Author Topic: Gremlins and Fairies  (Read 4108 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

PSMKay

  • Site Founder
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 1357
  • Gender: Female
    • View Profile
    • http://www.smnetwork.org
  • Affiliations: None.
  • Current Gig: SMNetwork *is* my production.
  • Experience: Former SM
Gremlins and Fairies
« on: Sep 25, 2007, 08:59 am »
(submitted by Sarah)


     

Horror! So, here I am, stage managing for A
      Midsummer Night's Dream and it is our final preview before opening. The
      house is full, and full of important people, the important kind that
      donate to needy university theatres. Well, here we are in Act IV, and the
      fairies are getting ready to do their victory dance because everything
      worked out so nicely, thank you very much. Oberon says to Titania,
      "Call Music." Of course, Titania replies, (it being her turn to
      say her line) "Music, ho!" at which point sound Q 33 is called
      (makes it easy when the line cue is “ho” which sounds so much like “go”).
      Silence. Titania and Oberon stand on stage, arms raised in expectation of
      a lilting melody moving to crescendo, but nooooo. I look at my sound guy,
      and say, "Sound Guy, make the music happen,
      where-oh-where-is-the-music-Sound-Guypleeeasseeeeoh
      pleaseohpleaseohpleasemakeitworkSoundGuy." Finally, he gets it cued
      and...it's SQ18. "Hold please," I shout out the window, to the
      audience's mixed delight and consternation. We back up a bit and try it
      again. "Music ho!" Silence. Titania drops her arms and begins to
      giggle. “Hold please.” I look again at my sound guy and say, “I will
      buy you a case of Barq’s if you get this right, right now.” Third time’s
      a charm, right? I mean we’ve been surrounded by magic and flowers of
      purple dye and all that, all night long. “Call Music.” “Music ho!”
      SQ33 goes fine, the fairies are dancing and I think we are in the home
      stretch. All of a sudden,  the mini disc player has a seizure and the
      music skips like Shirley Temple. The fairies stop mid-leap and turn to the
      booth and glare. “Hold please.” I now begin to look at my Sound Guy
      with something like pity, because the director is in the house, ready to
      blow a fuse. I use my eyes to plead, and he promises me it will work this
      time, it must be the theatre ghost, angry for our portraying his kin as
      such aristocratic boobs. “Music ho!” SQ33 goes…the fairies are
      twirling, here comes the music swell, and…YAY! IT WORKED!

      It almost made me cry.



 

riotous