Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday! I made a silly video yesterday, which has nothing to do with burlesque, but maybe it will make you smile. Here’s your tip!

One is funny. Three is funny. After that you have to go for 20.

Doing a comedy bit is funny on its own, but repetition can make it even funnier. However, three times is much funnier than two. But four times is not funnier than three. If you want to do it more than three times, you just have to keep doing it as many times as you can, which just gets funnier each time. My Commedia dell’Arte troupe called it “going for 20”.

The BeauTease are known for our dark Halloween cabaret, The Wrathskellar, but the last thing we wanted to do this year was a dark, intense, serious show. Hence, Vamps After Midnite, a burlesque show that goes worng. It’s a ridiculous comedy and we laugh a lot at rehearsals.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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 the first Friday of Fall! I hope you had a lovely equinox. Here’s your tip, courtesy of Scratch!

Help out your emcee — tell them the pronunciation of your name and your pronouns.

The host wants to give you a great introduction; give them the tools to get it right.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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! How about a tip?

Use hairnets to preserve your wigs’ styles.

After you go to all the effort to style your wig, put a hairnet over it to keep it looking good until you’re ready to wear it.

[You can find all my previous Tips on this page.]

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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,

I’m writing this in haste for The Expo begins today. Here’s your tip!

Buy from independent stores, artists, and craftspeople.

The big businesses will do just fine without your patronage, but these folks may not. The Expo has a fine selection of Vendors the weekend for your burlesque needs and desires. And there are many lovely small businesses here in Salem that deserve your support.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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 again and this particular Friday Massachusetts is now requiring masks indoors again. You’ll need them when you attend The Great Burlesque Exposition next weekend! I though this tip was timely…

Wash your cloth masks after every wearing.

I like to handwash mine. Use cool or warm water (temperature doesn’t really matter) and some soap — this is the virus killer. I usually use Dawn because it also is great at removing lipstick stains. Take out any filters before submerging. Swish around and then thoroughly rinse until there’s no soap left. No need to soak. If your mask has wire shaping, definitely don’t let it hang out in the water longer than necessary. Let the masks air dry.

You can also machine wash, but if the masks have elastics, I recommend air drying. It’ll extend their life

If your masks are rhinestoned or have other embellishments, definitely hand wash! 

For a final touch, give them a quick press with the iron once they’re dry, to crisp up any pleats or folds. This is completely optional, of course.

Not only will washing with soap kill germs and viruses, you’ll have a fresh, clean piece of fabric touching your face, which is just more pleasant. And maybe save you from some irritation and break outs.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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 your tip!

Before every costume project, take your measurements, even if you’re sure of what they are, write them down, and refer to them throughout the project.

This tip brought to you by the woman fixing an almost-finished costume piece because she cut it a size too large.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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 the 13th! We have a show tonight at our beloved venue, Deacon Giles Distillery — Bad Luck Burlesque! Last I heard we were almost sold out! Will I see you there?

Here’s your tip!

If you edit your music for an act, rename the song so you can easily find the version you need.

These days it is so easy to change your music to suit your act — shorten the song, drop in another piece of music, add a sound effect, slow down the tempo, change the key, etc. You want to make sure you are giving the correct version fo your song to whoever is handling your music. Adding a note to the name will insure that there’s no confusion.

Here are a few examples from our catalog: “Dark Eyes (slow)” or “Mint Julep extended version” or “Pantaloons with thunder” or “Feelin’ Good BeauTease edit”. These songs were edited specifically for the acts and then renamed to specify the change. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. You could use “performance” or “final” to keep it simple.

It’s a terrible feeling to hear your music start and realize “that’s not the right version!”. A simple addition to the song title can give you peace of mind.  

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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!

As you well know, I have a Patreon, because I tell you all the time. However, I also support a number of artists and creators there. The latest is the Slightly Sinister Academy of Crafts, which just went live today! I’ve been following Sinister Sarah’s stunning projects on Instagram and I’m really looking forward to her instructional videos. Join me in supporting her!

Here’s your tip!

Take joy in what you do and share it with others.

I had a really stressful, high-anxiety week. At rehearsal, I joined by Betty and Devastasia, who had their own, different sources of stress.

We started with a warm up, as we always do and decided to play our favorite pass-it-along game — Betty does a couple of repeats of a move, then I do a move. We do Betty’s move, then my move, then Devastasia contributes one. We do Betty’s, mine, Devastasia’s, etc., continuing around the circle for a couple of songs. When you only have three people you need to keep thinking! And as the songs on the playlist change, we adapt the moves to suit. It can be a very useful tool to teach vocabulary, especially to apprentices.

It was so much FUN! It was great to just move and even better to do it with friends who were also trying to deal with some stuff. We picked our favorite high-energy moves, not trying to impress or teach anyone, just wanting to have a good time with it. We were grinning and laughing all the way through.  And that mood continued through the rest of rehearsal.

I hope you find some joy in your day.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 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,

Friday again. I’ve been wracking my brains for a tip. My only advice for you today is: 

Sometimes you’re not feeling it. Try again later.

Brought to you as the result of a not-so-great day.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 12 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.