The Alternate Costumes of Six the Musical

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The original primary West End cast of Six (Idil Sukan)

The original primary West End cast of Six (Idil Sukan)

Because of its small cast and rabid fanbase, Six has the ability to get away with things that I’m not sure would fly in any other musical. Specifically, each alternate has their own costumes that are separate from the main Queen costumes. In other musicals and plays, it’s standard practice for alternates and understudies to wear the same costume/style of costume as the main actors, with the idea that they should blend in as much as possible. But Six encourages their alternates to stand out and online, the alternates have almost as much of a rabid fanbase as the main actresses!

An Alternate is a performer who occasionally goes on in a role to give the main performer a break. Their performances are usually scheduled. From what I can see online, it seems like each production of Six generally has 2-3 alternates that sub in regularly, primarily for two specific queens. London also has an understudy, who will only go on stage if someone is unexpectedly out, like if an actress is ill. Seems like the formal alternates also jump in as understudies if need be.

It seems like the costume designer and creators have a lot of fun with the alternate costumes, using colors and styles that don’t show up in the main queens’ outfits. None of the costumes are exact copies of any of the queens’ outfits, but they do take a lot of inspiration from them.

I’ll point out a few of the different hairstyles here, but for the most part, I plan to just talk about the different elements of the alternate costumes - which queens they came from, etc.

A TON of people on Tumblr have done more in-depth coverage and include more pictures:

Grace Mouat’s Costume- https://divorcedbeheaded.tumblr.com/post/184743930784/so-as-you-know-the-understudies-cover-all-six

A review of the black and blue alternate costumes: https://lightleckrereins.tumblr.com/tagged/six-alternates

A great overview of all the costumes: https://six-costume-refs.tumblr.com/

Various Instagram Sources: sladegabriella, camden costumes, dxntloseurhead

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Let’s start with a look at the black alternate costumes. The alternates change up their hair and makeup to match each queen’s style, and it does seem that certain styles of alternate costumes are worn only with certain queens.

Mallory Maedke is currently the alternate for Boleyn, Seymour, and Howard for Six the Musical: US. As you can see in the left and middle photos, she’s clearly wearing the same or very similar costumes, but her hair is done differently. On the left, she’s going on as Jane Seymour, with the long flowing hair pulled back away from the face, without any studded accessories. I don’t know for certain who she’s playing in the picture on the right, but based on the hair and the wristbands, I’m guessing Anne Boleyn.

These alternate costumes are so interesting, because they have enough elements in common with the usual queen costumes to blend in with the style of the show, but they tend to have a few unusual touches all their own. The grommets and stripes are the most obvious common elements with the other costumes. This dress also has a skirt similar to that seen on Aragon’s, but with more panels, and it goes all the way around. The mesh is similar to that in Boleyn’s outfit and the long sleeves are similar to Seymour’s. The top of the sleeves however is a totally unique feature you don’t see in any of the main queens’ looks. They have a very strong profile and almost look like ribbon on a Christmas present.

ADDED 12/16: Liv Alexander of the Breakaway cruise cast, going on for Boleyn. LOOK at her skirt! No one else has a skirt like that! It’s got more pleats and a fuller silhouette than all the other alternate skirts (it actually looks a lot like the shape of Boleyn’s skirt) and also actually goes completely around, as opposed to the ones that open in the front. The bodice looks identical to Maedke’s above.

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Left: Natalie Pilkington- (Bliss cruise alternate) as Catherine Parr.She also has similar sleeves as can be seen in the first Maedke dress. The pants look similar to Parr’s, but if there /is/ lacing on the sides, it doesn’t look near as wide apart as the lacing in Parr’s outfit usually is (although there have been slight variations from actress to actress).

Middle: Mouat and Colette Guitart (understudy, West End) - You can see the details of Mouat’s costume a lot better here - it’s very similar to Maedke’s dress, but appears to have little epaulettes, which seems evocative of castle crenelations or modern military dress. Guitart’s dress has a similar neckline and sleeves, but the top has fewer vertical stripes and more criss-crossing straps. The see through panels in the skirt are very similar to Howard’s skirt.

ADDED 01/15/2020: Natalie Pilkington again - this time as Aragon - Her skirt is a little too shiny for me to see all the details, but it looks kind of like a cross between Mouat’s and Guitart’s in the middle picture: with the cut open and shiny alternating black and white fabric stripes. The emphasized shoulders look very similar to Natalie’s Cleves outfit, but the long sleeves are different and have the really wide lacing on them, which I don’t think any other alternate’s costume has.

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ADDED 11/30: Cassie Lee of the UK tour, going on for Anne of Cleves. I haven’t seen this costume before; this one looks very similar to a Vicki Manser’s turquoise Cleves outfit above, but the sleeves are connected and the shorts aren’t cut as high. The jacket’s neck is also higher and the shorts don’t have the diagonal stripes seen on Manser’s.

