Theatre Geekery

Jenna's Deep Dish Bacon Blueberry Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 07:40:00 +0000

In the musical, Waitress, Jenna is asked what the special pie of the day is. Her mind is on the fact that she might be pregnant with her no good husband's child. She accidentally says "Deep Shit Bacon Blueberry Pie." She corrects herself to Cal saying, "Deep dish!" This recipe is inspired by the musical, Waitress.

This post includes affiliate links from Amazon.

Berry Pies - but not the Jenna's Deep Dish Bacon Blueberry Pie

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup ice water, add more as needed
Filling:
- 3 pints fresh blueberries
- 4 strips maple flavored bacon
- ⅔ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Pie:
- large egg
- 1 Tbsp milk

Instructions:

Adjust oven rack to third lower position.
Place a baking sheet on the bottom of the oven to catch any juices.
Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Crust:
In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together.
Add the cubed butter on top.
Using a pastry cutter, food processor, or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until all flour is coated. You want to make pea-sized bits of flour coated butter, but a few larger bits of butter is fine. .
Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup and add ice.
Stir it around.
From that, measure 1/2 cup of water.
Drizzle the cold water in, 2 Tablespoons at a time, and stir after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not feel overly wet. Do not add any more water than needed.
Place pie dough on a lightly floured work surface.
Cover hands in flour.
Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the dough.
Form it into a ball.
Divide dough in half.
Using your hands, flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc.
Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days before using in a pie recipe.
When rolling out the chilled pie dough discs, use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands between rolls. Smooth out the edges if you notice cracks.

Filling:
In a large frying pan, fry maple flavored bacon.
Cover a plate with a paper towel and use a spatula to carefully remove bacon and set on the paper towel to let grease drain.
Let bacon cool.
Using your hands, break maple bacon into small pieces.
In a large bowl, mix together fresh blueberries, maple flavored bacon pieces, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
If needed, burst a few blueberries to make sure pie filling is moistened.

Pie:
Flour work surface.
Take one disc of pie dough (leave the other in the refrigerator), and using a rolling pin, roll out pie dough. After every few rolls, turn dough a quarter of a turn and roll more until reaching a 12-inch diameter disc of pie dough.
Carefully place dough into a pie dish and tuck it in with your fingers making sure that the dough is even and uncracked.
Evenly pour filling into pie crust.
Dot butter on top of filling.
Set aside filled pie crust, keeping it at room temperature.
Roll out the second disc of pie dough using the same method as on the other disc.
Using a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or sharp knife, cut 1 inch wide strips of dough.
Weave strips together, making a pie lattice. If needed, visuals and instructions are provided at How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust from Sally's Baking Addiction
Using hands, press the edges of strips into the sides of the bottom of the crust to seal the pie.i
Using a small paring knife to cut off extra pie dough.
Using a fork, flute or crimp the pie dough edges.
Bake pie at 425 F for 25 minutes.
Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F.
Making sure to wear oven mitts, place a pie crust shield on the pie to prevent edges from over browning.
Continue baking pie for 40 to 50 more minutes until pie juices are bubbling.
Turn off the oven.
Wearing oven mitts, remove pie from oven and place it on a cooling rack.
Cool pie for at least 4 hours. The filling will be too soupy if the pie is not properly cooled.
Leftovers can be cooled in the refrigerator for up to five days.

I give online theatre classes. Visit Theatre Geekery for more information.

Theatre History Overview Part 108 - Pantomime

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 05:16:00 +0000

Pantomime, also called Panto, is a form of theatre that is popular in United Kingdom and is often produced around Christmas, though there are other times it is produced and it has been becoming popular to have pantomime year round. While most people understand the definition of pantomime to be that of miming where a person doesn't talk and communicates only in actions, this is another definition of pantomime in which it is a theatrical entertainment full of comedy and other outlandish fun. The shows are usually based on a fairy tale, so there is a solid story line, though the shows can differ depending on the company or troupe mounting these plays. Some people say that pantomimes are for children, but they are actually aimed at the entire family. There's lots of comedy, drama, audience participation, and more.

The name of pantomime for this theatrical art form and the word pantomime that means to mime likely come from the same movements in history. Ancient pantomime from Rome was a dance performance from a silent performer known as a pantomimus. The pantomimus was a silent dancer and the outfits worn were made to accentuate the dance movements. Sometimes there was a pantomimus in Comedia dell'Arte. However, rather than being known as a pantomimus, this silent dancer was known as a harlequinade.

It is thought the that Victorians are the ones who made sure that pantomime continued from its early days. This is because in the theatre, they got to dress up rather than wear the drab Victorian clothing. This is combined with the characteristics of Christmas mumming where heavily disguised characters perform a play based on the story of St. George and the Dragon.

Pantomimes (pantos) usually have certain types of characters. These characters are a principal girl, a principal boy, a dame, a good fairy, and a villain or a demon. However, pantos may add, subtract, or change characters. The practices of pantomime dames (their costumes can be compared to clowns and to drag queens as they tend to be purposefully colorful and outlandish) usually being played by male identifying actors goes back to Shakespeare and principal boys being played by female identifying actors goes back to the Victorian era. For a long time, it was thought that it was illegal for females to be on stage during Shakespeare's life. There is some research that says that there may have been some females that acted. However, even if they did, it was not common. Thus, males had to play female parts in Shakespeare's plays. Even once females were allowed to act, people realized that it was funny to have males play female roles, especially when exaggerated. The female playing the principal boy (who is usually the hero) goes back to producers realizing that if a girl played a boy in a pantomime, that the usual social rules of the Victorian era that a female had to cover every part of her body with clothing wouldn't apply. A woman being a principal boy meant that the woman could show off a bit of leg or a bit of chest. In order to show off a bit of leg, when the principal boy does something heroic or has a good idea, he slaps his thigh.

The audience participation is a lot of shouting phrases to the actors on the stage. If an actor says, "Oh no, I'm not," the audience shouts back, 'Oh, yes you are!" Another important part of of audience participation is the ghost gag where a ghost appears behind the actors, but the actors don't realize the ghost is there and the audience has to yell, "It's behind you!" The actors don't tend to realize that the ghost is there even after the audience yells, so the audience has to yell louder. The ghost removes the actors off the stage one by one as each actor doesn't believe the audience yelling, "It's behind you!" This comes from Giuseppe Grimaldi, the father of Joseph Grimaldi who is considered one of the most famous pantomime clowns. It is thought that it was because Giuseppe (who wasn't a very nice person, but was a popular clown), got confused when he got ill as he got older and he would be scared of the grim reaper. To scare him, people on the street would pretend that the grim reaper was behind him and yell, "It's behind you!"

Even though panto is unique to the British culture, it is finding it's way into more countries. There have been pantos in Southern California, Southeast Texas, Thailand (ramayana) and Andorra for certain. It has probably been performed in more places. The reason that panto endures is that it is always adapts with modern culture and ideals to where it is can have fun with audiences so the family fun entertainment can stay around.

