Auditioning is a Full-Time Job
And if you think I am kidding...HELL NO.
I feel like I work a 7 to 5 job during the week and then re-energize during the weekend. I am SO thankful for my online jobs as I cannot imagine how I could this without them.
So a recap of auditions (coz I am sure you LOVE reading about it):
March 7 -I know I had an audition, but I can't remember for what. Must not have been all that good. Never mind, it was for the Mac-Haydn theatre which rang a bell for me for some reason. I did well. I was called for a tap callback. The majority of their shows this season are tap-based.
March 8 - I took the day off because I had a submission audition (I sent my stuff in, they called me) that night for a musical revue to be performed at Don't Tell Mama...a big deal. Not so big is the fact that I can't seem to locate Bogota, New Jersey where the auditions are on the map. No response to a phone number and the e-mails I send keep getting knocked back to me. The audition is at 8 at night and I am thinking this is a little sketchy and I don't want to get stuck in Bogota. I decide to play it safe and not go. If it was meant to be HopStop would have had directions instead of sending me to Jersey City.
March 9 - I had a callback for my Mac-Haydn auditions. I remember this is the theatre Blamanda Beland worked at. The one that has the stage the size of a computer desk and I am NOT exaggerating. Callback goes ok. Wasn't all that into it. However, I have my first voice lesson today (first since my last one with Karen Bail about 10 years ago). I was nervous but it went very well and I discover I am not in such bad shape as I think. It's good to hear an unbiased opinion.
March 10 - Two auditions. One for The Dining Room (I skipped it) the second for Everyday Somewhere Here , another submission. I just feel so much better at acting auditions. I feel like I have more control over what happens. It goes well. The table seems very into what I am doing. They enjoy my cold read. I get a callback for the following week.
March 11 - SLEEP.
March 12 - Three auditions. Tour of The Wedding Singer, an original show called The Madness of May , submission, and the Cabaret Dinner Theatre. I get to the first at around 8:15 and I am number 275!!!! I decide to come back home for a bit, go to the third one, it goes well, I get a "thank you." I go back to the first to see where the list is at and I find out they have typed people out. SHIT!!! I managed to find the monitor who grabs my h/r and goes to see if I will be seen. Thankfully, I am typed in for the last group. So I go to the second one, I get a "beautiful voice, just beautiful. Phenomenal. That is all we need to hear today." I head back to the first and find out that there is no one there. The auditions are supposed to end at 7, it is only 5. I freak out but run into one of the casting people and ask them about it. He sees I am upset and tells me to come back Friday. I say a silent thank you, thank him out loud and leave.
March 13 - Oh my god. The submission audition today was in the Lower East Side. The side of NY you do NOT see on postcards. I feared for my life. I could not find the theatre for 10 minutes before I realized it was in an old dress shop. The theatre, ha, is the size of an 8x8 living room. I am taken down into the basement with a bathtub, at this point I think I am going to die, and am told to cold read a monologue about a gigolo and then a Southern man who loves his mother TOO much. I have to do a Scottish accent on the spot, thank god I can, and am told to come back later in the week. Ok, I don't mind guerilla theatre. It can be fun. Why not.
March 14 - My birthday. I do nothing except for voice lesson where I am told things I have never heard before and have to stifle tears. Positively, mind you.
March 15 - tired yet? I was. I go in for my callback in the Lower East Side. I take Tony. He is mortified. I am given a monologue to cold read. About a man who loves giving women orgasms. Stop it. He offers me the show on the spot and gives me some info. Here is the catch. The building is about to be padlocked but they have struck up a deal with a bar around the corner to do the show there. Excuse me???? I have to think about this. Around 7:30 I go into a submission audition for the Young Playwrights Festival. It goes over REALLY well. They are cracking up. They give me some direction. I do it again. They ask me to come back later that night. They have me read with three other people and it goes really well again.
March 16 - I go back for The Wedding Singer. I almost did not bother going but am glad I did. I sang my song. The agent looked over some sides and asked me to sing another song, anything I liked. I did. He gave me a lot of positive feedback and told me to come back in two weeks for their Annie auditions (I dunno) because they really need solid people for that. I know I am not right for Wedding Singer so I went just to be seen, so while I was a wee upset I did not get any sides, I am glad I was asked back for another show. And the agent, Rob Cline, was SOOOO incredibly nice. I mean unbelievably so. And his assistant Tina is a dream. Was a good week end.
March 17 - I go back for Everyday.... The read goes well. Everyone in a room reading some scenes. The author/journalist was there and I was totally enamored of the whole situation.