The next photo also shows Lee, only this time she’s going on for ARAGON [corrected 05/04/2020] (I’ve brightened it up a lot to show the details of the outfit more). This costume is really similar to Grace Mouat’s black one seen above, but there are some slight differences in the beading design of the top, plus, it’s a crop top rather than a dress. It doesn’t appear to have the epaulettes of Mouat’s dress and the material is different, less shiny and smooth and more sparkly.

ADDED 01/15/2020: Natalie Pilkington going on as Cleves - the costume looks similar to Cassie’s Cleves outfit, but with chains and separate long wrist bands instead of long sleeves.

Next - the teal/blue costumes!

Left - Vicki Manser (West End) - Anne of Cleves variation - Here’s where you can see they really started having fun with the costumes. Vicki’s shorts are kind of similar to Cleves, but higher waisted and cut differently - they’re much more classically sci-fi in their looks, particularly with that color! The jacket and top underneath are pretty much straight Cleves, complete with the fur, although the arm warmers are different than Cleves’. The criss cross straps at the type emulate those seen on Cleves and Howard.

Middle: Vicki Manser - All queens except Cleves - The shorts seem identical to the left outfit, although I can’t quite tell if the belt detail is the same; there may be epaulettes at the top? It’s hard to tell. That top though is just delightfully bizarre and totally unlike anything else. It has the shape of Boleyn’s top, with the see-through cut out of Catherine Parr’s top. The horizontal stripes aren’t visible in any of the main queen’s costumes, which all use either diagonal or vertical (or checked in Boleyn’s case).

Right: Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert (US) - Aragon/Parr variation – The pants are pure Parr, although the fabric strips connecting the top and the pants are very different and seem to emulate Cleves’ or Howards’ criss-cross straps on their neckline. The top is very similar to the middle Manser look (with the Boleyn style cut and sleeve tops and the Parr style see through cut out), only with the long sleeves of Seymour. It seems to have similar possible epaulettes/belt thing as the Manser look, but with more of them.

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Left: Bryony Duncan (Bliss Cruise) - Boleyn- This looks almost exactly like Boleyn’s dress in silhouette, sleeves, wristbands, mesh, and skirt fullness, only the checks are diagonal instead of straight up and sideways. In addition, she has the cut out in the middle like Parr.

ADDED 01/15/2020: Middle: Bryony Duncan - Seymour - The top is similar to the one on the left, but the stripes are tilted differently, plus she has long black sleeves here. The skirt is super cool and unlike any other alternate skirt I’ve seen so far. It looks most like Jane Seymour’s skirt, but shorter and with a belt and contrasting stripes rather than stripes that blend in.

ADDED 01/15/2020: Right: Still Bryony (although doesn’t she look so different from picture to picture?) - Howard - The top is similar to the other two, but just a bit different - it looks like the collar is higher and the sleeves a bit more prominent, plus the long sleeves are blue instead of just black. The skirt is awesome and looks similar to Katherine Howard’s skirt, only with more checked fabric and contrasting stripes. In fact, the Australian Katherine Howard outfit looks JUST very similar to this one, although the Aussie skirt has checked fabric stripes running vertically as well as horizontally and is overall a bit shorter.

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Left: Cherelle Jay (West End) - Dressed as Boleyn. The top seems very similar to the Duncan outfit in the middle, with all its similarities to Boleyn’s dress but the shorts has the Cleves belt and the epaulettes seen in Manser’s “all queens but Cleves” outfit.

ADDED 11/30: Right: Jennifer Caldwell of the UK tour, who primarily covers Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. Her top looks a lot like Bryony Duncan’s costume above, but the middle part isn’t as sheer and it looks like the neckline may be a little different. The skirt has vertical checks instead of diagonal, plus she’s got the split in the middle which isn’t present in Duncan’s.

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On to the Orange costumes!

Left: Hana Stewart (West End), who alternated primarily as Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr [corrected 05/04/2020]. This top seems to be very similar to the Maedke costume at the very top of the page, only with more busy ribbons on the sleeves - the tops of these sleeves appear to have four individual sections, while the Maedke sleeve tops appear to be one accentuated cap sleeve. The middle black stripe is similar to Catherine Parr’s, but without the sheer fabric. The criss cross laces on the top and the pants appear to be reminiscent of corset laces historically.

Middle: Courtney Stapleton (West End), who alternated primarily as Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr, but also understudied all the other roles. From the hair accessories, it looks like she’s probably going on as Catherine of Aragon or Cleves. This costume looks the same as Stewart’s, except it’s missing the straps in between the top and pants.

ADDED 11/30: Right: Harriet Watson of the UK tour. Her costume is similar to Hana Stewart’s and Courtney Stapleton’s orange outfits above, but looks to have slightly different sleeve material. Plus the top isn’t a crop top. Oh, and the pants are definitely different from Stewart’s; Stewart’s pants have two thinner orange stripes and criss cross lacing , but Watson’s look to just have one big orange stripe.