References:

Barrow, Mandy. “Mummers - Traditional Christmas Plays in England.” Projectbritain.com, projectbritain.com/Xmas/mummers.htm.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "pantomimus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Nov. 2016, https://www.britannica.com/art/pantomimus. Accessed 24 February 2024.
---. “Pantomimes - Christmas Traditions in England, Scotland and Wales (a British Christmas).” Projectbritain.com, projectbritain.com/Xmas/pantomines.html.
Clarke, David. “BWW Reviews: Stages’ PANTO MOTHER GOOSE - a Big Golden Goose Egg of a Theatrical Treat.” BroadwayWorld.com, 27 Nov. 2012, www.broadwayworld.com/houston/article/BWW-Reviews-Stages-PANTO-MOTHER-GOOSE-A-Big-Golden-Goose-Egg-of-a-Theatrical-Treat-20121127. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.
Ellacott, Nigel. “It’s behind You - the Development of Pantomime.” Www.its-Behind-You.com, 25 Feb. 2008, www.its-behind-you.com/development.html.
---. “The Magic of Pantomime.” It’s Behind You.
Lipton, Martina. “Localism and Modern British Pantomime.” A World of Popular Entertainments, edited by Gillian Arrighi and Victor Emeljanow, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 7 Mar. 2012, www.google.com/books/edition/A_World_of_Popular_Entertainments/Dj0sBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1. Accessed 24 Feb. 2024.
MamaG. (n.d.). MamaG’s TikTok. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@mamagstories
“Pantomime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pantomime. Accessed 24 Feb. 2024.
Rosky, Nicole. “Lythgoe Family Productions Presents CINDERELLA, 11/27-12/19.” BroadwayWorld.com, 28 Sept. 2010, www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Lythgoe-Family-Productions-Presents-CINDERELLA-11271219-20100928#. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.
---. “Lythgoe Family Productions Presents CINDERELLA, 11/27-12/19.” BroadwayWorld.com, www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Lythgoe-Family-Productions-Presents-CINDERELLA-11271219-20100928#. Accessed 25 Feb. 2024.
Serck, Linda. “Oh Yes It Is: Why Pantomime Is Such a British Affair.” BBC News, 3 Jan. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-34997041.
Victoria and Albert Museum. “V&a · the Story of Pantomime.” Victoria and Albert Museum, www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-pantomime.
Zanobi, Alessandra. “Ancient Pantomime and Its Reception | APGRD.” Ox.ac.uk, 2019, www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/learning/short-guides/ancient-pantomime-and-its-reception.

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Theatre History Overview Part 107 - Kitchen Sink Drama

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 05:57:00 +0000

Kitchen Sink Drama is a theatre movement that started in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was a form of drama that deliberately left from realism and the well-made play.

In kitchen sink drama, working-class life and popular culture is depicted as it experienced in real life. The characters tend to be young, angry, and disillusioned. The plays are seen as intelligent and self-reflective.

The term kitchen sink drama came from the movement kitchen sink realism or kitchen sink school. This was a movement that started with British painters in the 1950s. The name is derived from a painting by John Bratby that featured a kitchen sink. Kitchen sinks became a symbol for domesticity.

The first truly well-known kitchen sink drama play is Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. Another notable play from kitchen sink drama is A Taste of Honey by Tony Richardson. This play is notable because rather than the protagonist being male, the protagonist is a young female.

While it outside of the main region and main time for kitchen sink drama, the song "Prelude/Angry Young Man" by Billy Joel fits into the genre of kitchen sink. There is a young man that is angry with his working class conditions. Billy Joel has told the story of the inspiration for this song which isn't actually from kitchen sink, but the road manager who inspired the song with his actions had served in the Vietnam War in the 1950s, so the person would have had the ideals of the angry young man of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

If you like what you read here, please consider donating as your donations keep this blog going. You can donate through my CashApp at $BridgetIleneDelaney or my Venmo at @BridgetIleneDelaney If you can't donate, clicking on any of the ads is appreciated. They only generate a few cents per year, but it is still more than nothing.

References

Dunn, E. (n.d.). Everything you need to know about kitchen sink dramas. Reader’s Digest. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/film-tv/everything-you-need-to-know-about-kitchen-sink-dramas
Kitchen sink school. Oxford Reference. (n.d.). https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198604761.001.0001/acref-9780198604761-e-1886
MacCabe, C. (n.d.). A taste of honey: Northern accents. The Criterion Collection. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4193-a-taste-of-honey-northern-accents
Prelude/angry young man. One Final Serenade: The Songs of Billy Joel (Billy Joel Fan Site). (n.d.). https://www.onefinalserenade.com/preludeangry-young-man.html#:~:text=Billy%20explains%20the%20inspiration%20and,time%20getting%20along%20with%20others.

Get Yourself Up and Addams to ACTS Theatre in Lake Charles, Louisiana!

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 13 Aug 2023 07:23:00 +0000

A dinner followed by playing a game seems like a normal situation when introducing families to each other. Yet, ther is nothing normal, when you're an Addams. Wednesday Addams (Abigail Clause) has met and fetl an instant attraction to Lucas Beineke (Jarod Cole Becton). Now she and Lucas have to deal with what their parents Gomez Addams (Joseph Comeaux), Morticia Addams (Katelyn "Liz" Bonnette), Mal Beineke (Trent Gaspard), and Alice Beineke (Alex Tyler) will think of each others' families. The entire tale is narrated by Uncle Fester (Jonah Alexander), who also has his own story.

With crazy Grandma Addams and her pet possum.

The rest of the well-known Addams family characters also join the cast. We get to see Wednesday lovingly torture Pugsley (Steven Jordan), Lurch (Jeff Johns) be the dutiful grunting butler, Cousin Itt (Erin Heath [who also plays the monster under the bed]) as the sweet hairy weird monster that the Addams can somehow understand, crazy Grandma Addams (Haileigh Miller) with all of her magic and potions, and even the disembodied hand, Thing (Kaylee Heath).

How does this attraction and family game night go? How does Uncle Fester's story fit in? You can find out by viewing the play on the ACTS stage.

The cast is rounded out with an ensemble of Addams family ancestors who are in a predicament of their own that gets them involved in Wednesdays' and Lucas's situation due to Uncle Fester. Joining the others are Bride Ancestor (Emma Brown), Puritan Ancestor (Andy Casanave), Air Hostess Ancestor (Lauryn Clark), Saloon Girl Ancestor (Catheryn Fredericks), Conquistador Ancestor (Gustavo Gutierrez), Disco Ancestor (Claire Hebert), Flapper Ancestor (Gianna Lewis), Cavewoman Ancestor (April Pettefer), Flower Girl Ancester (Angelika Salazar), Caveman Ancestor (K.C. Thompson), Soldier Ancestor (Ravyn Trahan), and Witch Ancestor (Kris Webster).

The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy wouldn't be a success if it weren't for the lights, music, costumes, and more.

The production is directed by Kathy Heath. The rest of the crew are Producers (Alex Tyler, Catherine Fredericks), Stage Manager (Zac Hammons), Assistant Stage Manager (Becca Holt), Music Director (Bryce Louviere), Choreographer (Kathy Heath), Stage Crew (Zac Hammons, Becca Holt, Landon Howell, Cast), Torture Rack & Drone Costume Creator (Kyle Brunner), Scenic Painting (Diane Flatt, Catheryn Fredericks, Angelika Salazar, Stacie Hebert, Claire Hebert, Kathy Heath, Becca Holt, Crystar Collins-Molitor, Daisy Fredericks, Elizabeth Morris), Master Electrician (Diki Jines), Lighting Design (Stan Morris), Lighting Execution (Allie Vidrine), Spotlights (Richard Dross, Jennie Stevens, Joshua Macer, Melissa Macer, Crystar Collins-Molitor, Dylan Conley), Microphone Management (Nico Edwards), Music & Projection Execution (Kathy Heath), Costumes (Alex Tyler, Daisy Fredericks, Kris Webster, Kathy Heath), Wig Styling & Makeup Plot (Alex Tyler), Prop Collection (Catheryn Fredericks, Alex Tyler, Kathy Heath, Kris Webster), Poster and Program Design (Kris Webster), Publicity (Kathy Heath, Catheryn Fredericks), Front of House (coordinated by Kris Webster), Reservations (Kris Webster, Markie Hebert, Kathy Heath), and Grouds Maintenance (Walt Kiser, Bobby Guillory, Kris Webster).

A notice of caution for those with sensitivities: a strobe light and a fog machine are used throughout the production. The production runs about three hours including the 15 minute intermission.

You have four more chances to catch this awesome production:

Sunday, August 13, 2023 at 3pm.
Friday, August 18, 2023 at 7:30pm.
Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 7:30pm.
Sunday, August 20, 2023 at 3pm.

