The Realities of Indie Filmmaking & Theatre: From Night Shoots to Missing Cues | Ep 69

MAX: 00:13
Welcome back to Two Unemployed Actors. I'm Max.

SAM: 00:15
I'm Sam.

MAX: 00:16
And heaps to look, I was gonna say we've got lots on. We have had lots on because I know I even did a teaser up to last week when we were supposed to do an episode. I think I put it out early in the week and it was like, you know, what crisis is gonna happen to Max's play the week before? Because there's always something the week before. And you know, will Sam survive? What I put, the feature film and survival job and podcast. Well the answer is no, actually, we both didn't survive because we've come to record day and I'm struggling through it.

SAM: 00:47
And you you what you just driven back that day from a I driven back that that day from Newcastle and I just completely forgot that we had it on.

MAX: 00:55
Um and I'm trying to get it. Max totally new.

SAM: 00:59
Max totally knew. He was like, Hey, there's a spot right outside for you.

MAX: 01:04
I'm like, ah which is a nice way of reminding you that perhaps you needed to be somewhere, i.e. in that parking space out front. But anyway, I I kind of knew because you've been so busy filming and not just being up having a role on a feature film, but having it filmed, you know, a couple hours away from where we are. I know, and then I know, and I remind you, uh and uh and then I'm trying to record it on my own with Fred going off because it's been raining, so he's been in inside Dog for a while.

SAM: 01:35
Yeah, and that photo you all saw of Fred standing by the door waiting for me. True story. I never arrived, so he was there for a whole week.

MAX: 01:41
I just guilted Sam by setting it to him. Because as soon as I start setting up this studio equipment, like literally I'll put one pair of headphones on the table, and Fred knows you're coming, so he's like, he's on, he is on, and he's barking at the door and waiting for you. So which then leaves another 10 minutes of him being an absolute um uh hypo dog until he calms down and we can actually start broadcasting.

SAM: 02:05
But anyway, so but he's been pretty good. He he he calms down once we press record almost, like he knows. Well, maybe. It's been a few years. It's been a few years.

MAX: 02:15
Well, spoke too soon. So um you can you're welcome to see uh Fred try and take over the show on the YouTube channel. Uh don't forget to subscribe on our social media platforms, you can stay up to date, and we will keep you up to date, but like what happened last week. We're going to do we're going to talk about this, this, and this, but then maybe not if we're too busy. Um as happens. So I've been flat out with the play, you've been flat out with the feature film. We're gonna update you on exactly what has been keeping us busy. Uh take it away, Sam. Chuck me in at the DV.

SAM: 02:49
No, um, yeah, it's been good. I mean, actually, on the on the topic of that, next week will probably only be you because I'm shooting one last time. Okay. Um, so yeah, I head back up on the 28th and uh it's almost finished, and we're all very sad about it. Because it's been a while. When did you start shooting mid-January? Right. Yeah, so it's been a while, spread up spread over a few months just because of I think I spoke about the shooting in blocks. Um I I I went for another audition for another feature film. Okay, which would start shooting in June, so like two months off, straight back into it, which would be bloody awesome. Yeah. Um, and both Jess and I auditioned for that and like self-tape wise. Great. And then today we got an email saying they want us in for an in-person audition. Both of you. Both of us.

MAX: 03:36
Oh, brilliant. So that's very like a dynamic duo. You have to just keep auditioning together. We keep working.

SAM: 03:41
It seems to be working. But it wasn't, it wasn't together to like on the self-tape. We just both auditioned to submitted independently. Okay. Pr pretty cool. That's great. Yeah. So that's exciting. It it seems like a really great film as well. Independent as well, small budget, but still great. Yeah.

MAX: 03:58
Um so you've you're back up again next week to film. How many more days shooting have you got left um on the current feature?

SAM: 04:06
So there's three more days of shooting. I've got two more. So I'm shooting on the 29th and 30th. Yep. And it's and shooting wraps on the 31st. And then we have the rap party on the second.

