I know all one of you are waiting
with baited breath to see how my audition went.
Well, I almost didn’t go. I was
sitting at home and had turned on a movie.
I had just finished vacuuming and washing the floor, when I thought to
myself “Why bother?” It wasn’t like me and a group of friends were
going to try out. I wasn’t letting
anyone down by not being there – except myself.
Plus, I don’t think I could make myself do another thing if I did not do
this, so I threw on my Emerald Isle sweatshirt and pulled on my Osiris sneakers
(my confident “I am me” outfit) and grabbed my keys.
I got to the audition with a few
minutes to spare and walked in looking to see if there was anyone I knew. There was!
One of the ladies I was in Fiddler with was there as well as the rabbi
from Fiddler. That kind of loosened me
up a little. Plus the piano player from
several of the plays I’ve been in was there.
That was comforting because she introduced me to the director as my
character from Fiddler. As you can
probably tell, I loved doing “Fiddler on the Roof”. I really did.
They had us fill out forms with our
information on it and what parts we wanted – character, chorus, or both? I hemmed and hawed because I went for chorus
but since I was there I decided to read for a part too. What could it hurt? I picked up one of the character’s lines and
started reading through so I would be able to read it coherently on stage. It’s really weird reading a small part of a
play that you know nothing about because you have no idea where they are coming
from or what they are trying to impart to their audience. After I read someone else read another
character that referenced the one I read and I was like “Ohhhhh, that’s why she sounds the way she does!”
After I read I had to sing my “go
to” song – which is “If I Only Had a Brain” from the Wizard of Oz”. I think it was pretty good and I belted it
out there – which is a big thing in the theatre, since they don’t normally use
microphones. At least in the plays I’ve
been in they don’t. When I finished I
went back to my seat and curled myself into the smallest ball I possibly
could. Don’t ask me why. I know I sang well, and everyone clapped, but
for some reason I just get all self-conscious and collapse into myself.
We read a couple more times,
trying different characters and then we were done. Then the waiting began. I kept checking my email but there was
nothing. All sorts of things went
through my head – was the next day’s
auditions better? Was my singing that bad? What if they don’t get in touch with me at
all to even let me know I wasn’t picked?
What if I do get a part? What will I do then? How can I memorize all that?
A week later, almost to the day, I
get a phone call from the director. She
asks me if I would like to be in the chorus.
I tell her yes. She tells me that
practice will probably begin in December sometime. I tell her ok. She says she is looking forward to working
with me. I tell her I’m looking forward
to being in this play. We hang up. I’m super glad that I got in, but a little
disappointed I didn’t get a speaking role.
Even if I was offered one I could turn it down, but I didn’t get the
chance. I think that’s part of my neurosis, because like I said, I only wanted
a chorus part. I read for a role as a
lark. But part of me… Well, I guess part of me wants to be a
star. A supporting star, but a star
nonetheless.
All in all, it went well and I’m
happy to be part of this group. I’m
looking forward to making new friends and working with old ones, and singing
and being part of something bigger than the little world I’ve carved out for
myself.
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