The DivCom

I'm about to reveal many secrets to you, the reader of this blog. The first is that "The DivCom" is actually a code name for Divine Comedy. Are you shocked? One of our former cast members used that code name because she felt self-conscious about telling people she had to go to Divine Comedy practice. I personally think it would've been pretty easy for people to figure out what she was really talking about, especially since anyone she'd be talking to probably already knew she was in Divine Comedy. So now it's just a joke.

Anyway, people often ask me questions about Divine Comedy, like, "Is So-and-so single?" or "What do you do with all the money you make at shows?" (The "you" in that sentence refers to Divine Comedy, not me. I make no money at Divine Comedy shows.) Since tonight we have our first show of the semester, I thought it would be fun to answer some of those questions.

None of the people in Divine Comedy get paid, but a couple of years ago, we started getting class credit for it. Thanks, TMA department! So the money we earn at shows goes, in large part, to paying for the shows. We have to spend a lot of money on advertising (posters, newspaper ads, flyers, etc), and then for the show, we have to pay for all the technical equipment and the people who run it, props, costumes, glowsticks, candy, and the Guest Services staff who sell our tickets and t-shirts.

One year, for our Best Of show, we were in the JSB auditorium, which seats 866 people per show. That's a lot of people, and they all want glowsticks. So the cast member in charge of buying the them decided to make sure people got what they wanted, and he spent $1,000 on glowsticks and glowstick toys. Impressive, eh?

Speaking of glowsticks, inevitably, after every show, audience members complain to us that we never throw any to the *insert section of auditorium here* section. I promise--every section of the auditorium has been mentioned. Just keep trying to catch them, and if you don't, please don't yell me. I don't throw glowsticks to people who yell at me.

All the skits in DC are written by cast members (we also used to have a writer on the crew, but he has since moved on). For the first few weeks before a show, everyone works on writing, and they present their skits to the group and get feedback. Eventually, they decide which skits are going to be in the show, and they start rehearsing. They do this twice a week until the week of a show, when practice is held every night.

On the night of a show, we gather a couple of hours beforehand to eat and run through skits. Fridays are usually more hectic because people are nervous and excited, and by Saturday, everyone's mostly just tired. We always say a prayer before the show and decide who's doing the opening and what they're doing. Once they're ready, the stage manager gives the go for the entry music, and we're off!

Our stage manager chooses carefully the music he plays before shows and between each skit. Pay attention next time you go; often the song that plays at the end of the skit is related somehow. He's on a headset with our props mistress, who is backstage with the cast and tells the stage manager when they're ready to start the next skit. He then stops the music and turns the lights back on. They try to make these in-between periods as short as possible so the audience doesn't have to sit there in the dark, but if there are big costume changes, it can be tricky. Backstage is a pretty crazy place--people running around looking for their missing wigs, waiting for their cues, or putting together glowstick balls.

After the show, we have to pick up all the trash people leave, so please, please, please take your candy wrappers with you. It is awful to have to go row by row, when we're already exhausted from putting on the show, and pick up disgusting half-eaten Laffy Taffies or those dang licorice ropes that people always scream for and then leave behind once they get them. (As a point of interest, we're not allowed to throw out chocolate candy in the JSB auditorium, so don't look for any.) After that's done, the props are all put away and loaded, and the room is back together, we're done. Sometimes we go somewhere as a group to wind down and relax, so it's more than likely that no one gets much sleep on show weekends.

This weekend's show is looking pretty good. I'll let you know how it goes and share any behind-the-scenes tidbits that arise. Wish us luck!