" You can order tickets at The ACTS theatre Ovation Tix site.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $15 for students, and $10 for children 10 and under.

ACTS Theatre is located at 1 Reid Street in Lake Charles, Louisiana and can be contacted by visting The ACTS Theatre Facebook page. More information can be found by visiting The ACTS Theatre website.

ACTS Is Glowin', ACTS is Showin' . . . . Hello, Dolly!

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 08:00:00 +0000

A woman dressed in a fancy red dress decends a carpeted stairway and the famous "Hello" sung from E4 to G4 is heard while dancing waiters surround her. This is no other than Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi, the person who meddles in everybody's business and even has an ulterior motive of her own. The role is expertly played by Sarah Broussard, a stage veteran. She is joined by a cast combined of stage veterans and those new to the stage to put on an excellent show at ACTS theatre in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Hello, Dolly! program and Sarah Broussard as Dolly Levi

Earlier, that very same set was used, but decorated completely differently, to be a feed store owned by Horace Vandergelder (Michael Ieyoub) who employed Cornelius Hackl (Kyle Brunner) and Barnaby Tucker (Parker Sonnier). The simple lighting is perfect for a show set in 1890s New York. And the choreography by Lauren Fontenot is amazing.

Other cast and crew include Cameron Guillory (Barnby Tucker on the 3rd weekend), Allison Schnake (Mrs. Irene Molloy), Becca Holt (Minnie Fay), Cameron Fultz (Ambrose Kemper), Crystar Collins-Molitor (Ermengarde), Kim Thibodeaux (Ernestina), Mark Herber (Rudolph Reisenweber), Jacob Voisin (Judge), Jenny Brunner (Music Director), Erioca Barrios (Ensemble), Meagan Clement (Ensemble), Julie Dyer (Ensemble), Olivia Kirland (Ensemble), Randilyn Lejeune (Ensemble), Trinitee Thibodeaux (Ensemble), John Paul Timpa (Ensemble), Ashley Vidrine (Ensemble), Veronica Welch (Ensemble), Kerry Wilson (Ensemble), Amanda Yellott (Ensemble), Walt Kiser (Director), Stan Morris (Lighting Design), Alloria Watson (Lighting Execution), Melissa Guillory (Dresser), and Caleb Roux (Microphone Management).

The production also wouldn't be possible without the following:

Producers: Kyle Brunner, Kris Webster
Stage Crew: Zac Hammons, Landon Howell, Anthony Wegria, Cast
Set Design: "The Crew"
Set Construction: Diki Jines, Gale Materne, Walt Kiser
Scenic Painting: Diane Flatt, Lisa Sonnier
Costumes: Anne Monlezun, Michael Ieyoub, Jenny Brunner, Fiore Lundja, Kris Webster, Veronice Welch, Sophia Thibodeaux
Wigs: Dorothy, Abigail Petterfer, Sophia Thibodeaux
Prop Collection: Katy Cole, Lisa Sonnier, Diane Flatt, Jenny Stephens, Kyle Brunner, Kris Webster

There are seven more chances to see this incredible show.

Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 3pm
Friday, June 16, 2023 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 7:30pm
Sunday, June 18, 2023 at 3pm
Friday, June 23, 2023 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 7:30pm
Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 3pm

Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $15 for students, and $10 for children. Tickets are available at the ACTS Theatre Ovation Tix Site.

ACTS Theatre is located at 1 Reid St, Lake Charles, LA 70601. ACTS Theatre can be contacted at (337) 433-2287.

I've been doing A LOT of healing - We'll be back to theatre content soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 07:42:00 +0000

We'll be back to theatre content soon, but just to give y'all an update on what's been going on and why I've not even been able to write:

My body is doing A LOT of healing.

Back on October 18, 2021, I was found in an Altered Mental State in the hotel where I was staying. I was brought to Lake Charles Memorial. The doctors there put a leadless pacemaker in my heart (that's one that goes inside of your heart). I didn't really know this happened because they did not truly get my consent. They took advantage of me being in an altered mental state to get me to "sign" for them to do the operation. (Note: Don't trust Dr. Young or Dr. Thompson at Lake Charles Memorial, though I'd really not trust any of them there). The pacemaker was malfunctioning. Basically, every day that I was in the hospital after coming out of the Altered Mental State and out of ICU, I would tell the doctor assigned to me that my feet were vibrating and both doctors wouldn't believe me. Also, I was never assigned a cardiac team which is supposed to be done when you have any type of a heart operation, including a pacemaker. I got off of Norvasc, which had horrible side effects on me and also off of Protonix which closed my throat.

They also insisted that I was diabetic. I didn't think and purposely say it, but it came out of my mouth, "Are you sure I'm diabetic." So, after giving myself insulin for a few months, I finally got the doctor that I was seeing to take a look at all of my records of my blood sugar and what I ate and insulin injections and she said, "I don't think you're diabetic. Eat like normal and quit using all insulin products." I was so relieved that she tested my blood sugar two more times when I ate like I normally would and it was found that I'm not diabetic. Lantus was giving me really low blood pressure.

I had to write 30 letters about the pacemaker. One went to the doctor (really nurse practitioner) that I was seeing as she wouldn't listen to me, one went to my sister's former doctor who is really nice, and 28 went to cardiologists from Houston, TX to New Orleans, LA. I was contacted by one in Houston and scheduled to see another. Dr. Amish Dave put the pacemaker into OVO mode which is supposed to make it so it is just like a constant EKG. The pacemaker still made my feet and other body parts vibrate along with making a really weird feeling in my ears. I don't remember when it was that I finally switched local doctors, but I know that when I did, I still had the pacemaker (A Micra AV) and my doctor looked in my ears and asked why it was all brown and she couldn't see. I could only tell her that I didn't know. But, I do know the pacemaker was making my ears feel all funny like the canals had this weird lining all around the edges. I bet the pacemaker was making the wax line the edges of my ear canals with all of those vibrations.

Dr. Mihail Chelu turned the pacemaker off permently. It was supposed to be that way, anyway. However, the thing NEVER turned off. It kept vibrating. I finally got to see Dr. David Burkland who came into Lake Charles from Houston. He wasn't comfortable with doing the operation, but he told me who I needed to see! So, immediately after that appointment, I called to make an appointment with Dr. John Joseph Seger. I went to that appointment which seemed a bit strange, but it was only because it took quite a long time. Yet, that was also good that somebody was paying attention! I got an, "Okay, it can come out."

Between this appointment and the operation to get the pacemaker removed, things got much worse and I starting worrying. The pacemaker started really hurting in my chest. It had never been comfortable, but it was HURTING and SO PAINFUL. A medical/antiseptic smell was coming from my chest. I could easily smell it. Radar, my little service dog, could easily smell it, too. She was constantly poking her nose at my chest and letting me know that something was wrong. (It's not like she wasn't trying to tell me that something was wrong before that, because she definitely was, but I couldn't do anything other than what I had been doing as local doctors weren't listening to me and were even trying to make me feel guilty for their ignorance and negligence).

On June 22, 2022, the pacemaker was removed! I was SO HAPPY, though even after the anesthesia wore off, I had some major dizziness for awhile and my feet still had MAJOR tingling in them. I read about how it takes nerves a very long time to heal. Well, that pacemaker REALLY messed up my nerves. Even as I am writing this, my nerves still tingle. It's mostly the nerves in my feet, but the nerves in my ears still often have a funny feeling and sometimes the rest of the nerves in my body feel a bit odd, too. That usually stops once I'm up and moving around. I can tell my nerves have gotten much better, though. At first, my feet REALLY tingled. It was SO STRONG that it was very irritating. Then, about three months in, the tingling stopped being so strong all of the time, but it was still REALLY STRONG when I woke up in the mornings. My nerves would feel "blinky" or "buzzy" before calming down. Now, the tingling is mostly even throughout the day, and I can mostly just stand what is happening. However, I will be so glad once my nerves fully heal.