MAX: 04:18
Have you had a very important date? Very important. Have you had a mix of like day shoots and night shoots and that sort of thing? How do you manage that with the travel? Like, have you did you stay overnight there?

SAM: 04:27
So, yeah, so um each block I we stay there. Yep. Uh overnight. Um, he's been uh Cam has put us up in a hostel all together, um, which is really cool. And which it's actually a funny story. Um, it's right next to the Novatel. Okay. And um so Jess and I, because it's it's like male and female dorms. Yeah, yeah. Um when Jess had to shoot, uh, which was a lot of the time, yeah, um me and her would be in like a double room, yeah. Just so she wasn't with random people.

MAX: 04:60
Yeah. Um it's nice, and if you've got an opportunity to be a bit more comfortable, yeah, why not? Because it's not often you get to work together.

SAM: 05:05
Exactly. And and so we arrive, and the guy's like, uh, you guys are in room two this time, we're usually in room four. And he's like, It's got the best view in the hostel. And we walk up and we look out the window, it's the Novotel. Best of view, what we could have had.

MAX: 05:21
It's like that's the next budget, hopefully.

SAM: 05:23
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so the first shoot was a night shoot, it was the the party scenes, and they'd go till like 1 a.m., yeah, 2 a.m. Yeah. Most nights.

MAX: 05:32
They're hard to film the party scenes, I find, because I mean, you obviously you you can't have the music going because you need dialogue, and you've got to have everyone sort of moving and mingling together. Yeah. And when it's a limited budget, you want to get the shot where there's lots of people mingling, but you can't keep using the same people.

SAM: 05:51
Yeah, well, I mean, he had 40 extras. Uh-oh. So he was able to mix and mix people around. And and like um because it's a party in a house, you're gonna have the same people around. You just can't, if you switch between two shots, in the back. Yeah, exactly.

MAX: 06:08
Yeah, with the with the lighting setups um for the shots, I think they sort of take the longest, if I'm right, for those sorts of because you've got to be able to make sure you've got everything organized, like foreground.

SAM: 06:21
Definitely background I think lighting for people who who don't really work within the industry, even people, some people who do, I guess, like don't realise how important lighting is. Yeah. Like I know that when I started out just shooting my own films at home, which I was very young, but like lighting can make or break your shot. Absolutely. It can look amateur or professional just from moving one light, you know.

MAX: 06:43
And this is before colour grading, so not to be confused with doing something in post to make it look uh different. The best quality in um and the best lit scene in is gonna give you even more options when it comes to colour grading. But then but yeah, I mean, you know, what's the focus of that frame? Is it everything in the foreground or is this a mix, or you know, is it just one particular subject, one particular person in the foreground? Then how you light that is gonna really and I guess the reason I bring it up is because you haven't got a huge budget, you've got lots of people in a small space, you've got um, you know, uh a bit of equipment lying around and stuff like it's just it's gonna be hard to physically take the time to to light certain things. Exactly.

SAM: 07:32
And I mean these guys, the Tommy Rock productions, they're yeah, awesome and they're they're professional, and yeah, um, they they get their shots done and change shots very quickly, right? Which is really cool, and they have quite a small team as well. So okay, so they're used to working together and then oh yeah, I mean if you can get a crew that have that work together all the time, yeah, you're you're perfect. It's great, isn't it?

MAX: 07:58
Because it it's it's amazing how much time you can save, which is so important for uh when you've got a small budget, um, just by having the right um crew that are that really know what they're doing and they've worked together before. Definitely. Because bringing together lots of people with limited experience, as you generally are, sometimes when you've got a smaller budget, it just takes so much longer to get stuff done.

SAM: 08:19
And also, once you've got people who've worked together, you understand how everyone else thinks and everyone else's personalities. I've been on sets where where people are gnashing heads because one person will say one thing and the other person will be like, no, no, I think it would be better like this.

MAX: 08:31
It's like it's funny, isn't it? Because you you you all want the same outcome, right? The best work that represents all the work you've done. Um, but just when you've got a group of people together, you get different personalities in the mix, you're absolutely spot on.