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These pics are from the instagram accounts of costume designer Gabriella Slade and Camden Costumes, one of the people who sew and assemble the costumes. I don’t think these costumes have been used in the show yet, as I can’t find any photos of them anywhere, but they do look really interesting and exciting for the future! The costume in the second from the right looks very similar to the shape of Catherine of Aragon’s dress, but has the checks of Boleyn. The one on the far right reminds me most of the current orange costume, with its peplum, but it has the mesh of boleyn’s costume. The belt detail seems borrowed from Cleves’ shorts.

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Finally, the pink costumes!

Shekinah McFarlane (West End), who alternated primarily for Aragon and Cleves. It appears that when she stood in for Cleves though, she wore the regular costume instead of a special alternate costume. She now is Cleves on the UK Tour. This lovely opalescent pink dress has the general shape of Aragon’s dress, with the split skirt and long sleeves. The sleeve top is similar to the blue Duncan costume above, with a Jetsons sort of feel to it. The neck decoration is really interesting - I love how it continues the vertical stripe in the bodice up around the neck. Haven’t seen anything like that in the other costumes. This outfit also has a split peplum on the skirt, which feel similar to the epaulettes seen in other alternate outfits, but is different enough that it stands apart.

Zara McIntosh (West End), who alternates for Howard and Aragon. In these photos, she’s made up for Howard. It’s clearly the same or similar style dress as the one McFarlane is wearing.

I haven’t seen any other opal pink costumes but the fabric is absolutely gorgeous, so I certainly hope that changes soon!

I met Philippa Gregory and Margaret George at the National Book Festival!

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So the National Book Festival was in friggin AUGUST and I still haven’t posted these pictures of me with some of my favorite authors up anywhere so here, here they are finally.

I went to see Philippa Gregory really, but I was delighted to realize that I knew the other author on the Historical Fiction panel as well: Margaret George! She wrote a wonderful book called “The Autobiography of Henry VIII” that I read years ago and really loved; it’s one of the very few books I’ve ever read that chronicles Henry’s life from beginning to end and it offered a great POV that I really appreciated. I still often think of it when I’m learning about Henry VIII in different contexts.

It was really inspiring to hear them discuss different aspects of their work; I basically want to be them when I grow up so I’m really happy I got to hear them talk!

Me with Philippa Gregory, getting my Tidelands book signed!

Me with Philippa Gregory, getting my Tidelands book signed!

Various quotes and tidbits: (these are from my notes and are as accurate as possible, but I was taking them rather quickly so there may be some errors)

Research:

Margaret George and Philippa Gregory both said they prefer to visit the places in which the events of their books occurred if possible.

PG: “Research is really just lots of reading. Which is a good thing to say at a book festival. Some people think there’s a secret trick like you go talk to people and they tell you everything but no, it’s really just reading.”

How their books relate to modern issues:

MG said Nero is oddly a modern character. “He wanted to be an artist - but instead he had to be an emperor- so many people had died to make him emperor that he couldn’t really say no, I want to go be an artist.”

PG: “[The presence of modern issues in my books] is not intentional- but I can’t shut the door on it- the whole idea is to have a window onto history - just by reading my book you can tell I’m from Sussex university in the 1980s. You can’t escape your own consciousness…. I try not to be anachronistic in any way, I try not to drag in politics like a cat dragging in a dead bird, like ‘because I’m interested in this you must be in it.’”

MG: you can date movies by the time period they’re filmed in- from their makeup and hair, etc - books are the same.

Moderator: that’s why historiography is so interesting - likes to see what other people on the past thought of their history and how that informed their lives
Interesting things about their characters:

MG: Nero wasn’t even there at the Fire of Rome. But people at the time said he was performing his ode to the fall of Troy (he had a thing about Troy), and they said the backdrop was just too much to resist, so he would go play it there. But it bothered him because the truth was the opposite. The common people loved Nero!

Tacitus said wild improprieties - it was really just chariot riding and acting. Nero couldn’t get an honest judgment at the time whether he was really any good as an artist. So we can’t get an honest answer in modern day either.  

Only 4 lines of his poetry survived. None of his music. Golden house survived but that’s it - it’s the only proof we have of his artistic talent 

PG: The extent of the way women were treated in medieval society - that Henrietta Maria (queen of Charles I) - she was catholic so English schools had taught against her - she was very authoritative and bossy with her . “We don’t like bossy little women, which is a pity, since many of us are.” /laughs, claps/

Has a reputation as a bad adviser. What I didn’t know- she landed in England under cannon fire with her army and marches around England as a queen militant. She was far more courageous and enterprising than history books say. The slight bias of history- how it obscures some really interesting women.

Me with Margaret George, getting my Confessions of Young Nero copy signed!

Me with Margaret George, getting my Confessions of Young Nero copy signed!

Why PG switched from writing about royalty to writing about a commoner (in Tidelands):

I wrote by royalty very much as an accident. What I was interested in was women in history and you can only find out about women in history if they’re around important men. Eg we don’t know Anne Boleyn’s birthday. There are so many women of just such huge interest who played such a big role in English history that we only know about if they’re associated with the king- etc - Elizabeth Woodville (know she’s with the king or pregnant). Mary Boleyn- led to interest in Catherine- to MIL Elizabeth Woodville, And then 20 years later you look up and find yourself an expert on English royalty and I am by character and interest anti-monarchy.

