Well, guess what? I got a part! Lala, to be exact. I'm actually really excited about this role. I kind of fell in love with this character at the callbacks and am so happy to be given the part. Rehearsal starts in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to use this time to start some character development and start memorizing my lines.
I'm also thinking of signing up for TheatreWorks general auditions, but I really need to find new material now for it.
Showing posts with label broadway west. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broadway west. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Callbacks and What I've Been Upto
So let's do a re-cap on what I've been doing since April. I actually have a few back log posts in queue that I'm hoping to get to, but let's give a breakdown.
I worked with Teatro Vision from January through March, performing in their West Coast Premiere of "Bless Me, Ultima." It was a wonderful, amazing experience in which I met some awesome veteran Teatro Campensino actors and got in touch more with my heritage.
As Ultima came to an end I started working on my next show with Arclight, "Much Ado About Nothing." Really working with Arclight feels like coming home. This was the second year I worked with them and juggled Fanime at the same time. I had a great time back at San Pedro Square and playing around with my character, Verges.
As the month of May came to a close I began my work with The King's Company in their production of "Godspell Jr." I was upgraded from Ensemble member to Apostle within a few weeks and had a lot of fun working with this group's first ever performance.
I then spent the rest of my summer helping out Shady Shakespeare. I worked as summer camp counselor intern, teaching 8-11 year-olds theatre and "A Comedy of Two Errors" and then teaching 8 and 10 year-olds theatre and "Julius Caesar" (no, really), as well as giving Shady a hand with set build.
The summer is coming to a close and for the first time in seven months I don't have a show lined up. Which is kind of freaking me out, but brings me today. I had a callback today with Broadway West for "The Last Night of Ballyhoo." This callback was actually happenstance for me. A few weeks ago I was talking with the director Ballyhoo asking him how his planning was going. He then looked at me and asked if I was coming to his audition. I reminded him I had already been the company's general auditions almost a year ago and then he asked me to come to his callback. This is networking people! I was genuinely curious about how his production was going, not fishing for anything, but because we've worked together and auditioned together he knows what I'm capable of. I was genuinely surprised and flattered to be invited to his callback.
I think the surprise had more to do me not seeing myself in any role within Ballyhoo. I had read the wiki awhile back and all that really stuck out in my memory were all the characters are supposed to be Jewish. And while I think I certainly look ethnic, Jewish doesn't come to mind. However, once I was invited to the callback I began doing more research. And while everyone is supposed to be Jewish, after reading the play I really felt a connection with the character Lala. And I felt that since the play takes place in Atlanta, Georgia that the Southern accent would actually take away from any discomfort I felt about ethnicity.
So I went into the callback and actually had fun. My mentor is always telling me to relax and have fun. And seriously, it's some of the best advice I've ever been given. I always try to tell myself before any audition or callback that it's supposed to be fun. I'm getting a chance to use my imagination like when I was a child and hopefully will get paid for it. Either way, I had a great time at the callback. I was there for about 4 hours, but pretty much read for Lala the entire time. I read once for Sunny, but just didn't feel I had the right look for Sunny. Honestly, looking around at all the people who'd been called back I pretty much felt like I was either going to get Lala or nothing. Sunny is within my age range, but she's the "pretty" one. And really, I play quirky characters, which I think suits Lala. The other women roles available were out of my age range. The other young girl reading pretty much read for Sunny the entire time. I felt like we had a pretty good chemistry together and it was fun working with her. I have to say my favorite part of the audition was actually doing the scene with her about Lala and Sunny's big fight. It felt so intense; it was great. I saw a lot people I knew at this callback and that's feeling more like the norm these days. Actors I've either worked with at other companies or have seen perform at Broadway West. Another thing of note that I liked is the way the director makes his adjustments with actors. His favorite line is "Give me three words that describe your character." I like how it clicks in for actors easily to make the adjustments he's looking for.
I still have a few days of waiting before I find out whether I got the role or not, but even if it doesn't work out there's always another audition coming around. And I just remind myself the exposure doesn't hurt either.
I worked with Teatro Vision from January through March, performing in their West Coast Premiere of "Bless Me, Ultima." It was a wonderful, amazing experience in which I met some awesome veteran Teatro Campensino actors and got in touch more with my heritage.
As Ultima came to an end I started working on my next show with Arclight, "Much Ado About Nothing." Really working with Arclight feels like coming home. This was the second year I worked with them and juggled Fanime at the same time. I had a great time back at San Pedro Square and playing around with my character, Verges.
As the month of May came to a close I began my work with The King's Company in their production of "Godspell Jr." I was upgraded from Ensemble member to Apostle within a few weeks and had a lot of fun working with this group's first ever performance.
I then spent the rest of my summer helping out Shady Shakespeare. I worked as summer camp counselor intern, teaching 8-11 year-olds theatre and "A Comedy of Two Errors" and then teaching 8 and 10 year-olds theatre and "Julius Caesar" (no, really), as well as giving Shady a hand with set build.