March 18 - Oh today. So, last week I had submitted my h/r for the pilot of Spike Lee's "M.O.N.Y." They were looking for Middle Eastern-y types. I got a call to come in to be a background actor. Thanks to some really helpful advice from Lorraine I went in fully prepared. And waited....and waited...and waited. My call was at 7, we got on set at 10:15, outside in the cold, and then we were done at 1 am after many takes of shouting and shaking our fists in protest. I was in the front row, so it should be interesting to see if anyone can spot me. It was definitely an educational experience as TV/film is something else I want to get into. Of course, getting home was another event as the trains don't run that often that late. I did not get home until about 3 am.
March 19 - another submission audition, but not until 7 at night, so I had time to sleep and recover. This was for the APAC production of A New Brain, one of my favorite shows. I sing, they really like it, they ask me to sing something else then just ask for my list so they can pick, they ask me to do a song from the show, which went just ok, they thank me, and off I go. I would love to do that show in any capacity. Obviously, playing Gordo would be geat, but that show is great for any of the characters. And the music....yes yes yes. I wanted to shoot the accompanist though as he decided he was playing for himself and was not going to pay attention to the fact that I was singing.
March 20 - I was up at 7 am this morning to make Sunday in the Park with George auditions for the Roundabout revival. I would kill to do this show. KILL. I also had an audition for Cortland and it thankfully was at the same studio. I go to sing in for the latter and am 116. I head upstairs to Sunday but the doors are locked. I wait a bit and discover a non-eq list had been filled out and slipped under the door. I am number 40 - not the best number. But I figure they have two more days of auditions, so I can always try later. I come back home and chill until after lunch when I figure they will be closer to my number. They are on 2 on the non-eq list and over at Cortland they are on 189...SHIT!!! Thankfully, the rest of the list was short so I sign back in and am in the last group to be seen. They like it, positive feedback, and off I go. Back to Sunday and they are on 5. I decide to stick around because I have to be in the same building in a few hours and again am in the last group and the last non-eq person called. I was nervous. I sang. The agent said, "Great job," and I was off. You can never tell how an audition goes outside of how you feel about it and trying to analyze it is pointless or you go insane. I have rehearsal, or rather had, for a short play festival at the LGBT center. My audition on Feb 28 caught the eye of another playwright and he called me earlier in the week to be in his piece. I am leery, but the rehearsal is fun, the other actor is nice, and it is only four rehearsals. The performance is next week. You never know who will be there.
I did get into Everyday... which is what I wanted. Not sure what role yet. But the piece sounds great, so we'll see.
Did not get in to the Young Playwrights piece but got a really nice and really positive e-mail from the casting agents through the playwright. Definitely not the norm, but I am glad I made an impression.
And that was my last two weeks. I have another round of auditions this week. Just keep slowly climbing the ladder until something happens.
And if you think I am kidding...HELL NO.
I feel like I work a 7 to 5 job during the week and then re-energize during the weekend. I am SO thankful for my online jobs as I cannot imagine how I could this without them.
So a recap of auditions (coz I am sure you LOVE reading about it):
March 7 -
March 8 - I took the day off because I had a submission audition (I sent my stuff in, they called me) that night for a musical revue to be performed at Don't Tell Mama...a big deal. Not so big is the fact that I can't seem to locate Bogota, New Jersey where the auditions are on the map. No response to a phone number and the e-mails I send keep getting knocked back to me. The audition is at 8 at night and I am thinking this is a little sketchy and I don't want to get stuck in Bogota. I decide to play it safe and not go. If it was meant to be HopStop would have had directions instead of sending me to Jersey City.
March 9 - I had a callback for my Mac-Haydn auditions. I remember this is the theatre Blamanda Beland worked at. The one that has the stage the size of a computer desk and I am NOT exaggerating. Callback goes ok. Wasn't all that into it. However, I have my first voice lesson today (first since my last one with Karen Bail about 10 years ago). I was nervous but it went very well and I discover I am not in such bad shape as I think. It's good to hear an unbiased opinion.
March 10 - Two auditions. One for The Dining Room (I skipped it) the second for Everyday Somewhere Here , another submission. I just feel so much better at acting auditions. I feel like I have more control over what happens. It goes well. The table seems very into what I am doing. They enjoy my cold read. I get a callback for the following week.
March 11 - SLEEP.
March 12 - Three auditions. Tour of The Wedding Singer, an original show called The Madness of May , submission, and the Cabaret Dinner Theatre. I get to the first at around 8:15 and I am number 275!!!! I decide to come back home for a bit, go to the third one, it goes well, I get a "thank you." I go back to the first to see where the list is at and I find out they have typed people out. SHIT!!! I managed to find the monitor who grabs my h/r and goes to see if I will be seen. Thankfully, I am typed in for the last group. So I go to the second one, I get a "beautiful voice, just beautiful. Phenomenal. That is all we need to hear today." I head back to the first and find out that there is no one there. The auditions are supposed to end at 7, it is only 5. I freak out but run into one of the casting people and ask them about it. He sees I am upset and tells me to come back Friday. I say a silent thank you, thank him out loud and leave.