And people ask me about royal weddings and such and Reaky, they’re just very boring. I’m interested in tyrants really, the boleyns and the Tudors and the Plantagenets bit when you get to the Windsors, just not really interested 

For her Midwife character: got a lot of records from criminal trials for witchcraft (which aren’t necessarily content-helpful because it’s about men saying why she’s a witch) all the evidence at the trial is truly male sexual fantasy and fiction but it GIVES you information about these women who were tried and then unfortunately burned 

In Tudor Times there were women harvesting gangs that would harvest and drink and it sounds like a good party. Well that had to go away as nobles enclosed more and more of the land. There was growth of the idea that poverty shouldn’t be resolved by individual gifts but in an organized way. You can’t just go knock on your neighbor’s and ask for help now, have to go apply for help- it was very alienating.

Setting- the tides in and out, sets the entire course of the day. Tide mills - operates as a usual mill but it runs based on the tide - used to be hundreds of them. Now there are only 2 - went to one and talked to the miller and had one of the most comical conversations ever in researching a book. “If you were going to put a woman on the wheel to say, drown her, how would you do that?” Looked at her in horror and said “Nobody has ever asked that” “well how would you” “well how heavy is she?” 

MG: Agrippina was a huge driver of Nero’s life. He fell in love with a freedwoman in youth and wanted to marry her, friends his entire life, willed her things, she held Nero’s funeral. In Rome, women had no political office, so they were strong behind the scenes, but they were not allowed in public life.

Compared Nero to The Godfather _ dark side etc (her feelings, not historical record).

3 sides - son of Augustus/young emperor, artistic side, dark side who made the other two possible

Nero’s coinage is really considered super beautiful. The coins show his face changing as he gains weight and gets a double chin 

A lot of the judgment about him was around the time - emperor Hadrian had a lot in common with him and we love him- but that occurred 50-60 years later. MG compares their respective reputations to the way we talk about same sex marriage and race now versus 50-60 years ago.

What do you want readers to come away with?

PG: It makes her happy when readers are inspired to study history after reading her novel. She wants her readers to like the novel and say it’s good really. Some people reflect on their lives and such. But really I want them to think it’s a good book and then buy the next one. 

MG- going for a Shakespearean tragedy feel of “woe and wonder.” 

Q&As:

Is it harder to write dialogue of historical people or composite fictionalized people? 

MG: Finds it easier to do historical, sine you have a record, and know what they might say.

PG: with a known character, it can be lovely to weave their real speech in there if you can. Plus most of what people think they know about historical women is incorrect- she enjoys taking on well known women and being out new sides of them.

MG feels same way 

Queer or LGBT people portrayals? 

MG- Nero dresses up a guy as his dead wife (maybe more of a grief and necrophilia thing) 

PG- there isn’t enough historical research yet on the subject for her to include it in her books. Thankfully it’s being done now. Plus, it’s hard to know what is lesbian behavior in historical books like, women sleeping in the same bed together in Jane Austen. There’s no intercourse- but why is intercourse the standard of a romantic relationship? 

How they respond to critics that say book is historically inaccurate:

MG: tries to use the sources that are most reliable 

PG: if someone tells me I did something wrong, like someone landed in the wrong place- I alter it in next edition. And send them a signed book as a thank you 

If they say it’s wrong and it’s right I just grind my teeth.

Research organization?

MG- uses note cards , once you have a cohesive story line, easier to lay out 

PG- files and books and such. But it’s the stuff that sticks in the mind that makes the story. As a novelist, you shouldn’t gift the reader your hours and hours of tedious study. They can do that if they want. 

Love of history or writing first? 

MG- First did writing.

PG- loves writing but also loves history. “I’m so blessed to be able to work in a genre that combines the two. I can’t imagine having one without the other .”

Mental Health Awareness Day

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Today is Mental Health Awareness Day. 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness and nearly 1 in 25 live with a serious mental illness. However, there is still a significant stigma toward mental illness in our society. We’re not supposed to talk about it. People experiencing mental health conditions often face rejection, bullying, and discrimination. I myself have experienced this before. This stigma can prevent people from reaching out for help and can sometimes have fatal results; Suicide is the second leading cause of death of youth ages 15-24 and the tenth leading cause of death for all Americans.

 I live with depression and ADHD (and probably a bit of undiagnosed anxiety, tbh). Though these conditions are mostly controlled, they have had a huge impact on my life in the past and continue to do so now. They’re part of me, and I’ve chosen to embrace them and talk about them openly to help combat that stigma and help others. I’m happy to talk about these things and if you ever need someone to talk to, please reach out!

 

Resources:

The World Health Organization also has a great video series on what you can do to help prevent suicide. 

https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2019/10/10/default-calendar/world-mental-health-day-2019-focus-on-suicide-prevention 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness has a whole page on fighting stigma and helping those with mental illness; I highly suggest you read it.

 https://www.nami.org/stigma 

NAMI also has a whole bunch of initiative and guides on their Mental Illness Awareness week page.

https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mental-illness-awareness-week

#ShakespearesPlaylist: Twelfth Night

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This is part of the #ShakespearesPlaylist series! You can read all of those posts here!

