A few weeks ago (or was it a month?) I went to the Colonial Playhouse and I auditioned for a play. They liked my audition, and after what I'm sure was a heart-wrenching three and a half hours, they sent me the "sorry" e-mail. Again, not only did I not get a part, I was on the first page of people getting turned down. The Colonial Playhouse joined the ranks of Marple Newtown Players, as theatre companies for which I won't go out of my way. The Players Club of Swarthmore is teetering on the edge of joining that list, but I must be fair to them. True, I had a very bad experience auditioning for them, but it was only one time. Maybe the director was a jerk.
On Friday, I auditioned for a short film. They said that I would hear back from them that evening, but I've heard nothing. Maybe I didn't get a part; maybe all the impending-hurricane warnings might have thrown off the schedule. This was just a lark on my end. I knew nothing about the film, and when I arrived for the audition I saw that the cast was almost entirely African American women!
Those -- the Colonial Playhouse play and the short film -- were the only times I auditioned this past summer. Consider that I'm not involved in any play right now, so my schedule is wide open and ready. Hedgerow hasn't made any audition announcements (last summer they had two auditions), and I'm not sure if I would be interested anyway: last year I committed something like ten or eleven weeks for a bit-part in "Murder on the Nile". I'm not interested in doing that again, for another bit-part. I have received audition announcements for other groups, but nothing has really grabbed me. Last year, if I was available, I auditioned for everything. This year, after subsequently getting rejected for everything, I'm a bit less enthusiastic.
Viviana has been my "old reliable". They would find a part for me, if I wanted it. Their next show is a ballet. Sure, they would find a part for me, but I'm really not interested. Viviana specializes in musicals, which by definition means I will never get a part of any substance. I also have a bad taste in my mouth from "42nd Street". It was one thing to have a bit part. It was quite another to have a bit part that, truly, no one cared about. I received almost no direction. Perhaps they trusted that I would do a good job; more likely, they were too busy with the musical numbers. No one even bothered putting together my costume, and a week before opening night I spent a ton of my own money buying my own costume. And, after each night of the show, I had the wonderful joy of coming out to the audience and knowing no one gave a damn about my performance. "42nd Street" is, after all, all about the musical numbers. The head of Viviana has been working with me on writing a play, and I think that's as far as I'm willing to go.
The biggie with Hedgerow has been the classes. This is where I get my chance to perform with parts of any substance. With "Laramie Project", I had some wonderful monologues and I was really able to stretch myself and challenge myself. This past spring, in the middle of a bit-part in "Shakespeare in the Trailer Park" and a bit-part in "42nd Street", at a Hedgerow class I was able to perform a scene from "Angels in America" and a monologue by Harold Pinter. Still, there's something about taking these classes, putting out a lot of money to get a moment on the stage, knowing that nothing will come of this. I'll impress the people that come for the one-night free showcase, but that won't translate to me getting any parts. A Hedgerow class gave me the opportunity to perform in "Laramie Project", but I know that if some company was holding auditions for it right now they would not cast me.
In a few days, it will be a new month. I should see a bunch of audition announcements for the fall. Before deciding whether or not I'm ready to audition again, I must first see if there are any plays that interest me. THEN I can ask myself if I am ready.
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