SAM: 08:42
And definitely, like, if you think like a hundred percent. So so Joel, who is our like lead cinematographer, right? Um who who owns Tommy Rock, yeah, um he'll suggest something to Cam, um, like a shot or we should do it like this. Yeah, and Cam will be like, great, and that's a that's awesome because Cam's a flexible director and an awesome director.

MAX: 09:03
It's good because that shows I mean you trust your city and and and and and to get and and it might be look, let's experiment, let's have a let's try it. If it doesn't work, then we can go back to what we've planned, at least we've got a plan.

SAM: 09:15
Definitely. And then you also need that balance of if the director's like, let's do it like this, yeah, and you think, yeah, oh yeah, okay, that could work. Don't waste time by trying to, you know. And that's just comes with experience and professionalism, I guess, as well, right?

MAX: 09:29
In relation to your role, did you have time to rehearse together or in different scenes and actually block them out?

SAM: 09:35
Yeah, so so Cameron wants us, always wants us to come up a day earlier. Right.

MAX: 09:40
Um and it's really lovely, like with such a so the way they've planned it, you've got certain scenes shot, you know, next week, and you're in a couple of them, so you're all instead of rehearsing like the week before everything, you go through everything. Yeah, they uh be in pre-production, he'll get you up just before the scene's shot the week the day before and go through it and then.

SAM: 10:04
So pretty much pretty much on such a low budget as well, um, and able to get so close with like everyone in the cast. Yeah. So we go we go to Cam's house for dinner every night when we're up there, which is really, really awesome and lovely of his parents. Yeah. Um, but so every night we'll rehearse the scenes the next day before. Okay. Very briefly, and it will be quite late in the night. It'll be after dinner, we've drunk a bit, yeah, yeah, and we'll rehearse the scenes. And um, it's kind of like a little bit blocked out, but mostly running through the lines. Right. Um, and then we get on set and Cam will just run through it real quick, and then we'll do it. And and it seems to be working really well. Okay. Um and but that's good.

MAX: 10:43
Is the is the cinematographer there as well when you're doing that blocking?

SAM: 10:47
Um sometimes he Here's the cool thing. So, yeah, with a lot of projects that I've been on, and I'm sure you've been on, um you have kind of like a whole rehearsal for a few days or once a week leading up to the shoot, and the cinematographer is there because he's or he or she is learning um where the director wants the shot from what angle. Um I don't actually know if Cam and Joel did that ages ago. Um but he's not always there, and he's definitely he's actually not really in the rehearsal area. Okay. Um, but when we get on set, Cam Cam seems like he's a very organized person, so he's got his shot list down, he's got all everything he wants, and I think he explains to Joel beforehand. Yeah, yeah. And because Joel's also so professional, they just jump straight into it and it's and that he know he knows they know what each other wants. That's great.

MAX: 11:37
It sounds like the right sort of balance but in pre-production versus um you know taking the time to block and and and that you know during production because it's a it's a different shoot, isn't it? Like normally you'd have a few a few weeks pre-production, yeah. You'd have you that's it, you've got back-to-back shooting, yeah. Um, and then post-production, whereas you sort of it's broken up a bit more into into blocks as you.

SAM: 12:00
Which I think is why it seems to be working like this. Because most of the time on set, he'll Cam will just be like, Alright, so we've got we've got two more, we've got a wide here, and then these two, close up that one, close up on that one. And Joel will know exactly what he wants.

MAX: 12:13
That's great.

SAM: 12:14
Jump into it, and yeah, all he'll ask is like, guys, be in your first position, be in your last position.

MAX: 12:19
It's just a weird way of doing it, whereas it like it could be even more expensive if if if the larger budgets are done that way, but because you have to work around the smaller budget availability, etc., yeah, doing it in blocks has sort of made it work.

SAM: 12:32
100%. And I also think at times that can help with acting because you do want it to seem reasonably fresh, you don't want to over-rehearse as well.

