Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Lice!

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Nanette
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Joined: 8/01/06
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Posts: 399

Topic: Lice!
Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:54am

(Is everyone itching yet?!)

One of my troupe members has lice ... don't know where she got it ... but we're making sure it isn't on our costumes which means washing, washing, washing! (FUN!)

Has anyone else had this problem? We're still small so we don't have a lot (and I'm only laundering what was fitted the day this actor was), but how in the world do you cope with the sheer number of costumes, hats, wigs, etc. a veteran company might have in stock?

In a world of margarine, be butter!

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MartyW
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Joined: 2/02/04
Location: United States
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Posts: 555

Posted: 9/17/07 at 11:38am

Typically, a louse will live for about a month (thats with a host) when they lay thier eggs, it will take no more than a month for them to hatch those could live a while, but without a host to feed off of a louse will die in about three days.... so bottom line, if it hasn't been out of the loft in a while its not going to have lice.

And yes, the middle school teacher in me is scratching away.. thanks..

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
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Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:06pm

Supposedly it is mainly long clean hair females, which atracts them?
Invarably they are picked up from anywhere at school, as a favourite breeding ground for nits.
Way back when the landed gentry employed 'niters' to scourer thru thier wigs!

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Kathy S
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Posts: 303

Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:16pm

I sympathize with you, as the daughter of a school nurse I've heard this story many a time. Every year my mom would have to call somebody's parents and let them know what had happened, then put out an APB to all the families of kids in that kid's class... It seems that not a year went by that someone would get completely up in arms about it and demand to know WHO started this!!??! Mom (always an advocate of the underdog) would always blame it on Adam and Eve!

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
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Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:38pm

It always amazes me how Mum's always seems to know & have a great answer, for every situation!
Must be in the genes?
as a young bloke growing up back stage, I never ever had the problem. Although it did at times become rife with the chorus girls, from time to time!
Maybe I was not as finicky about washing my hair?

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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DramaMamaStill
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Joined: 2/07/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 31

Posted: 9/19/07 at 2:48pm

The good news is that lice are slow movers and reluctant to leave their host. This is why generally they get passed from pillow to pillow or hat to hat or wig to wig or brush to brush... keep actors from sharing these things... a good extended freeze is pretty good for killing bugs

ex-extention entomology assitant

Life is Mysterious don't take it too serious

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/19/07 at 8:18pm

This could be a gem of a story line for a Farce!

'Wot a louse!'
OR 'Your Pediculosis pubis are showing'

You could even add extra value to the performance, by flogging Anti-itching products before the show or during the interval. Wink

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

IP Logged

DramaMamaStill
Lead
Lead

Joined: 2/07/05
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 31

Posted: 9/23/07 at 2:23pm

Gaffa... one of my best extention entomology stories was when an overwrought mother came storming into the office with a rather pudgy red-faced adolescent boy in tow. She was holding a small jar with tiny insects inside demanding to know what they were and how her son could have gotten them

We examined them and had to explain that they were pubic lice (Human Lice are body part specific) and that the only way he could have gotten them was Ahem to Ahem contact.

If that kid could have escaped through a trap door in the office he would have descended like magic

Life is Mysterious don't take it too serious

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1181

Posted: 9/23/07 at 11:42pm

I can imagine mummy dearests reaction!
Shocked

I bet she never felt as stupid as a Kiwi Member of parliment the other day.
{I picked up it up as a News flash on the TV, i have searched but can't find ant reference to it kn any of the News outlets.
So it looks like the NZ Prime Minister or the MP paid dearly to have the news story gagged?}
Aparently a female MP who was a member on some commitee or other about sustance abuse, such as paint & glue sniffing,
During her investigatons of the chemical abuse going on. she was recieved an email siggesting a particular substance, was being used & was widely available in all homes through out kiwi land. The abuse was blaytant she shoukd do something about & the poster gave her the sustance chemical name & list the problems it causes.
With this in hand she took up the cudual headed of to the select commitee to have included in the legislation,
Upon viocing the substance chemical name.
There was silence & everyone burst out laughing.
The MP upset demanded a piont of order. Angry

Only for the Minister/Chairman to explain there was no piont of order & that
Dihydrgen monoxide
was in fact water! Tongue

This student hoax pops up quite regularly Wink

;-
[The old water trick]

Dihydrgen monoxide hoax;-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup

Author	Message
Nanette Celebrity Joined: 8/01/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 399	Topic: Lice! Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:54am
	(Is everyone itching yet?!) One of my troupe members has lice ... don't know where she got it ... but we're making sure it isn't on our costumes which means washing, washing, washing! (FUN!) Has anyone else had this problem? We're still small so we don't have a lot (and I'm only laundering what was fitted the day this actor was), but how in the world do you cope with the sheer number of costumes, hats, wigs, etc. a veteran company might have in stock?
	In a world of margarine, be butter!

