Tuesday 31 January 2012

West Side Story (4)

This week I want to talk about the kinds of gifts that might be relevant to the characters and songs or dialogue in this show.

In general all kinds of 1950's related things, like jukeboxes, comic books, records, classic shaped coca cola bottles with metal tops, small plastic pocket combs for the men, powder compacts for the ladies and sweets from that era. Love hearts started production in 1954, Hershey's Kisses had been produced since 1907.

The gangs in West Side Story were based on real life events and characters . This article from the Telegraph of July 2008 tells the background stories .

 The Gang identities are helpful in deciding on gifts for the participants:
Jets:

Toy planes in the style of the 1950's, usually these would be fighter planes rather than jumbo jets, or simple paper or polystyrene planes that are sold for children's party bags.

Jet jewellery (a black semi precious stone that has a sheen to it but can be carved, this was popular in the Victorian era, so might be found in second-hand shops).

Sharks:

Toy sharks (think "A Shark Tale" or "Finding Nemo")
Even a blow-up water toy if you can find one.

From The Drama Queen's Drawers these cufflinks :

for Jets


and these
for Sharks

If you were feeling crafty and had time perhaps make friendship bracelets in the gang colours ; blue and yellow for the Jets, red and purple for the Sharks, or whatever your wardrobe colours are.


For Tony and Maria; all the usual love tokens are possible. Hearts, red roses, top hats and bouquets; (although there isn't a wedding the Bridal Shop allows some license here)
One Hand, One Heart, could mean a Claddagh ring (usually depicts a heart supported by a hand on either side)

For Anita ; All kinds of things that represent “America” (some stars and stripes charms here)
Dressmaker's scissors or sewing machine charm,  Bubble bath – Black Orchid if you can find it or re-label an exotically scented one.

For Chino ; a toy gun or revolver badge.

For Baby John ; a Superman comic

For Officer Krupke ; American police hat or handcuffs charm.

These are just a few suggestions; some of these, although not all, can be found in the West Side Story category of my website www.thedramaqueensdrawers.co.uk. along with some information (such as character names and a list of musical numbers) to help you find inspiration.
I add items to the different Musicals categories as I find them or as inspiration strikes, so if you are looking for something in particular please get in touch and I will help if I can.


I hope that any of you reading this who still have yet to take part in this incredible show get the chance to do so, for me it was the experience of a lifetime, and I love to share the joy and privilege that I felt.

Monday 23 January 2012

West Side Story (3)


I have always managed to take a week's holiday from work to be able to concentrate on show week, which meant that I did not have to be quite so rigorous with my make up removal, or hair styling. I have hair that behaves better if I don't wash it every day, so I tended to try and keep whatever style was required in place for as long as possible. Sometimes this meant coming home to have my hair done up in rags or rollers as soon as I got in, and sleeping in them, and leaving them in till the last minute the following day. I have friends who bemoan their wavy hair, but mine is straight and won't hold a curl without being bullied into doing so, and I don't begin to understand what they have to complain about!
We also used greasepaint when I started out, the joys of Spotlite Klear Peach Special by Leichner! Which went on beautifully but was a devil to get off, with lashings of liquid paraffin and cold cream; body make up was a coloured liquid, based on calomine lotion, which dried your skin. If you didn't have a combination skin when you started, you did by the end of the week. It was also worth making sure you had your oldest sheets and towels available for use, as no matter how good you were at cleansing, the make-up had seeped into your pores and you would wake in the morning to find smears of bright orange on your pillow. By the second production, when I had to use a darker make up as a Puerto Rican girl, pancake make-up which was applied with a wet sponge had arrived, and that was much easier to get on smoothly and to wash off. It still took about an hour of layering coat after coat of it on to get the right shade under the stage lights (you couldn't do it at home, because you always looked washed out as soon as you went into a properly lit stage.)