March 13 - Oh my god. The submission audition today was in the Lower East Side. The side of NY you do NOT see on postcards. I feared for my life. I could not find the theatre for 10 minutes before I realized it was in an old dress shop. The theatre, ha, is the size of an 8x8 living room. I am taken down into the basement with a bathtub, at this point I think I am going to die, and am told to cold read a monologue about a gigolo and then a Southern man who loves his mother TOO much. I have to do a Scottish accent on the spot, thank god I can, and am told to come back later in the week. Ok, I don't mind guerilla theatre. It can be fun. Why not.
March 14 - My birthday. I do nothing except for voice lesson where I am told things I have never heard before and have to stifle tears. Positively, mind you.
March 15 - tired yet? I was. I go in for my callback in the Lower East Side. I take Tony. He is mortified. I am given a monologue to cold read. About a man who loves giving women orgasms. Stop it. He offers me the show on the spot and gives me some info. Here is the catch. The building is about to be padlocked but they have struck up a deal with a bar around the corner to do the show there. Excuse me???? I have to think about this. Around 7:30 I go into a submission audition for the Young Playwrights Festival. It goes over REALLY well. They are cracking up. They give me some direction. I do it again. They ask me to come back later that night. They have me read with three other people and it goes really well again.
March 16 - I go back for The Wedding Singer. I almost did not bother going but am glad I did. I sang my song. The agent looked over some sides and asked me to sing another song, anything I liked. I did. He gave me a lot of positive feedback and told me to come back in two weeks for their Annie auditions (I dunno) because they really need solid people for that. I know I am not right for Wedding Singer so I went just to be seen, so while I was a wee upset I did not get any sides, I am glad I was asked back for another show. And the agent, Rob Cline, was SOOOO incredibly nice. I mean unbelievably so. And his assistant Tina is a dream. Was a good week end.
March 17 - I go back for Everyday.... The read goes well. Everyone in a room reading some scenes. The author/journalist was there and I was totally enamored of the whole situation.
March 18 - Oh today. So, last week I had submitted my h/r for the pilot of Spike Lee's "M.O.N.Y." They were looking for Middle Eastern-y types. I got a call to come in to be a background actor. Thanks to some really helpful advice from Lorraine I went in fully prepared. And waited....and waited...and waited. My call was at 7, we got on set at 10:15, outside in the cold, and then we were done at 1 am after many takes of shouting and shaking our fists in protest. I was in the front row, so it should be interesting to see if anyone can spot me. It was definitely an educational experience as TV/film is something else I want to get into. Of course, getting home was another event as the trains don't run that often that late. I did not get home until about 3 am.
March 19 - another submission audition, but not until 7 at night, so I had time to sleep and recover. This was for the APAC production of A New Brain, one of my favorite shows. I sing, they really like it, they ask me to sing something else then just ask for my list so they can pick, they ask me to do a song from the show, which went just ok, they thank me, and off I go. I would love to do that show in any capacity. Obviously, playing Gordo would be geat, but that show is great for any of the characters. And the music....yes yes yes. I wanted to shoot the accompanist though as he decided he was playing for himself and was not going to pay attention to the fact that I was singing.
March 20 - I was up at 7 am this morning to make Sunday in the Park with George auditions for the Roundabout revival. I would kill to do this show. KILL. I also had an audition for Cortland and it thankfully was at the same studio. I go to sing in for the latter and am 116. I head upstairs to Sunday but the doors are locked. I wait a bit and discover a non-eq list had been filled out and slipped under the door. I am number 40 - not the best number. But I figure they have two more days of auditions, so I can always try later. I come back home and chill until after lunch when I figure they will be closer to my number. They are on 2 on the non-eq list and over at Cortland they are on 189...SHIT!!! Thankfully, the rest of the list was short so I sign back in and am in the last group to be seen. They like it, positive feedback, and off I go. Back to Sunday and they are on 5. I decide to stick around because I have to be in the same building in a few hours and again am in the last group and the last non-eq person called. I was nervous. I sang. The agent said, "Great job," and I was off. You can never tell how an audition goes outside of how you feel about it and trying to analyze it is pointless or you go insane. I have rehearsal, or rather had, for a short play festival at the LGBT center. My audition on Feb 28 caught the eye of another playwright and he called me earlier in the week to be in his piece. I am leery, but the rehearsal is fun, the other actor is nice, and it is only four rehearsals. The performance is next week. You never know who will be there.
I did get into Everyday... which is what I wanted. Not sure what role yet. But the piece sounds great, so we'll see.
Did not get in to the Young Playwrights piece but got a really nice and really positive e-mail from the casting agents through the playwright. Definitely not the norm, but I am glad I made an impression.
And that was my last two weeks. I have another round of auditions this week. Just keep slowly climbing the ladder until something happens.
