Lines – Sight or Otherwise

Tips for TBA-ers!
-posted by P.A. Coleman
Overheard at Las Chicas-
“There were some good lines, but sometimes I forgot to look up.”
Thinking about sight lines: Considering Las Chicas Del 3.5 Floppies is like David Mamet, filtered through Telemundo, it may be difficult to follow if you are not fluent in Spanish. Thank goodness, then, for the projected English translation! But here’s a bit of advice- The best seats for this show, located at the Imago theater, are in the upper rows. The translation is projected above the stage. So, the higher you sit, the less you’ll feel like you watching some sort of vertical tennis match. The neck! Protect the neck! It’s the only one you’ll ever have!
In the same vein:
If you have reservations to Map Me (and I really hope you do), keep in mind that the beginning action takes place on the floor, downstage right. That is: close to the front row on the audience’s left hand side. So, best seats to watch the first projections are on the right hand side of the auditorium, closer to the stage. There was a good deal of neck craning at last nights performance and most of the ooh’s and ahh’s came from people on my right, who just happened to be sitting in front of short slouchers. Lucky.
If you don’t get a good spot, your frustration will be temporary, the performers eventually stand and much of the show is very visible to the entire audience.
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Expect lines at some of the smaller venues: Lets face it- there are a bunch of us running hither and yon, breathless both at the prospect of what we might see as well as that five block sprint to get to the door. And sometimes, whether for technical reasons or space limitation, there is a line when we get there. I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done about some of these lines. After all, yesterday was the first full day of performances… A few kinks, including a coffee pot fire in the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, should be expected. After all, as an Oregonian columnist was overheard saying in line last night, “I suppose we have to suffer for the art.” Damn right, if it’s good!