Behind the Scenes: Spreadsheets for Showgirls
Added 2021-09-21 18:40:43 +0000 UTCThis is the unsexy part of the gig. Last Wednesday I was called in to replace a performer affected by the hurricane. Each act has plenty of pieces and I didn't want to forget anything. I have tabs filled with packing lists for some of the bigger gigs for the past few years. I print them out and use them as a checklist. Sometimes I mark things off or jot down other info. I had to replace my panties and pasties for one act because the panties are somewhere in a packed box.
It gets better. This landed on some glass condensation before I got the photo.
This is how my show day schedule often works out. I hadn't performed these acts for a few months, and that was before the move. I gave myself extra time to prepare those acts. I also had some other writer work to knock out, taking the place of a potential nap.
A lot more activity happens the closer we get to curtain, which is why I stopped taking notes at 6:45pm. After that, it's all preparing to take the stage, taking the stage, doing nonsense, and getting ready for more nonsense.
I don't always break down the full day's timeline. If I have two performances per show, I'll list the order of tasks to change for the next act so I don't forget anything. (Yakety Sax is so complicated that I have to break it down.) If I have two different shows, I'll list my between-show tasks so I don't forget anything. That might mean taking the time to eat something, putting ice on a sore joint, or selling merchandise between shows.
It's a little more of the nitty in the nitty-gritty of performer life.