MAX: 12:42
Yeah, I know I'm a bandit for making lots of notes on the script during rehearsals and and blocking notes. Yeah. And then also contradicting myself many times over in those notes and making them absolutely degrees of eligibility.

SAM: 12:57
Yeah. I mean, you want it to look natural and and uh what's the word?

MAX: 13:02
Well, uh yeah, I know it's that balance between Fred, calm down. It's that balance between not making it look too rehearsed, but also rehearsing enough so that you know the blocking, you know your lines, you're off book, everything else, so that you can relax enough in the moment to to be fresh and to react.

SAM: 13:22
Fred, relax, champ. You might even work hard and get it. 100%. And I think that as an actor, it's your job to also know your shit before you get on set. Exactly because most of the time on set the rehearsal's for the crew. Yeah. You know, and I think that's yeah, that's really important. And then you run it a bit with your fellow cast members and stuff, you know? Yeah. Um, but yeah, it's been an awesome experience. Very different one because I like I've said before, it's my first feature film.

MAX: 13:47
Yeah, yeah. Um So what's happening with Not Today?

SAM: 13:49
Not today has says I think I spoke about it, has gotten into an indie short film festival in Cairns. Cairns, Cannes. Um and it's being streamed right now until the 28th. Okay. So we're we're I think we're in for like best foreign film. I think that's what we're in for. So that's very exciting. And that's yeah, the world premiere in Europe. That's pretty awesome. That's great. Um so hopefully it goes other places. He's applied for others, but we're not gonna hear that for a little bit.

MAX: 14:15
All those festivals are important for exposure, it's great. Yeah, some are better than others. I know that there's just so many and and to pay to go into so like it just you can look, you can spend too much time and too much money sometimes on just trying to navigate that route. It's great to have someone to lean on who's experienced and knows which are the right ones and you know what they're looking for. 100% um to be able to to and the technical requirements too. Um to to be able to navigate that because you can waste so much time and money otherwise. But um but yeah, no, the right ones, absolutely great for exposure for everyone involved.

SAM: 14:55
And um yeah, I've started uh also uh I created a uh crew CV almost. Um so I have a friend who's kind of doing a lot in the industry now. She's um oh she's just gonna working on quite big films, like as a crew member, you know. Uh like talent driver or covert uh officer or whatever. So through her, she's helped me develop this CV and now I'm on there's like a crew Australia needs a crew professionals or whatever on Facebook. Right. So applying for heaps of those and they pop up every day. Yeah. And if I can jump from crew role to crew role while also auditioning, you know, obviously being an actor, that will help me get out of hospitality. Indeed.

MAX: 15:31
And then your you know, your survival job can be closely related to what you're doing, and and you know, more experience behind the sets can help you in front of the camera.

SAM: 15:39
100% and connections as well.

MAX: 15:40
Yeah, that no, that's great. That's great.

SAM: 15:42
What have you been up to? Enough about me for 17 minutes.

