Theatre Channel on Cable? See what you think...

Jul 9 22:54 UTC 1998

Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 14:11:15 -0400
Subject: hello hello - Theatre Channel info


Hello hello one and all -

this was forwarded to me, and though I don't have TV, I thought that of the
180 billion channels out there, this one actually sounded like it has
potential to be interesting.  In any case, if you have the time, look it
over, take the survey, contact your cable company, and pass this along to
friends and the theatre friendly crowd.   If this channel can help stir
more interest in theatre at any level, it can't be that bad.
thanks for your net-time

Subject:       Dear theatricals....

So here's the story.  I've been in contact with this woman for the past
year who is trying to launch an all-theatre cable channel.  I won't
pretend my motives are entirely done for love of the stage; my hope is, of
course, that once she has it up and running she has a place for a charming
yet raffish theatre reviewer somewhere on the staff.  Regardless of the
apparent lack of wisdom inherent in such a venture, she has pressed
forward and now has a company interested that has recently come into
rather a tidy sum as a result of the recent AT&T merger.  They want her to
show them what sort of support such a channel would have, however, and to
this end she has built a website that outlines her plans and includes a
survey as well.  The hyperlink follows:
<A HREF="http://www.theatrechannel.com/">The Theatre Channel</A>   All I
ask of you is that you go to the website and complete the survey.  It's
innocuous... the only personal information they ask is your e-mail
address, and that's optional.  I doubt that you'll end up on any sort of
mailing list.  I believe she has until October to complete this survey, so
if you can think of anybody else who might be interested in participating,
please forward the address.  (If the hyperlink doesn't work for some
reason it's at theatrechannel.com.)

As a personal indulgence, I would request that under the section asking
"What would YOU like to see on a theatre channel" you dutifully check the
box "theatre reviews."  There is, alas, no box where you can suggest
specifically who might most delightfully fill this particular bill.  If I
can figure out a way to do so, I'll let you know.  Advancing age brings
with it many mercenary qualities, I find.  Thanks.

Wenzel

response 2 of 23:

Jul 21 18:26 UTC 1998

due to complete lack of participation in this item in arts, can we link it
to agora, please?

response 4 of 23:

Jul 23 11:53 UTC 1998

(I'm reading this in Agora now, so it's been linked.)

response 6 of 23:

Jul 23 20:13 UTC 1998

they should do behind-scenes stuff..like show scene shops and techies and
stuff...it would be amusing..(and fun to watch a harried performer attack an
annoying reporter ;> )

response 8 of 23:

Jul 24 20:58 UTC 1998

(you forgot 'How to costume anything thatr moves') :)

response 10 of 23:

Jul 25 12:31 UTC 1998

Speaking from the actor's perspective, I suggest a couple other shows:
 
"Remembering The Actors Still Need To Fall Into The Category of 'Anything
That Moves' Even After The Costume Has Been Applied"
 
"Realizing How Little Time An Actor May Have For Costume Changes, And No
Matter How Cool The Costume Is, Nobody Will Ever Be Able To Appreciate It
If The Costume Change Cannot Be Accomplished In That Amount Of Time".
 
I've worked with some costumers that desperately needed to watch those shows.

response 12 of 23:

Jul 25 20:27 UTC 1998

To quote Mike W. Clark, No-Ah-Ah.
 
If the actor has choreography, then, yes, the director would generally like
him to do it. "Cool Costumes" become less so if they stand in the way of 
the performance.
 
Recently I was asked to change from a floor-length cape with Elizabethan 
collar, a studded black bustier, a lace skirt, spandex bike shorts, black
hose, opera length gloves and 3" stiletto heels, into a t-shirt, cutoff
jeans, no hose, which meant no shorts, no gloves, and flats.
 
I was asked to descend a flight of stairs, make a microphone change, cross
behind the stage, and make the change in one minute. One sixty-second minute.
And still have enough breath left to play the trumpet when I got there.
 
The costumer wanted to make my getup even more outlandish yet.
 
The director, being the one who cast me, wanted me to be on stage.
 
The director won.

response 14 of 23:

Jul 26 03:21 UTC 1998

An *intelligent* costumer can do a great deal to make a change go faster
(rip-apart seams that he'll re-stitch before each show, for instance), 
and a well-practiced "pit crew" can work wonders (assuming the actor isn't
too modest...).  But it sounds like somebody being in charge of producing
real results is the secret here.  

response 16 of 23:

Jul 26 07:28 UTC 1998

if you get upset stripping in front of a tech crew at lightning speed, tehn
perhaps you're in the wrong business :P I"m fairly modest in real life, but
shows take presidence, and if the audience needs to see me half-dressed
running offstage, tehn so be it

response 18 of 23:

Jul 26 23:21 UTC 1998

Ripping stitches is fairly common practice.

response 20 of 23:

Jul 27 17:13 UTC 1998

(thaty's where you find yourself a needle and thread afterwards and fix it)

response 22 of 23:

Jul 28 01:11 UTC 1998

piffle...bring your own, they're cheap :)