NMC Campus Observer

The Show Must Go On! Live Vaudeville On NMC Campus

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : Aug 3, 2007 09:10am

We are excited to bring to NMC Campus another original art performance– On Sunday August 5, 2007, join us at 2:00 PM SLT/PDT (check local time) for The Show Must Go On:

This show will take place at the theater on Learning (81, 63, 33)! if you have never visited us before, you will need to first join one of the NMC groups that provide teleport access to NMC.

About the Show Must Go On

Information provided by Osprey Therian…

The Show Must Go On! is a traveling variety show featuring short acts strung together with no rhyme or reason. From the snappy dancing Droplettes to the meditative Undergrowth, the show takes advantage of the strengths of Second Life and aims to please. Although I won’t get into descriptions, let’s just say you will likely see things you have never seen before. Indeed, audience comments have indicated that some people had difficulty remaining in their chairs in real life, due to hearty laughter.

Click To Play

We use audio tailored to each act, and it has been a joy to hear the talent of these fine actors in the introductions they have recorded for the acts. Acts are conceived and brought to life by the troupe, sometimes with a lot of input all around, and at other times with one person visualizing and creating the entire thing. Regardless of how the act was created, troupe performers jump in as needed to be a trained human, a High Flyer, then an insect or a Tiny. We have a very good time working on the show, getting costume changes down fast, nervously waiting our turns. The feeling of real life performing - nerves, jitters, then the after-show excitement - is exactly the same in Second Life. After a show we bounce around a bit, compare the effects of too many costume changes in too short a time (which often leaves me looking about two feet tall to everyone but myself), and wonder why we didn’t arrange a party.

A short history of the troupe…

After a triumphant initiation into the world of performance, in July 2006, when the original (short) play From the Shadows (written by Enjah Mysterio) won the challenge (annihilating all comers. We performed the play thrice to packed houses as… uh… there were no other plays) at the New Globe Theatre, a new goal was set. I decided vaudeville would be perfect for Second Life, and immediately started recruiting and whipping up enthusiasm. Originally scheduled for the Christmas season, it soon became apparent that more time was needed. When we began rehearsing at Cowell Amphitheatre every rehearsal (they were twice weekly) was an open event, and I did my best to drag in people from…. what? Did I say drag? I meant encourage all sorts of people to join the troupe. A grant from the Foundation for Rich Content helped us buy animations and other things for the acts, and gave us a veneer of respectability at a time when our show, still in rehearsal, was *cough* a bit rough. It wasn’t until May that we did our first preview show. Our true opening, with audio, was in June at the Pantheon.

A great deal of dedication is required, and amazing people willing to (for instance) practice on the synchronised knitters precision unicycle drill team track for hours every week (it’s hard to do) formed this traveling troupe and continue to develop new acts. When you watch the show you will probably have no idea of the effort that goes into it all. In the past we have coped with griefers, terrible rubber-banding, deleted objects retaining volume, things not rezzing, sim crashes, missing people, full-sim lock-outs, and Os’s grumpiness. The professionalism of all the performers is evident in the smoothness of most performances, the ability to cope with adversity, the willingness to keep right on going and smile. In a perfect world no tribulations would ever occur… or would they? For myself, I believe the greater point of our efforts is to learn to face anything and everything. It’s a spiritual thing, don’t you know.

We have just now reached the number of acts that will allow us to do what I had planned from the start - with the flexibility of numbers, perform when an act or two is missing. For a while it was heavy going for the troupe, as they were required for every single show. We have rehearsals on Thursdays, these days, at noon and 6:30 as we are far-flung. This show took a year, but it’s turned out just as I dreamed it would - due entirely to the immense amount of hard work by all the people who perform in it, and the assistance of a select few - like Candide LeMay, who gave us a way to be noisy.

Performers

(individual shows may be missing one or more performers)

• Ida Keen
• Theodore Polonsky
• Salazar Jack
• Salamander Maroon
• Caitlan Mclaglen
• Maxie Schneider
• Vlad Bjornson
• Lucy Tornado
• Osprey Therian
• Enjah Mysterio
• Young Geoffrion

Audio assistance Candide Lemay

Partial funding provided by a grant from the Foundation for Rich Content.

Story filed under: Arts, Campus Headlines, People, Places, Things, What's Happening

See all stories by CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine)