Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

I’ve been writing a bunch of different missives here and then I look up and it’s Friday again and I have sent you nothing between tips. It’s been quite a busy October… Hopefully, I can get one of them completed soon. In the mean time, here is your tip.

If you are running a fundraiser, get a non-profit to be your fiscal sponsor.

So many of us are civic-minded and like to support organizations that do good by means of our arts. However, handling the money can sometimes be tricky, both logistically and in terms of optics. Having a financial partner can help with both. They’ll handle the donations, which will now be tax-deductable, a nice incentive for your donors.

This tip inspired by a fundraising TTRPG livestream I watched last night that did just that.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

If you’re using something with words on it in your act, make sure they can be read in the back of the house.

It would be a shame if your punchline was lost because the letters were too small or there wasn’t enough contrast between the printing and the background.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday!

If you know your dressing room is going to be a restroom, bring something to put on the floor.

I recommend a beach towel. Something you can put your gear and your feet on and you can throw in the wash when you get home.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’m about to have a rather burlesque-filled weekend. I hope yours is lovely as well. Here’s your tip!

Write it down right away!

Ever get hit by a great idea for an act, a costume, &c and then a little while later you realize you’ve forgotten what it was? It happens to the best of us. Write it down when you think of it, whether that means scribbling a note on a napkin, texting yourself, recording a voice memo, &c. I cannot tell you how many Friday Tips have vanished into the aether because I was sure I would remember it later… I make these mistakes so you don’t have to.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday all! If you happen to be in the Fitchburg area tonight, you can see me at Nocturna!

Here’s your tip!

Avoid looking directly at the stage lights.

They can be very bright and can make you temporarily disoriented, which is not a great place to be on stage.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! You almost didn’t get a tip this week because WordPress was being weird and wouldn’t let me log into my account. But, crisis averted.

Before we get to your tip, I want to remind you that Introduction to Burlesque and Burlesque Your Way: Halloween Edition start this Sunday!

And now, your tip!

Black fabric comes in different shades.

Sounds kind of crazy, right? But black dyes have different undertones, which may not be readily apparent under standard lighting. Under stage lights the differences can become obvious and make your carefully coordinated costume components look a little off. Check under good lighting that all the black pieces look cohesive.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s been a hell of a week. My intention today was to have a tip inspired by Dixie Evans, The Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque, because today would have been her 100th birthday. However, Dixie is going to have to share the limelight with two icons we lost: Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.

Commit to your character.

All three of them created or played big characters and embodied them fully. You can do it too! Throw yourself whole-heartedly into whatever you are performing.

An extra tip in honor of Dolly Parton: Be kind. Also, read a book.

An extra tip in honor of Tim Curry: Don’t tell a joke, be the joke. (for example, see Muppet Treasure Island)

Dear Constant Reader,

I wasn’t paying attention, but last week was my 750th tip! It probably should have been something more momentous than a tip about laundry, but c’est la vie. Here’s one of those tips I was sure I’d given you before, but apparently not.

If you’re going to do a stocking peel, you’re going to need to do a shoe remove first.

Unless you’re just going to roll your stockings down to your ankles and leave them there, the shoes have to come off.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 17 Patrons. I appreciate you all so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.