Over the weekend I am sure you read the faut pas the great International Opera Singer, Bryn Terfel did which created some 'titters' in the press. I have put a link through to the article below.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5140272/Bryn-Terfels-night-at-the-opera-with-no-trousers.html
Bryn Terfel has been performing at an international level for over 15 years. He is highly respected, is a great colleague and a number of my ex-colleagues either know him or have worked with him, and do not have a negative word to say about him. He is a great singer, colleague and friend.
BUT, I was just rather surprised that he arrived at the venue of the concert quite late - there was no opportunity to go back to the hotel to collect his trousers, or to instruct either an assistant to do so. Presumably he had a run through in the afternoon, to check the balances, the venue etc. Normally artistes take their clothes at that point - to prevent any such error. They can go back to the hotel between the rehearsal and performance to collect anything they've forgotten. As a student I worked backstage at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, looking after the International Artistes such as Jose Carreras, Jesse Norman, Monserrat Caballe etc. This is what they did. They also had assistants who were available to go back to the hotel. Clothing was always put into their dressing room at the rehearsal time!
So what can we learn from this to prevent a "Bryn" occurring. Well, I don't want to preach: I do mention this to my clients regularly but...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5140272/Bryn-Terfels-night-at-the-opera-with-no-trousers.html
Bryn Terfel has been performing at an international level for over 15 years. He is highly respected, is a great colleague and a number of my ex-colleagues either know him or have worked with him, and do not have a negative word to say about him. He is a great singer, colleague and friend.
BUT, I was just rather surprised that he arrived at the venue of the concert quite late - there was no opportunity to go back to the hotel to collect his trousers, or to instruct either an assistant to do so. Presumably he had a run through in the afternoon, to check the balances, the venue etc. Normally artistes take their clothes at that point - to prevent any such error. They can go back to the hotel between the rehearsal and performance to collect anything they've forgotten. As a student I worked backstage at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, looking after the International Artistes such as Jose Carreras, Jesse Norman, Monserrat Caballe etc. This is what they did. They also had assistants who were available to go back to the hotel. Clothing was always put into their dressing room at the rehearsal time!
So what can we learn from this to prevent a "Bryn" occurring. Well, I don't want to preach: I do mention this to my clients regularly but...
- Arrive early. If there are problems such as something forgotten, there will be time to go back and get it.
- Have a checklist of what you need to take. Include everything from business cards to what you will wear. Check the checklist as you pack.
- Don't be tempted to skip the 'rehearsal time' at the venue. Not only does this provide valuable experience of learning the venue's characteristics, it could also alert you to anything you've forgotten.
- It is easy to blame your assistant for not packing something. In the theatre world, the buck stops at you - so check yourself!
Good luck. More information on our services is at http://www.executivevoice.co.uk
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