Miss Mina Murray

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! I hope you’re having a lovely day and that it continues into the weekend. Here’s your tip, courtesy of Scratch:

Record wide, not tall.

When using your camera to capture footage, turn it sideways to get yourself (and most of the stage) in a 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s easy to crop wide footage down to tall, narrow footage (9:16). Trying to go from tall to wide usually leaves you with those blank spaces on either side of your video.

You want this:

Not this:

These…

Dear Constant Reader,

I love carousels, especially antique carousels. My mild obsession started when I rode the Flying Horses Carousel on Martha’s Vineyard and grabbed the brass ring. Now I ride them whenever I can. Fortunately, there are a number in New England.

One of the closest ones is the Paragon Carousel at Nantasket Beach in Hull. on May 17th Scratch told me they were having a Derby Day fundraiser event that very night. We had a lot to do before Isle of Tease the next day, but I powered through and…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I’ve been sharing items from the American Burlesque Collection on my Patreon. The most recent was a costume made by Hedy Jo Star and I also wrote a bit about the designer. If you’re interested, you can get access for as little as one dollar a month!

I’ve got a lot going on right now. I’m teaching Introduction to Burlesque on Thursday nights, Isle of Tease is June first at House of Hatchets, and Devastasia starts teaching Introduction to Burlesque on Sunday on June 2nd. In…

Dear Constant Reader,

I found this in my drafts folder. Whoops!

Five years ago I attended Michelle L’amour’s Stripper’s Holiday. Follow the link to read about that experience and what exactly is a stripper’s holiday.

I was so excited when I heard she was offering SH again. There was so much interest, she decided to run two sessions and offered me a spot in the November one, which worked well with my schedule. Last time we were in Los Angeles, but Michelle now lives in Las Vegas. I haven’t been there in at…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is Isle of Tease at Deacon Giles Speakeasy! We’ve got a whole bunch of fun tropical acts for you — some fan favorites, some brand new — and some spectacular costumes. I can’t wait to see what delicious delights the bartender whip up!

Also, Introduction to Burlesque classes start next week! Although the Early Bird discount just ended, we’re still offering our new “Bring a Friend” special — register for all 4 classes and bring a friend for half price (or get a 25%…

Dear Constant Reader,

You have probably hear me talk at length about our sour cherry tree. We planted it not long after moving into The Manor and over the years it grew from a tiny tree, producing maybe a pound of cherries, to a two-story beauty, giving us more cherries than we could pick.

For three or four weeks every June and July, everything would be cherries at The Manor. I would spend all my free time baking and preserving and trying new recipes. I know plenty of people who looked forward to…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! It’s lovely out today and we are just over one week away from Isle of Tease at Deacon Giles! Do you have your tickets? We’ve got some great new acts for you!

This week’s tip is for audience members and I’m sorry I’ve got to give it.

Stay off the stage.

I know that seems obvious, but you’d be surprised.

I have definitely been in shows where security has had to keep patrons from joining the show. I’m glad you’re inspired, but the performers are the ones here to entertain…

Dear Constant Reader,

Whilst I was swooning on my invalid’s couch I might as well watch a movie and write a review. I should have picked a different movie because I had so many questions from this one

Striporama, 1953, directed by Jerald Intrator (Something Weird Video release)

Unlike most burlesque movies of the time, Striporama tries to have a plot or at least a frame story. The New York Council of Culture is choosing the forms of entertainment to put into a time capsule and they are all agreed that…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I was just out for a walk and the trees are covered with blossoms. Spring is such a brief and lovely thing in New England! This week’s tip is:

There is no set order in which to remove your costume pieces.

Sure, sometimes you have to remove one garment to get to another, like shoes before stockings, or it will be easier for you to manipulate a fastening if you’re not wearing your gloves at that point. However, there is absolutely no reason to follow the “canonical”…

Dear Constant Reader,

Your Faithful Correspondent is laid up in bed with some sort of bug (I’m doing better, just very tired) and since I can’t seem to bring myself to do any of the active things had planned for the day, how about a book review.

Punk Rock Aerobics by Maura Jasper and Hilken Mancini, 2004.

Wait, you say, is this our refined Miss Mina writing of punk rock? You many not believe this, but as a dainty young thing I could be found in the mosh pit at an all-ages hardcore club. I still retain a…