Oh, and the other thing that the pacemaker did was give me HORRIBLE brain fog! Like, I know that 2*9=18. Easy. It's very easy now. But, with the brain fog, my mind would do things like think, 2*8=7, even though I KNEW it was wrong. It was so hard to think and it was so hard to catch typos. Sure, I still make typos, but now, I catch them more often. Back with the pacemaker, I might see one of three after I had written something. Now, I tend to see them all after they happen, and my own typos still drive me crazy. It's good to have my brain back. It does its normal non-stop thinking stuff, which honestly, makes me quite happy. I like having my brain back.

Also, I broke my collarbone back in August 2021 and while the main part has healed, it still gets very sore. I read how it can actually take years for a collarbone to fully heal, and so far, it seems like that's what mine wants to do. Because of this, I actually sleep in a recliner that I have in this hotel room (the plan is to get a room and a bathroom in where I live so then I can actually start living in my house and I'll be SO GLAD when that happens!) Yes, this is because of the insurance company I had not paying the full amount for my house to be repaired after Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

There's Growing Tallow-ant in Port Arthur, TX! - Don't miss Grease with the Teen Cast

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:50:00 +0000

A group of students that go to Rydell high sit around a picnic table and they gossip about teacher and other students when one very cheerful student comes cheering into the crowd. That student is Patty Simcox, played by Madison Goudeaux. Every scene in which Godeaux starred, the perkiness of her character showed. She also had great facial expressions and body language that could be read in the audience from her on the stage.

With Frenchy and Radar (and, yes, she watched the show) after the show!

The rest of the cast was good as well. There wasn't a single person who made the show into a negative experience when they were on stage.

While Godeaux was certain a major standout in talent, Kamri Howeth as Betty Rizzo and Addison Hernandez as Sandy Dumbrowski certainly were also stand out performers.

It was appreciated that the music was balanced so that most of the time the cast could be heard singing or talking over it as many times this is not the case in community (or even college and professional) theatres.

The onlyl negative in the show was that at times when cast members were not facing out towards the audience and at times perhaps not sure of their lines, they were difficult to hear.

The set was great with a balcony that was easy believable to be both inside of a high school and also outside of a high school. The lights underneath the balcony made it so it was easy to believe it to be a hallway, a gym, and an outside balcony at the points that it was needed to be any of the things.

The brick design was a great idea, though it would've been nice if the bricks looks a bit more like they had a brick texture. However, none of that took away from the show. They were not distacting and when it was dark on stage, it couldn't be seen that the texture was missing.

The shading of the bricks was excellent and did make them look as though they were worn.

The rest of the teen cast is Sarah Howlett as Miss Lynch, Ethan Foreman as Eugene Florczyk, Peyton Griffin as Jan, Caily Hardy as Marty, Ivan Chanchavac as Doody, Danny Swarers as Roger, Logan Eymard as Kenickie, Logan Williams as Sonny LaTierri, Angela Baker as Frenchy, Carson Lewis as Danny Zuko, Andy McCall as Vince Fontaine and Teen Angel, Stephen McDowell as Johnny Casino, and Kiera Howington as Cha-Cha DiGregorio.

The ensemble consisted of Lorelei Austin, Taylor Bui, C.J, Drago, Arwn Ewart, Yoseli Gonzalez, Ethan Hardy, Yakera, Victor Johnson, Brianna Parent, Cheyanne Parent, Chloe Phillips, Paytlee Picou, Bailee Proctor, Laura Spencer, Khloe Tanner, and Josie Zeto.

The crew is made up of the following:

Director: Debbie Pletcher
Assistant Director: Andrea Eymard
Production Manager: Kay Lené
Vocal Director: Jon-Michael Wallace
Choreographer: John Gray
Assistant Choreographers: Bethany Thomas, Rhiannon Pletcher
Technical Director: Rhiannon Pletcher
Stage Manager: John Pletcher
Assistant Stage Manager: Nathan Eymard
Light Board Operators: Yolanda Avery, Emme Moreno
Sound Board Operator: Carolee Ewart
Costumes: Becca Howington, Carolee Ewart, Jean Heubach, Cast and Crew
Property Manager: Kay Lené
Property Assistant: Jean Heubach
Set Construction: John Pletcher, Nathan Eymard, Cast, Crew, Board Members
Publicity: Debbet Pletcher, Andy McCall
Programs/Posters/Flyers: Jean Heubach
Lobby Decorations: Yolanda Goudeaux
Online Box Office: Jona Gilchrist
Box Office: Debbie Pletcher, Carl Heubach
Concessions: Carl Heubach, Richard Lene
Star Grams: Junior Board

You can catch a viewing of Grease with the teen cast at:
Port Arthur Little Theatre
4701 Jimmy Johnson Blvd,
Port Arthur, TX 77642

Tickets can be bought at their online ticket sales site.

Tickets for Students (elementary through collage are $11 with a $1 service fee).
Tickets for seniors (62 and up) are $13 with a $1.65 service fee.
Tickets for the general population are $15 with a $1.70 service fee.

The teen cast has performance at the following dates and times:
Sunday, August 1, 2021, 2:30pm
Saturday, August 7, 2021, 7:30pm
Friday, August 13, 2021, 7:30pm
Sunday, August 15, 2021, 2:30pm

Please make sure to arrive at least 20 minutes ahead of showtime to guarantee that your seat is reserved!

Playwriting - Theatre Teaching Resources for Social Distancing

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 07:33:00 +0000

In these uncertain times due to the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes COVID19, if you are looking for theatre lessons because your school has managed to switch to online classes or if you would like to teach your own children about theatre, please remember, the Theatre Geekery blog is a FREE resource.

Here are some of the posts about playwriting.

There are plenty of other posts. Just use the "Search this Blog" feature in the left sidebar of a post.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

What a nICE Performance!The Snow Queen in Lake Charles for six more performances.

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 21:33:00 +0000

A rose grows between the houses of two good childhood friends, Gerda and Kai. They tend to the rose together and then go to play. When it gets cold, they make sure that the rose is safe and warm inside. They read a story abut a Snow Queen and Gerda's grandmother tells them about the Snow Queen's mirrors and how one broken and could change the views of a person. Later on, Kai has gone missing because he fell victim to the broken mirror. He, somehow, found his way to the Snow Queen. All Kai could do was try to solve a riddle and constantly do math to try to solve it.

These events happen during The Snow Queen, a new musical by Haddon Kime, Kirsten Brandt, and Rick Lombardo. Performances are currently happening at the Lake Charles Little Theater. Gerda, who is the main character in the music, is played by Hunter Becton. She is a great actress and is thoroughly enjoyable to watch. However, the stand out start in the play is definitely Cole Becton. He has to show a wide range of emotions during the play and seems to accomplish them with ease. Taylor Novak-Tyler also does a great job of being distant, icy, and uncaring as The Snow Queen.

Other actors are Katie Becton (Grandmother, Robber Mom), Louis Barrilleaux (Prince, Reindeer, Troll, Crow), Heather Foreman (Princess, Garden Witch, North Witch), Lilly Brady (Rose, Robber Girl), Timothy Smith (Troll King, Old Crow), Cagle Kaough (Flower, Lady Crow), Crista Corbello (Flower, Pigeon), Everly Spears (Flower, Pigeon), Supratik Regni (Troll, Robber, Crow), Antonio Dre (Troll, Robber, Crow).

The set was excellently made. The houses seemed warm and the rest of the set was painted perfectly to look like snowy mountains. There was an excellent use of icicle lights to make a melting effect when snow and ice was supposed to be melting.

Crew for the show are the following people: Bacot Wright (Director), Dan Sadler (Assistant Director, Music Director), Heather Partin (Costumer), Gregory Leute (Stage Combat), Robert Grider (Light Operator, Dramaturge), Liz Trahan (Program). The set was constructed by Louis Barrilleaux, Dan Sadler, James Johnson, Bacot Wright, Katie Cole, and Gregory Leute.

