Superstitions & Omens

I've never been able to understand jealousy and foolishly assumed it never touched my life... I've never been jealous of others and assumed no one was ever jealous of me... The first time it ever became a focus of conversation in my life was a long time ago in Greece when a friend of mine and I had our palms read by a Gypsy Fortune Teller who scared the crap out of me...

The crazy thing boiled down to this woman telling me that there were people around me who were jealous and at work scheming to cause me harm in thought or deed... the whole thing unnerved me so badly that it was not until morning and an all night conversation with my traveling companion that I understood the concept of jealousy and how a fortune teller will use clues in the way you present yourself to manipulate your fears--- My friend said... "Look at your appearance and the way you are dressed and your speech... you are obviously a handsome, well spoken, educated and well dressed man and the fact that you are wearing a gold Rolex wristwatch it's not a stretch that you might have a few dollars in your back pocket!... those are the things that people are jealous of in others and the gypsy picked it up and scared you into believing she was really a fortune teller."  In thinking it over I knew he was right but the concept of people being jealous of me and possibly conspiring was still unnerving to me as I assumed things like that only happened in bad movies and as a result I started trying to fly under the radar whenever possible and started conducting my life on a much more low key note... I really started to be mindful of what impressions I was giving strangers and rarely wore the watch again.

I'm not extremely superstitious but I have done something that could be construed as such... Since the 70's  I always put a   2 Pence coin in my right shoe... it's something that someone very important told me about and who actually gave me the coin and it's not so much for luck or prosperity as it's my way of  still feeling close with this person and what we discovered in each other a long time ago.

As I said I'm not superstitious... EXCEPT when it comes to theatre superstitions.... considering the things that can and do go wrong on a stage; like scores of others it's better to be safe than sorry and pay reverence to some old traditions....

I will not wear a blue costume on stage unless it has a silver lining... If you have been reading since I started this series early on I wrote about "The Ghost Light"...

There should always be a light burning on an empty stage (usually placed down stage center) and is said to ward off mischievous theatre spirits... it also serves the practical purpose of not falling into the orchestra pit if you are entering a darkened theater... a theater is kept dark one night a week with no performances so that the theatre ghosts have one night a week  alone on the stage... (As an actor or crew member it's nice to have Monday off after working your shows on the weekend)... I will not whistle on or off stage lest someone be fired.. this one stems from the days before the stage manager had a head set and a backstage microphone and whistles were used as cues for lights, sound and prop and scenery changes.--- You never say "Good Luck" to an actor but rather "Break A Leg" it does not mean that you actually want that person to break one of their legs but it means that during the ovation and curtain call when an actor bows he puts one foot behind the other thus breaking the line of the leg.---An abysmal final dress rehearsal will usually always be an omen of a great opening night... and I'll never accept or give flowers until the performance is over... it's also considered bad luck to use real items instead of props on a stage (guns, money, jewelry etc...) or to have peacock feathers on stage or part of a costume as they are considered "The Evil Eye" and  cause bad luck. Whenever I'm leaving the dressing room headed for the stage I always lead with my left foot with a lucky penny in my shoe.(It's called putting your best foot forward and the penny is for luck).
 It is considered bad luck to say the last line of the play before it opens just as it is a bad omen to take a bow to an empty house... both are a tribute  that the show is incomplete without the audience... and last but certainly not least---- Never, never, never say the word "Macbeth" in a theatre... if you must reference it you simply refer to it as "The Scottish Play!"... Oh and I do throw salt over my shoulder if I spill a little... but I'm not the least bit superstitious... however I do try to pay attention to omens and signs along the way.

I know and understand the theatre and the people involved better than most  and I think it's a matter of the fact that we get each other and fit together... I have stepped out of my comfort zone and I have also found my way around the business world but it's always been a more difficult fit for me for some reason... partly because I won't tolerate being insulted, patronized or brow beaten by anyone; but I have learned a few things that might help you down the line... When you understand the people you are working with and their motivations it makes navigating  office politics much easier...

There are always going to be toxic office personalities but the three you need to be most mindful of are...

1. Prince Machiavelli... he may come across as charming in order to manipulate you... but office politics are a sport for him(her) and everything they do is to further his or her own self-interest. The thing you need to know how to best deal with him/her is understand that he/she will tell the most outrageous lies about you behind your back and with this knowledge you  can make sense of what you are dealing with on a daily basis.
2. The Psychopath will use anything even the death of a parent or colleague as an opportunity to benefit themselves... the best thing to do is put as much distance as possible between  the two of you; there is simply no way you can do business with this person... he/she will always betray you.
3. The Narcissist is always talking him/herself up, their grandiosity is a mask to conceal their inadequacies... the best thing to do is just praise them as they respond easily to flattery... if you can't manage to do it sincerely in person do it through a colleague.

I suppose the reason a better fit for me has been the entertainment industry because I learned a long time ago it's called "Show Business" not "Show Fun & Games" because it's a business to be taken very seriously and one in which you need to conduct yourself professionally and graciously at all costs. How many times have you thought to yourself... "Whatever happened to So And So?"... I'll give you the answer... people probably did not like working with them.

I can't tell you how many times people have asked me to help them get started in the entertainment industry... but I'm not in the business to create more competition for myself--- but I will tell you what I tell everyone else who wants to get started... "Get an agent!"... You need to understand that this persons makes their living taking a percentage of the work that they get for you... so treat them with respect and have an open line of communication at all times  and realize that they also represent other people... and perhaps most importantly be honest with yourself and your agent... no matter what!

Whenever I've been successful at an audition my agent will also negotiate the contract and often offer useful advice. The most important thing to remember is you need a good agent as much as an agent needs good and professional talent to represent.

So after you get paid and you have written your agent a check for their percentage then why not go home and indulge yourself... with Chocolate Truffles a la The Four Seasons...

These will keep in a refrigerator for a couple of weeks but I have never had them last that long...

2 cups heavy cream

6 TBL sugar

1/4 pound unsalted butter

31 oz semisweet chocolate chopped

6 TBL Grand Marnier

Unsweetened cocoa

Confectioners sugar

Place the cream, sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 21 oz of the chocolate... when it's completely blended stir in the Grand Marnier and mix well. pour the mixture into a metal bowl and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours stirring every 10-15 minutes.

When the mixture is thick and cold line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fit a pasty bag with a 5/8-inch tip and fill the bag with chocolate and pipe out rounds about one inch wide. It should make about 70. Chill for about 20 minutes.

While the chocolate is chilling prepare the other 10 oz of chocolate... in a double boiler over simmering water. The chocolate must be about 84 degrees F to coat properly. Bring it to about 87 degrees and if it becomes difficult to work with gently reheat it.

Mix equal parts cocoa and confections sugar (about 3/4 cup)  and put it in a sifter. Remove the rounds from the refrigerator and sift a thin layer of the cocoa mixture over the top. Coat your hands with the cocoa mixture (it prevents sticking). Roll the rounds in your palms to form smooth balls. Return to the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes... they should be soft but firm.

Spread some of the tempered chocolate on your hands and roll the balls between your hands to completely coat them. Return to the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to harden the coating.

Place and inch of the cocoa mixture in a bowl and coat your hands with the tempered chocolate  and  coat the rounds with the chocolate. Drop them still wet into the cocoa and turn them to coat. Place the coated candy on a flat sieve or mesh rack to remove excess coating. Keep refrigerated.

See you next week. I'll be talking about secrets and knowing the importance of what to share and which ones to keep.