So I LOVE finding songs to fit the mood of #Shakespeare plays. Basically every time I hear a song I love on the radio, I think about how I could fit it into a production. I can’t help it. My brain just does that, which is funny, because I’ve only directed one production (my own one-act) and questioned myself and my abilities the entire time, so I don’t necessarily see myself directing anything else any time soon, but I just like to dream about the music anyway.

I’ve decided to play with this habit of mine more and make full-fledged Spotify and Youtube playlists for each play by Shakespeare, under the umbrella name and hashtag #ShakespearesPlaylist .

So Twelfth Night has long been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays (like, since age 10) and I’ve performed in it twice myself, so the summary and song list in this post are longer than any I’ve written so far in this series! I just can’t help myself, I really love this play, hah.

The Britches and Hose Production of Twelfth Night in 2011. I was Viola!

The Britches and Hose Production of Twelfth Night in 2011. I was Viola!

The Britches and Hose Production of Twelfth Night in 2017. I was a wandering singing musician person - we called ourselves the Festettes!

The Britches and Hose Production of Twelfth Night in 2017. I was a wandering singing musician person - we called ourselves the Festettes!

Quick Wikipedia Summary: Viola is shipwrecked on the coast of Illyria. Believing that her twin brother Sebastian is dead, she disguises herself as a young man under the name Cesario and enters the service of Duke Orsino. Duke Orsino has convinced himself that he is in love with the noble lady Olivia, who is mourning the recent deaths of her father and brother and refuses to see any men or entertainments. Duke Orsino then uses 'Cesario' as an intermediary to profess his passionate love before Olivia. Olivia, however, falls in love with 'Cesario', setting her at odds with her professed duty. In the meantime, Viola has fallen in love with Duke Orsino, creating a love triangle: Viola loves Duke Orsino, Duke Orsino loves Olivia, and Olivia loves Viola disguised as Cesario.

In the comic subplot, several characters conspire to make Olivia's pompous steward, Malvolio, believe that Olivia has fallen for him. This involves Olivia's riotous uncle, Sir Toby Belch; another would-be suitor, a silly squire named Sir Andrew Aguecheek; her servants Maria and Fabian; and her melancholy fool, Feste. Through a fake love letter, Malvolio is encouraged to make a fool of himself in front of Olivia, who is convinced that he is mad and leaves him to be cared for by his tormentors. Pretending that Malvolio is insane, they lock him up in a dark chamber. Feste visits him to mock his insanity, both disguised as a priest and as himself. Sir Toby later marries Maria for this jest. When Malvolio is finally released, he swears revenge on all who conspired against him.

Meanwhile, Viola's twin, Sebastian, has been rescued by Antonio, a sea captain who previously fought against Orsino, yet who accompanies Sebastian to Illyria, despite the danger, because of his admiration for Sebastian. Sebastian's appearance adds the confusion of mistaken identities to the comedy. Taking Sebastian for 'Cesario', Olivia asks him to marry her, and they are secretly married in a church. Finally, when 'Cesario' and Sebastian appear in the presence of both Olivia and Orsino, there is more wonder and confusion at their physical similarity. At this point, Viola reveals her identity and is reunited with her twin brother. The play ends in a declaration of marriage between Duke Orsino and Viola.

I chose “Hey Brother” by Avcii to demonstrate the familial love between Viola and Sebastian. Both of them believe the other has drowned in the crash and are pretty devastated about it. The chorus in particular fits this storyline:

What if I'm far from home?
Oh brother, I will hear you call!
What if I lose it all?
Oh sister, I will help you out!
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Amy Winehouse’s cover of “To Know Him is to Love Him” is a perfect illustration of Viola’s love for Duke Orsino.

To know know know him
Is to love love love him
Just to see that smile
Makes my life worthwhile

Why can't he see?
How blind here he be?
Someday he'll see
That he was meant just for me, oh oh oh oh

Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me” also represents Viola’s situation, simultaneously in love with Orsino but pretending to be his male friend, having to woo another lady on his behalf. It’s so bubblegum pop that I really resisted including it in this list, but honestly, the lyrics are so ridiculously perfect for this plotline that it had to happen.

If you can see I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see
You belong with me
You belong with me

Walkin' the streets with you and your worn-out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey isn't this easy

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down
You say your fine
I know you better then that
Hey what you doing with a girl like that

…I'm the one who makes you laugh
When you know you're about to cry
And I know your favorite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong
I think I know it's with me

I’ve chosen Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” to represent Malvolio, who is so overproud that he willingly believes his mistress Olivia is in love with him, despite the ludicrousness of the fake love letter and the situation as a whole. He literally thinks the letter is about him!

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain,
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

I chose Mad World by Gary Jules to represent Sebastian’s massive confusion about arriving in Illyria. Everyone seems to know him and have strong opinions about him, but he just got there! What the heck is going on. (I’m not so certain on this choice, as I think the overall mood of the song is too melancholy for Twelfth Night, but I really want something in here about Sebastian’s POV. I may replace this one later if anyone has any good suggestions!)