The summer is coming to a close and for the first time in seven months I don't have a show lined up. Which is kind of freaking me out, but brings me today. I had a callback today with Broadway West for "The Last Night of Ballyhoo." This callback was actually happenstance for me. A few weeks ago I was talking with the director Ballyhoo asking him how his planning was going. He then looked at me and asked if I was coming to his audition. I reminded him I had already been the company's general auditions almost a year ago and then he asked me to come to his callback. This is networking people! I was genuinely curious about how his production was going, not fishing for anything, but because we've worked together and auditioned together he knows what I'm capable of. I was genuinely surprised and flattered to be invited to his callback.
I think the surprise had more to do me not seeing myself in any role within Ballyhoo. I had read the wiki awhile back and all that really stuck out in my memory were all the characters are supposed to be Jewish. And while I think I certainly look ethnic, Jewish doesn't come to mind. However, once I was invited to the callback I began doing more research. And while everyone is supposed to be Jewish, after reading the play I really felt a connection with the character Lala. And I felt that since the play takes place in Atlanta, Georgia that the Southern accent would actually take away from any discomfort I felt about ethnicity.
So I went into the callback and actually had fun. My mentor is always telling me to relax and have fun. And seriously, it's some of the best advice I've ever been given. I always try to tell myself before any audition or callback that it's supposed to be fun. I'm getting a chance to use my imagination like when I was a child and hopefully will get paid for it. Either way, I had a great time at the callback. I was there for about 4 hours, but pretty much read for Lala the entire time. I read once for Sunny, but just didn't feel I had the right look for Sunny. Honestly, looking around at all the people who'd been called back I pretty much felt like I was either going to get Lala or nothing. Sunny is within my age range, but she's the "pretty" one. And really, I play quirky characters, which I think suits Lala. The other women roles available were out of my age range. The other young girl reading pretty much read for Sunny the entire time. I felt like we had a pretty good chemistry together and it was fun working with her. I have to say my favorite part of the audition was actually doing the scene with her about Lala and Sunny's big fight. It felt so intense; it was great. I saw a lot people I knew at this callback and that's feeling more like the norm these days. Actors I've either worked with at other companies or have seen perform at Broadway West. Another thing of note that I liked is the way the director makes his adjustments with actors. His favorite line is "Give me three words that describe your character." I like how it clicks in for actors easily to make the adjustments he's looking for.
I still have a few days of waiting before I find out whether I got the role or not, but even if it doesn't work out there's always another audition coming around. And I just remind myself the exposure doesn't hurt either.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Auditioning for Broadway West
I auditioned for Broadway West’s general auditions on Monday. This season they are presenting I Do, I Do; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; Hay Fever; StarSpangled Girl; and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. I was lucky to hear about the auditions in advance from the director of Cuckoo’s Nest, John. I worked with him at Shady this last season, again one of the perks to sometimes taking a tech job instead of acting job.
Since I knew I already wanted to work on Cuckoo’s Nest as Ratched, I spoke with my mentor and he helped me pick out the play Doubt by John Patrick Shanley and told me to look at the character Sister Aloysius. Once I bought the play I figured I could piece together a monologue from the dialogue between Sister Aloysius and Sister James. I am not very good at this sort of thing so I had a friend of mine, who is not only an English teacher but also teaches Drama, look over the play and give me hand. With his help I was able to pull a monologue out by cutting Sister James’ lines.
The audition called for a monologue and song. But since I’m not the musical theater person yet I practiced a second contrasting monologue in the hope I’d be able to perform it. I choose Good Night Desdemona since I had been able to find and work a new comedic piece.
To be honest, I really could have spent more time on these monologues. I had them memorized but my substitutions and objectives were still muddy by the time auditions arrived.
The Broadway West company is a great small, intimate space. And they were very lax on their audition process, in a good way. I arrived early and ran into people I knew who told me a bit about their experiences working with the company. Everyone had great things to say about the company. Also, they were very generous on time and introductions. I was introduced to all the directors and assistant directors; the time slots were about 15 minute increments; and they allowed me to do my two monologues.
And while Broadway West treated me well this is probably one of the worst conditions I’ve ever gone into an audition. To say I was a bundle of nerves is a massive understatement. I was nervous for a few reasons. I didn’t like auditioning for someone I know. In most cases this is beneficial. If you completely mess up your audition you can hope the director remembers some of your previous work and just thinks you had a bad night. However, John has never seen me perform and I very badly wanted to impress him, especially since I seriously want to be considered for his show. When I was being introduced to all the directors, I learned that in addition to John, Bryan was also there (he’ll be directing The Last Night of Ballyhoo). I had auditioned for Bryan previously during Shady auditions, but I’m not even sure if he remembers me from it. So there was yet another person to impress. While waiting to audition I spoke with my friend, Jim, who informed me that lots of women coming through auditions were interested in Cuckoo’s Nest. This bit of news also didn’t help my nerves.
