Circus Freaks
Tonight I got to work at House of Blues for the day. Pretty impressive as far as I'm concerned.. considering this is only the 3rd thing I've done with Nevada Theatre Company. Today, NTC hosted Circus Freaks 4- an annual benefit for the theatre with talent from such shows as Cirque Du Soleil, Sirens of TI, A New Day (Celine Dions show), etc. But let me start from the beginning.
I got to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay right at noon which is when Deanna told me to show up. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there but I was figuring on a long day of tech work, light and sound, etc. But as it turns out, most of the perfomers were already there when I arrived. A group of them were onstage rehearsing a dance number when I walked in. Deanna put me to work with Cassie, making laminated backstage passes for the cast and crew of the show. We did that for a couple of hours and then took a lunch break. Cassie and I went next door to the Luxor and had lunch. At 5pm, sound check was starting and they did some run throughs. It wasn't quite as risque as I was afraid it would be, but there were a lot of guys in nothing but G-strings. It was kind of strange- Cassie was standing at the railing overlooking the stage, and she kept yelling "Bring out the boys!" while I would busy myself with some task and keep my eyes averted as much as possible. :P I already knew that one of the things I'd be doing during the show was helping to strike some chairs offstage after one number. But later Deanna came to me and told me I would also be assisting one of the male dancers in some quickchanges. I asked someone later which guy I was supposed to help out, and they pointed me in the direction of a tall blonde guy wearing nothing but a G-string, a corset, and peacock feathers. o-0. Turns out though I ended up not having to do that.
Right before doors opened, Deanna asked me if I'd hand out playbills at the door. I was psyched because I love doing that. I took my post in the entrance with this kid who was working security. I teased him though that he was way too nice to be a security guard, he was all friendly and talkative. So I had a good time goofing around with him and talking up a storm while he was checking tickets and I was handing out playbills.
About an hour into this, I saw a familiar bald head bobbing down the stairs. :) I was hoping Marcus would come! I'm glad I ran into him right before Chicago and was able to tell him about it, because he had no idea Circus Freaks was coming up, let alone that it was the next weekend. Anyway, as soon as I saw him, I kind of did this dorky dance up to him with a big grin on my face and squealed, "You made it!" He gave me a big hug and said something like "Look at Cyndi, volunteering her little butt off!" Yay it made me soo happy that he got to see me actually working for the theatre, since its all because of him that I am doing this at all. That meant a lot to me. Its one thing to tell him I'm doing it, but its cool that he actually got to see for himself. He introduced me to a girl he was with. I gave them their playbills and they headed inside. Cassie had a voter registration table set up nearby and her and the security guard both knew I was hoping Marcus would show up. So when I looked over, they were both grinning at me- haha. I probably acting like such a fangirl. :D I'm glad he puts up with me- LOL.
After that I was even more happy and giddy, and the pre-show had started so there was really cool music happening. I was bouncing around, handing out flyers, grinning and dance/stomping to the music and having a total blast. After a bit, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see two women who I didn't recognize. "Are you Cyndi?" One of them asked. I said yes, and she smiled at me. "Hi! I'm Amy Gainsford!" Wow, I was so excited and happy to get to meet her! She introduced me to the other woman she was with as Tammy. But she said Tammy had said I was over there. I didn't recognize the name or the face, so I looked at Tammy and was like "Tammy.. who?" She kind of scrunched up her face and said "Unglesbee" like she thought I wouldn't know who that was. Truth is, I'm better with last names than first. I knew exactly who she was! Well, kind of. I knew she was in management but not her exact job title. Oh I guess I better explain for those who dont really know me well enough to get the significance of my meeting Amy. Amy Gainsford is my Vegas contact for Band Spotlight. She is the Press and Marketing Associate for Blue Man Group, and after checking I see that Tammy Unglesbee is management assistant. (I knew she was important, but wasn't sure exactly what she does.) I was really excited that they came over and introduced themselves. I dont even know HOW Tammy even knows me. But I remember saying something to Amy about "I've been saying, when am I going to get to meet Amy Gainsford??" and she laughed and said that was sweet. She asked to make sure I got everything I needed from Thad for the next Band Spotlight and I told her that yes, I had gotten the pictures last week. I thanked her for all her help and she said I was cool and easy to work with. :) In a way, Amy and Tammy coming up and introducing themselves to me was even better than getting to see Marcus. Because I was expecting to see Marcus. But the two of them coming over and saying hi made me feel really good- and it was neat to finally meet Amy. She's such a sweetie. But enough babbling about that..
