Dear Constant Reader,
Want to hear about the really glamourous part of being a burlesque performer? Of course you do. That’s why you read this.
But first…
Please nominate the Boston Babydolls for “Best Burlesque” and Naked Girls Reading for “Best Literary Gang”. Thank you!
Load in. That’s when we enter and empty theatre and fill it full of magic to bring you an amazing show. I’d love to say I sprinkle some fairy dust and hoards of adorable minions do all the work while the Babydolls relax in the luxurious dressing room and eat chocolate truffles.
In reality load in is several (if we’re lucky) very long, exhausting, and dirty days. If we’re not lucky, it’s just one. One much more frantic, even longer day.
The Davis Square Theatre is so new that it’s still being renovated, so we’re working around their work, which makes things extra challenging.
Our first priority is always lighting. Lighting is one of those thing that if it’s good, no one notices, but if it’s bad… Fortunately we have a terrific tech director and a lot of our own lighting equipment. Which is good, because the theatre doesn’t. I won’t bore you with things like stage pin vs edison or u-strut vs bars, but suffice it to say that things are pretty quirky in there and we had to be flexible and creative. And I’m not ever mentioning the hours spent rewiring two R40s (strip lights with a dozen lights each). Thank goodness Betty knows enough about electrical engineering to take charge of one of them.
Then there was the stage. It’s small and we have half a dozen dancers, plus 3 singers and a 4 piece band. Scratch’s small band of carpenters from The Wrathskellar built some additional platforms to give us some extra room. Which then had to be painted. And set pieces had to be built.
There were the many trips to the Home Depot for more supplies. Schlepping in the costumes, lumber, tools, etc. All Babydolls pitched in at some point over the weekend. No one is too much of a diva to get her hands dirty — even me. I can still see some traces of black paint on my nails today.
And today it continues… With luck, the renovations on the dressing rooms will be done, so we can get the costumes and props organized.
Come see the results at Unlucky in Love, opening this weekend. Unlike the rest of the audience, you’ll have a little idea of the labor behind the magic.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 