“Are you really 5’10” and blonde?” asked the woman on the phone.
I showed up at the Broadway Stages in Brooklyn at my 9:30am call-time the next morning. I had no idea what the project was, what exactly a stand-in does, or who I would be working with. Turns out, I was the only stand-in, not to mention the only actor there for the day because it was more of a set-up/rehearsal for the production crew. We were in a big gray warehouse where nearly forty crew members were building the actual set which resembled a “backstage” (ie. dressing rooms, lighting fixtures, musical instruments, etc.).
I was introduced to the director, producers, and camera crew who immediately put me to work. I would stand in a “scene” (ie. dressing room, by piano, etc.) and walk a designated path (straight, curved, diagonal, etc.) towards the camera. They would shoot these scenes with a small camera in order to set the camera angle(s), walking speed, frame of the picture, and where the background actors would be. The “plot” is pretty simple – the “crew” (actually background actors) on camera start to mess up (spill coffee, drop a grand piano, etc.) because they are distracted by the star walking past them.
This took much longer than I had expected – we were pre-shooting these scenes “on set” until nearly 6pm (where I was free to leave but the crew had to continue setting up).
Heidi Blickenstaff? No, this is MTV, not Broadway.
Heidi Montag? Blonde, yes. But not 5’10”.
The day of the shoot my call time was 7:00am. As I walked through the Broadway Stages I passed a dressing room marked “HK.” Yep, it was true – I would be standing-in for Heidi Klum.
When all was “good” the director would call in Heidi from her dressing room and I would sit off to the side of the set while Heidi ran the take once or twice, with thunderous applause thereafter.
“Mary, back in!” the director would call. Then Heidi would head back to her dressing room and I’d start walking through the next scene.
This went on for a good four and a half hours before we broke for lunch. As I was gobbling down my chocolate cake for dessert, a production assistant came up to me.
I literally froze for a second, with a bite of cake in my mouth. I had forgotten that Heidi Klum had to leave early – it was Fashion Night Out after all. But I look nothing like Heidi, despite the fact that I’m tall and blonde. Nonetheless, I threw away my last bit of lunch and headed to the dressing room.
It was literally out of a book: I had to strip down to my skivvies and slowly pull on the teeny-tiny gown all while four “Heidi-people” were watching me, poking me, and prodding me. I “sucked in” as much as I could while they zipped the dress from behind. I could feel my face turn pink. It didn’t fit. No matter how hard I tried, my ribs were too big for the bodice. I could tell the dressers were frustrated, which only made me feel worse. They ended up having to pin the dress with giant black paper clips…classy.
Next, a woman helped me try on Heidi’s bronze Jimmy Choo heels because I couldn’t sit down in the dress. They fit like Cinderella’s glass slipper!
Next stop was hair and makeup. Hair was surprisingly easy since my hair is the same length and color as Heidi’s- just a quick curl here and there. Makeup was quite another story. I must confess that I am not a glamorously tan German supermodel. I am a pale, freckled little Irish girl. There was no time for a spray tan, so that meant: foundation. Foundation and bronzer all over my body – face, neck, arms, legs, you name it! And to make you laugh even harder, the woman reminded me, “This is a couture gown. Do not get any makeup on it!” Stress much? The makeup “gods” completed my look with some dark red stick-on nails and voila! J’étais Heidi Klum!
For the next three hours we did much of the similar thing: walk through shots for timing and camera angles before shooting some final takes. But these were shots that were not focused on Heidi herself (ie. camera on face of electrician, etc.). All you really see of me is the side of my leg and hand as I brush past the camera.
I don’t know if there’s a real moral to my story, but maybe there is a little message hiding in there. See, the week before this gig I’d been pretty down on myself; I would go to audition after audition and felt like I was often cut because of my height. But when you just stay open and say “yes” to new experiences and opportunities, fate has a way of working out. Heck, if I didn’t “stand out” at 5’10” I would never have been able to “stand in” as Heidi Klum! C’est la vie!
Stand-in work is a great way to get your foot in the door if you want to pursue TV/Film work. Plus, as dancers we’re used to taking lots of direction, which is an important skill for stand-ins. For “stand-in” casting notices, check out www.castingnetworks.com. Just think, nearly every TV celebrity and movie star uses a stand-in, why can’t it be you?
We rehearsed in NYC and learned a lot of material quickly, keeping in mind that a lot would change once we actually got to the arena. Our first stop was Kentucky. Technical rehearsal consisted of long days in the dark cold arena. These rehearsals involve a lot of hurry up and wait, but I found that during the waiting is when you can learn the most if you stay engaged. It was such a privilege to watch Ken Billington (96+ Broadway Shows) do the lighting design and learn from Scott Farris (dir. “Chicago” and “Walking with Dinosaurs”) as he brought together American theater and European Equestrian riders. Lorin Latarro (Currently choreographing “Scandalous” set to hit Broadway this October) pulled from her diverse performance background and allowed us to collaborate on certain parts. It was a very artistically fulfilling process.
