This week, I was doing something a little out of my comfort zone, which is always interesting. I have done MC work before, mainly for private functions and the like. I have not ever MC'd, participated let alone witnessed a Male Review Night. Yet, on Friday the 13th 2013, there I was, dressed as Dracula (left) and egging on a nightclub full of women to the stip-tease antics of far better looking blokes.
In a way, it had a few similarities to some work I did for the Northbridge Piazza Carnival Macabre in 2012, where I basically wandered the crowds, sneaking up on unsuspecting audience participants engrossed in the proceedings both on-stage and on-screen, and scare the crap out of them. This time, I had a microphone. Dangerous.
Working with the Perth Team of Top Shelf Entertainment, who (let's face it) were taking a risk with me, I found myself effectively narrating a male strip show!
In a way, it had a few similarities to some work I did for the Northbridge Piazza Carnival Macabre in 2012, where I basically wandered the crowds, sneaking up on unsuspecting audience participants engrossed in the proceedings both on-stage and on-screen, and scare the crap out of them. This time, I had a microphone. Dangerous.
Working with the Perth Team of Top Shelf Entertainment, who (let's face it) were taking a risk with me, I found myself effectively narrating a male strip show!
Now I have always taken pride in my being a gentleman when it comes to matters sexual, so this was somewhat challenging for me to overcome, and yet, as an actor, this is the sort of experience I need: something that challenges an established idea or attitude. It is these experiences that help an actor grow and develop an expansive repertoire.
I will admit that I very nearly made a botch of things on the night (and I so hope no-one in the audience really noticed or cared) and that I truly feel that I let the team down in the first few minutes, and this is a lesson that I will gladly take on. I consider myself a profession and what did and almost happened is simply unacceptable. Yet, I picked up my pride, carried on, and made the best with the rest of the evening.
Spending the bulk of the night with the crowd, you get a good feel for how the show was being taken, very unlike spending the entire show on-stage with the audience hidden by bright lights. What I saw, the feedback I got, well it said it all really, and at the end of the night, that is what it is all about: Making people happy and showing them a good time.
I am grateful for the experience, for the friendships, and the chance to push my boundaries. Maybe there will be a next time.
I will admit that I very nearly made a botch of things on the night (and I so hope no-one in the audience really noticed or cared) and that I truly feel that I let the team down in the first few minutes, and this is a lesson that I will gladly take on. I consider myself a profession and what did and almost happened is simply unacceptable. Yet, I picked up my pride, carried on, and made the best with the rest of the evening.
Spending the bulk of the night with the crowd, you get a good feel for how the show was being taken, very unlike spending the entire show on-stage with the audience hidden by bright lights. What I saw, the feedback I got, well it said it all really, and at the end of the night, that is what it is all about: Making people happy and showing them a good time.
I am grateful for the experience, for the friendships, and the chance to push my boundaries. Maybe there will be a next time.
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