Opening night present

[siny]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 10:36am

What is a good opening night present for a male actor in his early 20's ? Would flowers be appropriate ?

Thanks.

[yankee_fan907]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 10:43am

I think flowers are generally always acceptable for any performer of any age or gender...

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:16pm

I have actually taken to sending gourmet cookie baskets . . . I hate spending money on flowers b/c they are just going to die. Companies like Cookies By Design have cookies that look like flowers, that come in a cookie "bouquet" and you can even have a message written on one of them. For me I prefer this b/c it is something they can ooh and ahh over and then eat! I sent one to someone for their birthday and they wrote me thanking me "on behalf of themselves and the rest of the cast" lol.

I'm sure whatever you choose to send will be appreciated.

[mattonstage]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:22pm

I once gave books from my own collection as an opening night gift. Mostly theater related, but I tried to match the book to the person I was giving it to. It's free (in a way), and you can personalize a note inside.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:23pm

I usually try to tie the gift in to the role somehow. When a group of my friends produced "Three Days of Rain" (long before Julia Roberts appeared in it on Broadway), I got heavy brass house numbers of "3" for each of the cast members. I have given JFK half dollar key rings for "The House of Yes", and angel mouse pads for "Summer and Smoke." But yes, I think flowers are always appropriate - a very traditional gift in the theater (and the fact that they are transitory is what makes them special).

[actor]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:25pm

When I was in DRS, I got flowers for my opening night and loved them. But I would have loooooved cookies, haha. I personally would bring flowers and something like a box of cookies.

[NJgirl]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:27pm

NJRae....last time I had to send something, I too sent a cookie basket. I figured it was different from flowers as everyone would probably send or give flowers. I got a nice message back that they were a big hit.

[shanescot]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:33pm

If you can at least send him a personal note before the show begins, it would mean a lot. It's great to get 'pumped' backstage knowing your friends and family are already rooting for you. And flowers are always a nice gesture-even for a guy.

[siny]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 12:58pm

I think I would prefer a basket of cookies too :). I will probably go with flowers AND cookies. And a personal note too. Thanks everyone.
Updated On: 2/26/07 at 12:58 PM

[siny]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:27pm

Could someone recommend a good florist and a place where I can order a nice cookie basket ? I

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 1:36pm

If you ask me the best cookie baskets are from cookiesbydesign.com They are not cheap, but they have delicious cookies (we have a store by my house). You can combine the decorated cookies with regular cookies (choc chip or assorted cookies) and like I said there is usually one "message" cookie in the bunch where you can write a short congratulatory or good luck kind of message. The person I sent the basket to actually told me that her favorite cookie was the one with her name on it, lol.

NJGirl: That was my thought . . . I figured everyone probably sends flowers so I wanted to be a little different. And these cookies are so good and so pretty they are hard to resist!

[mrs felciano]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 2:34pm

I was stage manager for a show and I made the entire cast homemade chocolates with a mold of theatre faces. I was a pretty cool stage manager. :nods:

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 3:08pm

Some actors consider flowers bad luck in a dressing room.

It's an old superstition.

[Bobo2]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 3:17pm

What about a fruit basket like gift. That is healthier than cookies.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 3:24pm

Yeah, if he is a young male actor in his 20's, he may like fruit.

[siny]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 3:35pm

CurtainPullDowner - ha-ha. Very funny.

I think fruit would be too messy in a dressing room plus they go bad if not eaten right away. I would rather go with the cookies. Cookiesbydesign.com looks good. Thanks.

[NJRae]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 5:07pm

You're welcome. Aren't they pretty?

All this talk about them is making me hungry. May have to stop by there tomorrow and pick some up for work. Yum! :)

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 5:19pm

If you need a florist in NYC: VSF or spruce for chichi stuff

We used to buy tacky opening night gifts for each other--we'd go out of our way to find something truly awful--my best was a plastic wall clock in the shape of a violin. That way, the gift REALLY was the thought that counted.

Maybe some nice chocolates (la maison du chocolat) or a gift card to jamba juice?

[siny]

Posted: 2/26/07 at 8:52pm

Spruce has a website, but VSF does not. Spruce is very nice, but kind of expensive. I have to think about it.
I'll have to forego wall clocks in weird shapes, lol.
So, what kind of flowers would be appropriate for a guy ? I never bought flowers for a guy so I would not know. Roses ?

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 3/1/07 at 10:16pm

An alarm clock.

[Dover]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 2:42pm

Food is always good backstage. Cookies, or candies, etc. Something that can be shared with the company if he desires. If you don't know this person well (like if you're more of a fan than a friend) maybe stick to something pre-packaged or professionally made, as opposed to homemade cookies or the like, just in case some people are skittish about fan-baked goodies.

[circusliz]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:27pm

*edited because I can't get the picture to work*

My sis and I used Cookies by Design for a thank you gift for Greg Jbara when he gave us a backstage tour at DRS. T As you can see from the picture http://www.gregoryjbara.com/cam/jan06/cam010706/010706cam11.html, they can make custom design cookies, not just the standards available on their website/catalogue. Please note the "chimp in a suit" cookie!

Updated On: 3/9/07 at 04:27 PM

[keen on kean]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 4:47pm

I haven't tried it but I am intrigued by the personalized M&Ms. Just a thought.

[JKlock]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 5:56pm

The personalized M&Ms are cool- I did it for my step brother for christmas but the only downside is that the minimum amount you could purchase is over $40

[Shakespearean]

Posted: 3/9/07 at 8:30pm

JKlock wrote:
The personalized M&Ms are cool- I did it for my step brother for christmas but the only downside is that the minimum amount you could purchase is over $40

It's a LOT cheaper if the show is Mack and Mabel