Well That Honeymoon Ended Quickly

I knew that the Xanadu audition was too good to be true and that I was being spoiled for my first time.

I went to an audition yesterday and today, while I did not have to wait in a long line all day, thankfully, I did get to experience waiting for an hour or so only to be sent home. Here is the order of those who get to be seen:

1) Equity members who get there early and get a time slot (lucky bastards)
2) Equity member alternates who get there too late for a slot but are on the list to be squeezed in should a slot open up or they run ahead.
3) Equity member candidates who are ALMOST equity but are afforded the same rights so are next on another list.
4) Non-members, the bottom feeders who have to pray that the above are few in numbers or work really fast so something opens up. That is me.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a performing bottom feeder.

So while it was a little disheartening and upsetting, I was not surprised and realize that the struggle is just beginning. The first three months are indeed going to be a bitch.

But I am making contact with some people I have not seen in a long time, trying to get to know as many people as I can, and trying not to be in the apartment all the time.

Ah....who knows....

XANADU!

So at the last minute last night I decided to go to the open call for the upcoming production of Xanadu, directed by Christopher Ashley.

Not one funny remark, please.

I figured it was time to get my feet wet and get used to the process so I can become numb to it and not be as nervous.

The morning started out swimmingly as I went to the the AEA building on 146 instead of the Chelsea Studios on 26. Yeah....

So my plan to get there by 9 was waylaid and I got there by 9:30. No problem, I thought, I can still wait in line.

Much to my surprise, there were 6 people in the room and I was the only non-member. I was in the right place though. So I signed in and sat down and waited for an empty slot thinking I don't have to worry, I can do some work on my laptop and then go home and say I waited in line all day.

Imagine my surprise and abject fear when I was told to audition in the 10:30 slot. FUCK!!!!

I was not expecting to be seen at all. So I definitely got more nervous than I needed to. Only the casting assistant and the accompanist were in the room. I sang my song, and for the first time I was completely aware of what I was doing and what I did instead of leaving my body and not even realizing that I just auditioned.

Now for the bad part. And I should know better than this. But waiting till the night before to prep a song I never sang before or practiced was stupid stupid stupid. And while I did not suck, I know I did not do as well as I should and could have. I was phlegmy, which I can't really control, but it did not help that I did not warm up. For some reason I went flat a couple of places, but I added in a run to try and cover that up. I started singing (Ribbon in the Sky, FYI) looking at the assistant and caught myself and looked away. And when I was done, he said, " Very nice. Thank you very much." And I was off.

So not the greatest audition, not the worst audition, but at least I got to audition and get it out of my system and get over whatever initial fears I may have had. There really is no diff between the auditions here and back home, so I worked myself up for nothing. And it was a good lesson to make sure I go in there with my A game. I have definitely been spoiled and I can't go in there without knowing my shit considering the odds.

Now, I would love to work with the director as I have heard great things about him from several people, and while the show leaves something to be desired, I think it would be great fun to trudge through it. At least I know this is something that is doable and I just need to keep attending and getting better and more comfortable.

That's all...

Oh except for the fact that it took me twice as long to get back home because I forgot about the subway schedule changes for the weekend and was surprised when I got off in the Bronx instead of Hamilton Heights. Um....yeah....first subway FUBAR since I got here. Not bad.

Security Cameras Are Fun

So my apartment building is monitored by security cameras. On our second day here, while setting up the living room TV, we realized that channel 19 on the TV was tuned into the lobby camera so we could see who was buzzing us or just to people watch. As we have come to learn quite quickly, random people always buzz apartments when they need to get in due to forgotten keys or other mundane reasons.

Today, I heard a buzz and turned on the TV to find a group of black women and children led by a tall white man in a trenchcoat and a fedora. I had no idea what to think and thought, "Oh my god. They are coming for us. We have been co-opted."

It's Saturday, leave me alone.

To no surprise, I hear the doorbell ring, which is amazing since our doorbell is ghetto and sometimes makes no sound at all. I looked throgh the peephole and just saw the black fedora.

I felt like that Golden Girls episode. James and Joey know what I mean. "Sophia. It's time now. We have room."

And he just kept standing there. And then he made eye contact through the hole and I thought, "SHIT!"

So I closed it off slowly and backed up into the kitchen quietly, which is no small feat as floors creak. We live in a pre-war building. Or as Amanda pointed out the other day at lunch, "Which war??? There have been at least six in the last century."

I went with the Gulf War, of course.

I just stood there horror movie-like. And then I heard him speaking through my neighbor's door.

"Hi I am _____ and I am here with ______. We just wanted to know if you were prepared for the lord and ready for what was going to happen."

She obviously shooed himaway through the door. So he went to the other neighbor (the "hey buddy" one) who did open the door and told them he was busy. Watching sports of course which he always does at top volume.

And the tall man kept arguing and trying to give him stuff to read.

"You need to be prepared. Just take the time to read this. Save yourself."

What a city, right?

And Let the Love Begin

Three places in two days that make me glad I live in this city:



I am a huge fan of cannolis. Love them . And cheesecake. Forget it. Thanks to my friend Amanda, I was introduced to this popular bakery in the east village that puts Alessi in Tampa to shame. It smells absolutely amazing and they don't rape you on the prices. Nothing looks old and haggard and it all tastes amazing.



So grocery shopping is an interesting adventure in the city. Gone is the ease of just going to Publix to get what I need, and although there are TONS of grocery stores in the city, they are not all great. We have two C-Town's located near us. Think of Kash N' Karry, but worse. A lot worse. But it works in a pinch if you need a few things. I came across this GREAT bougie grocery store in Chelsea called Garden of Eden where they have one of my favorite deli meats, mortadella. AMAZING.

But on my sojourn today I decided to go to the Fairway that is 10 blocks away. Oh. My. God This store bitch slaps all the others. As you can see from the picture above, just one aisle holds SO MUCH SHIT. I literally got lost and turned around in the store. And the cold room is just as big as the regular store. I walked through the whole place with my mouth hanging open. I have never seen so many products and so much good food in one location. And although it is a little further down, I will definitely be shopping there instead of trying to pick the least worst of the brown meats at C-Town. Of course, I could just be lazy and order everything from FreshDirect.com, but I would rather not have anyone else handle my produce.

And people are not kidding when they say you can get ANYTHING delivered to you in this city.



And finally, and once again thanks to Amanda, I was taken to this amazing pharmaceutical bath and body store. I fell in love with the products on my apartment hunting visit and while the prices are quite high (a bottle of moisturizer can run you $20), you cannot beat the quality and the ingredients. And for people with uber sensitive skin, like mine, this is the best option. I went to their flagship store that has been in operation for a VERY long time and it was just amazing. SO much to choose from. It could be quite easy to lose your money in there.

And so my hunt continues. Living in the city is proving to be an interesting "thing." I am excited by it and terrified of it. I am hoping to start going in auditions next week. I am so in the ethers about the whole process. It's not like you get an audition notice in the mail like back home. But I have already sent out my headshot to a couple of places (and I need to get new ones since I no longer look like that anymore) and have a corkboard with some audition notices stapled up to it At the end of the day, unfortunately, it all comes down to who the hell you know in the business, and I plan on getting to know as many people as I can.

The Whiteness

No, this is not a racist tract. I am watcing my first NY snowfall and enjoying the hell out of it.

Ahhh.....

Can I Sleep Now? Please?

Just a quick update before something a little more detailed. We are here and in the throngs of unpacking and organizing.

Oy...