Dancing in sand, running with flags and fire torches was strenuous on our bodies. For body maintenance, I did some form of Pilates, Yoga, and rolled out my muscles with a tennis ball. We had to be flexible and try to figure out how to adapt the choreography in the sand, and how not to spook the horses or get spooked by them. During rehearsals you could hear Portuguese, French, German, Ukrainian, Icelandic, and English being bantered across the gigantic arena. After one of the first runs of the show, the horse choreographer called everyone together and our choreographer jokingly said it looked like a medieval conference. Picture 40+ horses and riders gathered together speaking different languages and four American dancers and a choreographer standing in a giant sand box. It was a surreal experience.
As Dance Captain, my responsibilities were to run any extra rehearsals, communicate with the production team, maintain the artistic integrity of the choreography and spacing, make sure that the dancers safety and needs were met, and promote team unity. This production was a learning process for all of us. Most of our stage crew came from the rock concert world and we had to share with them certain theater protocols and vice versa. The communication between the tech crew, dancers and riders was extremely important, because the horses weren’t always predicable. We couldn’t depend on entering or exiting on a musical cue and it forced us to be quick on our feet, listen and watch each other. We developed physical and verbal cues and had to go with whatever happened in the moment.
Some of the perks of this job were that we had amazing caterers who traveled with us, we learned how to ride horses, picked up a little bit of French, Icelandic, and Portuguese, and got to work with and meet incredible people.
Due to the financial crisis in Europe, Apassionata’s USA tour came to an end early (It is still running in several countries in Europe). We were given less than 24 hours notice that we were going back to NYC and the rest of the tour was cancelled. Of course, we were sad and it’s always a little unnerving to be without a steady job, but nothing in this business is guaranteed. That’s why it’s important to save when you are doing a show, so that during the slow times you can continue to train and be ready for the next opportunity. I learned a lot from Apassionata and am looking forward to what the future holds.
On July 24th Broadway Dance Center faculty, staff, and program students packed the movie theater for an exclusive preview showing of the new Step Up movie. The fourth movie of the Step Up enterprise, “Step Up 4 Revolution” takes place in Miami, FL where a group of dancers (“the MOB”) realize that they can organize intricate and creative flashmobs as a means of social change. The film features cameos from dance notables such as Mia Michaels, Billy Bell, Misha Gabriel, and more.
After a difficult double-header day of dancing at Broadway Dance Center, the last thing I wanted to do was watch a documentary about exceptionally talented young ballerinas. Thankfully, my friend convinced me to go with him to see the talk of the (dance) town, “First Position.” We trekked over to the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (65th between Broadway and Amsterdam) and paid just $8 for our tickets (unheard of at NYC movie theaters!). The atmosphere was chic – the theater was very tiny with padded bleacher seating for the 15 or so people in the audience.
But on with the show! “First Position” follows the journies of eight young ballet dancers as they prepare to compete in the most prestigious international ballet competition, the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP).
All of the dancers (ranging in ages 10-17) aspire to win awards, scholarships, and job contracts to companies such as the American Ballet Theater and the Royal Ballet in London. These young kids are brilliant dancers – and the film will give you the motivation to get back in ballet class!
musical (noun): a stage, television or film production utilizing popular-style songs – dialogue optional – to either tell a story (book musicals) or showcase the talents of the writers and/or performers (revues).
Courage – the guts to do something creative and exciting.
The 1930s through the 1960s were considered the “Golden Age” of movie musicals. With the advancement of film technology, Hollywood brought the thrill of the theater to the big screen complete with well-known songs, elaborate dances, lavish sets, and brilliant stars such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland. During a time of financial and political instability, movie musicals revived hope and optimism amongst the American public.
The 1960s witnessed more direct restagings of Broadway musicals from stage to screen.
The 1970s movie musicals, however, were not the joyous and idyllic films of the Golden Age. Rather, filmmakers focused on rock n’ roll and stark realism that was influenced by the hippie movement, the Vietnam and Cold Wars, and American individualism.
The 1980s/1990s attempted to boost the movie musical genre with the generous help of financial backers.
The Disney animated-musicals also thrived during the 1980s and 1990s.
Since 2000, movie musicals have continued to rise in popularity, with stage to screen adaptations, remakes, animated films, and brand new shows busting out all over.
While Broadway will always remain the pinnacle of live musical theater, film has brought the joy of the theater to audiences all over the world.
Here are the TOP 10 movie musicals of all time!