[SML] Old joke request

[Stephen Litterst]

On 9/4/19 5:46 AM, Philip Kruger via Stagecraft wrote:
> Hi Everyone
> 
> I hope someone here (with a better memory than mine) can help me.
> 
> Some years ago there was a joke going round about an SM/Production 
> Manager discussing work to be done and one said “We must hang the blacks…”
> 
> I need the full joke to show some students that there is a difference 
> between “normal” English and “Theatre” English.
> 
> Any similar jokes/stories will also be highly appreciated.
> 

Mine's not a joke so much as a wry anecdote.  We were on a small tour on 
the eastern shore of Virginia eating lunch in a local restaurant.  We 
were discussing our progress and the plan when we got back to the 
theater.   The TD said, "As soon as we're done with lunch we need to 
hang the blacks."  The restaurant got very quiet around us.  We finished 
quickly and left for the theater.  Since then we all remembered to refer 
to them as stage drapes.

Bill Sapsis tells a similar story about about the phrase "beating the 
blacks."

Steve L.


-- 
Stephen Litterst            Technical Operations Supervisor
litterst at udel.edu           Mitchell Hall
302/831-0601                University of Delaware