WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?!

We're back!

 My oh my has it been a while since we have made a post. We are truly, terribly sorry about that. Trust us when we say that over the past two months we have been thinking about this little 'ol blog and coming up with new ideas to make it bigger and better. It is just that our lives just got way too busy during the last weeks of semester that we couldn't fit in anything else but study, work and volunteering. 

However, have no fear! We finally made it to the end of the semester. I finished on Monday, and Claire finishes tonight. This means that we have four, glorious months to get this blog back up and running. We have plenty of exciting things planned, so stay tuned!

Before we get ready for our second year of Graceful and Claire, we need to catch you up on what we has kept us so busy while we were away.

Enjoy! I will see you again soon. 

(I promise)

The sun finally came out and this photo was taken just to commemorate that. 

We went to our first Uni Ball together! Unlike other student society balls where you actually dress all fancy like, us Arts students prefer to have fancy dress. The theme was 'Please Don't Stop the Music', which of course we took to mean *Mrs Darbus voice* 'Please Don't Stop the Musi-cal'. Taking advantage of our new hair colours, we dressed up as Elphaba and Glinda! Classic Grace and Claire.

Since we moved to Melbourne, we have decided to make it a tradition to see at least one ballet a year. Last year we saw the contemporary ballet Chroma (which was amazing!). This year we decided to go more traditional and see Sleeping Beauty with Miriam and Elektra. It was a truly beautiful night, and I am so glad we got to experience it with some of our closest friends.

Claire was Publicity Manager for a uni student production, which mean organisng the photoshoot and all other publicity. Emails on emails on emails.  
This was a behind-the-scenes shot she took while the Facebook cover photo was taken. 

This semester I started volunteering at an art gallery, and it has been one of the best things to happen this semester. I am extremely grateful for the experiences and connections I am gaining. Plus, the free pizza and wine leftover from the bar after an opening always goes down well. 

What a beautifully candid typical-uni-experience photo of Claire and her two friends working on a group assignment on the lawn. The photo is so typical it needed to be included. 

(Side note: I got glasses! Yep, over the weeks I could read my lectures less and less until it got to the point where it was ridiculous. I don't need to wear them all the time, but without my glasses my vision is analog, while with them I have HD vision. Who would have thought?!)

Oh my word, was this night a goody. As part of the Melbourne Festival, Flight Facilities and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed together for a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. It was our first event at the Bowl and it totally looked different from watching Carols by Candlelight every year. We have loved Flight Facilities for years since we discovered the RAC remix of Crave You and found out that the original was so totally our style. Also, the MSO has had a special place in our hearts since the days when we played musical instruments. Together, it was purely magical and atmospheric. It was hands down the best musical experience of my life so far. (Sorry Taylor Swift).

(such lovely faces)

Once again typical of Arts students, in week 12 the Arts Student Society at our Uni held a Week 12 Carnival. We spent an extended 2-hour lunch break standing in various lines to score as much free food as we could, and even took part in the face (or rather, hand) painting on offer. 

This photo was taken at opening night of the show Claire worked on! The guys is one of her good theatre friends, Peter, who is amazing and has helped keep her as sane as you can be when it comes to theatre. Looking fab.  

What is the point of finishing an essay if you cannot share it with everyone via your snapchat story? (Featuring my glasses I probably didn't need to be wearing to make me look smarter).

Not the best photo to document the experience, but in between Claire's show opening and swotvac, Claire volunteered at the Girls on Film Festival! If you know Claire personally or saw this post back in April, you will know that Claire is very passionate about women in film, television and theatre. Also, after her volunteer gig at the Melbourne International Film Festival in July, Claire has been hooked onto the film festival bug. So this opportunity was basically a dream come true. One of the says she volunteered was an event called Girl Germs which was kind of like a fete for young feminist babes. Two Riot Grrrl bands (the Girl Fridas and Miss Miss) played, there was lots of glitter, DIY badges, zine, derby girls, a nail art station, you name it. It was a magical experience. this photo is the merchandise table Claire was stationed at. 

At the start of swotvac we went home to visit the parents, watch The Great Australian Bake Off, and get our hair done. However, essays stop for no woman and with a week until Claire had two essays due and one not even started yet, we had to utilize every moment. Including trains and hairdresser appointments. (It was very productive)

Claire was nominated the a student theatre award for Excellent Offstage! She didn't win :( but she was the only publicity manager/assistant stage manager nominated, so it's basically a win.

Claire was also (on the same night) appointed to be an officer in the committee of her student theatre group for 2016! Yay Claire!

(Claire has been busy) 

Back in July/August, Claire submitted a piece calling out the lack of female representation in one of her cinema studies classes to the women's department magazine at Uni at last week it got published! How great is that illustration?

Halloween was this past weekend and what is more in the Halloween spirit than realising that you had absolutely no food while it was pouring rain outside and you don't have a car? So I donned my loved Bean Boots and trusty bright yellow IKEA umbrella (similar linked) and trekked down to the grocery store. We also ducked into the local video store to hire some festive family movies to watch while we wrote our essays.

Stay gold,

Grace.

Theatre Kid Life: Tech Week Starter Pack

Hello all, 

It's time to talk about something that we love with a passion and is a major part of our lives: MUSICAL THEATRE.