There are quite a few differences from Hans Christian Andersen's story, but the general plot is followed. Expect to see a new story rather than one that completely follows the story by Andersen. Also, do not confused the play with any of the movies or specials with the same title, even if they are based on Andersen's story. This is also not Disney's Frozen, even though that story is very loosely based on Andersen's tale.

The play is in Lake Charles for six more performances. The dates and times are as follows:

Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7pm
Saturday, February 15, 2020 at 7pm
Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 2pm
Friday, February 21, 2020 at 7pm
Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 7pm
Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 2pm

You can buy tickets online at The Lake Charles Little Theater Vendini site. You can also buy tickets by calling 337-433-7988

For more information, visit The Lake Charles Little Theater website or e-mail A boy stands in line waiting to ride a roller coaster. When he gets up to the ticket taker, he is told that he can't ride because he is too short. This boy is Josh Baskin. This leads Josh to wishing that he is big. When he finds a fortune granting machine called Zoltar, he makes the wish to be big. This leads to an unexpected situation when Josh suddenly finds that he has turned to an adult over night.

Macmillan and Josh dance on the big piano in the toy store.

Later, he finds himself not knowing how to find a job or live as an adult, but he wanders into a toy store and because of really being a child, he knows what childern like and the owner of the company falls in love with him as a potential employee for research and development and hires him on the spot.

All of this happens in Big: The Musical which is currently playing at McNeese's Tritico Theatre by Lake Charles Christian Youth Theatre. There were no stand out stars of this show, but every person involved in the show did a good job. There were some issues with singing and audio, but technical equipment that did not work correctly was probably the main cause of these things. I also went the first night of the show, so there may be issues that are being fixed before the second show.

The show stars Zachary Benoit (Josh Baskin), Elisabeth Pettefer (Susan Lawrence), Mattie Schafer (Mrs. Baskin), Stuart Riviere (Billy Kopecki), Dylan Freeman (Little Josh Baskin), Jared Bates (Macmillan and Zoltar), Cole Becton (Paul Seymour and Arcade Attendant), Malachi Carroll (Derek and Jr. Design Executive), CeeCee Doucet (Miss Watson and Parent #2), Randilyn LeJeune (Cynthia Benson and Jr. Executive's Child), Chloe Lankford (Kid in Toy Store), Katherine Rion (Ticket Taker and Panhandler), Cami Bodin (Cynthia's Friend #1), Tziyon Howell (Cynthia's Friend #2), Gabriella Barrios (Cynthia's Friend #3), Peyton Mangrum (Benjamin Rubinstein), Duff Nichols (Kid on the Street), Bliss Nichols (Kid on the Street, Bearded Lady and Salesperson #3), Whitney Nguyen (Jr. Executive), and Bradlei Farnum (Young Susan).

The adult ensemble consists of Abigail Pettefer Amanda Sanders, Ava Lankford, Bliss Nichols, Cecilia Barrios, Danielle Bourgeois, Katherine Rion, and Malachi Carroll. The child ensemble consists of Bradlei Farnum, Cami Bodin, Chloe Lankford, Duff Nichols, Dylan Freeman, Elliot Fuselier, Gabriela Barrios, Peyton Mangrum, Randilyn LeJeune, Reese Corkran, and Tziyon Howell.

The set was impressive, especially for a local production where the set is made by volunteers such as the children's parents and others in the community who love theatre. The most ipmressive was the toy piano, of course, which also allowed the cast to show of some of their dancing talent. The fact that there was a bunk bed that could support somebody on the top bunk was also impressive.

The lighting was nothing spectacular, but it fit the musical and that's what matters.

If you would like to catch this musical, it is in Lake Charles for three more performances. They are on the following dates and times:

Saturday, Jan 18th @ 1:00pm
Saturday, Jan 18th @ 7:00pm
Sunday, Jan 19th @ 3:00pm

All performances take place at McNeese's Tritico Theatre which is located in the Shearmann Fine Arts Annex located on the corner of Ryan and Sale, across from Walgreens.

If you buy a ticket at the door, it is $20. However, if you buy a ticket online, it is $15. You can get a ticket for $10 online if you are in a group of 10 or more that buys their tickets online together, if you are a child 12 or under, if you are 65 or over, if you are in the military, or if you are a student You can buy tickets online at Lake Charles's Christian Youth Theater Webite for the musical Big and clicking on the "Purchase Tickets" button.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

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5 Religious Musicals You May Not Have Known Existed

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 22 Dec 2019 04:55:00 +0000

If you are looking for religious musicals, there are many of them that exist. The great thing about religious musicals is that usually once you have purchased them, that is the only thing that is required as a license for performance for your group. Of course, publishes and most likely composers appreciate if you purchase as many scripts and scores that are needed for your group, but some of them even come with agreements that allow groups to make copies for performance as long as they are not distributed to other groups.

Maybe Jonah was swallowed by a whale (or a big fish) that looked something like this.

Here are five religious musicals that you may not have known exist.

Catechism Cataclysm by Jay Beech and Dave Eliason
This musical has nothing to do with the 2011 dark film. It a catechism (or confirmation) class is struggling with memory work. The reason they need to get it done is so they can go on the canoe trip after classes are over. This is a fun 50 minute musical.
A Season to Celebrate by Allen Pote

This musical covers the life of Jesus, even from before he was born. It is basically why the church year exists put into musical form.
Daniel, Darius & DeLion by Sue Farrar

This musical is the story of Daniel in the lion's den told from the viewpoint of the lion. It is a fun 30 minute musical with a great twist on perspective. There are a lot of great pieces that true theatre artists could bring to life that most likely have not been done. There are plenty of examples of this musical on YouTube.

Here is one example of this musical:
Oh, Jonah! by Allen Pote

This musical is the story of Jonah and it manages to tell his story beyond the basics of being swallowed by a whale and spit up onto the shore. Participants are sure to learn more about the Jonah story by being a part of this musical. It is a 30 minute musical. There are even many examples of it on YouTube, but true theare artists could probably make it come much more alive than anything that can be found on YouTube.

Here is one example of the musical from YouTube:
The Song We Came to Sing by Sheldon Curry and Doris J. Simpson

It seems like this musical is completely out of print, which is sad. It is a 30 minute musical that is mostly singing from the score with some funny moments. The musical is literally the happenings in a church youth choir, so it is perfect for a church youth choir or any youth choir with those who are Chrisitans. A memorable lyric is "The song we came to sing is a song of many things, of how God's love flowers like spring; the song we came to sing." A memorable line is "Joe Namath was in the Bible?!"

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and as an Amaazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Wal-Mart affiliate and in the rare case I cannot find the product on Amazon, I can earn from those links. Please consider purchasing from my links as they help me to live and help me be able to write more content for you here.

How to Make an Icy Lawn Out of Balloons - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 06:53:00 +0000

If you need to make a set that looks like there is a icy or frozen lawn, making the frozen lawn is actually very easy. The only thing you truly need are balloons. If you want the balloons to stay put in the places where you put them, then you can tape them to the stage.

An icy lawn around an icy pathway.

