Heads!

Randy spent some time getting his entire head encased in plaster. We won't tell you why, just in case we give anything away ;D but the experience of getting such a custom prop made is super cool!

A few weeks ago I spent several hours at The Tom Savini Make up and Special Effects School in Monessen, Pa. I was having a casting of my head made by the wizards at said school for use in Poor Yorick's upcoming production of Shakespeare's Scottish Tragedy. Encased from my shoulders to the top of my head with plaster, adhesives, alginate, latex, etc., for 30 minutes or so. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic!

The process began with some carefully placed vaseline around my hairline , eyebrows et cetera, to make "removal" of the casting less arduous . The top of my head was covered with a latex cap and attached with a type of surgical glue. The guys then began mixing the gloopy material in a bucket...when it was ready they began to encase me. I was totally "entombed" by the quickly hardening material. Only two small nose openings..so I could breathe! Then the waiting. It was actually quite warm and relaxing...I almost dozed off at a few points. The crew even had to knock on my "head" once because I was so relaxed that I didn't hear them ask me if I was okay ! A quick thumbs up from me and the wait continued. Finally the extrication began and sweet freedom. The casting was removed in two halves and there I was! Can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks again to Logan Tobia and the whole crew at the school...I had an awesome time!

- Randy

MacHilarity Part Deuce: Revenge of the Birds

Alright! I'm so annoyed with feathers right now. A certain someone has feathers all over her costume (on purpose), but they aren't staying on...Last night was an epic night of watching Disney movies and pulling out the hot glue gun to secure the flighty bits.



1) Don't grab the glue gun by the front
2) Don't tightly grab chicken bones (yes, they are also on said costume)...they are prickly,
3) Make sure you don't glue while on carpet,
4) Don't drink ANY beverage near feathers...
5) Always, always, ALWAYS, most of the time...ALWAYS! Remember...(the fifth of november)...WHERE YOU PUT YOUR NEEDLES. [This time my butt found a needle]

I only have one costume left to stitch together, but after that I only have details and pretty things to sew on costumes...AND WE AREN'T EVEN IN HELL WEEK...Huzzah!!!!! My only concern at this point is when all our online purchases will arrive. Don't judge me for not making everything myself...I have a life...a dissertation I need to work on...etc etc...(insert something that sounds like whining).

A few minor setbacks may have put us a tad over-budget, but my hope is that we can cut costs by using free services some of the cast/crew are able to provide us :) In all though, most, if not all, our purchases will be useful for shows after the Scottish Play. I have learned that certain skirts that look lovely in pictures, and lovely in person, are not as complicated as we initially thought...I could've made the same damn thing out of a simple rectangular fabric with 3 lines of stitching...Oh well, renaissance clothing is not my specialty...YET!

I will wrap up the MacHilarity blogs by mentioning how in love I am with Poor Yorick's Players. This is the first time I don't feel ridiculously stressed out as a costumer, and the director is very vocal about her wants/desires for costumes. The latter bit is a huge help in making sure I make the costumes to fit her vision, not my own.

Don't fret little ones...blogs on a costumers perspective in PYP will continue...just maybe not with the same theme/play/yadayadayada...blahblahblah.

Signing off and hoping you ALL come to see the show,

Bobby Karimi
PhD Candidate
Costuming Efficianado
Minor Actor
All-around sexy beast

In the Spotlight: Macbeth

Randy Jeffreys, who plays Macbeth, was kind enough to shed some light onto Macbeth's descent into madness...

What to you do to get into your role? Randy: Most of all being an adherent of the Mamet approach, I trust the text to give me what I need to find the core and truth of my character. Of course Shakespeare gives you the very best to work off of ! How do you learn your lines? R: No real unusual method, I just immerse myself in the script...at home, in the car, at work whenever possible. Rehearsing with a script in my hand is maddening to me, so I strive to be off book as fast as possible. I truly believe you can't really begin to breathe life into your character until you are free of the script...at least that is how it feels to me. Favorite thing about your character? R: The fact that he is at his core a very decent man at the start, and the descent into the darkness is so compelling, and gripping and of course tragic. What’s your dream (Shakespeare) role? R: This is it by a large margin. When do you think Macbeth goes to the 'dark side'? R: Certainly an argument can be made that it's when he kills Duncan, but I think he feels the most irrevocably lost after Lady M's death. He loses his last tenous grip on the man he once was. Why do you think he is so easily manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth? R:I don't know if manipulated is quite accurate. He has clearly pondered the path he takes before they openly "discuss" it. Although his love for her does make him open to her desires as well. Do you think he ever wonders about how and why the witches chose him? R: I'm not sure. The events happen to him in such a breakneck manner that he may not ever really dwell on that. By the end and of course far too late, he realizes just how badly he has succumbed to their "mis-information". What do you think is his last thought before the one of woman born ends his existence? R: Excellent question ! Probably just wondering how it all went so bad , so fast. Just a complete feeling of fury, desolation, and regret...pretty difficult to imagine the enormity of his sense of loss. Thanks Randy! And again, thanks Dana for fabulous action shots!

