Goof Ups in THE SECRET GARDEN Anyone?

Sweeney Hyde · Goof Ups in THE SECRET GARDEN Anyone?

Lets hear about any mistakes that occured in your Secret Garden Production. I'll start:

We did a mini-tour of the show, first at our community theatre and then in a theatre about 45 minutes away. The big difference between our home theatre and this one is that the other theatre is the round. We go there every year but this show was particularly fun to do there. Let me describe the place for you. It is in the middle of the woods, and as such, it is like a log cabin. The stage thrusts out into the audience, however, it is not above the audince but the other way around. The audience surrounds most of the stage. You can go off stage to the left or right, but also if you walk straight out across center stage there is another exit right in the middle of the house that leads to a "tunnel" tha goes under the audience. This tunnel leads to the areas off stage right and left. Most of the sets are stored in the tunnel. Off stage right is the girls' dressing room, left is the men's. The ochestra fits inbetween the gap between the dressing rooms and is not seen due to a curtain we put up every year.

Anyway, I was playing Lt. Peter Wright, a dreamer, and we had set pieces everywhere backstage. I was one of the guys who helped push colin's bed onstage during Storm II. Someone forgot to take a tree offstage from two scenes eariler. Luckily it was one that was up against the procenium. The bed came from out behind a curtain that was right next to this tree. So we everyone's getting ready to do Storm II, Craven and Archibald were singing Lily's Eyes. I was supposed to take off the portrait of Lilly when the scene was over, just before Storm II. However, I noticed that Colin was not in his bed ready to be pushed on. So I go running through the tunnel frantically whisper-yelling "Where's Colin?!?!?" I found him on the other side of the tunnel, in the dressing room where he wasn't supposed to be...I draged him back to the other side of the tunnel where the bed was after yelling "COLIN, YOU'RE ON!" In the meantime, Lily's Eyes had ended and I wasn't there to take off the portrait. So the other dreamer who was to help me push the bed off did it. We get back to the bed, I can't find my helper so i push this hudge bed onstage by myself only to knock over the tree that had been left out. It was a fake flat tree made of wood so the side that wasn't painted was showing. Our Lily just walked gracefully over to the tree and caried it off...ugh.

Needless to say we had a leash on Colin for the rest of the show's run...

ConverseSneaker

I did this show a few years ago, so let's see what I can remember.

Well, the Dreamers had a huge platform behind the scrim to stand on, but it was about 4 feet off the stage and they had stairs for us, but it was pitch dark and I wasn't wearing my glasses for the performance, so guess who went falling off the stage and caught herself on a curtain? Thank god the audience never saw it.

Our Dickon told Mary once during Wick, no the garden won't grow back. But she kept singing "Then have no doubt about it, we'll have the grandest garden ever seen!" and he kept saying to her, "I told you, it won't grow back!"

Another day, during pratice, our Colin had the hiccups during A Round-Shoulded Man. So Albert sneaked up on him and yelled boo in his ear! We had everyone laughing at that one, just because of Colin's face.

Finally(The last one I can remember anyways) During another one of our pratices, Mary, her understudy and Colin were out. So they had me go around with a script in hand and play Mary for them because then, I was one of thier "little girls". In the final scene, Neville kept switching back and forth between himself and Colin which he would do jumping up and down in a high girlish voice.

lt.shaw

Durring our show we had trees made out of wood and each dreamer had a tree to take off stage. The Fakir (who was rather forgetfull) didn't take her tree off stage. So after placing the table for the library i casually had to take off the tree so there wasn't a random tree growing in the middle of the house. Durring this process i colgged the whole set change. It all turned out o.k. but it was rather frustrating!!

metaphor17

I was Mary Lennox a few years ago. During one performance I lost my satin slippers, and had to do all the night scenes in just my tights. Not that big of a deal... right?

Well, during the scene where all the ghosts are chasing Mary to the garden, I was running around the stage and screaming and carrying on. But it was VERY slippery without my rubber-soled slippers, because the stage was freshly painted. I nearly fell off the stage!

Thankfully we had two large pillars placed right on the edge of the stage on either side, and I managed to grab one and slide back onstage. No one noticed because Mary is supposed to be scared stiff during that scene anyway... but thank goodness that scene is RIGHT before intermission! It took me a few minutes to recover!

Also during one show, the boy who played Dickon leapt off a garden bench and straight into a set piece. Funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.

stlgurl702

I worked props for this show this fall and here are some of the things that happened...

-During one show instead of Dickon saying something about getting Colin out to see his pretty mother's garden, he said that it would be great if they could get Collin out to see his pretty mother!!!

-One of our lanterns broke during a show and our Martha didn't know and she dropped it and caught it in the air (with a lit candle inside)

-At a dress rehearsal, Mary didn't quite make her quick change (for the carriage scene at the beginning) and are Mrs. Medlock started ad. Libbing about how much of a brat this girl must be and finally she started yelling (still in character) I DON'T CARE IF THE GIRL'S NAKED GET HER ASS OUT HERE!

ConverseSneaker

Thought of another one!

During the show once, Colin's wheelchair got stuck backstage during the scene when Dickon and Martha are waiting for Colin and Mary before they enter the garden. So for about 5 to 10 minutes, Dickon and Martha are adlibbing and trying to drag out their little scene for as long as possible while we frantically tried to free the antique wheelchair we had borrowed.

