Friday, December 23, 2005
Where the Christmas play flops
I dreamed that we were reperforming the Christmas play because the performance we did was really just a dress rehearsal that people could come to if they wanted. We showed up on this night and found out that half the cast members weren’t even there. It was mostly just me, Jayme, Amanda, Alicia, and Eden, who was back with us. We did the best we could, but it was really bad.
Halfway through scene three, I suddenly remembered we’d decided to change the ending for the play, because the original ending involved someone killing someone else, and we’d decided it was too gruesome. However we’d never had time to write up a new ending, so I had to improvise one on the spot. I couldn’t give my normal cues, because then people would just go ahead with the original ending.
I remember walking to the door on the stage and thinking, “What am I going to do?” and I opened the door and Jayme, Alicia, and Eden were standing there. I thought, Oh, phew, I can count on them to improvise for me! and I quickly let them in on the situation, and then realizing mics were still on, so the audience could hear everything.
I went back out onto the stage, counting on those girls to come out and back me up in whatever improv I ended up doing for this ending. However, people just kept POURING out of that back room. Before long there were about eighteen girls on the stage, including the three I’d seen before, and then Sarah G, Olivia S, Manda, and a bunch of people I didn’t recognize. I said, “Not ALL of you are supposed to come out!” There was a disapproving laugh from the audience and I was struck with the realization that what I’d said was hardly a good improv bit.
At the end of the third scene, Jayme suggested I go out and apologize to the audience. So I did, I went out in front, made some sort of “technical difficulties” excuse, and said we’d be happy to refund their money or show a video of the previous night’s show for free.
Halfway through scene three, I suddenly remembered we’d decided to change the ending for the play, because the original ending involved someone killing someone else, and we’d decided it was too gruesome. However we’d never had time to write up a new ending, so I had to improvise one on the spot. I couldn’t give my normal cues, because then people would just go ahead with the original ending.
I remember walking to the door on the stage and thinking, “What am I going to do?” and I opened the door and Jayme, Alicia, and Eden were standing there. I thought, Oh, phew, I can count on them to improvise for me! and I quickly let them in on the situation, and then realizing mics were still on, so the audience could hear everything.
I went back out onto the stage, counting on those girls to come out and back me up in whatever improv I ended up doing for this ending. However, people just kept POURING out of that back room. Before long there were about eighteen girls on the stage, including the three I’d seen before, and then Sarah G, Olivia S, Manda, and a bunch of people I didn’t recognize. I said, “Not ALL of you are supposed to come out!” There was a disapproving laugh from the audience and I was struck with the realization that what I’d said was hardly a good improv bit.
At the end of the third scene, Jayme suggested I go out and apologize to the audience. So I did, I went out in front, made some sort of “technical difficulties” excuse, and said we’d be happy to refund their money or show a video of the previous night’s show for free.
Labels: alicia, drama, eden, jayme, manda, olivia, sarah g
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