Amy Grant - Grown-Up Christmas List

So in my bitterness this morning of being called in to work (back to back doubles is NOT happy time), I wanted to share something happy.  This is probably my favorite Christmas song.  And to my knowledge, Amy Grant was the first person to perform it but, as with any Christmas song, it's possible a hundred people did it before her.  This is one of the albums I remember most listening to around this time of year when I was in high school.  I like the fact that it's a simple little song with a simple message that doesn't try to blatantly rip your heart out like some other "holiday" songs.  Oh, "Christmas Shoes" how I hate thee!

Anyway, enjoy!  Hopefully, sharing this from YouTube doesn't mean you have to sit through the State Farm ad like I did.  Either way though, I hope it puts you in a festive mood.  Five more days until Florida!



Until next time...

When Do Compliments Turn Into Jobs?-Scorecard #6

So things have been pretty slow on the audition front, lately.  This time of year, things slow down for the holidays before they pick back up again in January.  So there hasn't been much for me to go to and talk about but, I did manage an audition yesterday that I almost talked myself out of.

It wasn't until the last minute that I decided to go.  What convinced me was that the theatre is in Jacksonville,  and not all that far from Orlando.  I wouldn't too far from my O-Town gang.

Because I waited until the last minute, I didn't show up at the studio until 11:00 but, figured I would take my chances with the alternate list anyway.  To my surprise, the woman in front of me had just cancelled her 2:50 time slot to take her chance on the alternate list in the hopes of getting seen sooner*. So, I gladly stepped up, took it and filled the extra time with dance class.

When it was time to go in, I sang my song and felt it went really well.  Afterwards, I was told, "VERY good.  BIG tenor voice.  And you know how to control it.  I LIKE that!"  Obviously, I was thrilled to hear that but I've also learned to take compliments, even sincere ones, with a grain of salt.  Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE being told that I did something great!  At least, up to that point where it starts to feel uncomfortable.  You know what I mean?  But a compliment is no guarantee of a job or even a callback.

I guess I'm just ready for someone to follow that compliment with a, "Why don't you come back tomorrow to read for us" or "We just so happen to have a contract for you, right here!"  That second on would be great!  However unlikely it would be.  I guess I'm just getting a little impatient and ready to get away from the survival job for a bit.

But for today, I'll just be happy with compliments and get ready for dance class.  I've almost made it through a full week of that so, I'll have to write up a report for you soon.  But for now, we'll add another success to the scorecard.

Audition Scorecard 2010-2011

                   9 Success

                   4 Fails  (3 Type Out)

A winning record going into the winter break.  Nice!  

Until next time...

*A little side note.  At an EPA, there are about 5 or 6 names per time slot with each actor being allowed 3 minutes to audition.  If not everyone uses the full 3 minutes and there's time before the next group goes, they start calling from the alternate list to fill up the time.  The woman whose time slot I took wasn't so lucky.  She was still waiting when I was leaving.  Oops.  Maybe she shouldn't have been rude to me when she was leaving the line earlier. 

Broadway Blogspot Update 10: Old Friends Doing New Things

So, it's been quite a while since I decided to blog about our doings over at Broadway Blogspot.  I've kind of gotten wrapped up in writing about myself (which I guess is what most blogs do) but, I'm going to try and get these updates going again because the site is really growing and we've got so many past contributors who are doing some really cool things!

So, here we go:

1. If you haven't seen it yet, we've posted our newest video with Travis Kelley.  A dancer who turned to photography, Travis tells us who/what to look for when we need our photos done.  We learn a little about how dancing has taught him to "focus on the image."  He also gives us great advice for taking photos and if there's a "secret pose" when getting your pictures taken.  Check him out.
2. Playwright/Author David Matthew Barnes who wrote an article for us, "The Sky's the Limit", recently had his novel Mesmerized listed as a "Top Teen Read" on Amazon.  Very cool and congrats to him!
3. Producer Dani Davis and composer Jason Howland are currently touring with Handel's Messiah Rock's.  Together they have helped to blend classic rock sounds into Handel's original Messiah to give a little "updated" twist.
4. Our friends at Theatrical Gems have a benefit performance of the Cy Coleman musical Wildcat coming up on December 19.  This one time only performance benefits The Actor's Fund and features several Broadway vets, including Tony nominee, Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde). 

As you can see, there's a lot going on with us and with our friends.  Hopefully, you'll get a chance to check out there interviews and maybe what they're doing now.  Just click on their name or title to check out a video or to get more info about their current projects.  I'm gonna work on being better about getting updates posted on here to keep everyone up to speed about what we're doing at Broadway Blogspot.  Everyone is working really hard so, I hope you'll check everything out.

Until next time...