The Progression of Disorder

[Misanthropical]

Now I have an excuse not to clean my house.

Thanks.

I'm with ya! I come from a long line of superstitious people, it goes along with the "gift".

-There is no opening of an umbrella in my house. I don't know if it really brings bad luck, but I would rather not chance it.

-I never put shoes on the bed, it is suppose to bring a death. I know it sounds silly, but deal!

-I never put my purse on the floor. It is suppose to mean the person will go broke.

-None of the beds in my house point directly to the door. That also is bad luck.

-Here is something that my husband of 18 years just found out about me. I sleep with a Bible under my pillow. I am not big on religion, so it's not for religious reasons, it's because I had noticed that my nightmares aren't so sever with it there. I know it could just be a coincidences, but I keep it there anyway.

-Now one from my husband. When we have moved, he will not under any circumstances take the broom from the old house to the new one.

[Jester]

Never say, "Macbeth" in a theatre.

I can appreciate that superstition, but I see a problem with it.

How does an actor avoid saying "Macbeth" or quoting lines from the play if they are actually performing that play in a theater? Kind of a loophole in that superstition, don't ya think?

-Here is something that my husband of 18 years just found out about me. I sleep with a Bible under my pillow.

Okay, not to get too personal, but how does a man who lives and (presumably) sleeps with you for 18 years just NOW find out what you put under your pillow when you sleep? Seriously? I am befuddled.

[technical.angel]

How does an actor avoid saying "Macbeth" or quoting lines from the play if they are actually performing that play in a theater? Kind of a loophole in that superstition, don't ya think?

From what I remember talking to someone who had performed the play, performance was the first time they used the M-word. During practice they would refer to him as something else.

[Jester]

TA, but that leaves at least two questions unanswered.

1. The superstition is that one should not say "Macbeth" in a theater. I did not see it specified that during performances, that was an exception.

2. In the longer explanation of the superstition, it was said that it is also considered bad luck to quote the play inside a theater, especially the witches' scene. HOW does one practice the play in a theater without quoting those lines?!?!?

I don't mean to threadjack, but I am just trying to get my little bitty head around this, as my performance history has been of the radio DJ, club DJ, or magician type.

[technical.angel]

To go any further, you'd need to actually speak with someone who's performed it.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

The only people more superstitious than theater people are sailors.

We did the Scottish Play at Longstreet when I worked there and opening night, a sword shattered and a piece of it drove itself into the the wall surrounding the stage (Longstreet is a Shakesperian theater and as such, round.).

Never say the Emm Word inside a theater.

[AdminAssistant]

How does an actor avoid saying "Macbeth" or quoting lines from the play if they are actually performing that play in a theater? Kind of a loophole in that superstition, don't ya think?

Well, you just have to say it. You have to say, "Macbeth" and you have to do the incantations of the "weird sisters". I've never heard of subbing out another word during rehearsal, that just sounds like a terrible idea to me.

We recently staged Macbeth, and the worst thing that happened was that during programming the light board crashed and the designer had to completely reprogram the entire show. And the majority of the cast was sick during tech week. I don't know anything more specific than that, though, since I wasn't directly involved with the production.

[Ree]

During practice they would refer to him as something else.

I believe they call it, "The Scottish Play"

"Supposedly, saying the name "Macbeth" inside a theater will bring bad luck to the play and anyone acting in it. The only exception is when the word is spoken as a line in the play.
Rumour has it that Shakespeare used genuine rituals to create the first scene of act IV, in which the audience observes the weird sisters dancing, chanting and mixing a peculiar concoction in their cauldron. Some people believe that the real witches of Shakespeare’s time were displeased with the theatrical representation of their rituals and, subsequently, placed a curse on the play.

Another theory asserts that the notion of bad luck in connection with Macbeth developed in theatre companies, because it would often be nominated as a fallback play. In other words, if injury or illness prevented a company from performing their scheduled play, Macbeth would be performed instead. Largely, this was because Macbeth required a smaller cast and, being a short play, there were fewer lines for the actors to memorise.