The Lumineers’ “Hey Ho “is a great song to represent Feste, as Feste’s song in the show literally includes the words “Hey Ho, the wind and the rain.” Plus, the laid-back troubador style of Hey Ho works really well for Feste’s casual and humorous approach to life.

Finally, here’s a video of an actual production of Twelfth Night which I actually was in. It’s the final song in the show, The Rain it Raineth, with music by Dave Seidman-Joria. Feste in this version is played by Sam Stenecker! Then from left to right in the back is: Lauren Sutton, Leandra Lyn, Megan Fraedrich, Rachael Dickson (my non-writing superhero alter ego), and Dan Clark.

A Cell Phone Mount that Actually Lasts- Thanks to Sugru!

I don’t know about y’all, but I have never found a store-brought car cell phone holder that actually lasts for any significant amount of time. Whether they clip on to an air vent, stick on to the dash, or suction on to the windshield, they always fall within a few days to a few weeks. I often resort to sticking my phone in the drink holder so I can reference directions when I’m going somewhere new. But with my arthritis neck joints, this can be really painful. I also have to take my eyes off the road much more if I do this.

My grandparents recently gave me their old 1997 van; I have a car for the first time since February (my previous car was totaled after a tire blew out while I was driving on a highway. Fortunately, no one was hurt, just my car)! I optimistically bought a clip-on phone holder at the auto parts store when i was picking up some new windshield wiper blades and it fell down within 5 minutes. It was frankly just ridiculous.

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Fortunately, I’ve found a solution! Sugru is this really cool clay like substance that is sticky and moldable at first, starts solidifying after thirty minutes, and is cured hard and strong in 24 hours! I used this to make a cell phone mount in my previous car too and it stayed put for over half a year. It lasted through my car accident and was still there when I sold the car to my insurance company.

It’s pretty easy to create this phone mount. I took the case off my phone and molded the Sugru around it. This gave me the exact dimensions I needed but was light enough that it didn’t mess up the Sugru while I was working with it.

I positioned the mount as close to my sight line as I could. Here, my phone is held firmly in place and is visible right over the right side of my steering wheel. It’s a non traditional area for it, but it works great.

I ended up using two packages of Sugru for this. I molded two holders under the phone, for it to sit on, and a holder on each side, to hold it in the right spot, sticking each holder solidly to the dash as I worked. You have 30 minutes to work with the Sugru before it starts setting, but I actually put this all together in just 5-10 minutes. I then let it cure for the next 24 hours and voila- a stable, solid, working cell phone mount!

It’s not the /prettiest/ mount out there, but it works perfectly for my needs.

Have you used Sugru? What problems did you fix with it?

Tech and Safety Tip: Sending your Location to Friends via iPhone or Messenger

I read a comment somewhere online the other day that mentioned an iPhone feature where you can text your exact location to a friend. I didn’t know this existed, but I am so happy it does! This not only will make meetups at big festivals easier, it’s a great safety tip!

I’ve had to walk around alone at night before, particularly when I lived in Chicago in the pre-Lyft era, and this feature would have been really handy then! My friends and I already text our taxi or Lyft drivers’ info to each other if they’re acting creepy or driving in a scary way; I love that now I know how to quickly send my location to friends in case of an emergency!

I sat down and figured out how to do it via text on iPhone and via Facebook messenger. It was really easy! Here are some step by step screenshots:

Facebook Messenger:

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I have a mass group convo with a lot of theater friends, so I tested this out in our chat the other day. It’s just three quick button clicks- first the four dots in the lower left corner of the screen, then the blue and white location button, and finally the “share live location” button. I particularly like that this gives you a live location, so even if you move around, your friends can see where you’re going.

Though iPhone GPS can be a little off at times, a general whereabouts is certainly a lot better than no info at all!

iPhone Texts

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This one’s even simpler! Just click on the google maps button in the bottom right hand of the texting screen and then press “send!”

There’s also an alternate method where you click on a contact’s name and choose to either “send my current location” or “send my location.”

With “send my location” you can actually choose a duration. So if you always want this person to know where your phone is, that’s an option. Or you can just send it for an hour or a day. Choices!

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BONUS IPHONE SAFETY TRICK:

If you ever need to call emergency services immediately, push your side button 5 times rapidly and this screen will pop up. Supposedly it works with the home button too, but I couldn’t get it to work.

As Apple says: “hen you make a call with SOS, your iPhone automatically calls the local emergency number. In some countries and regions, you might need to choose the service that you need. For example, in China mainland you can choose police, fire, or ambulance. 

You can also add emergency contacts. After an emergency call ends, your iPhone alerts your emergency contacts with a text message, unless you choose to cancel. Your iPhone sends them your current location, and, for a period of time after you enter SOS mode, it sends updates to your emergency contacts when your location changes.”