Macbeth + Costuming = MacHilarity, Part I

Bobby Karimi has been hard at work sewing various pleats and skirts, de-lace-ing gowns and grappling with sleeplessness, I'm sure. We've had only a few fashion faux pas so far, so without further ado, I'll let Bobby himself share some of the ensuing hilarity:

My first introduction to Poor Yorick's Players can only be described as a botchy audition. I mentioned I also did costuming, and a few weeks later I get a call for a small part and a lovely position as costume designer. I'm in cloud nine right now. Careful planning with the oh-so-amazing Director extraordinaire, Julie Babal, and communication with cast members, has let us remain under budget (brings a tear of happiness to my eye to write), and have a nice array of costumes that can be reused in the future.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, "But Bobby, where's the MacHilarity promised by the title of this post?" Simmer down young Padawan learner, you can't laugh if you don't know the plot:

Several hours and $500 dollars of fabric/supplies later, I find myself in my tiny apartment with a dear friend (here's a shout out to Bailey!) ready to sew till we drop (there was no dropping though...maybe a few pins here and there, nothing that a foot can't find later). A few hours later, Bailey pulls out the fabric steamer, courtesy of our remaining budget, and starts to steam fabric with only a few self-inflicted burns. After the third minor burn she turns off the machine and unplugs it so we can eat (chinese, if you cared). And have you guessed what happens? No? Once the meal is done and some lackluster fortunes are read, Bailey turns the machine back on...did you figure it out yet? About, maybe 10 minutes later I hear, "Bobby, I think the steamer is busted..." I quickly stand up explaining how it's a new machine, etc etc...and then I notice it...

"Um, Bailey...did you put water in the tank?"

She nods yes.

"Did you turn the machine on?"

She nods yes.

"Did you happen to plug in the machine at some point in the last 10 minutes?

"Her eyes widen and glance at the outlet at the wall. Then, with a playful shove and an "Oh my Gawd!" (further expletives may have been used) she plugs the steamer in.

This was just the beginning of a series of funny incidents. I happened to be making a tunic for Lady MacDuff...while using Lady MacBeth's measurements...and let me tell you...their busts are not the same size, but lucky for me I managed to fix it! And by "it" I am referring to the tunic, not their busts. During the process of reopening the seams, I realized I was opening the seams on the bottom of my shirt. This was quickly followed by me rehearsing by lines in the shower at 5 AM and accidently replacing the word "scale" with "squirrel."

"Faith, here's an equivocator, who could swear in both the squirrels against either squirrel..."

I will not confirm that my roommate heard me and couldn't stop laughing. I will also not confirm that with no sleep I stared for about 20 minutes at 5 yards of gold polyester lining wondering what it was for, only to realizing it was lining for a cape. I picked up the fabric to notice a post it note reminding me that it was for a cape, who's cape, and the measurements (D'Oh!).

Breakfast was a blur, especially after I got in the car and realized I didn't eat breakfast. I was too distracted by adding lace to Lady MacBeth's dress. The drive to rehearsal/costume fittings was...oh lord, long. Traffic, and me not able to figure out why my phone was playing the same song over and over...yea, it was on repeat and I didn't notice.

And for the curious: My foot found 3 pins and the needle I threaded with invisible thread, but couldn't find when it fell off the table. I suppose the invisible thread really lived up to its name...

Part II to come...

Behind the Scenes: Rehearsal

Last Sunday was swelteringly hot, but with a constant supply of water and mint chocolate cupcakes, we pulled off a pretty stellar rehearsal! Things are coming along well :)

In the Spotlight: Lady Macbeth

We sat down to chat with Lady Macbeth, played by Alyssa Herron, and got some inside scoop into the motivations of this scheming lass!

