Sarah’s Amazing Journey

So this is finals week and it promises to be interesting. I have three exams today, one of which is a dance performance but the other two are my only sit down exams and I’ve studied for them and feel prepared but the exam week nerves are getting to me anyway. I cannot believe that this is (hopefully) my last winter finals week!!!

I signed up to design hair and makeup for Dancing at Lughnasa in the spring, Im excited and glad I got the chance to design again (my portfolio will need it). I asked Kevin about hair designing because I really think I need some more experience with wigs before I apply for my internship. Over break I am going to work on my drawing skills, I got a few really cool books of drawing the human face. I also need to get back in touch with Tom Watson about the internship because applications go out in January. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully I’ll get one of them but if not it won’t be the end of the world, I have a backup plan. Should Santa Fe or St. Louis fall through I’m going to apply at Center Stage in Baltimore and then enroll on beauty school. I’m trying not to have anxiety about my future and I wasn’t anxious until recently, I figured I was ahead of the game, I had a plan but now I starting to worry that my plan won’t work out and I’ll wind up stuck. Typical senior year jitters I guess.

 http://www.broadway.com/gen/general.aspx…

This is Tom Watson, I met him last spring in New York…

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I realized the other day that I probably should play some catch up on some of my Bat Boy process here in the blog, which has been a little neglected since most of my work has been in creating actual documents for my Bat Boy Bible, so this is pretty much an IOU in blog world…
But for now here’s a few images to feast your eyes on!!!
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So the book is finally all finished, well as finished as I am willing to make it. Of course in looking back over some paper work I wanted to reformat pretty much everything but theres a certain point where enough is enough.
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[image:601:c:s=1:l=x] I look back on my Bat Boy experience with pretty much fond memories, it was an adventure, that’s for sure. I think probably the most valuable part of the experience was learning how to work with other people, how to communicate. I also think perhaps that was one of the shortcomings of the show, I don’t always think that communication was very good. Theatre is such a collaborative process and if we can’t or won’t or neglect to talk to each othet then the product suffers. I think we all did a pretty damn good job on the show and I don’t think it is out of the norm to look back and think about how it could have been different. Right now I’m putting the finishing touches on my senior project giant book o’ Bat Boy and looking through my documents I think oh well this could be different, but I think if I sweat the past details then somehow I’ll ruin the memory of the show, it was what it was, and it was good and now it deserves to rest. On friday I’ll hand the book over to Kevin, I hope it is what it needs to be, I never could seem to track down exactly what had to be in a senior project. Next week we scheduled a meeting to talk about the whole senior project thing, I have no idea what this means but apparently it must be done and so it shall. So until then I’ll print out the last few documents, slideshow my images and then finally let it all go.

Drafted before the show was over:
Soon soon the show will be over. It has been a bitter sweet experience for me, I have learned so much and met some fantasic people. I cannot believe this is the end though, my last hoorah of design, the last two shows of the season don’t lend themselves to challenging makeup design. I have wished all along in this process that their were more makeup design students, someone to discuss with, commiserate with and triumph with. I think my design work here has been solid but with pretty much no one to compare to it’s sometimes an oddly off sort of triumph. This show was challenging logistically but I don’t think it was a challenge for design and I wonder if that isn’t the nature of what I would like my profession to be. Sometimes I think I should give up the theatre dream and look into film, but something about the freshness of theatre intrigues me, it’s a different show every night, a different audience that feels different things.