Boy oh boy do we love our theatre. We love it so much that I have done 6 shows in the ensemble and 6 shows in the backstage crew. I'm not quite sure what it is that I love so much about it. Maybe it's how the cast and crew (ok, more like the cast, and the crew, which sometimes crosses over. The division is real), all become super close and bond in the way only hours upon hours of rehearsals could provide. Or maybe it's the live-ness of it all. Everything is happening, the set changes , the performance, the music, right before your eyes. Music! Talent! Creation! Oh my goodness. 

I've just finished a 7 show run with a student theatre group at our Uni. This is a show that I have been working on since February, as one of two Assistant Stage Managers. It was an amazing, hands-on experience that required me to work throughout the whole process, rather than just turn up one week before the production and learn all the set changes. I was one of two people in charge of props, which is something I haven't done before, as well as ASM backstage. I had never done a 7 show run before so it was a lot of hours, but so worth it.

As mentioned above, this was not my first theatre production. After doing this many shows, you start to know what it is you need to survive Production Week aka Tech Week. 

Production Week is the week leading up to opening night where you move into the theatre and you rehearse with all elements finally together (props, set, lighting, sound, costumes, make-up, the whole razzle dazzle). However, this always takes a few days to get right, and it's when most decisions are made, so Production week can be tedious, hence why it's also known as Hell Week. But no fear! Because I know exactly what you need to make it through. 

TECH WEEK STARTER PACK

1. Backstage Crew

This is me from when I was crew for Legally Blonde! I used pink lipstick and a pink pen because whoever said orange is the new pink is seriously disturbed.

A plain black jumper: This depends on when your production is running, but for me, production season is during the cooler months, and you're going to need to rug up, you backstage ninja. Mine is a large zip-up hoodie from the men's section at K-Mart. One pocket has a hole in it but it keeps me warm and disguised throughout the show's run.
An extension to this is black jeans, black shirt and closed toe black shoes. Plain black. There can be no other colour or any traces of white on there at all or else your clothes will be gaffed. (It's serious business, yo. You cannot and are not supposed to be seen by the audience.)

A small torch: Backstage in the wings is dark. It's dark, and the only light you have is one or two blue lamps. This is so the audience cannot see what is in the wings and thus ruin the illusion or detract from the performance. And if you're going to try to co-ordinate set pieces, props, follow along with the script, read or running sheet, find out what the hell is that on the floor and who the hell is that lurking in the corner? (Oh, it's a cast member, don't worry), you're going to need a small torch. And don't forget the blue cellophane, because those lamps are blue for a reason (it's a less harsh/bright light)

 This is my torch. It's a mini Dolphin that comes with a clip for me to clip to the belt loop of my jeans (black, like everything else/the backstage crew's soul) and the cellophane is actually a blue gel for the stage lights, held on by gaff because that's all I could find on opening night in the wings during a show.

Sugar: Lollies. Packets and containers of them. Get a stash. Get party mix, snakes, Skittles, MnM's, etc. Something small, something quick to eat, and a lot of them. Because you will get hungry, and you will need the energy. Tech week can have you in the theatre all day and late into the night, and then you do it all again the next day/night. You can try to eat healthy during tech week, and it can be done, but you will be craving sugar and McDonald's, and about every junk/comfort food ever. But just roll with it. You are excused for this week. 
Thank goodness for $2 Allen's Lollies specials at Coles <3

Pen/Highlighter: You will forget things, and things in the run will change. This might be a prop, a task you have to chase up, a set piece you need to assign to someone, etc. Notes will be taken, because this week is all about sorting all elements out in order to make the show run as smoothly as possible and the best it can be. If you don't have a pen/pencil/highlighter, you might forget something. Above is some of my notes from two of my running sheets.

2. Cast

Claire as Clarice the Jet (Dress Rehearsal)

Pineapple Juice: Juice is another source of sugar. However, pineapple juice is also really good at opening up your throat for singing. This is something I picked up when I was in the cast and it has become a constant presence. (Lollies also applies here)

Stockings:This one is for the ladies.If you are required to wear stockings, which, if your legs are even the little bit exposed, no matter how long or short your costume is, you will be, you will need spares. Because ladders will happen, and you cannot go on stage with ripped stockings, unless the role requires it, am I right, ladies? Tip: spray your stockings with hairspray to prevent ladders/also works to stop ladders from spreading.

Bobby pins: You will need them. Trust me.

Foundation: Stage make-up is big, bold (and beautiful). You will generally be asked to bring foundation that is one or two shades darker than your skin tone for this purpose, otherwise the stage lights will wash you out and the audience won't be able to see your face. Embrace the cake face, darling. 

These photos come from two of my past productions as a cast member. The photo credit does not belong to us.

All in all, Tech Week is where all that bonding you have been doing at rehearsals and production meetings comes in handy, because then you're able to a. keep each other sane and b. it really shows when you're all able to work together and create the best show ever. It is stressful, it is exhausting, but when you finally get an audience in the theatre, and you hear the applause, it makes it all worth it.

And finally, please please PLEASE be patient with everyone. If you're a cast member, please listen to and be patient with the crew. You may have been rehearsing for weeks/months but the crew only have one week to learn everything. Also, it's for your own safety, if a big set change is happening. Crew, please be patient with the cast, they are excited and tired just like you. You're all in the same boat, but it'll all work out fabulously. AND BE KIND TO YOUR PARENTS/HOUSEMATES. And thank them for supporting you. Patience and gratitude goes a long way.

Stay gold!

Claire xx