Klarinet Archive - Posting 000037.txt from 2002/07

From: "Robert Beckett" <word-doc@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Stage manners
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 14:06:19 -0400

The community band I belong to assembles on stage about 45 minutes before
the beginning of the performance to tune and run through a few passages the
conductor wants to remind us about. That takes about 20 minutes. We then
leave the stage for 20 minutes, put on our bow ties, get comfortable, and
perhaps spend a little more time with the tuner. Five minutes before
performance, we all file back on stage together, sit down, and tune with the
concert-mistress. At "showtime," the conductor strides on stage, bows to the
audience, turns to the band and starts the concert. We don't complain about
the early call because we only rehearse once a week, for two hours, and most
of us realize that the last-minute run through and tune up is vital.

This may not be customary at other venues, but it works in ours, and the
absence of a curtain doesn't seem to be a problem because relatively (and
mostly relatives) few people are in the auditorium 45 minutes before
showtime. When most of the crowd assemble, the stage is set up and lighted,
but the band is behind the shell.
After the performance, of course, people come up to the stage, mingle, and
tell us how much they enjoyed the music. We love it, of course, because
that's why we play the music--because we love it and want them to love it
too.

Bob Beckett

Robert D. Beckett
Writer - Editor - Advisor
4657 E. Farm Road 128 Springfield Missouri 65802 USA
business 417-866-1349
home 417-865-2214
word-doc@-----.com

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----- Original Message -----
From: "William Wright" <w7wright@-----.net>
Subject: [kl] Stage manners

> I attend concerts in my own town, but not in neighboring towns. I'm
> beginning to wonder whether 'stage manners' in my town have drifted from
> the norm, perhaps the result of 'inbreeding'?
>
> When orchestras assemble on an open stage with no curtain, the chit chat
> between performers sometimes is quite informal.... calling to each other
> across the stage, bursts of laughter, entering and then leaving the
> stage again, much talk and little tuning/warmup.
>
> Is there a (perhaps alleged?) protocol for assembling on a stage when
> there's no curtain? For that matter, do classical orchestras every
> assemble behind a curtain as they do in (say) Broadway-style musicals or
> operas?
>
> Thank you,
> Bill
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>

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