Dear Constant Reader,
It’s Friday again. It’s been a rough week. Maybe you feel similar. I wasn’t sure I was going to post a tip today, but there were these thoughts chasing around in my head. Maybe you need to hear them too.
It’s okay if you need to mourn, to cry, to rage, to scream, to talk, to listen, to seek out company, to be alone. Just don’t give up.
Dear Constant Reader,
I hope you had a happy Halloween! I certainly did!
In case you missed it, yesterday I posted two story readings, one public and one Patron-only.
And here’s your reminder to sign up for Weighted Silk Veils with Gaea Lady. It’s this Thursday!
I got this tip from Looking Glass Gems:
Use a cloth meant for cleaning glasses to polish your rhinestones.
You’ll keep them sparkling and can check for any loose ones in the process.
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 before Halloween!
Tomorrow we are at House of Hatchets in Hyannis. Wear your Halloween finery! Get tickets here!
On November 7th guest instructor Gaea Lady will be teaching a weighted veil workshop at B.A.B.E.!What is a weighted veil? Watch this…
Wouldn’t you like to learn to do that…? If you’re on our mailing list, you’ve got a discount code for the workshop (and if you’re not, sign up).
Here’s your tip!
To customize your costumes, Frankenstein your sewing patterns.
I’m not talking about digging them up from graveyards in the dead of night — I mean stitching different parts together. If you’ve got a pattern for a gown with a neckline you like, but the sleeves aren’t doing it for you, take the sleeves from a different pattern.
You do want to make sure that wherever you are grafting pieces together, that they fit together correctly. Check that the piece on the donor pattern is the same size and shape when it’s going to join the garment as the one you’re replacing before before you cut anything. You might have to do a little cosmetic surgery to adjust one or the other. This is especially important with sleeveheads and armscyes — you want those curves to match.
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,
Next Saturday we are at House of Hatchets in Hyannis. Wear your Halloween finery! Get tickets here!
On November 7th guest instructor Gaea Lady will be teaching a weighted veil workshop at B.A.B.E.! If you’re on our mailing list, you’ve got a discount code (and if you’re not, sign up). Learn this fun art with one of the foremost practitioners!
And now… your tip!
When you loan something, take a picture of the person you are lending it to with the item, then text it to them.
Now you both have a record of who borrowed what from whom and when.
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 got a whole bunch of things going on that I’m very excited about, so you’ll have to read about them before we get to your tip.
We had a marvelous time at The Spookeasy Lab at Deacon Gilles. Both shows sold out! If you missed out, you can see us at House of Hatchets on the Cape on October 26. Wear your Halloween finery!
We’ve got some fun coming up at B.A.B.E. too. On November 7th guest instructor Gaea Lady will be teaching a weighted veil workshop. This was one of the best classes I took at the NOLA burlesque retreat and I became a convert. In fact, if you caught one of the shows on Saturday, that was a weighted veil I was using. If you’re on our mailing list, keep an eye out for a discount code.
I’ll be teaching a winter-themed striptease routine in December and a chair-dance routine in February, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Details coming soon!
Now that you’ve read through all that, here’s your tip!
If you use storage boxes or totes for your stuff (costumes, props, craft supplies, &c.), label them on the end, the side, and on the lid.
Not only will you be able to see what’s in each container no matter how they’re oriented, you’ll also know right away which lid belongs to which box. This comes in very handy when you’ve opened a whole bunch of boxes that are not quite exactly the same size or manufacturer and the lids are all in a pile…
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! Tomorrow is our annual Halloween show at Deacon Giles in Salem! The early show is completely sold out, but there are a few (only a few) tickets left for the late show. If you didn’t manage to snag tickets, we’ll be on the Cape at House of Hatchets on October 26.
Commercial plug done, here’s your tip:
Lift with your legs, not your back.
This is not a cautionary tale. Sometimes these tips are about mistakes I made so you don’t have to. Not this one. I’m fine. I want you to stay fine too.
If you’re like us, you have to schlep stuff to make shows happen, like set pieces, lights, and other heavy or ungainly things. Although performing is the fun stuff, sometimes we have to be roadies in order to make the magic happen.
Please follow the advice above whenever you’ve got lift something*. And if it’s too heavy for you to move alone, ask for help. Back injuries are serious and can take you off the stage for a long time.
*Or someone! That might need to be its own tip though…
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!
Have a cancellation clause in your contract.
No one wants to cancel a show, but it happens. Audiences still haven’t rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, for one thing. Whether you are the producer of a show or you’ve been hired to perform, negotiate a cancelation fee in advance. Know how much you have to pay or will be paid*, if the show doesn’t go forward. Nothing should be a surprise to anyone.
*Producers may have to pay the venue a cancelation fee or the venue may pay the producer, depending of the situation.
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 am in sunny Florida, but I would not forget your tip!
When doing core-strengthening exercises lying on your back, press your lower back into the ground.
If you let your back pop up, the potential for injury is higher and we want to keep our backs healthy. Your lower back is part of your core too and should be engaged as well. Keep your abs engaged, tailbone tucked, and lower back down. If you’re doing work with your legs up, tilt your pelvis — putting some cushioning under your bum can help with that.
This applies to floorwork and chairwork too! Keep your back safe on 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 the 13th! In honor of the day, here’s a tip based on a theatre superstition:
Bad dress rehearsal, good show.
Obviously you want to have a good final rehearsal and a good show, but what if everything goes wrong at that last rehearsal? How can you keep the problems from happening when you’ve got a paying audience?Use the time between to troubleshoot. Think about how you can fix the issues before showtime. Also, make some contingency plans, just in case you can’t.
If nothing else, use that nervous energy and focus it on having a great show.
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! How about a tip? That’s a rhetorical question; you’re getting one no matter what.
Get a charging cable with multiple connection ends and keep it in your show bag.
Not only will you always have one (and just one, instead of a tangle of cords) when you need it for your devices, but you might be a hero to someone with a dying battery. I’ve got one that’s lightning/USB-C/micro USB and it’s come in handy more than once.
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.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 