Sinister Sarah who just increased her pledge! Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Tomorrow night The BeauTease are appearing in Spring Fling, our post-Expo celebratory show, at Deacon Giles. Get your tickets now because you know how limited seating is! You’ll get to see the act that I performed at Booklover’s Burlesque in Oregon plus a fan dance that has not seen the light of day for many years.

Here’s your tip!

If you are renting a venue and you need to leave it in exactly the same condition and configuration as when you arrived, take lots of photos before you do anything.

Not only will the pictures help your crew return it to the same state, but it also documents any issues that were already there when you took possession (e.g. a cracked mirror).

This tip, like so many, inspired by Scratch.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! Tip time!

Organize your photos and videos.

Decide on a system that works for you and stick with it. Whenever you receive your pictures, take a few minutes to put them in your photo storage place, whether that’s on your computer, on storage media, on-line or somewhere else, but they should all be in the same place, so you always know where to find them.

I make sure each photo can be identified by date, event, and photographer. If I’m feeling really virtuous, I also tag them as “like”, “love”, and “no”.

Like I said, use whatever system works for you, but have a system. If you apply it when the photos come in, it won’t turn into a huge task. You’ll thank yourself later when then images you want are right at your finger tips.

And don’t forget to back them up!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Just a quickie today…

If you’re using magnets on your costume and they’re proving too strong, swap one of the pair for a steel washer.

The magnet-to-metal connection is weaker than magnet-to-magnet and will make it easier to remove.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.