Spring Nite o' Mime 2008
Reflection
Opening: The theme, of course, was communism/Soviet Russia - something Rob and Kari have continously pushed for over the past few years. It almost became a sort of joke: "What's our theme?" "Communist Russia!" "No, Rob."
Now I ask: why were we so quick to shoot this theme down? I loved it. My second favorite opening/closing ever - with my first show (zombies) in front.
Mr. No Depth Perception: Mine. I believe I came up with this while I was bored and working in Barnes and Noble. I shared it on whim - I was doubtful this one would make it in. Props to Kyle and Michael for adding their own touches here and there.
Jack The Ripper: Also mine. This was a "Boom, Checkmate" - a skit made up at a meeting with no preperation beforehand. The music is a prominate song from Dexter - I heard it and decided it fit way too well.
E=MC2: That should be a "squared" sign, but I can't figure it out. It's too late for me to be messing with keyboard shortcuts.
Anyway, this was Rob's. I loved how he first presented this skit to us: a skit with minimal lighting cues and no chairs. That's always really appealing to me.
A Progressive Mime: Honestly, I'm not sure who was responsible for coming up with the idea, but I've got no reservations saying Jordan took it and made it his own.
Titanium Tim: Mary's. A lovely bit of morbidity. Not to mention some really catchy music.
The Operation: Mine. Another "Boom, Checkmate." I had to record the "buzzing" sound on my own and couldn't find a copy of the board game Operation. (Seriously: is this game just a myth? I talked to 20 people and only one person had a copy, and the buzzer didn't even work.) I instead used a Taboo buzzer. This buzzer rattled around in my backpack all week long, entertaining me with random buzzes as I'd walk. In some cases, it provided long, drawn out buzzes when I'd set my bag down in a silent classroom.
But anyway...great work by the techies here.
The Game of Life: Sara's - her first skit into a show. And what a skit to start with.
The Charmer: Mary's. I specifically remember her sharing this skit when we had mime bonding at our lakehouse. All skits should be shared around a campfire. It certainly worked for the Midnight Society.
(That last sentence was just for my fellow Generation Y-ers with access to Nickelodeon. You know. Back in the day.)
Fear of...Quickies: Also Mary's. It was a lot of fun to do this one.
For One More Day: Mine. "Marsh Madness" from my first show played a part in inspiring this one - a skit that looks like it's serious at first, but goes in a different direction.
Fallout: Also mine. I had been pitching this one since my second spring show - and here it is. Great work by Jake and Margaret here - not to mention fantastic work by our lighting director, Kyle.
Monsieur Emphysema: Rob's. I loved this one. So much goofiness. And the music was fantastic. Special thanks to all audience members who mispronounced "Monsieur" phonetically.
The Invisible Man: The last Jordan/Mary/Thomas collaboration for the BD. And perhaps the weirdest. Once again, great work by the techies. Their timing was what sold this skit.
Run On: Mary's. She's been pitching this one for a while, and it was fantastic to finally see it in a show. There were a few significant changes between the original version and this version, but of course they were all for the better.
Something odd the techies noticed: "Run On" and "Fallout", though both thought of long before IHSSA 07-08, are thematically similar to "Bound" and "and God wept at Nagasaki."
Mimeories
I ♥ You: Written by Luke for Fall Show 2006 - my favorite show. Why was it my favorite show? Skits like this one.
Love Potion #8: Kari's, also from Fall Show 06. I reprise my role as a dog who will probably be raped.
Same Direction: Tyler's, and - you guessed it - from Fall 06. We got into a bit of a debate while choosing this skit for Mimeories: was it this or "War" from Spring 06? Who knows, though. You could see "War" again.
Storybook: Let me let you in on a little secret: I hate helping to write Storybook. Performing it is a lot of fun, don't get me wrong - but if I were to make a list of "Favorite Things To Do When Planning a Mime Show", writing Storybook would be down there with "sleep deprivation".
Maybe it's because there's not as much room to play around as with a regular skit, or maybe it's the balancing act between "edgy" and "getting screwed by administration", but I've never liked Storybook.