MAX: 15:46
Tomorrow, tomorrow is uh opening night for Lipstick, and it's a short run, uh, four nights, uh building up to it for quite some time because of the COVID. Uh, been sitting on the script for a while, and there's four plays in the festival that's no intermission festival, so all one act plays. Uh, two were last week um and had um great reviews, was good, were well received. Uh, and then this week, but and the way it's structured, like for example, tomorrow the call time for me I think is something uh quarter to seven or something, I think. I can't remember now. I better check because that's kind of important. But basically, uh, we're on first, and then there's a short changeover, and then the next play's on. Oh, yeah. So literally, we've all got assigned roles, and then we jump in from both you know uh both crew and cast to to change over the set. Okay, uh, and dress the set, and then it's ready for the next play. Because oh well, I mean it'd be nice to have more time because you know what it's involved, it's involved enough with one play rhyme. Um, but when you've got two in a short period of time, uh one night, yeah, you've got two plays that are very different with the very different sets. Yeah, it's a lot of pressure on a time when you probably want to spend more time, you know, as a as a as a cast, warming up together. Yeah. Um, you know, walking around the space, maybe sometimes you want to feel more comfortable in the space, your set's fine, double check, you've got everything in the right area backstage, you know. I've got a couple of costume changes through different doors. So are the is everything in the right spot? You know, take a deep breath and then lights, lights go down. Like, you know what I mean? But it's not, it's full on this one, yeah. The thing is, I I we did a dress run, uh full dress and tech run uh for the benefit of uh of lighting um and sound on Sunday. So we're doing it as though it's a real thing. I've got my hair and makeup of it. Do you feel ready? Yep, yeah, absolutely. Oh, good. And um, but what's interesting on so many different points, like first of all, to to run through that, there was a bit of chaos involved, and we're behind bumping days always, you know, it's never on time. And bear in mind we're bumping in two plays. Yeah. Um and then and then so um, and for bump in day, for those that aren't familiar, like you know, you you basically you've got um you get together, we might do a speed run together, just lines, the cast, uh some further notes from the director, maybe. We've got one co-director as well, one assistant director as well as one director. Uh we might get some notes to the producers, but generally they're flat chat. Uh, then we've got a Q2Q where we'll we'll stand in the space and literally you just keep your mouth shut and you're moved around like a prop as uh lights and sound go through their moments of okay, when Max says this, the lights do this and the sound does that, you know.

SAM: 18:47
Yeah, and they just need you for reference and colour and everything.

MAX: 18:49
Exactly. So and that that could take a bit of time, but it's the most stressful part. Yeah, for other people. For me, it's okay. I just like do it on top of the tall, you know. Exactly, exactly. And that's the other interesting uh what's up well so I guess with the chaos that's going on bumping in two plays, and but you're only in one, right? There's other people on the there's chaos going on, and uh, and although you might have to do things for your play, you can't because things are happening for the other. So, like, you know, yeah, there's only one sound booth, you know, there's only one set of lights, like you know, it can't so there's there is chaos, but because the play is a farce, it's a comedy farce, there the chaos like you know you've got this energy on the stage and it's just constantly bouncing around, it works for the so yeah, it complements the fact that we're about to then do a tech run for a comedy farce, so it's like that's okay for for and for me, uh you know, my character, uh the first part of the way he's introduced into the play is more subdued. Then my energy goes up. So my warm-up is mainly voice and just a little bit of physical stretch, that sort of thing, just to be present and relax and be in the moment. And that's it. I don't go and hype myself up and we're doing all these because there's so many different exercises, and it's been great to learn different people's favorites in rehearsals, because my energy doesn't start there, my energy is rather subdued, and I find it easier to ramp up than to ramp down, so to speak. So while in between my my first and second cues to go on, I'm then warming up to the point where my heart's beating. I'm oh my god, moment for my character.

Speaker 4: 20:39
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

MAX: 20:40
Holy, oh my god, oh my god, and then the energy is up, and then my character also in the last half of the play goes through a shift where he becomes a very different character.

Speaker 5: 20:49
Oh, okay.

MAX: 20:50
From less reserved, more flamboyant, more over the top, and so there's another energy shift in amongst all of the chaos that's on stage with um the seven of us. It's just like it's hectic.

SAM: 21:02
Is this your second theatre show?

MAX: 21:04
Uh third, and but first with an independent theatre production company, which is great, so it sort of steps it up a notch.

SAM: 21:09
What were the other ones again?

MAX: 21:10
Um, I did with Sharkbite Theatre a play about Australian uh Australian farmer. Um a play with songs that was look more independent, but I'd say more community theatre to independent um with sharkbite theatre, and then prior to that was community theatre um uh doing um oh my god, I was Felix in The Odd Couple. No.

SAM: 21:38
Eight, I'm here.

