Hey, got a few seconds?
Sometimes it's just too dark to take a picture.
Some people would pop a flash but I don't care for the results of that.
I prefer natural light whenever possible.
To capture a mood. Share what a scene really looked like.
I have been to the
Footlight Players Theatre on Queen Street quite a few times but this time the stage was totally bare.
A curtain was way in the back but you could see the wings on each side of the vacant stage.
The ropes used to haul scenery flats up and down as needed were neatly coiled.
The sandbags used as ballast were idle.
They were not needed for this
10th Annual Comedy Festival show.
A single performer with a wooden stool and a microphone on a stand was all we saw.
Of course a tripod is needed to do long exposure shots and these were each 15 seconds.
A small tripod is always screwed into the bottom of my camera so I have one available.
In this case, between shows, I placed the camera on the edge of the stage itself to shoot the wings.
Then I turned to the mural on a wall above the audience.
Made the settings and used the timer to start the exposure.
If you can use a cable release, that's good too.
The secret is to avoid shaking the camera at all.
Of course, with a digital camera you can click right away and see if you captured it.
(Click on the photo for more details.)
It helps to be in the first row to do this.
The stage was a steady brace right in front of me.
Unfortunately, the second comic decided to zero in on people in close range.
I'm getting used to being a target.
Labels: 10th annual Comedy Fest, 15-second exposures, dim light photography, easy target for a comic., f/8, Footlight Players Theatre, ISO 100, totally bare stage
Wish I Had Some Cream Pie...
Oh my. Be careful what you wish for.
Especially if you're at CBT for the
8th annual Comedy Festival.This young lady apparently volunteered to substitute as
"Charlie," a cast member of
LONG PORK, an improv/skit group down from Chicago.
She obviously didn't know
Charlie's lines so she's flipping through a loose-leaf script book.
Then the others came out holding cream-filled pies. Oops.
Fortunately, Charlie re-joined the cast in time to avoid a pie food fight.
SOMEBODY'S IN THE DOG HOUSE presented "Cruisin' For A Bruising'" as the opening act of the show at Charleston Ballet Theater on King Street.
These two zanies recounted their
4 MONTHS as stand-up comics aboard a cruise ship.
The passengers changed every week but they - and the rest of the crew - gradually went insane.
The ladies also interspersed sketches and improv during this show.
(My comic daughter has done this type of cruise ship gig but only for a 2-week period, once a year.)
Earlier Friday evening,
Todd Barry flew down from New York to do his stand-up comedy at the Footlight Theater on Queen Street.
The packed house was becoming a little restless with a delayed start until Brandy Sullivan of
The Have-Nots came onstage.
She announced that Todd's plane had been delayed but now he was "in the house."
His opening line was
"I just got off a plane and really, really have to go to the bathroom. Please don't think about that."Todd had a good funny routine and did dialog with the audience so it was worth the wait.
The late start meant having to scurry for the opening of the other show on King Street.
Not nearly as frantic as a fast drive in from the airport.
(Click twice on the photos for massive detail. Catch the
10th annual laff fest next year and LOL. Thanks for stopping by.)
Labels: 8th annual Charleston Comedy Festival, Charleston City Paper, Crusing For A Bruising, Footlight Players Theatre, Long Pork, Theatre 99, Todd Barry
A Day With Mr. Jazz - Jack McCray
The talented stars of the
Holy City Homecomin’ Tuesday night at The Footlight Players Theatre Tuesday evening were
Gradual Lean and Clay Ross’ Matuto.They played great and the packed room really felt the magic.
But the behind-the-scenes driving force was Jack McCray.
It was his evening, his day, his week and his 30th year of being Mr. Jazz in Charleston.
This year he led the creation of the
JAC - Jazz Artists of Charleston. This is his third successful gathering of talent and businesses to make things happen.
I’ve known Jack for years as the hip music writer at The Post and Courier and editor of neighborhood editions of the paper. Jack is my go-to man when I have questions about music: the Blues, Jazz, you name it. The man knows his stuff.
My Day With McCray started in Philadelphia Alley, next to the Footlight Theatre on Queen Street, when we participated in the afternoon interactive rhythmic workshop presented by Clay Ross and members of his group. It was a moving experience. No, I mean it, we REALLY moved around.
Then we climbed the stairs and met in a room over the Theatre and Jack regaled us with a vivid recap of his 30-year musical odyssey in Charleston jazz awareness and growth.
He is a great storyteller and took questions from the rapt audience.
After a break for a bite to eat, I was back for the 7:30 performance of
The Homecomin’. Naturally, Jack McCray was the Master of Ceremonies.
A beautiful day in our seaside city with a man who continues to turn his vision into reality.
I'm pleased to be a SPO-Jo
Citizen Journalist during this 17-day Spoleto Piccolo Festival of the Arts. My badge lets me look a little deeper into events and I try to share what I find. Check ALL the Festival coverage at
www.spoletotoday.com.(Thanks to Gradual Lean: Lee Barbour, Kebbie Williams, Etienne Charles, Kevin Hamilton, Quentin Baxter and Clay Ross and his group Matuto: Itai Kriss, Rob Hecht, Tim Keiper, Edward Perez.)
Click on the photos for more detail.
Labels: Clay Ross, Footlight Players Theatre, Gradual Lean, Jack McCray, Matuto, Mr. Jazz
