Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Whilst at BurlyCon, I picked up some trinkets for the ladies at home, these fun luggage tags from Di’ Lovely.
After I passed them out, I made an off-hand comment that Pearl requested be the next Friday Tip, so here is is:
Put your business card in your luggage tag.
That way, if your bag goes astray, there’s contact info attached to it, but not your personal information.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
Pack a mirror in your makeup kit.
You never know what the situation at the venue might be. Even if there are mirrors, you might not be able to get at them conveniently.
I have a double-sided mirror (regular and magnifying) that folds up flat and slips nicely into the outside pocket of my makeup bag. If you’re really good, you can get one that lights up.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! I’ll get to your tip in just a minute.
I can’t seem to stop talking about Wrathskellar Tales. We have 4 shows this weekend (through Halloween), then Inside “Wrathskellar Tales” next Friday, where you can tour the space and learn all its secrets (great if you want to see what we created, but aren’t so keen on the creepiness or the boobs), and we’ll be doing an encore presentation of the show on Saturday, November 5th for all of you who were too busy in the days leading up to Halloween. Tickets, as always, are at wrathskallar.com.
And just to tease you, here are a few performance pictures (courtesy of Kevin Cafferty):
And at last, here is your tip!
When wearing a garter belt, get stockings without stay-up grips.
The silicone banding in stay-up stockings (also called thigh-highs) makes it much harder to clip on garters and for the garters to grip securely. Look for true stockings that require garters and you’ll have an easier time.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! The BeauTease are about to embark on a whirlwind weekend of shows. Tonight we’re at RuffleCon, tomorrow we’re at Another Anime Con, and then it’s back to Wrathskellar Tales full time. Here’s your tip!
Be flexible.
I don’t mean that everyone should be able to do splits and backbends (although that would be nice…). Things don’t always go according to plan. Stuff happens. Situations change. If you’re able to figure out an alternative solution, you’ll be less frustrated that things have gone awry. Keep an open mind and think creatively.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Most of my time and energy has been going into Wrathskellar Tales these days. We open 2 weeks from yesterday! However, I would not forget your tip.
Need inspiration for an act? Go to a museum.
Look at color, at shape, at pattern, at texture, at motion. Anything and everything is potential inspiration. I don’t just mean art museums; any collection has treasures.
And supporting museums is always a good thing!
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday!
Yesterday I shared with you the story of my first burlesque performance. While I was writing it I was remembering how awful and awkward I was. Then I went back to my journal to find the date in question and read how I experienced it at the time. Past-me was much more forgiving of the performance and excited about having had the opportunity. Present-me needed to be a bit less harsh on myself. I was comparing myself today to myself of 10 years ago. Both I and the burlesque scene have changed a lot in a decade.
This brings me to today’s tip:
Keep a journal.
It could be traditional pen and paper or on-line or a video diary or whatever method works for you to record your thoughts and experiences. You could keep a
general diary or just focus on just your burlesque (or whatever your passion is).
If you don’t know where you came from, how will you now how far you’ve come? Memory gets hazy and has a habit of shifting on you.
You’re keeping this journal for you and you alone, so be completely honest with yourself.
I also treat my journals a little like scrap books and add ticket stubs, photos, cards, &c. Those of a more artistic bent might add sketches. I always write the starting and end dates on the front page and keep the books in order on a shelf, so it’s not hard to flip through and find a particular entry. If you keep an electronic diary, it’s easy to search for a specific entry or topic.
Periodically go back and see what past-you was doing once upon a time. It may help present-you see things in a different light!
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip.
One thing at a time.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when you have too much to do. Just pick one thing from that mountainous to-do list. And do it. Start with something you know you can accomplish. Don’t let yourself get distracted or try to do something else as well. Just work on it until the task is done. Then smile, breathe, pat yourself on the back, and pick the next item. Repeat.
Yes, you may find that you can’t complete a project for one reason or another, but don’t get frustrated or, worse, give up entirely. Just stop, breathe, pick something else, and get back to work. And take a break from time to time to clear your head and regain perspective.
This is me trying to take my own advice.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
There’s a difference between an introduction and a biography.
An introduction is what the host says on stage before you begin your number. It should be on the short side and include the most important thing about yourself. That thing can change from show to show and act to act. It’s your chance to set audience expectations and make them want to see you perform. Be entertaining, informative, and concise.
Scratch reminds me that it’s also good to include notes to the host, like how your name is pronounced and if there’s any thing you don’t want said, because it might give away a surprise in your act. Also, be prepared for the host to shorten your intro*, especially a festival or other long show.
A biography is something that’s going to be printed in a program or listed on a website. This is where you present your skills, qualifications, awards, &c., as appropriate to the occasion. That is, have a performance bio, a teaching bio, a producing bio, &c. and use the one that suits best. Again, be relatively concise and present the most important information.
Neither of these is a resume, which is a listing of your accomplishments, accolades, skills, publications, shows, classes, &c. If you’ve been doing this for a long time, you might restrict it to “notable appearances” and similar.
Sailor St. Claire teaches a lovely class called “The Art of the Performer Bio”. Take it if you get the chance.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
*I was once at a festival where the hosts were reading the intros verbatim off paper. The last act of that very long night, had provided as the introduction (no exaggeration) a two-page list of everything that performer had ever done. The hosts just kept reading, trading off paragraphs as I recall. Exhausting for everyone. Don’t be that person.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
When your back is to the audience, you must continue to engage with them.
Turning your back on the audience can be a powerful tease and build some tension, but only when you stay focused and give the audience the same energy you would if you were facing them. Even though you can’t see them, they see you. An effective performer remains aware of the audience and gives them attention, even without eye contact.
You may be taking care of a tricky remove out of sight of the audience, but dropping your head and your character to do so can make them lose interest in you. Project your character in every aspect of your physicality and you’ll remain intriguing.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Photo by Chuck Jones.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
When producers ask you for something (music, a photo, &c.), give them exactly what they ask for.
If everyone involved in a show sends the producer what is requested, things will run more smoothly. If one person fails, it’s more work on the producer. If everyone ignores the specifications… it’s ugly.
Some common requests and issues:
If the producer asks for your music as a file, send the music file. Don’t send a YouTube link or an iTunes Store link. If a file format is specified (like mp3 or wav), make sure you’re sending the right format.
If the producer asks for a high-resolution photo, don’t send a web-resolution photo. If they’re printing promo material, a low-res photo isn’t going to look as good on paper as it does on a screen. Make sure it’s a 300dpi image.
If the producer asks for a link to a video, post your video on YouTube or Vimeo and send them an unprotected link. It doesn’t have to be publicly listed, but it shouldn’t require a password. Don’t send them the video file.
If the producer asks you to use a file sharing service, like Dropbox, don’t email the file. Huge files can completely overwhelm an inbox.
If the producer asks you to send something to a different person, like the stage manager or sound tech, don’t send it to the producer.
If you’re not a tech savvy person, ask for help, but not from the producer. The producer is busy enough producing the show and can’t also be your (or anyone else’s) tech support.
Respect deadlines!
If you do exactly as the producer requests, you’ll be seen as a professional who pays attention, follows directions, and makes the producer’s job that much easier. And people like that tend to be rehired.
The flip side, for producers, is that you must be very clear in what you need, when you need it, and how you need it.
Jo Weldon has a very informative class on how to deal with producers, festival organizers, and the press. Take it if you get the chance.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 