In order to make an icy lawn, you will need the following items:

A lot of little blue and white balloons. You can use bigger balloons, but the effect will not work as well. Of course, the further away the balloons are from the audience, the smaller they will look. You may want some small white balloons such as MOWO 5" White Latex Balloons Party Decorations, Pack of 200 and a couple of shades of light blue balloons such as Neo LOONS 5" Pearl Light Blue Premium Latex Balloons -- Great for Kids , Adult Birthdays, Weddings , Receptions, Baby Showers, Water Fights, or Any Celebration, Pack of 100 and In-JOOYAA 5 Inch Small Balloons 200 Pack Macaron Blue Latex Party Balloons for Photo Shoot Wedding Baby Shower Birthday Party Decorations
Optional: LOTS of this white stage tape (gaffer tape) such as Professional Premium Grade Gaffer Tape - White 1 in x 60 Yds - Heavy Duty Pro Gaff Tape - Secures Cables, Holds Down Wires Leaves No Sticky Residue Easy to Tear, Multipurpose, Better Than Duct Tape

In order to make the icy frozen lawn:

Blow up as many of the balloons as needed in order to cover the area that you need to look like an icy lawn. If you are a teacher and have theatre classes where kids can do this, get some volunteers, perhaps let them blow up balloons during class.
If you do not mind the balloons moving around on the stage, all you have to do is let them go onto the stage.
However, if you need the balloons to stay in the same places and just be able to move a little bit like an icy lawn does, then you will need to tape them down via the mouth of the balloon. Do this with small pieces of thin white gaffer tape. Having white gaffer tape will ensure than the set still looks like a frozen lawn.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and as an Amaazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Wal-Mart affiliate and in the rare case I cannot find the product on Amazon, I can earn from those links. Please consider purchasing from my links as they help me to live and help me be able to write more content for you here.

How to Make Acropora Coral Out of Crayons and Paper Plates - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 06:06:00 +0000

If you are preparing set pieces for the musical Titanic, you may want to prepare some pieces that look like coral. There are many different types of coral. One genus is Acropora (or more accurately, Acroporidae) coral. While there are some corals of this genus that vary in look, there is one look that tends to be prevalent.

One of many species of Acropora Coral

This Acropora coral can be made with a flat surface like heavy duty paper plates and crayons.

In order to make set pieces that look like Acropora Coral, you will need the following items.

Brown crayons such as 50 Brown Crayons Bulk - Single Color Crayon Refill - Regular Size 5/16" x 3-5/8". (You may want different shades of browns and reds as well - look at pictures to determine what color crayons you'd like).
Heavy duty paper plates such as 100% Compostable White 10-inch Paper Plates, 75-Plates, Heavy-Duty Premium Quality Disposable Plate
Heavy duty scissors such as Wiss W10TM SCISSOR,FULL METAL,TITANIUM COATED,10"
Multi-purpose lighters such as Bic Multipurpose Lighters, 4 Pack
Optionally, you may want a hot glue gun such as ccbetter Upgraded Mini Hot Melt Glue Gun with 30pcs Glue Sticks,Removable Anti-hot Cover Glue Gun Kit with Flexible Trigger for DIY Small Craft Projects & Sealing and Quick Daily Repairs 20-watt,Blue

Here's how you make Acropora coral:

First, if you want the surface to be a different shape than just round, cut your paper plate to the shape you'd like.
Peel the labels off of the crayons.
Now, break the crayons by hand to the general length you'd like. Remember that the length will shorten a bit when you make the coral.
Hold a piece of crayon onto the paper plate. Use the multi-purpose lighter to melt some of the crayon so that the wax gets to a liquid at the bottom. Once that happens, let the crayon rest in the wax.
If you want, you can use the hot glue gun to glue the crayon to the plate and make it more secure.
Repeat steps four and five, putting pieces of crayons in different places until your plate or piece of plate is completely covered and it looks like the acropora coral that you are trying to mimic.
If you need more pieces of coral, make more surfaces and repeat steps four through six.

If you are wondering, the exact type of acropora coral that you can mimic in this way are Acropora nana, Acropora tenuis, Acropora nasuta, and Acropora monticulosa. While up close, there are more details to these corals, on the stage, broken crayons melted or glued onto a flat surface will mimic the far away look just fine.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and as an Amaazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Wal-Mart affiliate and in the rare case I cannot find the product on Amazon, I can earn from those links. Please consider purchasing from my links as they help me to live and help me be able to write more content for you here.

How to Make Curly Leaf Pondweed Out of Green Pool Noodles - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 03:31:00 +0000

You might be preparing set pieces for a musical such as The Pirates of Penzance. In this case, you may want some plants for the water. One of these plants is curly leaf pondweed.

A picture of Vesuvius Sword from Arizona Acquatic Gardens

This plant is often mistaken as a type of coral, especially in set pieces. The official name for curly leaf pondweed is Vesuvius Sword. Set pieces made to look like this plant can be made by using green pool noodles.

This is a fairly easy craft if you don't have trouble cutting pool noodles. You only need the following items:

Green pool noodles such as Noodle Builder 10 Pack of 24 Inch Lime Green Pool Noodles
Heavy duty scissors that can cut through pool noodle foam such as Wiss W20 10-3/8-Inch Inlaid Heavy Duty Industrial Shears.

Here are the instructions to make one piece of curly leaf pondweed or Vesuvius Sword. If you need more than one piece, repeat with the remaining pool noodles.

Cut the pool noodle at the length you want the pondweed.
Starting from one of the ends where the hole is in the pool noodle, cut in a downward spiral motion. You can decide if you want to cut all the way through the bottom and somehow prop it up or leave part of the bottom closed and prop it up with it closed.
After you are through cutting, you may want to shape it more with your hands.

You should now have a set piece that looks like curly leaf pondweed. All you will need to do now is figure out how you want to place it on the stage and how you would like to hold it up on stage.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and as an Amaazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Wal-Mart affiliate and in the rare case I cannot find the product on Amazon, I can earn from those links. Please consider purchasing from my links as they help me to live and help me be able to write more content for you here.

5 Musicals That Take Place In or Near the Water

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 05:43:00 +0000

I needed to take a break from how-to articles. However, I still wanted to post a blog post.

Being that I've been concentrating on underwater set pieces, I figured I'd give a list of musicals that take place in or near the water.

An image of water

The Little Mermaid
You can order and listen to the Broadway cast recording: The Little Mermaid: Original Broadway Cast Recording
You can always watch the original movie: The Little Mermaid
The Pirates of Penzance
You can watch this on Amazon: The Pirates of Penzance
You can watch it on DVD: The Pirates of Penzance
You can listen to the soundtrack: Gilbert & Sullivan: The Pirates of Penzance
Spongebob Squarepants: The Musical
You can listen to the soundtrack: SpongeBob SquarePants, The New Musical (Original Cast Recording)
South Pacific
You can watch the movie: South Pacific
You can listen to the soundtrack: South Pacific (Original Soundtrack Recording)
Anything Goes
You can watch the movie on Amazon: Anything Goes
You can watch the movie on DVD: Anything Goes
You can listen to the soundtrack: Anything Goes (New Broadway Cast Recording)

How to Make Seaweed Out of Plastic Tablecloths - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 22:47:00 +0000

Maybe you are preparing sets in case you can get rights to Sea Ya Later: An Underwater Musical! by STAR Theatre. In that case, you might need huge set piece that is supposed to be seaweed. If this is what you need, you can make seaweed out of plastic table clothes. This is somewhat similar to making seaweed out of trash bags, but plastic table cloths do not stretch like trash bags do.

An underwater view of seaweed, especially on the right side of the picture.

In order to make these seaweed set pieces, you need the following items:

Scissors such as CCR 8-inch Scissors with Soft Comfort-Grip Handles
Plastic table cloths such as White 12 Pack Premium Disposable Plastic Tablecloth, though you may want to get colors such as brown or green.
Brown spray paint such as Krylon Leather Brown COLORmaxx Spray Paint
Green spray paint such as Krylon Hunter Green COLORmaxx Spray Paint
A way to hang your seaweed outside
A way to hang your seaweed as the set piece or pieces

In this tutorial, only one tablecloth will be used to make seaweed. If you need more than one table cloth for your set, repeat the process with more tablecloths.