What do you do to get into your role?

Alyssa: From a physical stand-point, I have to start wearing my show shoes and skirts from the first day of rehearsal. People not only spoke differently 400 years ago, they moved differently. Any early costuming I can do helps me figure out that movement, and put it into my character.

From an emotional stand-point, I think about doing things I can’t even imagine. What would you do if there were no consequences, if you were sure you would never be caught? What would you give up if you were guaranteed success? Day to day we bite our tongues and act politely. For this, you just let the worst parts of you fly. And then, go further.

How do you learn your lines?

A: For many actresses, we already know pieces of this amazing play. We’ve workshopped it in classes, or used the monologues in auditions. But for the other dialogues, I learn it anyway I can. Repetition. Mneumonics. Acronyms. Writing the lines by hand. Tying blocking together with the lines. Anything to make them stick.

Favorite thing about your character?

A: Her strength. A woman who took any sort of control in a marriage relationship at this time in history is a wonderful aberration.

What is your dream Shakespeare role?

A: This is it!

What's with the ambition? Lady Macbeth devised an entire murder plot.....why not be happy with the quick elevation to Thane?

A: Why be happy with just that? As a wife, her only job was to bear children. As a woman, she could have nothing but a title. If she can be crowned queen, it is of her own doing. Perhaps it can be forgiven she hasn’t given her husband any sons. She sees power as safety, and wants every security she can obtain.

Do you believe Lady Macbeth truly is in love with her husband? Or do you see him more as a means to and end?

A: I think she truly did. As a wife, she was property, and could have been treated horribly. But her husband showed her real affection and kindness, which she repaid with what love she was capable of. That and the encouragement to murder.

When do you think Lady Macbeth finally hits insanity?

A: For me, it’s not a sudden hit, but a slide. At the end of the banquet scene, when she sees her husband is delusional, talking to ghosts only he can see, she starts to realize this thing she has started is out of her control. That loss of control and fear of discovery, if her King can’t keep his own sanity, seem to be what unhinges her. By the time she walks with her taper, she is drowned in her madness.

Thanks a bunch, Alyssa!

(and thanks to Dana for some awesome pictures!)

Notes From The Stage Manager

Hello Readers :) It is I, April, stage manager extraordinaire. Kristin and I thought it would also be fun to get you the inside scoop on more members of the production team for Macbeth. In this case, as stage manager, I get to talk about stage manager things. What would I like to talk about today? The best friend, confidant, colleague and first mate of the stage manager: The Kit.


All of you well seasoned stage managers know well the awesome power of The Kit. Me? It was a brand new concept for me, as this is my first time stage managing ever. Do not fear, my natural organizational skill/crazy minute attention to detail makes me a prime candidate for this position. I love post it notes, they love me, the world is a brighter place.

What is in this Kit? Pretty much anything you could possibly think of randomly needing throughout a show run. I have got paperclips, highlighters, matches, sunblock (yay outdoor theater!), flashlight, gadget knife/corkscrew magical thing, stopwatch, first aid kit, 'other needs' kit, tape, pencils, pencil sharpeners, a rain poncho........I have to do a shout out to post-it notes, because they are my favorite part of the Kit.

( source )

I have noticed throughout my work with the show thus far, the usual things of use from the Kit are pencils, pens and highlighters. I expect the other bits like safety pins and makeup remover wipes to happen later in the run. Some actors might not even need the Kit at all. What is nice though, that in that time of crisis when the leading lady needs a bobby pin, or the king needs a make up remover napkin to wipe the sweat off of his severed head, I will have reprieve for them.

The Kit is not difficult to maintain either. I plan to take an inventory at the end of the run to see what I need to replace/replenish. I am also sure to think of a few brand new things that can be added for future shows to come. Sunblock was the first new item that I added at the beginning.

All fun aside, there have been two online websites that helped me tremendously with preparing myself to be stage manager (thank you Josh!). Keeping in mind community theater and equity are two different worlds, I still found these very helpful in knowing what to expect and what was expected of me. Theatrecrafts has some great resources available for all there is to know regarding stage management and Upstage Review has a good bank of task lists, checklists and reports available for download!

For all of you novice stage managers out there, this is all really good stuff. For you veterans, maybe it is a good refresher course. Either way, this Kit concept is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Also, do not blame me for munching on those mentos in the Kit....stage managers need icy cool breath to, ya know.

( source )