LA Weekly Slideshow of BENEATH THE SURFACE

Here's a shot from the slideshow.

(c) LA Weekly

You can see more here.

Topless Vlog #2

Dead Laura Palmer

Dead Laura rising. Photo by Markus Alias 2012.

How death feels. Photo by Markus Alias 2012.

Here are a couple photos from last night's Peepshow Menagerie.  Thanks to Markus Alias for getting the photos out so quickly.

Holy Shopping, Batman!

At last weekend's cosplay panel at Comikaze, they mentioned the wonders of Burlington Coat Factory for off-the-rack pieces that work really well for costumes.  Mr. Snapper took note of their recommendation and looked it up on Yelp, discovering we have a BCF in Burbank.  When he read one Yelper's review that BCF is what you would expect Nordstrom Rack to be (great stuff for low prices), he decided we should go there instead of Goodwill to start our shopping for Mister Rogers.

I had to find a blouse for my Shari Lewis costume, and I've become a bit of a tightwad.  I found the cream-colored blouse in the photo for a whopping $6.  (I don't anticipate doing this number hundreds of times, so I didn't want to make a huge investment in something I wouldn't wear outside of the show.)  And because I could, I spent $10 on a wonderful melon-colored sweater.

Mr. Snapper found a fantastic, non-wool cardigan for cheap.  He found khaki pants for $15 and a blue shirt for the same.  He also found a wonderful orange Tommy Hilfiger necktie with tiny fishes on it.  (I bought him a yellow Tommy Hilfiger tie with tiny turtles on it a few years ago; they look a bit like paisleys from a distance.)  He also splurged on a $7 bowtie.

I did some browsing and they do have quite a coat selection.  It's like a clean Ross or Marshalls, or like an affordable Nordstrom Rack.  We spent $80 for everything in the photo.

PEEPSHOW MENAGERIE presents BENEATH THE SURFACE

PEEPSHOW MENAGERIE presents BENEATH THE SURFACE

Join us for our 4th annual edition of our strange, dark, funny, beautiful, and mysterious burlesque tribute to director David Lynch featuring performances inspired by his films and TV series including ERASERHEAD, THE ELEPHANT MAN, DUNE, BLUE VELVET, TWIN PEAKS, WILD AT HEART, INLAND EMPIRE, TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME, LOST HIGHWAY, THE STRAIGHT STORY, MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and LADY BLUE SHANGHAI.

This will also be our first show at our NEW LOCATION and NEW NI

GHT - as of this show we will be on the Third Friday of every month! (So mark - or re-mark - your calendars)

AND for the first time ever PEEPSHOW MENAGERIE is an
18 & UP event! Must have valid picture ID.
There is alcohol for people 21 & Up.

Peepshow Menagerie has been providing theatrical burlesque shows to Los Angeles since 2008 featuring many of the best burlesque performers, comedians, magicians, and bands from around the world. This is a great show for newcomers to burlesque, casual burlesque fans, birthday parties, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Also an ideal date night!

Featuring burlesque from:

SCARLETT LETTER
(Legends Award / Best Solo Performance - Boston Burlesque Expo 2010 and Most Classic - Boston Burlesque Expo 2007)

ANNA BELLS
STEAK N. SHAKE
MISS ANGIE CAKES
MISS JOSIE BUNNIE
DOLLY DANGER
VAMP LORRAINE
GLAMA SUTRA
HOLLY GO DARKLY

and our 54th Peepshow Pin-Up
RED SNAPPER

Guest Starring
SPY KITTEN

with live musical guests:
HARD SIX

hosted by
CHRIS BEYOND

produced by Scarlett Letter & Chris Beyond

sponsored by Bachelor Pad Magazine

Live at
FAIS DO DO
Friday, September 21st, 2012
5253 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016

On the corner of West ADAMS and Cloverdale Ave.

Admission: $12
Doors at 9pm

Doors: 9pm / Music: 9:45 / Burlesque 10:15

Free Street Parking
or Valet parking for $5
(Get there early for best seating and parking options)

18 & Up
Only patrons 18 and Up will be admitted with a valid picture ID

For more info as it comes, go to http://peepshowmenagerie.com/
or http://www.facebook.com/burlesquepeepshow

Show Posters:
http://www.peepshowmenagerie.com/0912BposterMM.jpg
http://www.peepshowmenagerie.com/0912BPSpinupMM.jpg

Geeknation Press

Peepshow Menagerie's Beneath the Surface is tomorrow night, but here's a little preview.

Importance of Sketches

In costume design class in college, I learned the importance of sketching out a costume before building/modifying it.  We always had to render our designs for production meetings in college.  It's a discipline I fall back on when I don't have the exact idea of what I'm building but I know the silhouette.

This is the rough design of the costume I'm building for November.  I knew what pieces I needed but I had to figure out how they needed to fit together.  I also needed to play with the colored pencils to determine what color would work best.  I need a rear view so I can figure out how the assels will work best while keeping the panty coverage necessary for some venues.

I did some drawing as a child, but I never managed to quickly whip out figures.  This was a handicap when I started designing because I was so worried about having correct figures what I would stall on the actual costume design.  That's when I learned about the joy of croquis.

Back in the olden days of the nineties, I had to rely on pattern books that were out of season and negotiated for at the local Wal-Mart.  When I was really desperate, I'd use the measurement sheets from the costume shop.  (They were a bit rough looking.)  Nowadays, some patterns include croquis (particularly the Simplicity Project Runway patterns).  The amazing internet has croquis galore.  I've used a few from this site.

By sitting down and sketching with croquis, I now know what exactly I have to build.  I know what color fabric to find and how the pieces need to fit together.  Stay tuned and I'll share as I build.