Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Superstitions

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pdavis69
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Topic: Superstitions
Posted: 1/25/08 at 8:59am

Just reading a posting of Joe's about fresh flowers being bad luck, I had to wonder what type of theatrical superstitions were out there. Do any of you have any quirky theatrical superstitions?

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

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Kibitzer
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Posted: 1/25/08 at 10:36am

Of course there's the classic: Break a leg! Wishing good luck is bad luck...

Bad final dress rehearsal/preview leads to a great opening night; good final dress rehearsal/preview leads to a terrible opening night. I don't know if this is a superstition or a pattern I have noticed over the years!

Then there are personal superstitions. I have to arrive at least 90 minutes prior to curtain time. I have to physically and mentally warm-up, no matter what the part: bit, lead, whatever. But the big one when I was acting was that I would always wear the same undershirt for the entire run of the show - no washing it! Of course, with my figure, I needed as much clothing as possible to cover up what otherwise would forever subvert ticket sales. There was, however, one exception to this. Many years ago I was in a show called "Doubles", which took place in the men's locker room of a tennis club in Connecticut. I have never undressed and dressed in front of more people more often in my life! On Broadway, they undressed to their birthday suits; but this was community theatre, so we just went to our jockies or boxers, as the case may be. Superstitions or not, I had absolutely clean undies every night of the show!

"Security is a kind of death." - Tennessee Williams

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MartyW
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Posted: 1/25/08 at 10:45am

No whistling back stage....

Never saying the name of that famous shakespearian play about a scottish nobel in the theater, unless that show is actually being DONE in the theater at that time...

Then there are the local ones like at Bowling Green State University theater they always invite the resident ghost to the show so she wont be upset and cause problems..

There was a whole thread on this once before I think...

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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Aimee
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Posted: 1/25/08 at 5:45pm

During one show (Harvey I think) we banned anyone from bringing anything from Burger King anywhere near the stage/cafeteria.

We were working (building the set) over Spring break , had lunch (Burger King) and the rest of the afternoon EVERYTHING went wrong. Doors were falling apart, nothing fit right, even after being measure several times, ran out of tape..... and so on .So from that point, no burger King. Yes, I know very odd, but there you have it.

Now, since that stage is gone and the new one almost complete I am sure we'll have a whole NEW list of wierd things to do and not to do

Aimee

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SherrieAnne
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Posted: 1/25/08 at 10:01pm

Originally posted by MartyW

No whistling back stage....

This is one of those superstitions that actually had a reason when it started, back in the day...Shakespeare's day, that is, maybe earlier. Back then, stagehand duties were carried out by sailors, who communicated with one another by means of coded whistles. If anyone else whistled backstage, it might mess up their "code" - and someone might get a sandbag on their head.

Personally, I have a terrible superstition about peacock feathers. I've read that it's a traditional superstition, but I recall the first flop I was ever associated with was a production of DIAL M FOR MURDER, in which the set decorator had insisted on putting peacock feathers in a vase onstage. The show was good - but audiences stayed away in droves.

Makeup kits should always be kept messy (NO problem sticking with THAT one for me!) - and a rabbit's foot should live in your makeup box at all times. If you spill powder, dance on it to assure a return engagement at that theatre. (A return engagement is also assured if you trip when making an entrance - as long as you don't take the set down with you.)

There's a little bit of diva in all of us. Some just have a larger helping than others.

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MartyW
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Posted: 1/26/08 at 8:19am

Originally posted by SherrieAnne

[No whistling back stage....

Most of them do Sherrie.. Most of them do... in point of fact (as in my fact, because EVERYONE has thier own version) Not wishing Good luck is its own superstition, and Break a Leg was a wish for the individual to do such a great performance that it would be worthy of a bow... In those days, "Best foot forward" was still an axiom telling folks to truely show their best leg (in tights) They presented a staight plain of that limb as it was cheated forward... when they bowed, they would bend at the knee, or break the plain of the leg... break a leg...

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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JoeMc
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Posted: 1/26/08 at 10:12am

Burning 3 candles on stage.

Which is also tied up with the 3 witches of M'B'th & thier incantations. Uttering the name prior to opening performance, along with mentiong the last line of a play. Can be rectified by leaving the stage, turning about 3 times & asking perfmission to enter the stage again.

For good luck throwing a piece of coal from the stage to the top balcony [Gods] at a new theatre. {[Not so good for the lanterns, fittings & fixtures] possibly related to the Scots tradition of the 'First footer' bringing a piece of coal on hogmanay [new years eve]. After the last stroke of midnight & bringing good luck for the ne'er [new year] day.}

With the peacock feather, it is the eye in the plumage, that is said to be the evil eye.

Also with whistling, besides being used as a cue system signal. It is also what sailors do to whistle up a wind/storm. Which in open air theatres of the time would have caused havoc with mchanical scenery & equipment.

Wearing a green costume, is supposedly bad luck, from the piont of view they used green signal flags. along with the whistles for cues.

however i believe it was because the curtains in the Inigo Jones designed proscenium arch theatre. Used Pages to draw the house curtain closed, wearing green livery.

Similarly with wearing blue fabric costumes, was a sure sign the playe would loose money. Because in those days blue dye was very exspensive & an extensive process. Thus closure must follow.

In pantomime the Fairy only enters & exits at stage right [OP]. Also upon counteracting against a bad spell, she would swap her wand from the roght hand to the left.

Stage left is considered the devils side [PS]. Because salt is thrown over the left shoulder, into the face of the devil.

Also in the painting the 'last supper'. Judas sits on the left hand side of JC.

Along with bitds in flight, especialy the ceramic wall ornaments of 3 ducks in flight. They must fly toward stage right [OP] or upstage towards the sky [cyc - sky cloth].

Also Knitting backstage.

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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eveharrington
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Posted: 1/27/08 at 2:08pm

I've never heard of the knitting backstage superstition. The props lady on the last show I directed sat backstage knitting like a fiend through every show, does this mean I can blame all the misteps on her? Frankly I was much more annoyed by the incessant soduku "playing" of the sound girl.

"If nothing else, there's applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights."

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JoeMc
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Posted: 1/27/08 at 5:05pm

The knitting one is because of the needles, not that they could injure anyone. But they may damage costumes or sets.

There is another one with putting shoes, used in the show, on the prop table. - weird!

[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}

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Nanette
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Posted: 1/29/08 at 4:03am

Here are a couple of interesting ones from Wikipedia:

A common superstition held by actors is that sleeping with a script under their pillow will help them to learn it faster.

In Spanish-speaking countries, before each show, director and actors gather in the stage, join hands and scream "¡Mierda!" ("sh*t!"). Instead of "break a leg", those who want to wish good luck to the performers wish mierda to them.

Similarly, in France, actors say the word "Merde!" just before making an entrance.

As part of warmups before a show, some casts get together and say "sh*t!" to avoid doing it during the performance if something goes wrong.

It is traditional for actors to draw a mascara tree, preferrably on the belly button, before performances.

In a world of margarine, be butter!

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