But I was pleased by the crowd's reaction to this one. A few people told me this was their favorite storybook ever. And my favorite part about all of this? Our performance during the Spring Show was our third ever time running through Storybook.
Closing: Babies kill the seniors, giant BD comes down. I kind of wish I hadn't been awkwardly lying on the ground for this one - I would have loved to have seen this moment from the audience's point of view. But I suppose that's what camcorders are for.
And speaking of babies and seniors: congratulations to the Baker's Dozen's new president and vice president, Sara Ryan and Jinny Han respectively.
So that's it. It's been 896 days since three guys came screaming into my room and (in so many words, I guess) told me I had just joined the best group Valley High School has to offer.
There's no way I can articulate what I'm thinking and feeling after this show into a blog post written at 1 in the morning. I doubt I could properly articulate these thoughts and feelings into even a series of blog posts.
But I can say this: the Baker's Dozen has done so much for me. It has changed me as a person, it's taught me so much about the writing/directing/performing process - hell, it's even given me an excuse to dress up like Mario for a day. It's also enabled me to talk to people I never would have known - not to mention bond further with those I know well.
I would like to thank the Baker's Dozen for all of this. I'd also like to thank the following groups and people, in no particular order:
(By the way: please take no offense if you deserve to be on this list and you aren't. It is very late and I am very tired.)
- During a week in which I'm surrounded by mimes, mime techies, and talk about mimes mimes mimes, it's great for my sanity to talk to a few people who have little to nothing to do with The Baker's Dozen. Which is why I'd like to thank my friends at Central Campus - specifically, Josh Johnson, Allison Fayard, Brianna Nelson, Cassie Mayrose and Pauline Altman.
- Stacey Hansen, Derek Claussen, and Joe Van Haecke have taught me nearly everything I know about theatre, mime and improvisation. As a result, they've been major influences on my writing, directing and performing style, and have likely subconsciously shaped portions of this show, whether they know that or not.
- My parents for understanding (sometimes) and supporting the Baker's Dozen - and yes, Mom and Dad, I'd be a little weirded out too if my son ever started wearing a leotard, tights and lipstick. That is, if he didn't have a valid reason.
- Our fans for coming to our shows, filling the auditorium and making general ruckus about the show. Without you, The Baker's Dozen would be something very different.
- It's been said that when a director best does their job, they are unnoticable. And that's true about our techies, too - when the lights, set and sound perfectly compliment what's going on onstage, the technicalities are the last things on the audience's mind. Which is why I'd like to give a big thank you to The Baker's Dozen Tech, especially our departing seniors - Kyle Hurst, Amanda Pichler, Caitlin Hostetter, Emily Adams, and Dylan Efobi.
- You might have noticed there's a name missing from the BD Tech seniors above. I just wanted to give special recognition to our stage manager. She also acts as a kind of a bridge between a skit being on paper and on stage - she organizes all of the lighting and sound cues you see and here in a BD show. She also puts up with a lot of bullshit from a lot of us - me especially. Thanks to Emily Dengle for efficiently and responsibly performing an unjustly thankless job.
- Something I've always loved about BD shows is how it sets an example; it shows high school kids can make something great in a short amount of time when they set their minds to it. But from time to time we need a grownup - and this is where Ted VanDeventer comes in. Ted, a former mime, helps clean-up skits and generally oversees the entire show. And of course, from time to time we act like the teenagers we are, and this is where Ted comes into play to keep us from accidentally blowing up the auditorium. Why does he do this? For the love of it. And I respect that immensely.
- Finally, I'd like to thank our former president and vice-president, Mary Moritz and Jordan LaVine respectively. I have been with these two since day one of my time in the BD - and, stranger still, we were very close friends before our time as mimes. We collaborate on skits and decisions, we balance each other out, we entertain each other - but most importantly, they are my closest and most dear friends. We gave all we could to The Baker's Dozen, and in return, The Baker's Dozen cemented our bond only further.
And that was my time in The Baker's Dozen. Funny how almost 900 days can just fly by.