Well it's a new year and in the world of the average stage actor, it means the mad rush for auditions has begun. This is the time of year when most theater companies are auditioning for their spring and summer productions. It's also the time when most actors in New York get very comfortable at places like the Equity building and Ripley-Grier. Some will do everything they can to get to, sometimes FIVE auditions in one day. No, that was not a typo. I've known one friend who actually did EIGHT in one day. I, myself, am not one of those people. I can do maybe two a day but, that's the limit. These things can be stressful enough. Why would I want to add running through streets into the mix?
My audition year, I feel, has begun on a good note. In this first week, I've been to two EPA's and a chorus call. Two of which, I would say, went very well. The other was the type where you go into the room as friendly and ready to go as you can be... only to be met with a blast of arctic air that says, "there's no way in hell that we're going to hire you so, move it along mister." But in that case, you can't really just turn around and walk out before you begin, as much as I would like to. It's really tough in that situation because you've already spent the time getting yourself up at 6:30 (or earlier, for the REAL punishment gluttons) and getting prepared for the audition. Then after arriving at the studio, waiting in line and hoping that the time slot you wanted isn't taken (which on this day was so, I found myself trying to kill four hours). Only to finally get into the room to be met by the aforementioned chill. It's one of those times when I wish I could smack people around a bit but, that certainly won't get me the job. So, I plowed through, said thank you and got the hell out of their way.
The other two seemed to go much better. The first was a chorus call for a new Off-Broadway musical that asked for 16 bars of a country/pop song. I think I was the only person in my group actually did a country song and, I thought, I did a pretty darn good job of it. Not sure if I was anything like what they were looking for but, whatever.
The other EPA, was for the summer season of a well known mid-west, regional theater. It was another day of waiting. This time, I didn't even get a time slot but, was high enough on the alternate list, that I only had to wait for three hours to be called in. Not bad considering, I met a guy the day before(at the frigid call) who was alternate # 81. He waited from about 10:30 until 4:00(the end of the audition) only to have them stop calling at alternate # 79. On this day, he was alternate # 104, UGH! But, I digress. This was the one that I really thought I nailed. My song went great, I felt great, the casting agent seemed very receptive and the stars all felt to be in the right place. I swear I heard him say, "he was REALLY good!" as I walked out the door. It was a good feeling to have at the end of week one.
So now somehow, I have to try and put them all out of my mind and forget that they happened. Why? Because chances are, I probably won't hear back from any of them. That's the way things go in this business. Lots of rejection. But the thing is, it's just the beginning. There are so many companies coming to New York over the next couple of months. All I can do is be proud of what I did and try to make it better. I'll keep you posted on how things go.
Until next time----
No comments:
Post a Comment