MAX: 21:39
Uh Felix in The Odd Couple. So um it's great to step it up a notch and and really with the talent involved, you know, I uh it's great because I'm learning from that. Plus, I get to do an original work, uh, hasn't been done in Australia before, and it's a comedy and I love it, and the character is just so much fun. Like I said, it's like playing two different characters. Yeah, cool. So it's really great. But what's interesting is just watching everyone else change as they get closer to everyone other castmates uh adapt as it gets closer and closer to Tech Run and through Tech Run and how the nerves everybody it's just it's really interesting. I guess with experience, with life experience, and the rest of it, and certainly in 20 years of sales, you know, negotiations and professional sales management. Oh my god, in the corporate world, um I'm pretty comfortable in a room full of terrorists. I could sit there and sip tea and with a low heart rate, you know. But uh but I so I'm kind of going into it, I know what to expect. Yeah, bump in day, be there at my call time and just ride off the rest of the day and just be ready to help where it can. Yeah. And that's great. Nice. I'll learn stuff, get some coffee, get some food. You know what I mean? Like, but if you go in going, this is the schedule, we need to stick to the schedule. I'm gonna, oh, I have to do that, I have to warm up before I do the like you just no, because nothing goes to plan. Yeah, you have to be able to be flexible. Yeah, and as much as I like to be organized, you know that, Sammy, I like to be organized, but but um you just be organized to the point where you can let go. Yeah. And then I'm able to like I've found myself as a carpenter fixing door doors to a frame and also you know what I mean? Like, and it was okay.

SAM: 23:15
Be organized to not be organized.

MAX: 23:17
Exactly, be organized to the point where you can just let go and do whatever you need to do, knowing that you can do the Q2Q, you can have your warm-up, you can interact, you can be the ear to others that need to talk to you about what they're what's troubling at the moment, whether it be related to the performance or not, and then of course have a great run um with some great feedback. And we and the benefit of having two players, they were the audience for us, and we were the audience for them. Yep. So that helped because we really weren't sure where the laughs are gonna be, and I guess it can be different each night too.

SAM: 23:46
Um sometimes they're in spots you wouldn't even expect.

MAX: 23:48
Exactly, exactly. But it's gonna be fun. We're gonna have fun with that. So, and I can't wait now once once this week's out, so next week, I'll oh you know what? I might wait until you're back so I can tell you all about and get your reaction to all about the character and the play and what happens in it.

SAM: 24:02
How many uh audience members does it?

MAX: 24:05
Uh we're performing to 50 because it's the Chippen Street Theatre, which is a great space. It's where they it's actually a school uh during the during the week, uh theatre school. But um we've got it for four nights this week. Uh 50 is the maximum capacity, not the th through COVID, um, fire safety. Just just that's how many you can fit in. Yep, how many bumps on seats? Can't push more people. Interesting spanner in the works, or opportunity, I thought, was up until two weeks ago, we were we were rehearsing and blocking to perform traditionally on a long stage to an audience in front of us. Two weeks ago we found out it's gonna be U-shape. Where you're performing to yeah, and we and the other thing we all we knew was, and bear in mind we've rehearsed in my dining room, we've we're a few weeks, we've rehearsed in someone's lounge room, like the spaces have been quite constrained. So to do um a full tech run in the space and find out just how many steps it is to get from one door to the other, and like that was really um it was challenging for some for me. Just being over the top and running in and you know, my character, my character moments weren't triggered by those sorts of blocking technicalities. So it just gave me more room to play.

SAM: 25:19
Did you um have you done a dress rehearsal yet?

MAX: 25:23
That was it. That was the well oh it was mix of everything. Oh, it's absolutely so it was everything because we did a bit of we did a bit of dress on the Friday night. So we had rehearsals as normal Thursday. Friday we did a bit more of a dress. I like 'cause my character's a handyman. So I've got this full size tool belt and I've packed it with not your traditional tools because this guy I I started to think like that. Like this guy's got more traditional. No, he's not a handyman. It's he's he's just trying to be as handy, but he's really more time cleaning up. So I've got a I I practiced, I did that dress on Thursday and Friday with the tool belt so I can still be physical in what I needed to be. Okay. Uh Friday was more dressed for me on two fronts. I'm supposed to wear a moustache that I can't glue on because I have to my character removes it.

