Clowntime Is On

Well, we're a week into the ClownFest, and all goes mostly well.

Berit and I make complaining noises about Clowns and the Fest sometimes, but by now there's no real rancor really behind it, it's just a routine we do. There's nothing any more or less annoying about the clowns coming into The Brick than any other companies during a festival, it's just that the quirks, problems, and annoying things are different from standard theatrical companies, so they sometimes seem to be more prevalent than the problems we're used to. But as Berit said when I was complaining about "the clowns and what they've done now" last night, "And this is different from other companies coming in for a festival how?"

One place where things can be different is in the preview cabarets, which Berit normally handles, technically. We usually do one at the start of each festival, but they run once a week as well during the ClownFest, which really works for this fest -- you get a quick preview of shows you might want to see in the festival, plus some additional acts that only play the cabaret. As many more acts come in from out of town for ClownFest than other fests, it's a good chance for them to promote their show in the brief time they are often here.

Unfortunately for the person running tech for the weekly fest, one place where the clowns can be different from other shows when it comes to the cabaret is that, for whatever reason, you get a higher percentage of artists who can't make it to the scheduled tech time for the cabaret, and then show up a half hour before the show with a list of light and sound cues they need you to do, and a list of very vague directions as to when these need to come. Berit doesn't react well to this, so we decided that I would handle the cabarets this year, as while I don't like it either, I just quietly steam while she gets vocally angry (she always does the cues perfectly anyway, but it's not worth the anger).

I thought I'd have some problems last night, as while we had teched some more complicated pieces in the afternoon, I did indeed have a couple of acts show up with a bunch of moderately complicated cues at the last minute, but as I was getting red and steamy, I discovered that at least I had been given extremely detailed directions to work from, which made everything pretty much fine -- though there was still more fast-paced switching of iPods, disks, and CD player settings during the show than I would have liked. I ran it pretty close to perfectly anyway, but with more angst than I like in running board.

Outside of the clowns, we're getting back into getting our lives back together post-August shows, and with a little more actual work and action than usual for some reason. I think we'll collapse when we finally get away to Maine in October for a bit, but right now the energy that got the shows moving is still present. I think all I wound up needing was two or three nights of actual, good, solid sleep and I was suddenly back to needing to DO stuff, which is not usual for a September.

Tonight we're off to actually see a show outside of The Brick, albeit one by one of the staff with a bunch of Brick regulars, Brandywine Distillery Fire at the Incubator, which I'm expecting to love, as I did in its two earlier workshop incarnations (as Exposition and Denouement). Berit, despite my pushing, didn't come to see either of those earlier shows, and I know she would have loved them, so I just made sure to buy her a ticket for this version and say that we were going and it was paid for already. So, a good show is in the offing for us this evening.

Meanwhile, here's another Random Ten from the 2,733 tracks in the as-yet-unplayed playlist in the iPod (with video links):

1. "Fame And Fortune" - Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls, and Marches
2. "The Euphonius Whale" - Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - Last Train To Hicksville
3. "No Girl So Sweet" - PJ Harvey - Is This Desire?
4. "9-9" - R.E.M. - Murmur
5. "You Are Gone" - The Delfonics - La La Means I Love You
6. "My Woman's Man" - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
7. "Hate & War" - The Clash - The Essential Clash
8. "Teenage Depression" - Eddie & The Hot Rods - D.I.Y.: Anarchy in the UK - UK Punk I (1976-77)
9. "Redemption Song" - Johnny Cash with Joe Strummer - Unearthed
10. "Monday, Monday" - Colonel Jubilation B. Johnston & His Mystic Knights Band - Moldy Goldies

And here's the full video playlist:

No new photos this week, so here's some videos I've enjoyed recently, starting with a full BBC documentary on Captain Beefheart:

And now off to prepare for dinner and a show . . . for once it's nice to be rushing to something where I don't have to work myself . . .