Sweeney Hyde	Goof Ups in THE SECRET GARDEN Anyone? Lets hear about any mistakes that occured in your Secret Garden Production. I'll start: We did a mini-tour of the show, first at our community theatre and then in a theatre about 45 minutes away. The big difference between our home theatre and this one is that the other theatre is the round. We go there every year but this show was particularly fun to do there. Let me describe the place for you. It is in the middle of the woods, and as such, it is like a log cabin. The stage thrusts out into the audience, however, it is not above the audince but the other way around. The audience surrounds most of the stage. You can go off stage to the left or right, but also if you walk straight out across center stage there is another exit right in the middle of the house that leads to a "tunnel" tha goes under the audience. This tunnel leads to the areas off stage right and left. Most of the sets are stored in the tunnel. Off stage right is the girls' dressing room, left is the men's. The ochestra fits inbetween the gap between the dressing rooms and is not seen due to a curtain we put up every year. Anyway, I was playing Lt. Peter Wright, a dreamer, and we had set pieces everywhere backstage. I was one of the guys who helped push colin's bed onstage during Storm II. Someone forgot to take a tree offstage from two scenes eariler. Luckily it was one that was up against the procenium. The bed came from out behind a curtain that was right next to this tree. So we everyone's getting ready to do Storm II, Craven and Archibald were singing Lily's Eyes. I was supposed to take off the portrait of Lilly when the scene was over, just before Storm II. However, I noticed that Colin was not in his bed ready to be pushed on. So I go running through the tunnel frantically whisper-yelling "Where's Colin?!?!?" I found him on the other side of the tunnel, in the dressing room where he wasn't supposed to be...I draged him back to the other side of the tunnel where the bed was after yelling "COLIN, YOU'RE ON!" In the meantime, Lily's Eyes had ended and I wasn't there to take off the portrait. So the other dreamer who was to help me push the bed off did it. We get back to the bed, I can't find my helper so i push this hudge bed onstage by myself only to knock over the tree that had been left out. It was a fake flat tree made of wood so the side that wasn't painted was showing. Our Lily just walked gracefully over to the tree and caried it off...ugh. Needless to say we had a leash on Colin for the rest of the show's run...
ConverseSneaker	I did this show a few years ago, so let's see what I can remember. Well, the Dreamers had a huge platform behind the scrim to stand on, but it was about 4 feet off the stage and they had stairs for us, but it was pitch dark and I wasn't wearing my glasses for the performance, so guess who went falling off the stage and caught herself on a curtain? Thank god the audience never saw it. Our Dickon told Mary once during Wick, no the garden won't grow back. But she kept singing "Then have no doubt about it, we'll have the grandest garden ever seen!" and he kept saying to her, "I told you, it won't grow back!" Another day, during pratice, our Colin had the hiccups during A Round-Shoulded Man. So Albert sneaked up on him and yelled boo in his ear! We had everyone laughing at that one, just because of Colin's face. Finally(The last one I can remember anyways) During another one of our pratices, Mary, her understudy and Colin were out. So they had me go around with a script in hand and play Mary for them because then, I was one of thier "little girls". In the final scene, Neville kept switching back and forth between himself and Colin which he would do jumping up and down in a high girlish voice.
lt.shaw	Durring our show we had trees made out of wood and each dreamer had a tree to take off stage. The Fakir (who was rather forgetfull) didn't take her tree off stage. So after placing the table for the library i casually had to take off the tree so there wasn't a random tree growing in the middle of the house. Durring this process i colgged the whole set change. It all turned out o.k. but it was rather frustrating!!
metaphor17	I was Mary Lennox a few years ago. During one performance I lost my satin slippers, and had to do all the night scenes in just my tights. Not that big of a deal... right? Well, during the scene where all the ghosts are chasing Mary to the garden, I was running around the stage and screaming and carrying on. But it was VERY slippery without my rubber-soled slippers, because the stage was freshly painted. I nearly fell off the stage! Thankfully we had two large pillars placed right on the edge of the stage on either side, and I managed to grab one and slide back onstage. No one noticed because Mary is supposed to be scared stiff during that scene anyway... but thank goodness that scene is RIGHT before intermission! It took me a few minutes to recover! Also during one show, the boy who played Dickon leapt off a garden bench and straight into a set piece. Funniest thing I've ever seen in my life.
stlgurl702	I worked props for this show this fall and here are some of the things that happened... -During one show instead of Dickon saying something about getting Colin out to see his pretty mother's garden, he said that it would be great if they could get Collin out to see his pretty mother!!! -One of our lanterns broke during a show and our Martha didn't know and she dropped it and caught it in the air (with a lit candle inside) -At a dress rehearsal, Mary didn't quite make her quick change (for the carriage scene at the beginning) and are Mrs. Medlock started ad. Libbing about how much of a brat this girl must be and finally she started yelling (still in character) I DON'T CARE IF THE GIRL'S NAKED GET HER ASS OUT HERE!
ConverseSneaker	Thought of another one! During the show once, Colin's wheelchair got stuck backstage during the scene when Dickon and Martha are waiting for Colin and Mary before they enter the garden. So for about 5 to 10 minutes, Dickon and Martha are adlibbing and trying to drag out their little scene for as long as possible while we frantically tried to free the antique wheelchair we had borrowed.

The Resource For Musicals

Goof Ups in THE SECRET GARDEN Anyone?