I really tried my best to calm my nerves. (I am thinking about enrolling in some meditation or Tai Chi classes to work on grounding techniques for situations like this.) But by the time I got onstage, I had already suffered from dizziness and nausea and just wasn’t feeling well. However, I was able to get through my monologues. I got all my lines right and didn’t drop or make up anything. I’m sure, despite my best effort, I was visibly nervous. What I was most disappointed in myself about is how I lost the nuance to my acting. I never got over my nerves. Usually, if I’m nervous at some point in the monologue I relax and start really getting into character. (Yes, I know I should be in character before I start my piece but my nerves don’t always let me.) I’m not really sure how I did overall. By the time I got to my car to leave I finally fell apart, crying. I was just so frustrated with myself. (And I felt stupid for getting myself worked up.)
About the only good news I’ve heard thus far is John saying my monologue was, I’m going to assume he meant the Doubt piece.
And now comes my least favorite part-waiting. With a general audition you wait until the show comes up and hope you get a callback. Which means it could be months before I hear from anyone.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Auditions for the week of 9/19
Notes about audition postings: This is just a quick overview of info I've received on Bay Area auditions. For detailed information please subscribe to Theatre Bay Area or bayareatheatrebums. Please do not email me for more information.
Woodside Community Theatre
The Drowsy Chaperone
Auds 9/19 6:30-9pm. Email: auditions@woodsidetheatre.com
StarStruck Theatre
Annie
Auds 9/19. Appt call (510) 659-1319 or sign up online.
Broadway West Theatre
General Auditions
Auds 9/19 1-4pm and 9/20 7-9pm. Appt: (510) 638-9218.
Lamplighters Music Theatre
The Yeomen of the Guard
Auds 9/19-9/21 7-10pm. Email auditions@lamplighters.org with 1st and 2nd choice times and phone number.
Berkeley Playhouse
Little Shop of Horrors
Auds 9/20 4-5:30pm. Register berkeleyplayhouse.org
Bay Area Children's Theatre
Little House on the Prairie
Auds 9/21-22. Email HS/Resume to nina@bactheatre.org
Foothill College Theatre Arts
The Winter's Tale
Auds 9/21-9/22 7pm. Callbacks 9/25. Call for info (650) 949-7268.
Stanford Savoyard
Princess Ida
Auds 9/23-9/25. Email stanfordsavoyards@gmail.com.
Mary Sano Studios
My Kanrin Maru (working title)
Auds 9/24 4-6pm. Email HS/Resume to nonoko@gmail.com.
Coastal Repertory Theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Auds 9/25 11am-3pm. Callbacks 9/26. Call for info Michael Lederman (650) 726-0268.
Pleasanton Civic Arts Stage Company
The Princess and the Pea
Auds 9/25-9/26 12pm-5pm. Appt rennals@sfshakes.org
Bless Me, Ultima
Auds 9/25 1pm-4:30pm and 9/27 6:00pm-9:00pm. Email dianne@teatrovision.org.
Woodside Community Theatre
The Drowsy Chaperone
Auds 9/19 6:30-9pm. Email: auditions@woodsidetheatre.com
StarStruck Theatre
Annie
Auds 9/19. Appt call (510) 659-1319 or sign up online.
Broadway West Theatre
General Auditions
Auds 9/19 1-4pm and 9/20 7-9pm. Appt: (510) 638-9218.
Lamplighters Music Theatre
The Yeomen of the Guard
Auds 9/19-9/21 7-10pm. Email auditions@lamplighters.org with 1st and 2nd choice times and phone number.
Berkeley Playhouse
Little Shop of Horrors
Auds 9/20 4-5:30pm. Register berkeleyplayhouse.org
Bay Area Children's Theatre
Little House on the Prairie
Auds 9/21-22. Email HS/Resume to nina@bactheatre.org
Foothill College Theatre Arts
The Winter's Tale
Auds 9/21-9/22 7pm. Callbacks 9/25. Call for info (650) 949-7268.
Stanford Savoyard
Princess Ida
Auds 9/23-9/25. Email stanfordsavoyards@gmail.com.
Mary Sano Studios
My Kanrin Maru (working title)
Auds 9/24 4-6pm. Email HS/Resume to nonoko@gmail.com.
Coastal Repertory Theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Auds 9/25 11am-3pm. Callbacks 9/26. Call for info Michael Lederman (650) 726-0268.
Pleasanton Civic Arts Stage Company
The Princess and the Pea
Auds 9/25-9/26 12pm-5pm. Appt rennals@sfshakes.org
Auds 9/25 1pm-4:30pm and 9/27 6:00pm-9:00pm. Email dianne@teatrovision.org.
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