In order to make the seaweed:

Unfold the tablecloth and make sure that the longest side is at the top while the shorter sides are at the sides as it is likely that this is the way you want it (though, if your measurements are different, then position the tablecloth for your measurements).
Cut vertical strips about two inches wide, starting from the bottom and leaving about two inches uncut at the top. None of this has to be completely perfect because if it is perfect, it is likely that it will not look like seaweed.
Once the strips are cut, the they can be twisted lightly by hand. Do not try to stretch the tablecloth.
Take the tablecloth outside and hang it up.
Spray paint the tablecloth with brown and green spray paint. You want to make sure that this covers all the seen parts well.
Let the paint dry. If this looks good, you can leave it.
You can twist the strips of the tablecloth more if you would like.
If the paint did not cover well, you can spray paint again.
Repeat the process of twisting and painting until you are happy with your results.
Once happy, the seaweed can be hung as a set piece.

How to Make Seaweed Out of Trash Bags - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sat, 14 Dec 2019 22:37:00 +0000

You may be preparing props and set pieces for underwater musicals you are waiting for to have licensing options such as Spongebob: The Musical. If this is the case, you may need to make seaweed for your set. While it seems like seaweed would be a difficult set piece to make, it is actually very easy.

Seaweed

You will need the following items:

Small Trash Bags such as Hefty Small Trash Bags, 4 Gallon.
Scissors such as AmazonBasics Multipurpose Office Scissors
Green and brown spray paints such as Rust-Oleum 6 PK Specialty Camouflage Spray Pack
A flat surface such as scrap wood or old cardboard.
Pins or tape to hold the plastic trash bag material to your flat surface.

In order to make the seaweed:

Start by taking your trash bags and cutting 2" wide strips. Of course, the measurement doesn't have to be perfect, but this is about the size that you want.
Once the strips are cut, hook your index and middle finger underneath both sides of the shortest width at the top, holding them with your thumb.
Stretch the bag, but do not pull so much that the bag tears.
Repeat steps 2 and 3, moving down the long part of the strip until you reach the end.
Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each strip until you have enough pieces of seaweed for your set.
You are now going to need to put the strips onto your flat surface. Secure them at the top and bottom. They do not have to be held tightly.
Once your strips are secured to the flat surface, use your spray paints to paint the seaweed the colors that you would like them to be. You do not have to be careful about where the spray paint goes on the strips as seaweed comes in different colors and varieties to where the colors can be uneven.

If you enjoy my content, please consider becoming one of my patrons through Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/TheatreGeek where I will be sharing more in-depth content, answering your questions, sharing which types of software I use and how to find them, and more. By becoming my patron, you allow me to create more content about theatre and more theatrical content.

You can also give a one-time support by tipping at my my Ko-fi page. It is much appreciated and allows me to continue writing my blog instead of doing drudge work in order to make the little bit of money I can to afford to take time to write.

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Associate and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Wal-Mart affiliate and in the rare case I cannot find the product on Amazon, I can earn from those links. Please consider purchasing from my links as they help me to live and help me be able to write more content for you here.

How to Make a Crawfish Hole Out of Clay or Playdough - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 22:49:00 +0000

Sometimes you may be putting on a musical such as Oh, Jonah where you want parts of your set to look like they are in a wetland setting. Because of this, you may want to have some crawfish holes. It is easy to make crawfish holes with playdough or clay.

A crawfish hole

You will need the following items:

Playdough such as Play-Doh Modeling Compound 10-Pack or clay such as Natural Clay, 10 lb
Optional: Earth toned paints such as Jacquard Products Textile Color Paint Set, Earth Tones
Optional: Paintbrushes such as BOSOBO Paint Brushes Set, 2 Pack.

Crawfish live on every continent of the world, so there should be no worry about the location of your play. Fake crawfish holes are very easy to make.

If you are not going to paint your crawfish holes, choose the color of playdough that you are going to use. If you are using clay, it is probably already brown and it will stay that way unless you are going to have somebody fire it.
Once chooseing the playdough or clay that you are going to use, instead of making a mound, make small balls and ovals of different sizes.
Put these circles and balls in a circle with a diameter of 3"-5". Again, this does not have to be a perfect circle.
Stack the balls and ovals on top of each other, tapering them so that they get thinner towards the top.
Let the playdough or clay dry.
If the crawfish hole is the color that you want it to be, you are done.
If you used clay and are going to have somebody fire it, have somebody fire it once it is dry.
If the crawfish hole is not the color you would like it to be, paint it the color that you'd like.

How to Make Black Coral Out of Expanding Spray Foam - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 07:42:00 +0000

There are some sets, such as the one for Rainbow Fish Musical that require coral as set pieces. There are many types of coral and various ways to to make the different types of coral. This blog post is about making black coral with expanding spray foam.

A drawing of black coral

First, despite the name black coral, this coral comes is various colors. These colors include red, green, yellow, white, and brown. Sometimes black coral is black, but that is actually rare.

In order to make black color for the stage set, you are going to need the following:

Flat surfaces like scraps of cardboard or cardboard boxes. If you don't have any scrap cardboard, you can buy Corrugated Cardboard Sheets.
Wax paper such as Reynolds Cut-Rite Wax Paper.
Craft wire such as BENECREAT Aluminum Wire
Expanding spray foam insulation such as Great Stuff Gap Filler
Spray paint such as Moneysworth & Best Brillo Leather/Vinyl/Plastic Color Spray Dye/Paint 12 oz, Black

In order to make the black coral:

Prepare as many sheets of cardboard that you want as many pieces of coral. If you do not have enough cardboard for all of the coral that you want to make, you may need to make the coral in batches.
Line your pieces of cardboard with wax paper. It is probably best if it is wrapped around the cardboard so it can be taped to the back, but do what you can.
Lay the cardboard flat.
Use the craft wire to make a general outline of the way you would like your coral to point. You can make various paths with the wire. Use pictures of black coral to lay out wire patterns generally copying those patters. Make sure to leave at least a little bit of a stem made from wire at the bottom.
Spray the foam onto the wire, making sure to follow the patterns of the wires and not spray it in other directions. Stop spraying when moving the foam from one piece of wire to another piece. Do NOT spray any foam onto the stem you made with the wire.
Let the foam dry on the flat surfaces. DO NOT MOVE THE SURFACES WITH THE FOAM ON THEM.
While the foam is drying, you can choose the different colors of spray paint that you would like to paint each piece of coral.
Once the foam is dry, remove them from the wax paper.
Take the pieces of coral outside or to a well ventilated area and spray the spray paint on them until well covered on one side, making sure to get into all of the little cracks and crevices.
Let the paint dry.
Once the paint is dry, turn the coral decorations over.
Spray paint the backs of the coral with your colors of choice, making sure to get into any little cracks and crevices.
Let this paint dry.
Once dry, you should have coral that has a stem that can easily be stuck into cardboard or Styrofoam on the stage in order to add to the scenery.

How to Make Blue Coral Out of a Pool Noodle - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 05:16:00 +0000

There are some sets, such as the one for The Little Mermaid that require you to have coral as set pieces. There are various ways of making coral. In this blog post, we are going to concentrate on making blue coral out of pool noodles.

Real blue coral.

This post focuses on making the blue coral out of pool noodles only. It does not focus on making the rest of the coral reef. You will need the following items.

Blue pool noodles such as Fix Find 5 Pack of Blue Flexible Foam Pool Noodles.
Heavy Duty Scissors such as Wiss Heavy Duty Scissors

Using one pool noodle, decide how many parts you want the top to split into (kind of like deciding how many petals you'd want on a flower).
Make one less vertical cut than the number desired all around from the top of the pool noodle down. You want to make sure that the pool noodle is never cut horizontally.
Once this is done, use your hand to press down and spread the cut part of the pool noodle so the pieces stick out and spread out wider than the rest of the pool noodle.
Now you can decide on the length that you want the rest of the coral to be and cut the pool noodle horizontally for where you would like so it is at the length you desire.

How to Create a Brick Wall Using Rectangular Sponges - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Wed, 11 Dec 2019 07:55:00 +0000

There are times that a set may need a brick wall. There are various methods to make this, but one of the easiest ways is by using rectangle sponges and paint.

A brick wall behind Paulina handing Gus Perdita in Leo's office from Yet Another Shakespeare Rewrite or The Winter's Tale for a Modern Day Audience.

