Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Here’s your tip!

Revising is easier than creating.

Writing a book (hi!), choreographing a routine, designing a costume, &c., can be so hard. Just get something “on paper”. It doesn’t have to be perfect or complete or even good. Then, you can go back and change it. That first pass will get you thinking and more importantly doing. The results may be laughable or they may be surprising, but they’re better than starting at a blank canvas waiting for the “right” ideas.

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.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday the 13th! But you’re lucky today because I have a tip to share…

It’s great to interact with audience members! But only if they want to interact with you.

Some people love it when a performer comes up to them and makes them a part of the show for a moment. Some people loathe it. They may not want to be singled out, be the focus of attention, or be touched.

I’ve written before about not touching performers without consent, but the reverse is true as well. When I was at the RVA Burlesque Festival, the host, Ego Von Hubris, laid down the rules, as a good host does. One of them was “Consent is mandatory!”, which I though was simple and concise.

If you are going to interact with an audience member, follow the first rule of stage combat — make eye contact so they know something is coming. And read their body language. If they drop their gaze, or look uncomfortable, move on to someone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as chaste as offering them your finger tips so they can help remove your glove,  if they don’t want it, find an eager participant.

At a recent show, Devastasia was doing crowd work and mashed some people’s faces into her cleavage. She came up to one audience member and registered the look of panic instead of anticipation.  So, she stepped back and shimmied instead. Everyone was happy with that.

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.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s the first tip of 2023!

I’m jumping off of last week’s tip about items that need to be replenished. It’s also about interacting with the audience.

Toss a little something to the audience.

Audiences love to be given little gifts. It makes people feel special to have a little part of the show — and a little part of you. I’ve seen people go crazy over scraps of ribbon.

Obviously you don’t have to do this with every act, but once in a while, it’s a nice surprise and a treat. Be reasonable about what you give out and make sure it’s something you don’t mind never seeing again.

Sometimes they want to keep it as a little memento. At the climax of her computer geek number, Betty tears open her t-shirt and throws it into the audience. She’s been asked to sign the shreds. (Harking back to last week’s tip, she has a stash of t-shirts that a former employer was going to toss and was glad to give to her — is that upcycling?)

Sometimes they want the opportunity to return it to the performer. During La Vie en Rose, I pull rose petals off my breasts and toss them out. I once had someone carefully gather up each one and pour them into my hands after the show.

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.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s the last Friday of 2022! I don’t know about you, but I am so ready to say farewell to what has been a terrible, terrible year for me. I know that just turning a calendar page doesn’t mean a fresh start, but I can hope.

Anyway, here’s your tip!

If you consume something during your act, replenish it as soon as possible (or have a plan to do so before the next performance).

By “consume”, I don’t necessarily mean “eat”, but something you use once and can’t use again. This could be a giant paper bag you cut your way out of, a t-shirt, you tear off, whipped cream you spray on your butt, &c. You don’t want to be caught at the venue, missing a vital component of your act because you forgot to get another one.

Betty Blaize has an act where she cuts her costume off with a knife. She keep rolls of ribbon on hand to reset the costume pieces after each performance. For “French Champagne“, I need a bottle of champagne. I’m not going to keep one on hand, just in case I get booked with this act, but it’s on my pre-show checklist.

When performing an act like this, where you have to make or procure something every time, consider the additional time and expense when you’re negotiating with the producer. Also, it might not be an ideal act for multiple shows in a row depending on how complicated the reset is.

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.