I told them to enjoy the show, and went back to handing out playbills. Once the show started, I waved to Cassie, patted the security guy on the arm and said bye, and then dashed backstage. Backstage was nuts- dozens of performers were swarming around.. dancing and stretching and contorting crazily as they each got ready to go onstage. I found Todd- who I was going to be assisting with strikes and whatnot- and just drank in the atmosphere. I really got an inside look at what it must be like backstage at Cirque Du Soleil, since the largest majority of the entertainers tonight were from O and Mystere. They were all very supportive of their fellow performers. When each person or group was onstage, all the others were standing in the wings of the stage- whooping and cheering and applauding them. I had the BEST seat in the house by being back there! I was literally on the edge of the stage back behind the curtain so the audience couldn't see us. But it was really a front row view to all the activity going on onstage. All the Cirque performers were milling around.. putting their feet in this little wooden tray that had sand in it so their feet wouldn't sleep onstage when they were dancing. I constantly was surrounded by people in full costume and makeup- the cool eyepaint they use the in the Cirque shoes.. glitter, feathers, leotards, you name it. It was so cool and amazing getting to see behind the scenes like that. Way cooler than I ever even expected. I did strike one chair offstage, but for the most part I just watched. Towards the end of the show, they did a finale where they had the Sirens of TI sing the National Anthem. But the funny part was they had this guy dancer come out wrapped up in what I thought was an american flag. But he walked out and turned his back to the audience, and then unfolded first one side out and then the other.. so his arms were outstretched holding it open. I thought it reminded me of the beginning of Hedwig when she comes out with her cape and does the same thing. But then he turned around and it WAS the Hedwig Cape! The inside said "Yankees Go Home" or whatever- it was the same cape Marcus used during the NTC production of Hedwig. I got see excited seeing that, I had to bite my lip to keep from squeaking or boucing up and down or anything. They ended the whole show with this AMAZING Brazilian Drum Circle. They kicked ass! And it was huge- there were probably 20 people in the drum circle. It was so tribal sounding and cool.
After the curtain fell, I ran back out into the house to hit the bathroom and look around for Marcus. I found him standing with a small group of people, including Elvis Lederer haha. So I snuck up behind Elvis and was like *poke..poke* on his back. He turned around and couldn't see me at first cause I was standing down lower than him cause he was at the top of some stairs and I was down a step. But finally he looked down and saw me. He and Marcus both gave me hugs and said they liked the show. Marcus nodded at me and said something to Elvis like, "Small world, eh?" haha. I asked Elvis why Uberschall didn't perform and he said they didn't get asked this year. :( Booo! Oh well... I turned to Marcus and was like "they used the Hedwig cape! hahah!" and he laughed and said he looked at it and was like "Heyyyyyyy, wait a minute!" :D I kind of wanted to bring up the commercials, but Marcus seemed kind of preoccupied so I didn't want to take up anymore of their time. I gave them both hugs goodbye and thanked them for coming, then went and found Deanna and made sure it was alright to go home. She said yes so I headed out immediately.. poking Marcus in the arm and waving goodbye one last time before I left.
It was such an amazing night. :) *Sigh*
I got to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay right at noon which is when Deanna told me to show up. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there but I was figuring on a long day of tech work, light and sound, etc. But as it turns out, most of the perfomers were already there when I arrived. A group of them were onstage rehearsing a dance number when I walked in. Deanna put me to work with Cassie, making laminated backstage passes for the cast and crew of the show. We did that for a couple of hours and then took a lunch break. Cassie and I went next door to the Luxor and had lunch. At 5pm, sound check was starting and they did some run throughs. It wasn't quite as risque as I was afraid it would be, but there were a lot of guys in nothing but G-strings. It was kind of strange- Cassie was standing at the railing overlooking the stage, and she kept yelling "Bring out the boys!" while I would busy myself with some task and keep my eyes averted as much as possible. :P I already knew that one of the things I'd be doing during the show was helping to strike some chairs offstage after one number. But later Deanna came to me and told me I would also be assisting one of the male dancers in some quickchanges. I asked someone later which guy I was supposed to help out, and they pointed me in the direction of a tall blonde guy wearing nothing but a G-string, a corset, and peacock feathers. o-0. Turns out though I ended up not having to do that.
Right before doors opened, Deanna asked me if I'd hand out playbills at the door. I was psyched because I love doing that. I took my post in the entrance with this kid who was working security. I teased him though that he was way too nice to be a security guard, he was all friendly and talkative. So I had a good time goofing around with him and talking up a storm while he was checking tickets and I was handing out playbills.
About an hour into this, I saw a familiar bald head bobbing down the stairs. :) I was hoping Marcus would come! I'm glad I ran into him right before Chicago and was able to tell him about it, because he had no idea Circus Freaks was coming up, let alone that it was the next weekend. Anyway, as soon as I saw him, I kind of did this dorky dance up to him with a big grin on my face and squealed, "You made it!" He gave me a big hug and said something like "Look at Cyndi, volunteering her little butt off!" Yay it made me soo happy that he got to see me actually working for the theatre, since its all because of him that I am doing this at all. That meant a lot to me. Its one thing to tell him I'm doing it, but its cool that he actually got to see for himself. He introduced me to a girl he was with. I gave them their playbills and they headed inside. Cassie had a voter registration table set up nearby and her and the security guard both knew I was hoping Marcus would show up. So when I looked over, they were both grinning at me- haha. I probably acting like such a fangirl. :D I'm glad he puts up with me- LOL.