Written last week but not posted:

What color is a Bat Boy???? This has been a question plagueing me for the entire design process. At first I didn’t want him to look anything too odd, I wanted him to be recognizably human because I felt if we made him too odd then the story would be given away too early, a boy who looked so out of place would easily be hated, I wanted something more subtle. Originally I designed him just a shade greyer than human flesh, then upon first dress I collaborated with Kevin and we toyed with the idea of making him just a little darker. However I was working with a cake makeup that had to be wet down and then applied, a medium I am not at all used to. I found that the cake makeup was much much harder to control and blend and as such David came out looking far far too dark and a little blotchy. I have also been feeling conflicted with the lighting in this show, a lot of the light is so dark, with a lot of blue light which of course makes my purely grey makeup transform in to an odd sort of metallic, very blue color. So blue grey was out, too dark… Today when dying the unitard a tiny mishap created a whole new range of color for me. The unitard is now a sort of purple shade, so today I worked to make the Bat Boy look more human than his icky grey counterpart of yesterday but I still needed to add smidgen of purple so the unitard wouldn’t look completely silly. I was actually quite thrilled with my work today, I went back to using cream makeup so blending color was much easier and the makeup was smoother in application. Some concerns have been expressed that perhaps this new color should be taken a value darker, just one… I’ll have to think on that.

In blood news, things are going splendidly!!!! The blood effects are sooooooo cool in this show and I am so glad I had a hand in that part of the process!

So after sitting in on last nights run and talking to Gregg I feel a lot better about the idea of claws. I am not by any means 100% confident in them but it was encouraging to be able to be in a discussion about why this is a choice. I have also decided that if claws are the thing then why not do them all out. I talked to Gregg about how I don’t understand why Bat Boy would keep his claws, and together we decided that hey they look interesting so lets make them a sort of he (Bat Boy) can’t get rid of his nuclear claws thing. After playing around with painting the claws various icky colors I think I’ve found a color that will work. I also decided that since Bat Boy is supposed to also have “clawed prehensile feet” that it might be a good choice to go ahead and paint his toe nails because of cource I cannot manufacture claws for David’s feet and have him still be able to function. Gregg and I also toyed with the idea of the nuclear/radioactive claws being glow in the dark or black light sensitive or some such. It might be interesting during “Children, Children” to have Bat Boy’s claws and possibly his teeth glow, since they are the most non human features he has. David has beautiful extension in his body, because he is so skinny and long limbed and I felt, last night, that the claws added length, extending the line of his hands, making them more expressive and possibly more bat like. I realize I may be the only person that would pick up on a detail so small but I just can’t help but get more and more excited about his transformation.

In my infinite wisdom (albeit a little slow in coming) I realized that level set is tomorrow and that hey I might just maybe want to paint David up just a little bit to see how he reacts to the light because he will not be his normal skin color in the show. This of course would also be an opportunity to promote the show if he remained in makeup as he continued throughout his day outside of the darkness of Klein. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for all, I have been attempting to arrange makeup application appointment through stage management and hopefully a lot of work can get done tomorrow. We’re also pulling an entire weekend of overtime in the shop, most of which I will not be able to attend. I feel at this point a terrific show is slowly tottering upwards, it’ll get there, it just needs a few more days, and once it is at full height… watch out UMW, because this is something you have never seen before!!!

So I have been having some conflicting feelings about the idea of the Bat Boy having claws. I understand that if they work they will add to the overall non human look of the character, but in the context of the show and the interactions of the family, I do not understand why the Parkers wouldn’t have immediately cut down any claws Bat Boy might have had. An “animal”as large as a bat boy would be a danger to himself and to others if he were to have any sort of claw. Also if he is going to have claws on his hands why wouldn’t he also have claws on his feet?

I have also been taught to always keep in mind actor comfort and safety on the set. I worry that any sort of extension of a finger nail could be caught in something and then ripped off (ie: the chain link of the bat cage). Also it is unlikely that I can craft a claw that will hold up under the demands of the show but then be removed every night, so the actor has to wear them 24/7 for two weeks, which can impede on their life outside of Klein. My last concern is regarding interaction with other actors on stage, for the same reason I worry about the fangs getting too close to another actor, I now worry about someone being scratched or stabbed by a claw. I feel these concerns are all valid and it would be nice to be able to express them and know that my opinion is being taken in to account when these sort of decisions are made. The Bat Boy Double will also need to have claws applied but then his need to be removed mid show when he becomes the Ron double.