SAM: 26:21
Oh no. So you just grow one.

MAX: 26:23
Shave it really quickly. No.

SAM: 26:25
And then grow it again the next night.

MAX: 26:26
Definitely, definitely, no, no. Uh CGI doesn't work in theatre.

SAM: 26:31
CGI doesn't work in theatre. Just a projection.

MAX: 26:35
We could feed them all liquor and just tell them no.

SAM: 26:38
So projection that follows your top lip around the whole time.

MAX: 26:41
So I couldn't basically um glue it. I had to, I had to, and so I've got to know how to put the tape on and how to use what sort of tape, how much of it, because it's got to stay on when I'm being physical, but then I've got to be able to rip it off. Exactly. So that was that was what that was what Friday was. I know, right, things you got to do as an actor. Yep. So it was the tool belt and the moustache that got the workout on the Friday for me. Um, and one of the costume changes, which is pretty full on. Um, so in terms of the time it takes, but the time I don't have to change as I come back through the door to get to my queue. So, oh hectic. So um that that got I had plenty I the reason I did that there um last week is because uh it gives me some time if it doesn't work to to fix it and try a few different things. Yep. Um and then so so I could move into the dress and tech running that last on Sunday comfortably, knowing that all my choices are gonna be okay, and let's just come in and go for it.

Speaker: 27:38
Nice.

MAX: 27:39
Friday was a bit rough and tumble. Um there were bits like I'm sitting there, right? And I'm waiting for my first queue. And it was a theatre space we had at uh because a fr uh there were a couple of graduates from AFTT who were able to secure a room there to rehearse. They also have a theatre, and the theatre was available, and we checked, and yeah, we could rehearse that space. So great, more room. Um, and I wanted to, in my mind, do it as though there's an audience there, so I'm behind stage. So I'm backstage and I'm listening, and they went off script and then went back to script, but at a time when my second cue to come in.

SAM: 28:18
Weird.

MAX: 28:18
So yeah, look, it happens because basically it's it's fast paced, it's fast, it's comedy. And they got a bit flustered, and then it happened, and I'm listening to my second queue, but I haven't even come in for my first. And one is very crucially leading to the other, because I've got to be introduced to the front door, for example, and then come running out of the bathroom door as my second. So, you know, it'd be funny if it just so Max in my mind just went there, they're not gonna go back to that and redo that. So when it came to my first queue, rocked and rolled, and then first queue, oh yeah, and then second queue knowing it wasn't coming, I just had to sort of squeeze through just a random walkthrough to get to the third queue, which was on stage. Yep. So the feedback afterwards, and there was a well, there was a couple that missed cues altogether, and like it was just it was really rough.

SAM: 29:09
Yeah. I mean, usually that's quite stressful, obviously, but I think like that's also the fun part of things. Exactly. Exactly. Trying to figure out explanations that arise.

MAX: 29:18
Exactly. And I think with different levels of experience, some were more surprised by how off it felt, yeah, and immediately went to oh my god, there are dire consequences for how next week's gonna go. And like before we'd walked out the front door and got notes, yeah. We were all I was already listening to conversations like, oh my god, we so desperately need that Tuesday rehearsal before Wednesday, and we needed the we needed that. And I'm just like, you know, I I'm one one lent on me quite a bit for for nerves, and I'm sort of sent a message going, Look, it's there were some great bits that I'm gonna I hadn't made those choices before, I'm gonna use. Yeah. Because you're you know, it freed us up, we could have have a play. There were some that felt off, but I feel like it'll all come together for Sunday. Yeah, or sure enough. Exactly, and and so some just weren't quite that experienced. Literally the week out it's oh my god, yeah, it's gonna bomb, you know, oh my god, oh my god, what are we gonna do? We're gonna have to choose and I'm in my mind thinking, oh now I'm gonna have to go to a full run on Tuesday before I have to commit to four runs in a row. Uh and and we're gonna have to do Monday, and I can't do Monday because I've got this meeting. I'm like, oh my god, yeah. So in my mind, I had a little bit of chaos from the aircraft, but I'm like, you know, no, no worry. And sure enough, Sunday, everything came together, yeah, and it worked seamlessly. Always every show of the week is a good thing.

