People do some incredibly entertaining, interesting and strange
things. The oddest behaviours being found in the psychos on the
street corner, people prepping for auditions, and above all,
improvising on stage during auditions.
The girl was told to portray a develish sextress tempting a potential
lover back to spend the night with her. (Relatively good improv to
watch a number of sexy chicks play out) The frightening paraphrase
of one woman (in a Russian accent, BTW): "Come with me. I want
to take you up to my room. Make you scream, just like daddy, when I
was little, and I went up to his room..." It got graphic.
Those of us watching the spectacle inadvertently let out gasps,
nervous giggles and murmured "what the fuck?" Finally the
director (a woman) cut her off with an "oookay. Thanks.
Next!"
My audition sucked. Concluding that my monologue was just too old,
and not appropriate for this type of show, I picked out a new one on
the bus that morning, and gave myself about three hours to memorize
it. (Which is fine. At this point I fully acknowledge auditioning
for me is a learning experience, not an opportunity to get cast.) I
sat in that freezing theatre watching others audition and building up
nervous tension for FOUR hours before they got to me - #44. I didn't
think it would take that long to get seen at "Pure
Thoughts...Dirty Loving" (yes, that was the name of the play)
because earlier that afternoon I had been #253 at the audition for
the national tour of "Cinderella".
Could two auditions on the same day be at further ends of the
spectrum?
Those were Monday. Today started with the national tour for
"Rent." (As futile as I realize auditions are for me right
now, this is also pretty much the last week for casting of spring
national tours, so I might as well, right?) Today, I arrived a half
hour early. I was #173. Both at "Rent" and
"Cinderella", they called us in, 30 or so at a time, just
looked at everyone, and picked 4 or 5 to stay.
The casting director apologized profusely for being the one to do
something so cruel and aestehticly based as typing. I personally
don't mind it. It all comes down to if you look the part in the end;
better to get it out of the way at the beginning rather than audition
for six hours only to be told you don't look the part.
Next: 23 blocks away. Auditions for the National Theatre of
Performing Arts spring tour of childrens shows. Finally got the
chance to read sides, my forte. And since these were by appointment
only, very little wait time.
Last: auditions for entertaining at some huge Hip-Hop, R&B club.
Those auditions began at 11am, ended at 6pm. I got there at 5:50,
was probably the last person. Watched one girl danced, then I got up
sang and danced a little and boogied on over to the Actor's Equity
Building on Broadway.
In between auditions & interviews I run to schools and coffee shops
looking for message boards posting rooms for rent. At one shop I
asked some random guy where to find such a board. He replied with
"are you an actress?"
That got me glowing! "Yes."
"You equity?"
"No."
"Well check their building anyway, they usually have good
posts."
I happen to have this uncanny ability to gain access to places I
should be forbidden entry. The equity building was probably one of
five places I went today with guards checking building affiliation
ids at the door. At each place, I saw someone else lacking id turned
away. At each place, I said a sentence or two and was waved in.
It's a talent I've always posessed but didn't have much opportunity
to use in excess while in AZ. (Though, I did get lots of great
freebies and occassionally got to pawn them off on friends.) Did I
ever tell y'all about the three times I managed to stand on a
Broadway stage and score back stage tours?
No job, no money, not the looks, nor the luck (especially not with
vehicles!) just got some hypnotic charm that encourages my dangerous
draw towards Do Not Enter signs. And I've always had this thing for
dark entry ways and alleys, back twisted stair cases, basements, and
roof tops...which I tend to see a lot of. Which is really dumb. And
the day I find someone to explore such places with me, I'll be quite
happy & much safer.
And the last interesting thing I ALMOST saw before I left the city:
there is a Museum of Times Square. It houses the Batlickiniffe
(that's really cose to the actual spelling!) Family Circus. It also
has an exhibit called The Horrors of Substance Abuse. It was one
dollar to see the exhibit. I watched others disappear behind the
curtain, heard their wails, and saw them reappear looking nauseous.
I didn't see it. It's a permanent exhibit.