As Voiced by Cyrus Muckscrapper,
Bilge Cleaner on board The Black Dawn
~and~
All
Around Nice Guy (Sean)
So there you are. Hundreds of people in the audience. Your parents are in the front row with the video camera. Your best friend has the net camera, and has promised to put you on their web page. You are wearing the finest costumes that money can buy, and have all your lines down to the millisecond timing.
Get real.
Welcome to the world of the Seadog pageant. O.k., so pageants are not the biggest part of the day, but it is one of the things that people pay attention to about us. But, before we get to what you're supposed to be doing up there, let's start with why...
Pageants 'began' in the old pre-REC period of faire. Used to be, every guild was required to put on a pageant, and they were judged for prizes (oh boy! Another faire favor! You like me! You really do!). Now, even at the REC faires, only a very few performing groups are given stage time to put on a show with. On the 'circuit', stage time usually equals monetary draw to a faire organizer, and if it's a larger and more popular event, that stage time is gold.
Back in the 'old days' of our time with REC, we were one of the few remaining groups given the stage time to put on our yearly stage shows. In between Uncle Steve's carefully planned & written scripts (!?!), and our devout memorization and restraint on stage (!?!?!?!?), we were the only troupe that put on a consistent, and most importantly, original show every year. When we first broke off with REC and moved out on our own, we stopped presenting pageants - we had other concerns, and they are rehearsal intensive. Now, it looks like they're back...
So, what should you expect? Everything. We usually don't limit ourselves with the rhyming couplet style of show, as most of the 'original' pageants and quite a few current stage shows do, so the only limiting factors are the subject material (with the occasional attempt to keep some degree of historical accuracy about us) and the actors. The subject material is usually something from fairy tales or mythology. Most pageant writers are well versed in the topics they write on, and have that angle covered pretty well. This leaves you. Often, when we're using older scripts or when someone is writing a new script, the parts are specifically created with actors already in mind. However, don't give up hope. If you still want to get that lead role and save the girl (who hopefully isn't a guy from the audience in a wig), here are a few tips.
First and foremost, LEARN YOUR LINES.
Contrary to some people's views of the world, scripts are not allowed on stage. It just looks tacky, unless it's written into the scene. If you absolutely must use a script during faire, disguise it - although half an hour of watching someone doing a Dracula impersonation from behind a shield might just tip off to someone that you aren't off book. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that every single syllable has to ring true to the script. While we are a professional troupe, we're not particularly all professional thespians or scriptwriters, and a fair amount of improvisation is normally expected. But, just in case you are the hero, and the villain suddenly stops in the middle of his big speech and stares at you blankly...
BE AWARE OF YOUR FELLOW ACTORS ON STAGE.
No one is perfect. Everyone drops a line at some point (just don't make a habit out of it). Be ready. One of the benefits of being an improv guild is that when something starts to go horribly wrong on stage, we usually can think on our feet fast enough to cover it and bring things back to where they should be. This is important, as nothing will kill an audience's interest faster than the long uncomfortable pauses while the cast tries to remember their lines.
PROJECT!
This can't be stressed enough. When the audience can't hear you, they can't care about you, and will promptly wander off in search of hooters & beer. This is a perennial problem for too many people at Faire (thankfully, mostly not us). I'll dispense with the usual advice of "belt from your diaphragm", and a whole lot of things that probably won't make sense unless you can do them already, and just say that volume is good. Don't shout your lines (often), but try to keep as loud as possible.
CHEAT OUT!
O.K., this one is not that much of a problem in our guild, but it still occasionally rears its ugly head. For those without the theatre background, "cheating out" means that while you may be talking with the person next to you, you want to try and deliver the line out to the audience. A related tactic that also helps you be heard is to stay as close to the front of the stage as is possible. Being closer to the audience & facing them when speaking will help you be heard (duh).
BODY LANGUAGE!
This is another obvious one, but still bears a mention. Body language is a) what can convey your meaning more broadly than the line will (just think of how many meanings you could put into the word "erect"), b) what draws crowd into our shows from a distance (Hey! Look! Someone is being silly over there! Let's go watch!) and c) one of the best comedic weapons at our disposal. This also is where "owning" the stage comes in. If you are supposed to be the center of attention on stage, body language is how to sell it (I know we're all the center of attention, but come on- I mean main characters). It's not that difficult. Personally, before I go on, I concentrate on being "big" (stop snickering. I mean stage presence). In any case, if you are supposed to be the center of attention, then be it. In addition, sometimes what you say with your body will be more important than the line. Some of the best physical comedy comes from the actor saying one thing, while their body says something entirely different.
Finally, one of the most important things to remember is to enjoy yourself. The old saw about "if you can't amuse yourself, who can you amuse?" is as true here as it is anywhere else. If you aren't having fun on stage, the audience will catch on quickly. It doesn't matter how many lines you have (some of the most memorable pageant moments have evolved from bit parts), or if you never get to play the role you were born to play. If you aren't having fun, then you are not going to be fun to watch.
Well, that's my two cents worth. But before you head up to be a star on that great Plywood and Burlap Way, always remember... almost anyone can get a good part and great laughs, and also remember... if you step on my lines, I'll give you a wedgie.