We’ve had a busy weekend and more to come up until our gig this Saturday. (For more information about our upcoming shows, see this.) This weekend began the first of our full run-throughs of both sets. It went very smoothly, which was great. Always there are fumbles at the beginning–most of it having to do with forgotten lines of lyric or patter. That just means we’ll need a few more rehearsals to smooth it out, but we have them scheduled so it should be great by Saturday. We were able to time out both shows, and we are well within the time limits needed for this gig, which is also nice, so there is some wiggle room to wait for applause and laughter, as well as rest a moment in between songs.
At a first run-through, you finally get to see and hear all of your planned ideas up and on their feet, which is very exciting, and you get to see the flow of the overall show. Pacing is very important. Not only do you have to think about the pace in terms of the experience you want to create for the audience, you have to pace yourself when you are performing a two-hour gig. Having a blend of emotional and light-hearted songs, as well as songs that are in an easy vocal range with those that demand more in terms of breathing and vocal placement helps to give you spots where you can relax a bit. The good news is that laughing is a good vocal tension reliever, and we’ve been doing plenty of that, and hopefully the audience will join us in that on Saturday as well!
McElrath Cabaret Blog 