Superstition

Fri, 1 May 2009, 05:44 pm

Lee Daniels35 posts in thread

Why shouldn't you whistle backstage? Where did this come from?

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Lee DanielsFri, 1 May 2009, 05:44 pm

Why shouldn't you whistle backstage? Where did this come from?

LabrugFri, 1 May 2009, 08:03 pm

Threat of Violence

It might irritate the Stage Manager. You don't want one of them coming down on you for making any noise back-stage. I know.

Otherwise, I haven't a clue. Never heard of that one myself ... honest.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

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NaFri, 1 May 2009, 08:17 pm

Uh... no it has nothing to

Uh... no it has nothing to do with SMs. It has to do with the fact that the riggers and flyers who operated the flies and ropes would use a system of whistles to cue each other and let each other know what to fly out and what to fly in. If you whistle the wrong thing, it might cue one of them to accidentally drop a sandbag, set piece, backdrop, or other such item onto someone's head. (I thought this was common knowledge... apparently not :)) Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne

LabrugFri, 1 May 2009, 08:33 pm

Contact

;-) Heck, I'm not a techy person. Give me a roll of Gaffa tape and I'll give you a hairless actor after a brilliant display of poor coordination and tape control!

Personally, I thought my SM thing was quite good. I've known a few SMs who would probably drop a fly-in just to shut you up - "NO NOISE BACK STAGE!"

Anyway, I'll get back in my box now. LOL

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

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Lisa SkrypFri, 1 May 2009, 09:41 pm

OK then , smarties, what about "chookas"?

I get it equates to "merde" or "break a leg", but where did that one come from???

LabrugFri, 1 May 2009, 10:12 pm

That I do know

According to my unerstanding, "Chookas" was the promise made by the "Company Director" of touring theatre groups in the days of Shakespeare (and before) that if the season went well, the cast would be able to share in a roast Chook. In otherwords, make enough money to buy your next meal.

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

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NaFri, 1 May 2009, 10:39 pm

I quite agree, I've often

:) I quite agree, I've often wanted to bash actors over the head for not being quiet. (Love the gaffa joke!) Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne

NaFri, 1 May 2009, 10:40 pm

Chookas

I think we have an FAQ article on that... And I know for a fact we've discussed it many times before in random threads over the years Puppets and patterns at Puppets in Melbourne

Tim ProsserSat, 2 May 2009, 01:08 am

Ah, phooey to superstition!

Ah, phooey to superstition! Whistling is a dying art and I do my best to keep it alive by happily whistling away the hours while painting sets. I also walk under ladders and I always say 'Macbeth' three times before going on stage to perform. Well alright, perhaps not ALWAYS because sometimes I forget. I don't believe in fairies or Father Christmas either . . . what a bad man I am, eh? Per Ardua Ad Astra

GarrethSat, 2 May 2009, 03:10 am

Theatre is so full of

Theatre is so full of tradition mainly because during the 1800's the theatre's were "crewed" by sailors who were on leave or had left the service. This is why so many of the words in a modern theatre are nautical terms: Crew Rig/Rigging Fly/Flies Cat walk To name a few. The whistling comes from this tradition as well. We say "break a leg" because it is bad luck to say "good luck". God only knows where chooka's came from, I have my doubts about the above Elizabethan explanation. I will say that as far as I'm aware its exclusive to Australia. I am whole heartedly behind keeping theatrical traditions. I don't say the name of "The Scottish Play" while i'm in production or in a theatre. Not because I am terrified of the Theatre Gods throwing a curse down upon me but because I respect those who have come before me and their traditions. There is something immensley childish about saying the name of "Macbeth" in a theatre. If you're talking about the play and you forget or you don't know about the tradition then that's fair but why would I deliberately go our of my way to upset people who believe in that tradition, especially considering that if they do they are likely to subconciously sabotage their own performance? It's unsupportive and childish. I also, being the spiritual man that I am, do not believe in tempting the Gods. I believe in keeping tradition alive because it's what connects us with those who have come before us. If we kill our traditions then we kill all those who have ever come before us and we are spiritually, physically and mentally a culmination of all our ancestors. You might not like the tradition but I suggest if it has been around so long that it has become tradition then even if you must break it, break it with the respect it deserves. Not some petulant desire to show how unafraid you are. All it does do is let us know how afraid you really are. Oh and Tim if I were you I'd start believing in Faeries lest your possesions start going walkabout. It's a dangerous thing to say you don't believe in something you know nothing about ;)