After that I was even more happy and giddy, and the pre-show had started so there was really cool music happening. I was bouncing around, handing out flyers, grinning and dance/stomping to the music and having a total blast. After a bit, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see two women who I didn't recognize. "Are you Cyndi?" One of them asked. I said yes, and she smiled at me. "Hi! I'm Amy Gainsford!" Wow, I was so excited and happy to get to meet her! She introduced me to the other woman she was with as Tammy. But she said Tammy had said I was over there. I didn't recognize the name or the face, so I looked at Tammy and was like "Tammy.. who?" She kind of scrunched up her face and said "Unglesbee" like she thought I wouldn't know who that was. Truth is, I'm better with last names than first. I knew exactly who she was! Well, kind of. I knew she was in management but not her exact job title. Oh I guess I better explain for those who dont really know me well enough to get the significance of my meeting Amy. Amy Gainsford is my Vegas contact for Band Spotlight. She is the Press and Marketing Associate for Blue Man Group, and after checking I see that Tammy Unglesbee is management assistant. (I knew she was important, but wasn't sure exactly what she does.) I was really excited that they came over and introduced themselves. I dont even know HOW Tammy even knows me. But I remember saying something to Amy about "I've been saying, when am I going to get to meet Amy Gainsford??" and she laughed and said that was sweet. She asked to make sure I got everything I needed from Thad for the next Band Spotlight and I told her that yes, I had gotten the pictures last week. I thanked her for all her help and she said I was cool and easy to work with. :) In a way, Amy and Tammy coming up and introducing themselves to me was even better than getting to see Marcus. Because I was expecting to see Marcus. But the two of them coming over and saying hi made me feel really good- and it was neat to finally meet Amy. She's such a sweetie. But enough babbling about that..
I told them to enjoy the show, and went back to handing out playbills. Once the show started, I waved to Cassie, patted the security guy on the arm and said bye, and then dashed backstage. Backstage was nuts- dozens of performers were swarming around.. dancing and stretching and contorting crazily as they each got ready to go onstage. I found Todd- who I was going to be assisting with strikes and whatnot- and just drank in the atmosphere. I really got an inside look at what it must be like backstage at Cirque Du Soleil, since the largest majority of the entertainers tonight were from O and Mystere. They were all very supportive of their fellow performers. When each person or group was onstage, all the others were standing in the wings of the stage- whooping and cheering and applauding them. I had the BEST seat in the house by being back there! I was literally on the edge of the stage back behind the curtain so the audience couldn't see us. But it was really a front row view to all the activity going on onstage. All the Cirque performers were milling around.. putting their feet in this little wooden tray that had sand in it so their feet wouldn't sleep onstage when they were dancing. I constantly was surrounded by people in full costume and makeup- the cool eyepaint they use the in the Cirque shoes.. glitter, feathers, leotards, you name it. It was so cool and amazing getting to see behind the scenes like that. Way cooler than I ever even expected. I did strike one chair offstage, but for the most part I just watched. Towards the end of the show, they did a finale where they had the Sirens of TI sing the National Anthem. But the funny part was they had this guy dancer come out wrapped up in what I thought was an american flag. But he walked out and turned his back to the audience, and then unfolded first one side out and then the other.. so his arms were outstretched holding it open. I thought it reminded me of the beginning of Hedwig when she comes out with her cape and does the same thing. But then he turned around and it WAS the Hedwig Cape! The inside said "Yankees Go Home" or whatever- it was the same cape Marcus used during the NTC production of Hedwig. I got see excited seeing that, I had to bite my lip to keep from squeaking or boucing up and down or anything. They ended the whole show with this AMAZING Brazilian Drum Circle. They kicked ass! And it was huge- there were probably 20 people in the drum circle. It was so tribal sounding and cool.
After the curtain fell, I ran back out into the house to hit the bathroom and look around for Marcus. I found him standing with a small group of people, including Elvis Lederer haha. So I snuck up behind Elvis and was like *poke..poke* on his back. He turned around and couldn't see me at first cause I was standing down lower than him cause he was at the top of some stairs and I was down a step. But finally he looked down and saw me. He and Marcus both gave me hugs and said they liked the show. Marcus nodded at me and said something to Elvis like, "Small world, eh?" haha. I asked Elvis why Uberschall didn't perform and he said they didn't get asked this year. :( Booo! Oh well... I turned to Marcus and was like "they used the Hedwig cape! hahah!" and he laughed and said he looked at it and was like "Heyyyyyyy, wait a minute!" :D I kind of wanted to bring up the commercials, but Marcus seemed kind of preoccupied so I didn't want to take up anymore of their time. I gave them both hugs goodbye and thanked them for coming, then went and found Deanna and made sure it was alright to go home. She said yes so I headed out immediately.. poking Marcus in the arm and waving goodbye one last time before I left.
It was such an amazing night. :) *Sigh*