The Unexpected Twist!

So…
...where to begin? Mirror Mates is a relentless high speed bullet train which needs to barrel down the tracks like a Kitty on Fire! (Okay that’s a bizarre metaphor but it makes sense when you see the show!) --So, we taped out the floor, staged it, and walked it all out (trotted & ran) through the course of the show as we read it! (No easy feat within limited union rules!) There’s a lot of action and a lot of craziness!


And since the last scene ramps up the insanity by adding a considerable tech, we decided that for clarity sake, we would stop the running, drag chairs to the edge of the stage, add some sound effects and finish the play as a “Radio-Theater” event! After all, understanding the story is the most important part of a play. So, this was the best of all possible worlds.


6pm actor call time… all is well. A little rehearsal, last minute details, cards, pay, gifts, edible arrangements, so on and so forth… things are good! One of the actors arrives later than the rest every day because of a job, but that is known… he arrives; all is well. 7:30pm the House opens. The audience starts to arrive; the actors mill about preparing. The audience sits, chats and settles in… most everyone arrives. Good! ~Good, good, good.


A few people still need to arrive to the 12th floor; the elevators are notoriously slow in this building… it’s to be expected… everyone arrives and finally the show begins. About 8:10… this is all within the realm of the normal course of events. Good.


We greet the audience, make a few announcements and at last the show begins… excellent. The first scene develops and the crowd starts to titter… they’re figuring it out… and before long the audience is up to speed, laughing hard and the show is barreling along. It’s going a little slower than Thursday’s rehearsal, but it’s really connecting with the crowd.


End of the first act! Large applause! It took an hour and thirteen minutes. Thursday took an hour and six minutes… okay, but they’re laughing a lot; that takes time. And we’re loving it. Intermission comes and goes and we launch into Act 2! It’s going great! -We’re on top of it, mostly. A few little line mishaps, and it’s clearly going a bit slower than Thursday, but it’s still really connecting. So, good. Good, good, good!


Again, the audience is howling! And we finally reach the moment where Johanna is suppose to come on stage and stop the action and tell the audience how we plan to play the end! And she does! But, I think adds a the words “We would have…” and I’m thinking: “What did she just say?” And then I hear something like: “But they close the building at 11pm sharp and we all have to leave.”


“What?!?! What?!?!? What the hell time is it?!?! She brings me back on stage and says something like: “Please, Bill, explain to them the rest of the show.”


Now, I’m a little stunned, and the audience is a little stunned but, clearly very eager to hear how it all wraps up. And I’m thinking: “I have no idea what happens next! ” Clearly a bit flummoxed, I start talking and Johanna joins in, and apparently we manage to explain the ending well enough that there is a huge round of applause, and impromptu bows, and the crew starts flying around me ripping tape up off the floor. “What the hell just happened?!”


But, I don’t think the audience is left wanting. They clearly seem very happy, a little stunned, but happy. And I’m not upset; I think it’s hilarious. This show, about crazy theater stories and odd human behavior suddenly has left me with another crazy theater story! (And some odd human behavior.)


But, clearly, I gained enough information from mounting this thing to know that it works really well. And I can see where the next round of editing and trimming needs to happen… and it is very close to ready for a big, full out production! I’m very excited for its’ future and can’t wait to get started! Whatever shape that takes!


So, ultimately, it was a great success!


And I Thank You! I Thank You All!


They’ll be more updates soon… we still need to know where to send some of your posters! We have some addresses, but not all. And they’ll be more details to wrap up… but this was an awesome journey and I am very pleased.


But for tonight… more sleep is needed.


Much Love to you all!


Bill, Colleen & Team LionSnax!


PS: I’m sure everyone in the room has a different version of what happened that night… so, if you’re up to it, please post and share your version of the events! And thank you for being there!!