In case of rain...
A little cautionary tale about bureaucracy...like there's any other kind.
During the winter break I sent one of Ulla's dresses back to NYC to get remade because I didn't think it would make it through the rest of the tour. The chiffon layer of the dress was literally shredding apart, though it looks fine from the audience vantage point. Our costume coordinator sent it back after break and said I'd get a replacement dress “at some point...”
To date, no replacement dress.
In January I looked at one of our principal actor's boots, which were vinyl and also falling apart, and gave our stage manager a head's up that we would need a new pair. This actor has really big calves for the size of his feet and we had a lot of trouble fitting him in boots to begin with so I requested permission to have a pair custom made for him. I mentioned it a couple of times but never heard anything back about it.
So last night, Ulla's zipper broke on the shredding dress and I had to sew her into the dress to get her through the rest of the show. And while that's annoying enough, now I'm faced with getting a zipper replaced on a one nighter schedule. That leaves me hoping for a competent crew with stichers in my next venue, which is always a crap shoot.
And then... my actor came up to me and showed me his boot. The sole had cracked in half. In one show. SO annoyed. And that's worse than the zipper because the boots aren't fixable. And we originally ordered them on line so I have to have them delivered to a venue several days from now to make sure we get them. The worst case scenario is having things delivered to a venue after we've left and then having to get things continually forwarded to us as we wander around the country. Inevitable the boxes arrive to three different venues after we've left before we finally get them.
This leaves my actor with several shows and no boots. And I'm in Fayetteville, NC where I have no option but to find boots that will work for the week until his boots arrive. Knee high black boots for men without laces up the front. Anyone? Anyone? So, Jennifer and I go shopping at the Red Wing Shoe Outlet, the only place where they sell boots in town. And there are several lovely options, none of them knee high but all of them black and all over $150.
$150 for boots that aren't quite right and will only be used for the week until his real boots, the Darth Vader Deluxe style, arrive via BuyStarWarsCostumes.com. I wish I were kidding... So Jennifer and I look at the options. I need boots and if I have to spend $150 on temporary boots then that's what I'll do, but...
Then we see the rain boots. And they're black...
Seriously.
There's one pair. They've been in the store since they opened 10 years ago. They are a discontinued style and a size 11 – the size I need – and the cashier has to call someone to find out how much to charge us.
The fact that there's a big yellow logo on the side of each boot that says “Superior Boot Company” is just icing on the cake.
I spray paint them black – well, blacker and a little glossy - and use sharpie over the logo and my actor goes on stage in them that night.
Just so you know, Hitler is wearing galoshes all week...
During the winter break I sent one of Ulla's dresses back to NYC to get remade because I didn't think it would make it through the rest of the tour. The chiffon layer of the dress was literally shredding apart, though it looks fine from the audience vantage point. Our costume coordinator sent it back after break and said I'd get a replacement dress “at some point...”
To date, no replacement dress.
In January I looked at one of our principal actor's boots, which were vinyl and also falling apart, and gave our stage manager a head's up that we would need a new pair. This actor has really big calves for the size of his feet and we had a lot of trouble fitting him in boots to begin with so I requested permission to have a pair custom made for him. I mentioned it a couple of times but never heard anything back about it.
So last night, Ulla's zipper broke on the shredding dress and I had to sew her into the dress to get her through the rest of the show. And while that's annoying enough, now I'm faced with getting a zipper replaced on a one nighter schedule. That leaves me hoping for a competent crew with stichers in my next venue, which is always a crap shoot.
And then... my actor came up to me and showed me his boot. The sole had cracked in half. In one show. SO annoyed. And that's worse than the zipper because the boots aren't fixable. And we originally ordered them on line so I have to have them delivered to a venue several days from now to make sure we get them. The worst case scenario is having things delivered to a venue after we've left and then having to get things continually forwarded to us as we wander around the country. Inevitable the boxes arrive to three different venues after we've left before we finally get them.
This leaves my actor with several shows and no boots. And I'm in Fayetteville, NC where I have no option but to find boots that will work for the week until his boots arrive. Knee high black boots for men without laces up the front. Anyone? Anyone? So, Jennifer and I go shopping at the Red Wing Shoe Outlet, the only place where they sell boots in town. And there are several lovely options, none of them knee high but all of them black and all over $150.
$150 for boots that aren't quite right and will only be used for the week until his real boots, the Darth Vader Deluxe style, arrive via BuyStarWarsCostumes.com. I wish I were kidding... So Jennifer and I look at the options. I need boots and if I have to spend $150 on temporary boots then that's what I'll do, but...
Then we see the rain boots. And they're black...
Seriously.
There's one pair. They've been in the store since they opened 10 years ago. They are a discontinued style and a size 11 – the size I need – and the cashier has to call someone to find out how much to charge us.
The fact that there's a big yellow logo on the side of each boot that says “Superior Boot Company” is just icing on the cake.
I spray paint them black – well, blacker and a little glossy - and use sharpie over the logo and my actor goes on stage in them that night.
Just so you know, Hitler is wearing galoshes all week...
posted by KBARRETT at 1:26 PM
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