The luxury of time away from work also meant that I had time to spend socialising, and we often went for lunch together during the week, or to dinner all together on the Friday night after the show, which meant the crew could come along too, with nothing that needed to be done to finish up. Our local Chinese restaurant would stay open for us, knowing that at least 20 people would be ordering a full meal even if it was after eleven when most of us got there. Nowadays it is more common to visit an Indian or Chinese restaurant, but the choices were more limited in the 1970's, although there were a lot more pubs around, most of them only served food up until 9pm at the latest and their menus were of the steak and chips variety.

As West Side Story was my first show as an adult I was not really prepared for the gift giving between my fellow thespians, and I don't remember what I bought as gifts at that time. I think it was sweets, probably tubes of love hearts, or balsa wood planes for my fellow “Jets”. Later I got more creative with my ideas, and found tubes of American hard gums for my Shark friends, along with toy sharks, various pencils and erasers on a shark theme, and some other bits that arose from jokes and events at rehearsals. There was a tendency to name dance steps after food, and croissants (entrechats, if I remember rightly) and potato in a basket (pas de basque) made their appearances in the gifts that were given between dance partners.


Monday 16 January 2012

West Side Story (2)


Both productions of West Side Story that I was involved with performed in a community hall, with no raked seating, no fly tower, and only minimal lighting, so everything had to be hired in. The set consisted of scaffolding platforms to give two levels on stage, and a couple of trucks that set the scenes: a graffitti wall for the prologue, a door and mannequins for the dress shop, Maria's bedroom set on a high platform to one side of the stage, reached by a ladder from the wings. A very stark and basic setting with an eye to safety in its construction, and as much space as possible available for dancing. The lighting designer had a real task to perform, and for the first production our follow spot operators were housed on a high scaffold platform at the back of the auditorium. By the time of our second production there had been provision made for them in a room on the second level with a hole in the wall to allow follow spots a reasonable field of operation. A great advance.

Costumes were hired in for the most part, although there was a vast collection of costumes in the company wardrobe, it was a new venture to be using “modern dress” although not modern enough for us to be able to wear our own clothes. My dress as Graziella should have fitted me perfectly, however the lady for whom it had originally been made was a buxom size 10, I was anything but buxom, and had to take huge tucks in the bosom of the dress to make it stay in place. As I was dancing the exhibition dance in Dance at the Gym I could not keep hitching up the shoulder straps or fidgeting with my underwear. Luckily I had a sympathetic wardrobe mistress, who helped me to make it fit, and added a line of sequins to the side split in the skirt to draw the emphasis to my legs.
With the second production I was luckier , and was given a fantastic 50's design halter-neck dress with a tiered skirt in a bright yellow, that I would love to have taken home and kept, because it fitted beautifully without any adjustments and made me feel like dancing as soon as I put it on. Just like a child with a new party dress!

For me, the whole event from first rehearsals to final performance is a joy. Building on the learning of lines and dance steps at the beginning through to the fun of first run-throughs where very little goes as you expect it to, and on to being fitted for costumes, hearing the band for the first time at band call, and then to tech rehearsal, and dress rehearsal. Even when things go wrong, that is what brings the cast together as a team, and the addition of the technical expertise raises the game to another level. Until by first night the sense of working together brings something special to a performance, and invites your audience to join in and enjoy a special event.
By last night, no-one wants it to end.
At that point, last performance, was when our company gave “show presents” to our partner, other members of the team, and “Thank you” gifts to all those who helped to get us on stage. Those of us who had time made little presents, my most memorable being a tiny handkerchief embroidered with “Graziella – West Side Story – 1976” packed into a gift box, which I still have tucked away in a Treasures Box. Others bought sweets or little trinkets, just token souvenirs for our colleagues, and clubbed together to present larger gifts to our director, choreographer and MD. From this is where my own business grew.