	IP Logged

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 9/17/07 at 11:38am
	Typically, a louse will live for about a month (thats with a host) when they lay thier eggs, it will take no more than a month for them to hatch those could live a while, but without a host to feed off of a louse will die in about three days.... so bottom line, if it hasn't been out of the loft in a while its not going to have lice. And yes, the middle school teacher in me is scratching away.. thanks..
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:06pm
	Supposedly it is mainly long clean hair females, which atracts them? Invarably they are picked up from anywhere at school, as a favourite breeding ground for nits. Way back when the landed gentry employed 'niters' to scourer thru thier wigs!
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Kathy S Celebrity Joined: 8/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 303	Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:16pm
	I sympathize with you, as the daughter of a school nurse I've heard this story many a time. Every year my mom would have to call somebody's parents and let them know what had happened, then put out an APB to all the families of kids in that kid's class... It seems that not a year went by that someone would get completely up in arms about it and demand to know WHO started this!!??! Mom (always an advocate of the underdog) would always blame it on Adam and Eve!
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/17/07 at 10:38pm
	It always amazes me how Mum's always seems to know & have a great answer, for every situation! Must be in the genes? as a young bloke growing up back stage, I never ever had the problem. Although it did at times become rife with the chorus girls, from time to time! Maybe I was not as finicky about washing my hair?
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

DramaMamaStill Lead Joined: 2/07/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 31	Posted: 9/19/07 at 2:48pm
	The good news is that lice are slow movers and reluctant to leave their host. This is why generally they get passed from pillow to pillow or hat to hat or wig to wig or brush to brush... keep actors from sharing these things... a good extended freeze is pretty good for killing bugs ex-extention entomology assitant
	Life is Mysterious don't take it too serious
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/19/07 at 8:18pm
	This could be a gem of a story line for a Farce! 'Wot a louse!' OR 'Your Pediculosis pubis are showing' You could even add extra value to the performance, by flogging Anti-itching products before the show or during the interval.
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

DramaMamaStill Lead Joined: 2/07/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 31	Posted: 9/23/07 at 2:23pm
	Gaffa... one of my best extention entomology stories was when an overwrought mother came storming into the office with a rather pudgy red-faced adolescent boy in tow. She was holding a small jar with tiny insects inside demanding to know what they were and how her son could have gotten them We examined them and had to explain that they were pubic lice (Human Lice are body part specific) and that the only way he could have gotten them was Ahem to Ahem contact. If that kid could have escaped through a trap door in the office he would have descended like magic
	Life is Mysterious don't take it too serious
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 9/23/07 at 11:42pm
	I can imagine mummy dearests reaction! I bet she never felt as stupid as a Kiwi Member of parliment the other day. {I picked up it up as a News flash on the TV, i have searched but can't find ant reference to it kn any of the News outlets. So it looks like the NZ Prime Minister or the MP paid dearly to have the news story gagged?} Aparently a female MP who was a member on some commitee or other about sustance abuse, such as paint & glue sniffing, During her investigatons of the chemical abuse going on. she was recieved an email siggesting a particular substance, was being used & was widely available in all homes through out kiwi land. The abuse was blaytant she shoukd do something about & the poster gave her the sustance chemical name & list the problems it causes. With this in hand she took up the cudual headed of to the select commitee to have included in the legislation, Upon viocing the substance chemical name. There was silence & everyone burst out laughing. The MP upset demanded a piont of order. Only for the Minister/Chairman to explain there was no piont of order & that Dihydrgen monoxide was in fact water! This student hoax pops up quite regularly ;- [The old water trick] Dihydrgen monoxide hoax;- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Topic: Lice!( Topic Closed)