Poor Things Costume Exhibit at FiDM

The costumes from the film  Poor Things were on display at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FiDM) in Downtown LA.  As someone who gives 1800's Magic Lantern shows, I was especially interested in how the costumes helped tell the story of the film and how I could use costume as part of my performances with the Magic Lantern.  The film takes place in the late Victorian period which was also a time of great popularity for Magic Lantern shows. 

The museum was open to the public and did not require tickets. Costumes worn by Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Yousef were on all on display. 

Upon entering, you get an overview of the film and one of Bella's (Emma Stone's Character) costumes.  was used to tell the story.

Several of Bella's costumes were on display.  The costumes increased in complexity and depth throughout the film as Bella's character grew. 

This costume was worn by Bella's mother who, if you saw the movie, is also Bella and played by Emma stone. Such elegant Victorian fashion!

Here was Willem Dafoe's costume for his scientist character. 

And Ramy Yousef's costume.

For my Lantern shows, I was especially interested in Mark Ruffalo's costumes. Oh how I wish I could get that ruffled shirt! 

Also this velour dinner jacket.

A look at Shoes!  

Finding period shoes can be a challenge.  There are not a lot of choices out there. I was impressed with the variety in the shoes and how they told the story. For example, Ramy Yousef's character was an assistant.  His shoes are simple laced shoes with plan leather and well worn. 

Mark Ruffalo's character had button boots with broguing.  These I would love to wear!

Willem Dafoe's scientist had more utilitarian shoe. 

And some props!

Having period items as part of a performance helps bring context.  I especially enjoy doing shows in historic venues for this reason.  Here's some film props that were shared at the exhibit. 

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More information on the costume design for Poor Things can be seen in these YouTube videos.

The Lamplighter Event at Columbia State Park

I was invited to bring the Lantern to the Lamplighter event at Columbia State Historic Park in Columbia, Ca. The lamplighter event is a guided tour where folks are taken around the park and told a story as they go. I was stop #8 on the tour and gave a contemporary 1800's style show about traveling to California for the gold rush. Although I used period slides and lantern, the Magic Lantern Show I created was specifically curated and written for the event.

The event had dozens of costumed reenactors playing parts in the different skits around town as well as musical performances. 

Photo by Michael Sharps

I was set up in the "Bowling Alley" which is meant to reproduce an 1850's gaming hall. Visitors to the park normally can come and set up bowling pins and use the alley free of charge. Though for this event, the entertainment venue was converted to a theater.

I use a 700 Lumen MR style LED bulb in my lantern powered by a 5 amp hour 12V sealed lead acid battery. This gives a similar level of brightness to 1800's limelight.  As the lamp uses only 9 watts, one battery was enough to keep the lantern going for the entire evening. Even with the lights on, the image of my title slide came through on the white painted wall. Though, I was able to get them to turn off the lights to brighten the image.

With the lights turned off, the images really started to pop and it gave a much more authentic 1800's experience. The only lighting I had was what was shining in from the outside. This was a little awkward though as I had no way to turn them back on in-between shows but I used the lantern to illuminate the room.

The bowling alley made for a decent theater and I gave shows every fifteen minutes to groups of 20-30 people. Working in a historic venue really gave a feeling of time traveling into the past.

I left the lantern turned on and projecting on the entire evening. This gave folks a chance to get a glimpse as they walked by. This helped build anticipation and show that something interesting was happening.
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Overall it was a fun event and a great chance to build an event-specific show totally from scratch and I really enjoyed performing over the two evenings

Performance Tips From Michael Holland

I had a chance to talk with Michael Holland. He is a long time performer and musician and shared some wisdom from many years of live performances, theater, and travel on the road.

 Michal started his professional career at the Melody Top Theater at age 17.  He worked in the scene shop during the day and on the stage crew at night as well as working strike night after a show would close all for $10 per week plus meals.

He then went on to work on many other stage productions and has performed with Cirque du Soleil as well as major orchestras and dance companies. He's spent nearly as much time studying theater and dance as he's devoted to professional music and it has given him a broad latitude of experience to share.

Here is some of his advice for Magic Lantern performers:

Programs - Printed programs are a great thing for the audience to take with them. You don’t want the audience taking out their phones so avoid digital or emailed programs.