Make sure that your scenery is laying down flat. You want to lay your scenery on a flat surface so none of the paint drips downward.
Use some scrap or a paint tray to create a place where sponges are dipped into paint. You may want to use a paint tray like Wooster Brush 11" Deluxe Plastic Tray.
Decide on your paint colors and make a puddle of the colors together. Start with the color you want the most of and put that into a big puddle in the tray. Afterwards, drizzle amounts of the other colors that you want included in your bricks. If you want brick colored paints, you probably want to choose reds and browns and maybe some whites and grays. However, you may want some odd colored bricks.
Dip your rectangular sponge (or sponges of the same size) into the paint. If you don't have any rectangular sponges, you may want to buy some like Blue Panda Synthetic Craft Sponges.
Carefully apply the sponge or sponges to the scenery in a straight line with each sponge evenly spaced. If you don't want the wall to look perfect, you do not have to be extremely careful withthe placement of the bricks.
On the next line, repeat the same process, but with the sponges starting at about the middle of the bricks above them.
On the line after this, go back to the starting spot in distance from the edge of the scenery was from the first line and repeat the process on the third line.
Repeat the process with this on the second line.
Keep repeating the process for each line until the bottom of the scenery is reached.
Add the grout color if desired. If you want it to look like grout is between the bricks, paint lines with the color paint of your choice between the sponge markings.
Let the scenery dry.

How to Figure Out How Many Stripes Are Needed on a Wall - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 01:57:00 +0000

There may be sets when you need a striped wall. Sometimes, the number of stripes doesn't matter and they are only supposed to be a certain width. At those times, it doesn't matter if you know how many stripes are on the wall. However, there are times that you need to figure out how wide stripes should be for a wall because there are a certain number of stripes. If you need to do this, here is how it is done.

A striped wall.

Of course, this trick only works if you want your stripes to be of equal width. If you want stripes of different widths, that will take some more calculating.

Let's say that a script says that there are a series of pink and purple stripes on a wall with there being 11 pink stripes and 12 purple stripes.

Find the total number of stripes. 12 pink stripes and 13 purple stripes give a total of 25 stripes.
Find the height of the wall Use a tape measure such as the Komelon SM5425 Speed Mark Gripper to measure your wall from top to bottom.
Divide the height of the wall by the number of stripes. If your wall happens to be 8' high, you then divide 8' by 25. This results in 0.32 feet. This value can be multiplied by 12 in order to get inches. That results in 3.84". You now know that each stripe will be 3.84".
Mark your stripes with a pencil before painting them. Measure 3.84" from the top of the wall and make a straight line with a pencil such as these AmazonBasics Pre-sharpened Wood Pencils.
Paint your stripes. Make sure that you paint the color of the odd numbered stripe at the very top of the wall. You can then skip the stripe afterward and continue the pattern. If you have more than one person painting, you can have that person start on painting the other color from the opposite side, making sure to start painting on the second stripe down.

How to Create Patterns with String and Paint Rollers - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 03:58:00 +0000

Have you ever needed to paint a wall or a set piece with a pattern? You can always buy patterened paint rollers like this one: Garosa Texture Pattern Paint Roller Brush

However, if you have a paint roller and string, you can make your own patterned paint roller.

A textured wallpaper pattern

Start with your basic paint roller. One like this will do: KingOrigin premium 4 inch Paint Roller Kit
Next, wrap string or yarn around the paint roller in any pattern that you would like. You can make it evenly spaced or create odd patterns. You might want some yarn such as Lion Brand Tweed Yarn or string such as T.W Evans Cordage 12-250 Number-1 Braided Nylon Mason Line
Once the string is wrapped on ther paint roller, put paint on the surface. Don't force it into places, but do make sure that it covers the roller and the string enough that it will paint. You may want to use paint such as Mshzf DIY 5D Diamond Painting Kit.
You can put more than one color on the roller if you would like to have different colors. If not, stick with one color of paint.
Make sure that you test out the pattern on a scrap of scenery or paper to make sure it turns out how you would like it to look.
Now that you have made a patterned paint roller, you can paint walls or furniture with different patterns. You can always rearrange the yarn or string to make different patterns or create your own patterns with multiple paint rollers and not be limited to those that are on the market.

Black Market Theatre Has Inchchieved AgainHedwig and the Angry Inch is in Lake Charles for Two More Performances

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 01:19:00 +0000

A blonde woman stands on stage performing a concert. She gets angry at her backup singer and she spits in his face. This woman is named Hedwig and the backup singer is her husband, Yitzak.

This is not Hedwig, but it comes close to how she might look on some days.

However, not all is as it seems. At the beginning of the play, we learn that Hedwig wasn't originally a women. Hedwig was born a boy and named Hansel. Hansel only went through the sex change because at the time, when in love with an American soldier named Luther Robinson, but in communist East Germany, a full physical examination was needed for two people to get married. It was required that the couple was one male and one female. The doctor that performed the sex change operation botched it, so Hansel was now Hedwig, but everything was botched. On their first aniversary, Luther left Hedwig for a man who was still physically in tact.

As the audience, we are watching Hedwig tell her story in a concert on stage. She is following a rock star, Tommy Gnosis, who she helped with his career by writing good songs. He never gives her any credit at his concerts.

It works as long as you remember that in theatre, you have to have a willing suspension of disbelief. In this case, you have to believe that you could hear a crowd all the way from the Isle of Capri casino in Westlake to downtown Lake Charles.

Joey Boyette plays Hedwig. He is amazing as a performer, always engaging with the audience. If nobody knew that it was Joey playing Hedwig, it would be extremely believable with the person being seen before hearing the story is actually a woman. There is a backup band and I am sorry that I do not have the names of the people in the band.

The venue of Crystal's Downtown works well for the play as it is perfect for a place where a little concert might take place on a little stage. The one problem, which tends to be a problem in all venues where theatre is held and there is not a proper place for a band such as an orchestra pit, is that the music from the band often overpowers the person or people who are speaking or singing.

However, with the basic knowledge of the play and watching Hedwig, it is fairly obvious what is happening the entire time. The play was directed to Jessa Theriot Lormand and it can be seen two more times in Lake Charles.

The play can be seen at Crystal's Downtown (720 Ryan St. Lake Charles, LA 70601). There is parking in the lot on Broad St. which will have a back entrance to Crystal's. This show is only for those who are 18 years of age and older. You can get tickets at Black Market Theatre's Yapsody Site. The two times that the play can be seen again are as follows:

Friday, December 13, 2019 at 7:30pm
Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 7:30pm

Schlepitchka - Scenic Artists' Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Theatre Geek) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 11:36:00 +0000

Have you ever needed to create a quick background for wallpaper or greenery? Has it been difficult to find the exact technique to accomplish this?

What you probably want is schlepitchka. This technique uses a feather duster to create the background for the wanted scenery. If you'd like to create your background fairly quickly, you are going to need the following things.

Now you can get started:

Pick your three base colors of paint. These will most likely be in the same color family, but that will be up to you and the design that you want.
Start by dipping your feather duster into the darkest color paint
Flog the duster on the scrap plywood two or three times to remove excess paint.
Apply the feather duster to the scenery by lightly dropping or dainbbing the feathers onto the background and turning the feather duster in your hand each time you drop it and each time you pick it up.
Make sure that you move the feather duster to a different spot each time.
Cover as much of the scenery as wanted and needed.
If you only have one feather duster, you may want to wash it.
When done with the darkest color, repeat steps 1-7, with the middle color.
When done with the middle color, repeat steps 1-7 with the lightest color.
Let your scenery dry.
Once dry, you should have scenery that has the start of your wallpaper or plant background.

You can see the technique in the following video.

Schlepitchka from Jeff McLaughlin on Vimeo.

You can read more about using the technique of schlepitchka at this article by Jamie Clausius at Rosco Spectrum.

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