You can set up your emergency contacts and your medical ID info in the Health app on the iPhone. I don’t use this app for anything else, but it’s useful for this situation.

and there you go! I hope this info helps!

I've Learned SO MUCH from the By the Book Podcast!

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I listen to numerous podcasts but one of my current favorites is the By the Book podcast! I discovered it earlier this year through an ad on the Freakanomics podcast (which my husband listens to obsessively) and was instantly HOOKED. I’ve listened to every episode since then (which is saying something since they have several seasons!

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The premise of this podcast: The brilliant and hilarious Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer read through a self-help book for every episode and try to live by it for two weeks straight. They chronicle their adventures with wit and thoughtfulness and I’m pretty obsessed. I’ve learned so much from so many episodes! It’s also helped me to be a lot more careful about my own self-help reading and encouraged me to take a closer look at the authors and what they’re really saying.

For example: The Miracle Morning book has personally really helped me in the past. After getting my depression under control (FISHER-WALLACE STIMULATOR, SERIOUSLY Y’ALL), The Miracle Morning has changed my life more in the past year than anything else! Going through the SAVERS approach regularly (silence/meditation, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading, and scribing/journaling) helped me remember that I have ALWAYS wanted to be a writer and got me on track toward pursuing that path really seriously. However, the By the Book episode on Miracle Morning pointed out a lot of issues with the book and its author and helped me realize that I had been doing a lot of “take what I want and throw away the bad” in my own approach to it. Which is totally fine. I still use it sometimes. But a lot of the advice in the book is kind of victim-blamey and makes me uneasy when you actually look at closely. So now I’m more careful about how I suggest that book to friends; I include a lot more disclaimers and points about how I actually use it.

By the Book has also made some really significant changes to my life in the past year! It’s inspired me to make numerous changes.

Here’s what comes to mind now (I may add to this later as I remember things or add more!):

Things I do now or have done because of the By the Book podcast: (links go to the episode on Stitcher’s website)

Look! Plants I’ve somehow kept half alive, plus an old soda bottle I now use to water indoor and outdoor plants, and our compost pail!

Look! Plants I’ve somehow kept half alive, plus an old soda bottle I now use to water indoor and outdoor plants, and our compost pail!

  • We now plan out our family meals ahead of time and try to do all the grocery shopping once a week. John and I pick and make the recipes together and have found it makes our life WAY simpler when we actually know what we’re eating at night. (From the “America’s Cheapest Family” episode) 

  • I published a short story as an ebook on amazon. I had already written this story and submitted it to an anthology. When it was rejected, I thought - YOLO and decided to put it on Amazon as an experiment. It’s been fun! I’ve earned about $40 from it, which is cool. (From the “how to write an ebook that makes you money forever in 7-14 days” episode)

  • I’ve invited friends over to work at our house whenever they like. Not many people have taken me up on this, but I do love that as someone who teleworks full time and has a pretty big house, I can provide an escape for my student friends or other friends who work from home. (From “a girl’s guide to joining the resistance”)

  • I reuse and recycle more things, have started composting (blog post coming about this soon!), and make my own reusable wet wipes for cleaning. (“zero waste home”)

  • I focus on only saying nice and supportive things to myself. (“What to say when you talk to yourself”)

  • I try to use my phone less when I’m out and about (“bored and brilliant”)

  • I try to only check my email and social media twice a day. Honestly, I’m pretty bad about this, but just knowing it’s an option for days when I REALLY need to focus is good. I also now outsource time-consuming tasks i hate to people on Fiverr . I’ve found a cool personal assistant guy and have had him do some cost-comparison research tasks which have been really helpful! (“4 hour work week”)

  • So Kristen and Jolenta have only done one “diet” book and it had such a bad effect on Kristen that they don’t plan to do another one. This episode and a lot of their conversations in later episodes helped me come to grips with a lot of my disordered eating habits (I tend to either over-eat or under-eat, and neither is healthy) and develop a more healthy approach to my body. I don’t weigh myself any more and I don’t really plan to again; it’s highly triggering for me. Instead, I eat healthy most of the time, avoid too many processed foods, practice delaying my first meal until 12 pm or 1 pm (which effectively means I usually am intermittent fasting for 14 hours), and exercise regularly. And that’s enough for me. As long as I’m feeling healthy and happy with how I look, I don’t need to know my weight; it’s just not important. Thanks K&J for helping me realize that! (“French Women Don’t Get Fat”)

  • I’ve worked to define what types of clothing and accessories are and aren’t my style and have been donating or selling things that aren’t my style. If I go shopping now, I’m much less likely to impulse buy anything, as I know exactly what I like and what looks good on me and I’m not willing to spend money on things that don’t fit in those categories. (“curated closet”) 

A snippet of the pinterest board I made for the Curated Closet.

A snippet of the pinterest board I made for the Curated Closet.

Look at these plants I’ve managed not to kill yet!

Look at these plants I’ve managed not to kill yet!

