Hey everyone, I'm Odette, and I just like to give everyone my own unique point in life.
I was just so chock-full of things to say and stories to tell, I decided the best place to share them with all of you was right here on my advice page. So go ahead, ask me a question, and rest assured that it will be answered promptly. Luv ya, Odette
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I’m a high school senior, and I’m playing a principle character (but not a lead or supporting character) in this year’s school musical. For most of my scenes, I have a microphone. There are only a few microphones so the principles have to share. All through rehearsal, I had enough time to swap microphones with my designated partner. However, on opening night, I didn’t, and I couldn’t get my microphone on in time. It fell out of my dress while I was onstage. I pretended like it wasn’t even there, and this angered my director.
What should I have done? Is it better to break curtain, or to break character? And what should I do if it happens in subsequent performances?
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It's never good to break character, because it shows the audience you guys aren't as good. It might anger your director, but the best of actors do not use microphones. If you don't have time to get microphone on, and the next line is critical, just go on and belt it out, and the audience will hear you. As soon as you get offstage, get your microphone back on. If your line isn't critical, just take some time to get the microphone back on. When I was in Give my Regards to Broadway, and I had a principle but not lead part, one of the characters was taking his own sweet time to get onstage and he didn't have a legal reason, it's just that he forgot he had to get on. My fellow characters and I ad-libbed all the lines until he got onstage, and we actually got a lot of laughs for the new lines that we added.
Let the people who are onstage before you get onstage know that you need to take a bit of time to get the microphone on, and ask them to add a couple of lines to give you some time. That way you don't need to worry about the director's anger.
Break a leg!
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Rating: 5
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Thanks for the advice. Sadly, I'm one of the few students at our school who has enough vocal power to go mikeless for extended periods, but we use the mike so I can be heard even if I slack off, and so I can put a more husky, deep quality into some of my character's jokes. However, I think I'm going to keep the mike for those scenes where I have to do that and go mikeless for the rest.
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