Slightly nervous...
Turns out our light man (my husband) has a conflict for tomorrow night's show. If he cannot find a suitable substitute to go to the Graduation Dinner tomorrow night, I will have to run the lights (and sound) for the show. You'd think I'd be comfortable with that, since I have been in the booth for five shows....but I watch the show! I haven't been paying attention to what he does over there! We went in tonight for a little training, so I feel better for that. I wrote down, step-by-step, the start-up and shut-down of the equipment. I have the script at home so I can make my own notes...
So think of me Thursday evening at 8:00pm and wish me well--but this is theater, so remember we say 'break a leg' NOT that other thing!
posted by Joan S. at 10:32 PM
4 Comments:
In the U.K., the most common idea of origin for the expression comes from tradition. Historians know from the time of King James I and Shakespeare's King's Men that actors would, on occasion receive tips on top of their salaries. Rather than receiving tips directly from the company or theatre, tipping was left to the audience. During the final bows or curtain call, audiences would throw money, usually coins, onto the stage depending on how well they enjoyed the performance. In some bad performances they would throw rotten vegetables, but in the good cases, money. Actors would then 'take a knee', effectively breaking their leg line, on stage and pick up the money. As a result, when you wish someone to 'break a leg' it refers to wishing them success in their performance so in the end they would have to kneel down and collect a welcoming tip. Theatre evolved and the tradition of tipping changed. This tradition led to the tradition of throwing flowers on stage, as well as presenting flowers.
So, break a leg!!
xx
Heh...I didn't know all that. Cool.
And thanks!
So how did it go?
Thanks for asking, Christina. It went very well. The only mistake I made was knocking over a flashlight with my script. It made a *big* thump! But no one has mentioned it. As a matter of fact, the director said I did a good job and they can add me to the list of light board operators. Honestly, operation is easy--it's the set-up that takes to much effort!
Oh! The actors got a standing ovation last night! Very cool.
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