  • I actually let myself actually watch TV without doing work sometimes. I mean, not all the time, I usually am working on some craft or blog post or something if I watch TV, but sometimes! (“Pantsdrunk”)

  • I’ve really tried to walk outdoors more and keep my house plants alive more consistently. I re-planted our dead herb garden and have managed to keep 4/5 plants alive for the last few months! (“nature fix”) 

  • I’ve let go of some project ideas that were GOOD but just not for me. This book specifically talks about letting go of the ideas that aren’t a match for you so they can go “find someone else” they’re better suited for. This was how I finally let go of the idea of writing a non-fiction book about marital surnames. It still fascinates me and I think it needs to be written about, but I just don’t have the passion to pursue that myself. I prefer my fiction writing. (“Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”)

  • I had actually already “konmari-ed” several parts of our house but this episode has helped me retain some of the ideas - specifically, does this item give me joy? If not, I should donate it and let someone else enjoy it. (“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”)

EWF Unpacking: Polish Your Pitch and Publishing Masterclass

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I’ve been pretty dilatory about posting up these notes, but I’m slowly getting them out there! Here’s some more useful wisdom from the Emerging Writers’ Festival!

I took very few photos at the festival, but I did manage to get this one of my name tag and my awesome shoes.

I took very few photos at the festival, but I did manage to get this one of my name tag and my awesome shoes.

Polish Your Pitch - Class by Jennifer Baker (publishing professional of 16 years, host of the Minorities in Publishing podcast, contributing editor to Electric Literature, essayist)

I have pages and pages of notes from this class taught by Jennifer Baker, including some very specific suggestions she made for a story I’ve been trying to pitch. Here are some of the highlights though:

  • First, follow the rules on pitching. Actually read the publication’s submission guidelines and make sure you know what type of work they’re working for. It’s a waste of your time and theirs if you pitch something that doesn’t follow their guidelines and/or is just totally wrong for their publication.

  • Your article topics need to be specific and interesting. Your goal is to get a “I haven’t heard this before” from the person you’re pitching to. If you’re writing on a common topic, make sure to specify what makes your spin different and unique.

  • If you can’t find a person’s name or can’t figure out how they identify, it’s okay if you just say “Dear Editor.” Just don’t make assumptions!

  • The editor is coming at your piece with a few things in their minds: “Can you do the thing you’re saying you can do?” “Is it worth my time and effort to pay you?” “Is the structure and voice of the piece there?” You want to be able to answer all these questions in your pitch. The more fleshed out and structured the idea, the less work the editor needs to do to get it up to par.

  • If someone rejects your pitch, don’t take it personally! Jennifer said: “As an editor, I have rarely ever NOT taken a pitch because of someone’s bad writing. I don’t believe in bad writing, but I do see unfocused writing.”

Publishing Masterclass - Class by Jane Friedman (20 years of experience in publishing industry, author of The Business of Being a Writer and The Authors Guild Guide to E-Publishing)

I actually had to leave this class 1/3 of the way through to go volunteer for the festival in another location, but I still learned SO MUCH. I’m really glad I got to go for at least that much.

I found this sweet pupper hanging out in Old Town Alexandria near the festival while walking between events one day. <3

I found this sweet pupper hanging out in Old Town Alexandria near the festival while walking between events one day. <3

  • To submit to publishers, you need:

    • A finished manuscript for a fiction book

    • A book proposal for a nonfiction book

    • For a memoir, you probably should have both a finished manuscript and a book proposal, as some publishers will want one or the other and plenty will want both.

  • Before you submit, you need to make sure your manuscript or proposal is the best you can make it. You need to resolve all the problems or hire someone to do it for you. No one EXPECTS you to hire an editor for revisions, but it’s certainly an option.

  • If you want a large/mid-size publisher, it’s a good idea to get an agent.

  • It’s really important to define the genre of your book so you can find the correct agents and publishers. This can be hard since some book genres are pretty nebulous.

    • For example, “Literary fiction” is sometimes publisher code for “will not sell.” However, once it makes the best seller list, a literary fiction book’s genre tends to magically change to “mainstream fiction.” (There are no particular requirements for either of these genres).

    • You can sometimes get away without picking a genre for your book by comparing it to another work instead, but that doesn’t always work.

  • Hard to sell works: Poetry, collections, multi-genre work, “hard to categorize” books

    • Even if your work is “hard to categorize,” just label it something. People run in the opposite direction at the sound of “hard to categorize.” “If you don’t know, they won’t know either.”

  • Projects that are more commercially viable:

    • Fiction - Genre, commercial, or mainstream narratives of about 80,000 words. You can go as low as 50,000, but that’s as low as you can go. Once you reach 100,000, you’ll get some pushback about it being too long or needing more editing.

    • If you’re trying to get a nonfiction book published by a large publisher, you need a platform. Your visibility and authority can matter as much as the content. They expect you to bring the audience to the publisher, not vice versa.

      • if you’re a journalist or professor or have some sort of career that gives you credibility on a topic, that can help you with your nonfiction author platform.

  • Less commercially viable projects:

    • Narratives that are 120,000+ words.

    • Children’s picture books, cookbooks, travel, short fiction, essay collections, poetry, anthologies of any kind