Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n’t, columnist Pollo Del Mar, Gerrad Bohl and Little Miss Hot Mess make the most of downtime on the set of NBC drama Trauma. Sandra O. Noshi-Di’n’t, columnist Pollo Del Mar, Gerrad Bohl and Little Miss Hot Mess make the most of

Notorious Sainted Glamazon About Town

By the final night of shooting for extras on the set of NBC’s new series Trauma, most of us were more than ready to hear the director call it a “wrap.” Long days of waiting to be called to the set, and even longer periods while there waiting to be used, proved significantly more exhausting than any of us might have first imagined. 

“I think I’m going to burn this outfit,” joked Donna Sachet (whose name I glaringly misspelled just last week in this column). This past Friday evening, she and I gabbed away whenever possible between takes — periods of filming — for the Oct. 26 episode of the networkrk’s new Monday night one-hour drama which follows the fictionalized lives of first response workers from San Francisco General Hospital. 

“I’m used to changing clothes in the middle of the night and then going back out,” Donna declared, “Not wearing the same dress four days in a row!”

And, trust me, it was as true an observation as any. Those of us on the set for the long-haul were required to wear the same wardrobe day-in and day-out to give the impression all the episode’s action took place in the span of a few short hours. For me, that meant nearly 36 real-time hours in a gorgeous floor-length green sequin gown with plunging neckline.

While I had no problem wearing the beautiful garment crafted by Miss Nix for the incomparable Putanesca, who had been kind enough to loan it to me, the show’s crew was taking no chances. Since the cast’s wardrobe consistency seemed a real necessity for the show’s producers, to ensure nobody switched out their costumes unbeknownst to the directors, on-site photographers snapped almost as many pictures of the extras’ costuming as the extras took pictures of themselves.

To be honest, it made me feel more confident knowing some kind of continuity was a priority for those in charge. To the untrained eye, and without seeing the big picture, other aspects of the episode’s flow seemed genuinely suspect. (I suppose that’s where the magic of editing comes in, right?)
Meanwhile, as we created – and then recreated over and over again – scenes from a Halloween party outside the Alhambra Theatre late Thursday and Friday nights, winds from The Marina whipped along Polk Street. Both nights proved to be chilling experiences – quite literally — for most everyone involved, with the exception of Donna and Peggy LL’eggs. Ever the sources of glamour, both remained toasty warm in their stunning furs. (Donna’s coat actually once belonged to legendary Castro-dwelling disco superstar Sylvester!) 

As we shot some of the later footage on Friday, I felt especially strong compassion for poor Gerrad Bohl. Dressed as a sprite or fairy of some form, his costume consisted of little more than a pair of white fur shorts, a matching harness and snow boots. While it looked great on the first day of filming, which took place in broad daylight in the overly-warm Great American Music Hall, I could literally see the goosebumps cover his exposed skin every time we were assaulted by a gust of wind.

To protect us both from the biting cold, I did my best to wrap us in the excessive train of my dress in-between shooting. During one portion of filming, we found ourselves so far away from the cameras, we just stood in our location, shivering together, as we watched other extras jockey for camera-time. Apparently the sight of us bundled together was particularly endearing, as passers-by and other extras snapped photos of us throughout the evening. “They’re surprised to see a drag queen with a heart,” Gerrad teased. 

Speaking of vying for on-screen attention, many of the extras were abuzz about one area performer in particular (whose name I won’t mention here) who seemed to find her way directly into the camera’s sight line almost every take. No matter what directions we were collectively given, or where she was individually placed, she seemed to always maneuver her way right in front of the camera somehow. 

Whether it was her over-“acting” or that she seemed to look directly into the cameras, I’m not sure, but other extras and I could not help but notice how the director’s yelled “Cut!” almost every time she pushed her way on-screen! “She’s the reason we’ve had to film this scene 10 times,” Gerrad once declared bitterly.

At just before 1 a.m. Friday, word came that all the drag queens were released. A small cheer literally erupted among the extras as we made a beeline toward the charter bus waiting to take us back to the show’s headquarters inside the AMC Theatre building at 1000 Van Ness.

Feeling a little like the end of summer camp, many extras traded email addresses and Facebook information as we packed to leave. Certainly, the long hours (and frequently excessive boredom) had forged new friendships and strengthened older ones. Of course, with the series shooting in the City for at least another four months, there was speculation that we might even find ourselves together on the set again in the future.

For me, more than anything, it marked the end of another exciting yet completely exhausting week. As I drove out of the parking garage and into the night, with an entire three-day weekend looming ahead, it truly was a wrap. Trauma was an amazing experience, but I was glad it was over. Labor Day could come none too soon!

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