Backstage at Tuna: Organized chaos firsthand
By Judith Zaccaria
It's almost 7 on Wednesday night and I’m in the dressing room backstage at Horsefeathers & Applesauce. Dan Campbell is dressed as Thurston, one of the announcers for WKKK radio in Tuna, Texas. He's speaking and moving very quietly, focusing, almost as if he's leaving us and going into his role, even as he's finding me a chair and arranging it so I can watch the many costume changes of ‘Greater Tuna.’
Tonight I’ll have the pleasure awaiting Maurine and Les Hogue of Winfield who won a raffle to watch backstage Friday night after having seen the play on June 4.
While Dan gets me settled, Roger Moon is still putting on his makeup and costume for his role as Arles, the other radio announcer.
Roger complains about his ‘chicken lips’ and stares at himself for a moment. I’m looking more dead as the week goes on,’ he says, because at the same time he’s acting in ‘Greater Tuna,’ he’s directing ‘Oklahoma.’
The three dressers come in to check last-minute details. Barbara Hunt is working with Dan, and Mackenzie Brown and Amanda Gawith are working with Roger. Dan does something with the wig attached to Aunt Pearl’s hat, then puts it back on the rack.
Seated just off the backstage area, I can hear noise in the hallway behind me, but its quiet between me and the stage. I’m looking forward to hearing the play while I watch the costume changes. The three women come out of the dressing room with the first changes and take their places.
They move purposefully to already chosen places. The changing is a graceful routine. If a character wears a wig, the dresser puts it on her head. A dress is placed on the floor so it can be stepped into, or the dresser puts her arms into the dress or jacket arms so it will slip right on. If the character wears jewelry, the dresser puts it in her mouth. Shoes and boots are placed in specific spots so the actors can step out of one pair and into the next easily.
Everything offstage as well as onstage has been rehearsed.
Because Roger has many quick costume changes, he comes backstage almost at a run but moving quietly. Onstage we can hear the announcement about the production of ’My Fair Lady’ that will put Tuna on the map while backstage Roger morphs into Didi Snavely. I realize his shirts are kept together with Velcro, and both he and Dan wear parts of more than one costume at a time.
He returns shortly, undressing as he goes, dropping Didi’s clothes so he’s ready for Harold Dean’s poncho and arctics. Barbara comes along and picks up his castoffs.
She’s dressed in black except for her pink fuzzy slippers. She returns wearing the hat and vest of Elmer Watkins, KKK member, and waits for Dan. Meanwhile, Roger is back and changes into Petey Fisk of the humane society.
Mackenzie and Amanda seem to keep stepping on a creaky spot on the floor.
I’m having an in-and-out experience of the play. Bertha Bumiller (Dan) is looking offstage talking to her kids and I’m wondering where they are. Roger goes onstage as Charlene Bumiller, fluffing up his ‘breasts’ as he goes.
Later on Dan removes his Aunt Pearl costume near me and I can see the soft padding that makes up her voluminous bosoms. The costume is fascinating. It looks almost like an apron with the bosom padding attached to the back. There’s no back to the bodice, but Dan wears a jacket to cover it. The two-piece powder blue outfit trimmed with rickrack is delicately feminine and contrasts with Aunt Pearl’s manly shoes.
The feel backstage is exciting and calm at the same time. There’s something somehow sensual about it, too. I guess it’s the ritual of the women first wearing the men’s costumes, then undressing and dressing them. Frankly, I think you have to be outside the action to even think about that. Those involved are too busy with their jobs.