Tim ProsserSat, 2 May 2009, 12:40 pm

Oh, how wonderful . . . I

Oh, how wonderful . . . I just KNEW someone was going to take me seriously! I may scoff at superstition, but I do respect tradition and of course I don't go out of my way to defy it and be unsupportive of my fellow cast members and the production as a whole. I was joking, don't you know?. It is because I respect tradition that you will never hear me say 'chookas', for instance. I have no idea where that came from, but it's a recent abomination that I want no part of. I still don't believe in fairies or Father Christmas though! Per Ardua Ad Astra

LabrugSat, 2 May 2009, 01:27 pm

I found this...

Legend has it that the word Chookas derives from the complete term ‘Tio Tio Tio Chookasi’ loosely meaning ‘With hear & sole. May you always play to a full house’. Chookasi was derived during the days of the ‘Halls’. At a time when it was considered a delicacy to have a meal of chook and it could cost almost a good weeks pay, unless you were lucky enough to be in digs that had them in the back yard. SOURCE

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

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LabrugSat, 2 May 2009, 01:33 pm

My self-correction

I appear to be wrong on one point - Where it comes from. Most sources say it is Australian in Origin, yet they all have the Chicken theme in common.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24675762-5003424,00.html

From Wiki... "In Australia, the term "chookas" can be used instead. According to one oral tradition, one of the performers would check audience numbers. If there were not many in the seats, the performers would have bread to eat following the performance. If the theatre was full they could then have "chooks" - Australian slang for chicken - for dinner. Therefore, if it was a full house, the performer would call out "Chookas!" It is now used by performers prior to a show regardless of the number of patrons; and may be a wish for a successful turnout." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break_a_leg

Absit invidia (and DFT :nono:)

Jeff Watkins

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FrellisSat, 2 May 2009, 01:45 pm

Indoor Umbrellas

In the production I'm doing at the mo (We Happy Few... Come and see it!) we had to open umbrellas at the end and one of my fellow cast members tried to get out of it. We consoled her saying that she wasn't opening an umbrella inside because she was in character and at that point in the play the character is on a beach. Teehee. Good times! "I have two giraffes... the State requires me to learn the Harmonica..."

devils advocateSat, 2 May 2009, 06:51 pm

isn't whistling the most

isn't whistling the most inane self gratifying puke? Unless you are in a male changing room!

LogosSun, 3 May 2009, 11:06 am

You don't believe in Father Christmas Tim, well, I need to have a talk with you. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

devils advocateSun, 3 May 2009, 11:49 am

why is the above comment

why is the above comment moderated? did i offend whistlers? if so i am truly sorry, i didn't realise people were so sensetive, but lookibg back i can see why some whistling fanatics may take humbridge. please 'roger whiticker' accept my deepest appologies.

jeffhansenSun, 3 May 2009, 08:16 pm

What's a

What's a humbridge? www.meltheco.org.au

NormaSun, 3 May 2009, 08:40 pm

What's a?

A Bridge over Troubled Waters maybe???

devils advocateSun, 3 May 2009, 08:49 pm

a bridge that

a bridge that smells...why?

Robert WhyteMon, 4 May 2009, 06:13 pm

dickhead

Walter PlingeMon, 4 May 2009, 10:48 pm

oh and here's me thinking

oh and here's me thinking that we got rid of devils advocate... what a shame he has returned

Freddie BadgeryTue, 5 May 2009, 12:40 am

Ssh!

-Stage Whisper- If you say his name, he'll appear! freddie the rocking jedi badger

GarrethTue, 5 May 2009, 01:04 am

Santa?