Additionally, due to its popularity, Macbeth would often be the play performed by struggling theatre companies. Unfortunately, reversing the fortunes of a failing company is a lot to expect from one play, so, inevitably, Macbeth was often the last play performed by many theatre companies. This is also attributed as a root of the belief that Macbeth is a bad luck play."

I don't know, but Mel Gibson did Macbeth and look what kind of crap his life turned into.

[AdminAssistant]

I believe they call it, "The Scottish Play"
[...]
I don't know, but Mel Gibson did Macbeth and look what kind of crap his life turned into.

They do.

He may well have done a stage version I don't know about, but the only Shakespearean film that Gibson has done to my memory is Hamlet. It's actually pretty good; I find his extremely angry Hamlet more interesting than the usual brooding, emo type of performance.

[RayvenQ]

Some of the reasons I can think of a chef having their own knives, might be a preference/loyalty to a certain brand, the feel of the knife, and perhaps, even the edge the knife has on it, achieved by the chef's personal sharpening technique.

Also, I would think that a chef's personal knives could be equated, in a way, to a mechanic's tools. At many auto repair shops, that have more than one mechanic, each mechanic will have their own set of tools. I believe it's often a shop requirement. Again, there's the issue of brand preference, plus, if each mechanic has their own, they are likely to have more respect for them, and less likely to abuse, and/or lose them. So, then the shop isn't having to eat the loss, or try to determine if there was negligence on the part of an employee, (and trying to identify the employee, if "Not Me" broke it.)

That's pretty much it, at least in my part of the UK,having worked as a chef, your knives are your tools, you know them best, you know exactly how they'll behave.

With "general" knives, that everyone uses and everyone sharpens their own way, you'd be suprised how little time it can take for a knife to not even be salvagable even by a whetstone.

Hell, it hurt me to have someone borrow my knife unless i really trusted and liked them and gave the knife to them, having one stolen really hurt emotionally, and with one that gets "borrowed" and then sharpened by someone else and then returned, it was like diagnosing and comforting a small child I've retired quite a few knives because of that, because even if you sharpen them again, the damage has been done and the knife stops acting like you knew it used to, thus making it unpredictable and dangerous, especially mine since all my knives were RAZOR (and I'm not kidding, a scalpel couldn't be sharper)

[Ree]

He may well have done a stage version I don't know about, but the only Shakespearean film that Gibson has done to my memory is Hamlet.

You're correct.
I was leaning towards Hamlet, but a part of me thought it was Macbeth. I wasn't sure, so I made the mistake of googling to be sure and got this reference:
http://www.xomba.com/adaptations_of_macbeth_in_film

Macbeth (Zefirelli) – The famed Zefirelli production starring none other than Mel Gibson, Glen Close, and Helena Bonham-Carter is the most star-studded presentation, with the largest budget and most sprawling of intentions. The film takes a fairly straightforward, albeit grandiose approach to the play that works because of the strength of direction and acting, but fails in some of the Shakespearian conventions it sidesteps. Considered to be the most cinematic production of Shakespeare, while trying to appeal to Hollywood ethos of film making.

(I didn't check it more thoroughly. Sorry. I stand corrected.)

[AdminAssistant]

(I didn't check it more thoroughly. Sorry. I stand corrected.)

It's alright! I actually have that version...good to watch on a rainy night!

[Misanthropical]

Okay, not to get too personal, but how does a man who lives and (presumably) sleeps with you for 18 years just NOW find out what you put under your pillow when you sleep? Seriously? I am befuddled.

Yes, we sleep in the same king sized bed together, but he hates the type of pillow I buy for myself so he doesn't mess with it. I always move the Bible when I wash the sheets and put it back when everything is put back together. He doesn't help strip the bed, but does help put everything back on, so he never saw it because I didn't put the Bible back till he left the room.

As for other pursuits, I have always moved the Bible when he isn't looking before that happens.

The only reason he knows now is because our daughter laid down on my side of the bed to use the phone in our room and she asked about it in front of her father. He was shocked also that he never knew about it.