I am also not sure who should have designed the idea of claws. Is it a costume designers area or is it mine? In truth I never designed Bat Boy with claws and every time I try to express my concerns about claws I am told that Bat Boy WILL have them.
Originally I took David and had long acrylic nails put on him. After hearing that they looked bad and that he could not function I cut them off. In hindsight I realize I should not have cut them off as quickly as I did. I should have altered them and then taken them back to see if they worked. They were never my design, so I guess my rash decision to cut them down was inappropriate, Kevin should have made that call (I guess). Perhaps if I had been involved in a discussion about whether or not he should have nails I would not feel such an aversion to them, but now something that was decided by another designer has become my area of work and I am confused daily on how that happened.

Tonight I bought cheap glue on nails and filed them down and painted them and they seem to look alright. David can function as best he can be expected to, being a man who has never had nails past his own finger tips. I am going to a run tonight to see if they read, and if they don’t, well I’m not sure where to go next.

On the Blood Front:
Sunday is a double blood tech run… should be interesting. I have figured out how I would have the blood happen and now it’s just a matter of seeing the technicalities of it. I’m also having difficulty asking the right questions, because I feel like I am often not heard, that my opinion does not really matter or that everyone else is so busy in their respective areas that I don’t want to bother them. The blood tech runs will be a challenge for me, I never know how much I can voice anything in this process, it is a fine line to walk as a student designer. Last night I mixed up tests of both the black and red blood, today they were handed off to Julie to be tested in the “animals” and I am waiting on her response to go ahead and make large vats to last the run. Today I made David bite a blood capsule, which resulted in him immediately spitting the capsule out in the trash can and making a pretty horrid face, I guess he’ll get used to them.

I presented my drawings in the design meeting today, it was difficult to see them glanced at and then passed on. I assume they passed inspection but I couldn’t help but feel slightly let down at the lack of reaction. I know that I cannot expect to be validated at every step in this process and that it is ridiculous and childish of me to have the reaction I did. I also understand that sketchess of basic corrective are not at all thrilling to look at. Those words haunt me….basic…. corrective….

We open in a week and a day and until then we all have to keep on chugging because it will all too soon be over and we’ll look back and miss it… or that’s what I keep telling myself at least.

I’ve been meaning to post about my adventures in blood land so here goes. This far I have tested five or so purchased blood products, in the end I know I’ll have to do the at home recipes to make the blood for the show. Stage blood is pretty much stage blood so the tests were uneventful, test on skin to see if it stains, test of fabric for the same reasons, check the color, check the movement, etc. However in the midst of what was sort of mundane came a pleasant little surprise. Graftobian makes a magic powdered blood product that brushes on the skin almost imperceptibly but when splashed with water… MAGIC!!!! It really is the coolest thing I’ve dealt with yet. In yesterday’s meeting we tried to hash out some of the bloody details and I think I sort of have a handle on things. I have all my recipes, I know what kinds of blood I have to make so now it’s just a matter of making it.

The decision to add to tech runs just for blood made my heart jump for joy a little. I am soooo glad we’ve added that time because I would have felt so bad for the actors if they had been thrown in to costumes, and blood for the first time together. The costume changes in this show alone are enough to confuse just about all of us (I know this because I am dilligently trying to write up a wardrobe tracking plot, a responsibility for my shop assistant job).
After a small panic attack/melt down like thing yesterday afternoon I think I have pulled myself together and I feel much more grounded about the whole project. I live with three of the actors in the show who come home daily wanting to talk about nothing but the show and I have been snarled at more than once for asking if we could just change the subject. I understand their process as much as Im able and I think they understand mine, but I often feel like Im being pulled in too many directions in this show. I am a designer, a costume shop assistant, best friends with half the cast as well as a senior taking 21 credits currently. Ive thought a lot about the other shows that have been done in my time with the department and I think that this has been/will be the most technically challenging, would I have wished for a different show? Never. Yesterday Kevin jokingly said I should have proposed my makeup design senior project for one of the spring shows that will without a doubt be cake compared to this process. For a millisecond I thought, yeah, he’s right and then I realized that when this all comes together I will feel so accomplished. I was worried that I would get sort of left behind, left out in this process, just a student designer who really doesn’t design at all but the past two weeks-ish have made me realize that I can totally be proud damnit! Every day I flip though my binder for this show and I think how it has grown, daily I add more research more drawings, more plots, more reports and of course more post-it notes full of questions. I think yesterday’s tiny melt down sort of put things in perspective, I had to just take a moment to let all my frustrations manifest in to some sort of physical expulsion and now I am back on my feet and ready to buckle down again. (I actually have written on my calendar “Bat Boy closing… exhale!”)