Robert WhyteTue, 5 May 2009, 03:53 am

Grahame Saunders

devils advocateTue, 5 May 2009, 07:35 am

robert, why call me a

robert, why call me a dickhead...thats not nice is it? a wise man once told me that those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I think this could be true in your case...you see when you have a bright pink, hot sweaty pig face, you shouldnt go around saying nasty things. My friends I wish you all the best...adieu

PHILLIP MACKENZIEThu, 7 May 2009, 01:40 pm

WHISTLING, TRADITION AND SUPERSTITION

I am at one with Gareth who, on 02/05, put a case for respecting tradition â€“ or was it superstition? I prefer the former, as superstition is just silly. Observing traditions can be constructive â€“ and fun. My first anti-whistling experience occurred more than 40 years ago in the dressing room of the original Dolphin shed, when I was roundly censured by a very senior lady in Perth theatre circles at the time, for whstling while frocking-up. In order to placate her I was required to step outside, bow to the moon and turn around three times. (That there was no moon on that night meant nothing to her.) Having performed this exorcism,I was allowed back into the dressing room. This experience scarred my mind and, having subsequently discovered that whistling is well-known to be the favoured manner of communication between Satan and his minions, to this day I will make similar demands on whistlers that continue the occult practice in my dressing room. FLIPMAC

JoeMcThu, 14 May 2009, 12:09 pm

I think the whistling bit

I think the whistling bit is a throw back from the sailing superstition of ''Whistling up a wind"

Which in the 1800's & earlier would have been a problem with open air venues. It was not untill Inigo Jones used the Roman 'Theatro' Prosceneium arch & roofed over the Phoenix theatre [on the burntout site of the 'COCKPIT' THEATRE London] later on' that FLY LOFTS CAME INTO VOGUE IN pohmy THEATRES . that Fly Lofts came into vogue WHERE WHISTLING COULD BE A PROBLEM. pRIOR TO THAT CUE SIGNALLING WAS POSSIBLY DONE BY USING COLOURED FLAGS ECT.

TIO TIO [HEART 'N SOUL] cHOOKAS [may you always play to a full house]

crgwllmsThu, 14 May 2009, 07:53 pm

Very Supersticious

Walking under ladders is not bad luck in a theatre....it has to happen all the time. Likewise, opening an umbrella indoors is not bad luck when it's onstage. Then again, we can't say 'good luck' because it's bad luck.... Everything's obviously arse about. I would have thought whistling backstage was only bad luck in a theatre that has a fly tower. Or lots of dogs. Cheers, Craig ~<8>-/====\---------

TaureanFri, 15 May 2009, 04:39 pm

Not sure......

I am still trying to figure out who "roger whiticker" is.....

Would that be "Whittaker" by any chance?

Not to mention how "sensetive" we theatre folk are.....

"Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London,

I'll show you something to make you change your mind....."

LogosFri, 15 May 2009, 09:33 pm

Excuse Me

Sorry Taurean but wasn't Streets of London Ralph McTell not Roger Whittaker. Although I have also seen it credited erroneously to Christy Moore. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

Lunamynx22Mon, 18 May 2009, 10:48 am

I have only just recently

I have only just recently started working as a sound tech in Perth theatre and on my first show I had to walk backstage to have a small briefing session with the performers before the show. I entered through the door and started to whistle just so they knew it was just me incase they were changing or something. The performer asked me to do exactly the same thing, I had to go backout of the dressing room, turn around three times and, a little different, throw salt over my shoulder before she would let me back in. I'm not really superstitious but if it keeps the peace and my performers at ease, I can oblige.

Rebecca JoTue, 19 May 2009, 12:51 pm

No, it's for fly cues.

TaureanTue, 19 May 2009, 11:04 pm

Clarification

Guess I should have been clearer - I didn't say he wrote it..... but if you want to hear him sing it, try the Googled (in a hurry) U-tube link below. But be warned, it gets stuck in your head - which is how I posted the lyrics in the first place!

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&oi=video_result&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDxlody8is9M&ei=ucYSSo2yAaHksgOfw4n2DQ&usg=AFQjCNFvIXCdvAC_B2QKU48vJuwwW9d3-Q&sig2=03wCsdn7mQ7DWZd0hOVwZw

Added edit: While you are there Tony, here's one just for you... *laffs*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMmSbxB_Sg

Cheers mate,

LogosWed, 20 May 2009, 06:33 am

Thanks

Thanks mate. The Eartha Kitt made my day. I'm going to try and find that and use it as a theme tune. You're right about Streets of London, I've never been able to get it out of my head either. Is that all there is? Well if that's all there is my friend, then let's keep dancing. www.tonymoore.id.au

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