Typecasting at Corflu
Feb. 13th, 2011 01:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kevin_standleeI had a complete blast this evening at Corflu, where I participated in the performance of Andy Hooper's radio play His Ghu Friday, a pastiche of The Front Page and His Girl Friday set at Chicon 26, where nefarious Worldcon chairman Lyle Barkenhorst plots to continue the stranglehold that Chicago has had on the Worldcon (having hosted 18 in a row by bribing fan groups to keep postponing action on changes to the site selection rules that would break Chicago's monopoly). His target is Julian Basenji, Euroblogger extraordinaire, who has information that will blow the lid off the corrupt conspiracy.
When Andy was doling out the roles, I volunteered to play Chairman Barkenhorst, even though it's only about the sixth-biggest part in the play. (It's the equivalent of the Mayor from His Girl Friday.) I figured, who better to play the Worldcon Chairman than a Worldcon Chairman? Even though I don't think I'm an Evil Worldcon Chair, there's surely people who would disagree. (On the grounds that since Worldcon is Evil, all Worldcon chairs are by definition Evil.)
The thirteen of us (including Andy, who also was The Narrator) got together at 6 PM during the dinner break, Andy ordered out some pizzas, and we did a read-through of the play. People really got into the roles. After the Fan Funds Auction at 8 PM, it was time for us take our places behind the head tables and commence to be dramatic. I'm not really going to attempt to summarize the entire play, but it was a delight to perform it. I had a great time chewing the virtual scenery as the evil plotting Worldcon chair. (He does get his comeuppance and has to flee the country with the authorities (and reporters) on his tail.) I came this close to wearing my WSFS uniform, and I think that if I'd been staying in the hotel I would have done so. Instead, I was in one of my white WSFS (White Star Federated Spaceways) polo shirts, so I was still "in costume" for the part.
The audience really seemed to enjoy the humor as well — it is supposed to be a screwball comedy, after all, and in that it succeeded. Great work by Andy to write it, and my thanks to him for letting me participate.
Victor Gonzales loaned me a light tripod that he had with him, and I set up my camera to record the play. The camera says it recorded it, but I don't know what it looks or sounds like. I forgot to bring any of the cables or adapters that allow me to transfer files from the camera to the computer. Since there was only one microphone, we didn't even try to use it. (Ideally, we would have had about four floor microphones, but the tech wasn't there.) If the sound is audible, I intend to eventually upload it to Vimeo.
The show was so much fun and I was so wired up (as I usually am after a successful performance; it's quite a rush when everything works) that it wasn't until well after midnight that I realized that it was very late, I'm commuting to the con (albeit only two miles each way tonight), and I'd better try to get some sleep. I made my goodbyes from the crowded Corflu Con Suite and heading for the hotel in which I'm staying tonight on the Quest For Points.
Now I'm finally wound down sufficiently that I might soon be able to get some sleep.
When Andy was doling out the roles, I volunteered to play Chairman Barkenhorst, even though it's only about the sixth-biggest part in the play. (It's the equivalent of the Mayor from His Girl Friday.) I figured, who better to play the Worldcon Chairman than a Worldcon Chairman? Even though I don't think I'm an Evil Worldcon Chair, there's surely people who would disagree. (On the grounds that since Worldcon is Evil, all Worldcon chairs are by definition Evil.)
The thirteen of us (including Andy, who also was The Narrator) got together at 6 PM during the dinner break, Andy ordered out some pizzas, and we did a read-through of the play. People really got into the roles. After the Fan Funds Auction at 8 PM, it was time for us take our places behind the head tables and commence to be dramatic. I'm not really going to attempt to summarize the entire play, but it was a delight to perform it. I had a great time chewing the virtual scenery as the evil plotting Worldcon chair. (He does get his comeuppance and has to flee the country with the authorities (and reporters) on his tail.) I came this close to wearing my WSFS uniform, and I think that if I'd been staying in the hotel I would have done so. Instead, I was in one of my white WSFS (White Star Federated Spaceways) polo shirts, so I was still "in costume" for the part.
The audience really seemed to enjoy the humor as well — it is supposed to be a screwball comedy, after all, and in that it succeeded. Great work by Andy to write it, and my thanks to him for letting me participate.
Victor Gonzales loaned me a light tripod that he had with him, and I set up my camera to record the play. The camera says it recorded it, but I don't know what it looks or sounds like. I forgot to bring any of the cables or adapters that allow me to transfer files from the camera to the computer. Since there was only one microphone, we didn't even try to use it. (Ideally, we would have had about four floor microphones, but the tech wasn't there.) If the sound is audible, I intend to eventually upload it to Vimeo.
The show was so much fun and I was so wired up (as I usually am after a successful performance; it's quite a rush when everything works) that it wasn't until well after midnight that I realized that it was very late, I'm commuting to the con (albeit only two miles each way tonight), and I'd better try to get some sleep. I made my goodbyes from the crowded Corflu Con Suite and heading for the hotel in which I'm staying tonight on the Quest For Points.
Now I'm finally wound down sufficiently that I might soon be able to get some sleep.