On the bald front: (and he will probably slap me for refering to him this way)
I have now shaved David’s head twice and his scalp seems to be handling hairlessness quite well, although he complains of being cold almost constantly if he doesn’t have a hat. And as if he didn’t look strange enough walking down campus, I am now going to take him to get his claws put on! I’ll admit his gradual transformation is also a point of grounding for me, it helps to be able to see my work developing, even without the application of any makeup. Typically I have to wait until tech/dress rehearsals to see my work formed but David’s physical transformation started happening early in this process (which he admits has helped him create his character). I keep telling myself it will all come together, that my work will be good work but seeing my bald headed little bat of a roomie everyday is small reward visually for my work so far. Sunday I am going to sit in on a rehearsal, partially to try to track blood by watching to blocking and partially to just get a feel of this show.

Last night I shaved David’s (Bat Boy) head!!! It had been recently decided that he would have no hair as Bat Boy and he said that he’d like to shave his head sooner rather than later to give himself time to adjust but also so that we could start to think about timing of upkeep and such for the run of the show. I think somehow he was better prepared for this than I was. As you can see from before pictures David had a TON of hair, so step one was to take scissors and hack away just to get rid of most of his hair. I was not too keen on having hair all over my bathroom so I made him sit outside on the porch while I chopped away (now it looks like we may have de-furred a cat on our steps). Once I had pretty much gotten all of the length I took clippers to buzz the remaining hair down to its shortest. Even after scissoring most of his hair away I was amazed at how much I could still buzz down with the clippers. The final stage was taking a razor to what little hair there was left. I’ll admit this last stage made me most nervous. I was terrified of cutting him or giving him razor burn on his head. A stubble filled sink later, he was bald.

Although shocking at first after a night I’m beginning to adjust to seeing him with no hair, and more and more I see Bat Boy being created simply in altering his physical appearance. This is what I love most about this process. Without David having to say a line in the show and with (right now) the addition of rehearsal fangs and the new baldness I can see Bat Boy, and that is just too cool!!!
Last night we had some trouble with what I thought would be perfect fangs. I’m trying to give David as much time in them as possible so that I can hear how much his speech will be altered and how well the fangs will stay put. Last night however, the teeth just wouldn’t stay put. I have some of the fitting compound left so today for the blocking rehearsal I’m going to refit them and see if that helps. Also all the options for ears have come in and now it’s time to fit them and narrow down to the ones that will actually work for the show.
In yesterday’s production meeting we discussed the nudity issue and it has been decided that unitards will be used to create a sense of nudity without any actual delicate areas being exposed. The color of Bat Boy’s skin was also decided upon, so now I’m on a quest to find body paints so that I can alter the color of his hands, feet, face and bald head to make him the decided upon color.
The show is slowly starting to come together, all involved are stressed out and wondering why oh why we chose to do such a complicated musical. But even as dread and fears are expressed I can’t help but feel this wave of excitement, it will all work out and frankly I’m on the edge of my seat with excitement for the finished product. With my outrageous amounts of excitement comes the realization that I probably will never get to see the show from an audience perspective because I will most likely have to work the show nightly. Even so, my excitement is hardly altered because I don’t think we’ve ever done a show quite like this and I cannot wait to see what other people think!!!