Lighting - It’s great to have a venue where you can control the lighting. Even very simple stage lighting can really direct attention.

Stay In Character - If you adopt a persona for your show, stay in character at all times. Some folks will break character while the audience is in the room and this is like turning the color off on a photograph.

Introductions Are Dangerous - Avoid long introductions thanking sponsors and numerous volunteers. Don’t start with a monologue explaining things. Just do your show, start hard, leave explanations for after the show. If you must thank people, either move it to the end, make custom slides, or better yet, print names and acknowledgements in the program so no one is forgotten.

Intermissions Are Also Dangerous - When you have an intermission, you lose the audience. You can bring them back, but you need to hit them hard. Don't bring them back and just talk to them or do exposition. Start right into a high energy show.

With Comedy, Stay funny - You get very little grace from the audience. Be rehearsed and polished. Jerry Seinfeld once said that in all his years of being known as a comedian, he maybe earned 30 seconds of grace to not be funny. That's only because he is well known as a comedian. Someone less experienced and less well known will not have that grace. 

Example: There was a colleague who tried to inject humor into his banter at a concert. Upon hearing the crickets from the audience, he made it worse by drawing attention to the problem with the famous Rodney Dangerfield rejoinder, "Oh...tough crowd!". 

No Dead Time - Having a couple minutes in the show with nothing happening means you lose the audience. People will chat or go to their phones.   If you have Music, Story, and Images never lose more than two of them. Plan ahead with other performers on how to cover for unexpected dead time. If there is a glitch by any one of you, how will you fill the void? 

Example: There was a performance when the entire stage lost power. One of the musicians launched into a wonderful acoustic version of The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill to fill the void. It ended up being the best part of the show. Years later at a concert by a national singer, the same thing happened and she stood there with nothing to say or do for the entire time until power was restored. How disappointing.

Think about the whole experience - It's like waiting on tables. You may be greeted well, but maybe the soup was cold or maybe it took too long to bring dessert. One hiccup along the way can ruin the whole experience. You want to build a great experience for your audience.

Work with professionals - If your act involves significant live performances on stage, always work with a professional stage manager. If you are simply telling stories and projecting images, you’ll be fine, but if you are wanting to do anything out of the ordinary that could place people in harm's way, consult with a technical pro. You’ll also find that if you want to better understand how to achieve even modest effects with lighting, sound, and images, look for a tech pro to help you with the details. I guarantee there are magical things you'll learn that you would have never considered. Their expertise is worth its weight in gold and it will allow you to concentrate on the artistic elements that you want to bring to life in your productions. 

Examples: There was a church that decided to stage a resurrection during an Easter service. They drained the baptismal font, had an actor portraying Jesus lying in the font, and filled it with fog. Upon hearing the cue, "on the third day Jesus rose," the actor was to emerge from the font. But he never emerged and almost died--from asphyxiation. The people involved with the production had no knowledge of the technical risks and demands of working with fog which displaces oxygen and will induce suffocation within minutes.  Another organization decided to recreate the Christmas story with live animals in the church with a character riding in on a donkey. It worked in rehearsal. But with 500 people in the pews, the donkey balked, attempted to break free, and ultimately deposited "gifts" throughout the theater space as it frantically tried to escape. At another event, an inexperienced music director got hold of the keys to trigger the moveable pit. What he didn't stop to consider were the procedures and safeguards for moving an automated elevator with people on board. The stage had been extended over the pit creating a lid above it. When the music director flipped the switch to raise the pit he was raising the musicians right into the bottom of the stage! Musicians, realizing they were about to be crushed, panicked as they attempted to bail out of the newly made compactor. All but one made it out. That last individual had her leg crushed.

Magic Lantern Performances Are Special - Magic Lantern performers have a distinct advantage in that the visual material is usually of immediate interest to the audience. The ability to incorporate stories with pictures is priceless. Contemporary audiences are hungry for stories and organic visual experiences as opposed to the hodgepodge of whatever they are viewing online. In the theater, particularly with something as fascinating as a magic lantern, people are genuinely curious to see a mechanical device that projects images.