SAM: 30:35
Even if it's not gonna work.

MAX: 30:37
We're still we're still juggling messages, like, oh, do we catch up on the Tuesday or should we catch up earlier? As in today? Today, and still like, oh, maybe we should catch up earlier the night of to do a warm-up. So can you imagine this, right? Going somewhere to do it the warm-up, then you get in your car and you drive to a theater, and then you're like, no. You need that. So I'm basically I'm off that day up to call time, I can't do it. As it happens, I've got voiceovers that need to be in the studio full because it's a directed session, which is where I do my voiceover and someone's watching me like Vice Sky. What's that for? Uh corporate gig. Nice. So that way they can you know give me feedback live and I can record it, send it away.

Speaker 5: 31:15
Nice.

MAX: 31:16
So I need to be there at that time, you know. Sometimes voiceovers, well not most of the time, you know, you can do it for the state. It's also paid, but I have to do it. So anyway, other times you you know, there's rare times you've actually got to be in the studio a certain time. Uh and they're overseas, so even more particular. So that aside, I'm not gonna be there. And I don't, you know, and I and and again, like my character isn't bouncing around with a huge ball of energy to start with either. Yeah. So I'm comfortable to do my vocal warm-ups, to do my warm-up in my time.

Speaker 4: 31:49
Yep.

MAX: 31:50
Again, I'm comfortable to lend myself to the cast for the greater good, to let's do a group. If that's what you guys all want me to do, I will do that.

Speaker 4: 31:60
Yeah.

MAX: 32:00
But it'll be from the call time. And remembering that there's two plays every night, so you don't have a lot of time to do that sort of stuff as well. So I think we're set up now for success where those that want to do a warm-up before together, whatever over pizza and beer or whatever, can do that and then turn up and be ready to go. But I'm comfortable with what I've got. It's just funny, different different people, different levels of experience, different types of meltdowns. I think yeah, some Sunday saw a bit of that, almost some tears. Someone had to walk away from stage at once to have a little scream outside and come back and you know it's just I think some group stuff's good.

SAM: 32:38
Like, I always feel that like do it. Um, but then a lot of the time you need your own kind of warm-up in your own head.

Speaker: 32:45
Yeah.

SAM: 32:45
I mean, get it's good to get out of your head to do group stuff, but just be ready and focused.

MAX: 32:50
Exactly, and do what you need to do because you're the one that stands there. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 32:54
You're the one that you can't. You're the one being stared at.

MAX: 32:57
So it's so it's it's been an interesting ride. It's been great fun. I'm lucky to have a good cast, um, great directors and and the producers who have stuck by it through the play. I mean to have over a year now, right? Yeah. So four four plays to organise that are performed within two weeks during during a play and all sold out. Same directors, same producers.

SAM: 33:19
Oh my god.

MAX: 33:20
Same producers, and and each producer is also directing one of the plays, then there are other uh directors. So it's like it's like it's a lot, right? That is a lot for independent theatre. Like, kudos to them. I can't believe I said I don't think I've said enough. Kudos to them, because yeah, four plays within two weeks and all sold out. Like it's it's a brilliant story. But a lot of hard work to get there.

Speaker 2: 33:41
100%.

MAX: 33:42
So, not next week. Next week will be another update, but the week after, um, I'll let you guys know how it went the ups, the downs, the coulda beans, the shoulda beens, the amazingness, the rounds, the rounds, and uh I'll tell you about um my character Hank. Yes. Fun times. Until then, I think that's all we've got time for. That's all we got time for. So make sure you like, subscribe, uh on your favorite podcast platform. Don't forget our YouTube channel, and we'll you'll hear us next week. Bye. See ya.