And then of course, the de-rig. That had to be done before the exodus to the after show party, or at least, most of it had to come down and be packed ready to be dispatched back to the suppliers. No-one would want to be getting up early Sunday morning to be taking down lights or sorting costumes, so it would be all hands on deck to clear away as much as possible, before the hall caretaker insisted it was time to lock up. Sunday morning was still for clearing, but the more we could get down the better.

Many of you will recognise this series of events, for it is much the same with any show, as is the anti climax afterwards, and the need to get together again in the following week, whether to pass on audience congratulations, see the show photos, or start on the next project..

More next week





Monday 9 January 2012

West Side Story


A real challenge for any society, West Side Story has everything, dancing, singing, love scenes, fight scenes, tragedy and comedy. So where to start? The first time I was privileged to be a part of the team performing this fantastic musical we started with 2 months of exercise and dance training, learning steps and upping our stamina to be able to cope with the rigours of this energetic show.
As with any amateur company we had differing levels of experience, some with all round “triple threat” talents, others learning all from scratch. I had been a dancer for a long time, but my principal training had been in ballet, and I had to learn the intricacies of back drops and rock and roll lifts, plus I had never learned to read music, so singing was also a new experience, especially the lovely harmonies required for the Quintet (Tonight).

I was lucky to take the part of Graziella (Riff's girlfriend) which meant I was included in the “Cool” number, (which position is swapped in the stage version to the film with Officer Krupke, so Riff sings it in Doc's store before the War Council) and part of the “Jets”. Even now I am surprised by how quickly one identifies with one's gang.

The second time I was in West Side Story I belonged to the Shark girls, and had to completely re-think my attitude even before starting rehearsals, almost to the point of deciding not to take part. Almost, but not quite, the pull of the show is such that I would sweep the stage just to be part of the production, so a small matter of changing sides isn't going to stop me.

The emotional connections made by immersing myself in rehearsals for 6-8 months at a time to the music and lyrics have stayed with me ever since, and I am often to be found quoting lines of dialogue or lyrics in all kinds of situations. “It's when I don't look that it happens” is a favourite taken in or out of context!
So much so that in rehearsals for other shows afterwards we ended up with a “Quotes” box (like a swear box) for every quote that did not belong to the current production. A small way of fund raising and maintaining concentration!

To be continued ...


If you have a story to share about West Side Story please add a comment or contact me via the website www.thedramaqueensdrawers.co.uk





Sunday 1 January 2012

Happy New Year


My New Year's resolution is to write about how I got into amateur drama, and the shows that have given me such pleasure and fun during my time as a “Drama Queen”. I intend to write about the way they have made an impact on my life, not necessarily about the facts and figures of the productions; they can be found elsewhere.
I will probably also at some point make reference to appropriate presents for characters and songs, as that is my business.

My first initiation into the world of amateur drama was as a young teenager, playing a child in Finian's Rainbow, and in Carousel as one of the Snow children. I then had a break from performing after an opportunity to dance in No No Nanette made me realise that my taste was not for bright green twenties dresses with a huge bow at the hip, and that as a junior member of the chorus you get no choice in your costumes. I saw myself as a cool teenager, the wardrobe mistress saw me as an awkward child : we both had a point!

I had been taking ballet lessons since I was five years old, and my love of dance was a huge influence, but I was not going to be fortunate enough to follow this until I reached my mid twenties; life had a habit of getting in the way of my hobby.

I came back to the amateur stage to take part in my favourite ever show : West Side Story.
I had found the music alone moving when I first heard it, and “Somewhere” had made me cry even before I first saw the film version. Not even PJ Proby could spoil it for me.
I have been extremely fortunate to have taken part in two productions, each of which has a special place in my heart. West Side Story will be the first in my series of blogs which will follow and will be the one that takes up most of January if I write on a weekly basis.  I hope it will be of interest, and perhaps that others will share their experiences with me.  

And now, with the New Year, after a break of about ten years from the boards (life got in the way again), I am returning to participation in the chorus in a production of The Music Man with a company I haven't played with before. A good omen for 2012 I hope.

Wishing everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Myra