Like Venice. Only different.
Last night was the big audition for Urinetown. It is fortunate that acting is a hobby and not a profession for me. The trouble of having to audition for new shows every so often in order to pay the bills would drive me bonkers. It’s not that I’m the type to get stressed out, but it is a pain preparing a good audition, and I find the artificial setting of an audition to be really annoying. I’m the type of performer that auditions somewhat flatly, as it takes time to develop a part. Also, no matter how hard I try, it’s hard for me shut down my inner slacker. I try to pour it on, but when it’s not an actual performance (and my inner slacker does not consider auditions to be actual performances), the product seems to lack a little bit of the sparkle that comes out when old slacky knows that the chips are down and there’s no do-over if it’s crap.
Since this is all strictly for fun, I go in knowing that if I do not get cast at all, the “penalty” is simply a lot more free time to go climbing, work around the house and actually spend some time with X. Knowing that in the back of my head, I strode confidently in to the room, introduced myself and gave it my best shot. We were required to have 3 pieces - a comic monologue (I used “A Singular Type Of Guy” from All In The Timing), an uptempo song (in my case the old standby “On The Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady), and a ballad (”Not A Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along). Everything went about as well as possible bearing in mind that inner slacker was doing his thing since it was not an actual performance. They seemed interested in the fact that I have some experience tap dancing. Not surprising - the music has the potential to be dance-heavy with an emphasis on swing and tap/softshoe, both of which I’m familiar with, and guys with a willingness to dance, let alone actual experience are somewhat hard to find. I was also thoughtful enough to bring a list of shows I’ve done with me. Usually I am wracking my brain trying to remember names and dates and scribble them down on the audition form. In this case, it was not even asked for. At the end of the audition the director asked me how much experience I had on stage and I was able to hand the list right to him.
The competition seems fierce. A lot of people are looking for an opportunity to be in a show that only recently left Broadway. A lot of other people just want to be involved in the director’s last hurrah before he assumes the presidency of Villanova University. Many of the applicants are either working on or already have MFAs. These folks are perhaps of a higher caliber than those at The Centre Theater, and they are surely greater in number. AND, I have no past history with this group. In any case, as a male who can sing and dance well, I think I did well enough to be in the show. I may well be in the chorus, but I think I’m in nonetheless.
This group has a spectacularly stringent rehearsal schedule, even by my personal “fast and furious” standards. Rehearsals begin on 1/30. Show opens March 21. That’s basically a six-week ramp up time which typically calls for a busy rehearsal schedule, but in this case it is Tuesday through Sunday each week! Yikes. The performance schedule is even tougher - Night shows Tuesday through Saturday plus matinees on Saturday and Sunday (so two shows on Saturdays). There will be 20 performances, which will be the longest run I’ve ever done (Joseph… ran for 3 or 4 weeks, but only logged 12 performances). Personally, I love long runs, so that’s an exciting prospect for me.
One last vignette: In 1997 I was in a production of Pippin with a now-defunct (I think) group that was for high-school and college-aged students. We became a fairly close-knit cast with most of us still turning up for reunion nights in later years. I recalled that the girl who played Fastrada was beginning her masters at Villanova. Now, that was 9 years ago, so she should have long since finished her masters and moved on to other things. Also, the audition was by appointment, so I would only bump into the 3 or 4 people auditioning around the same time as me. Yet…I walked into the hallway, and there she was! She now lives in NJ, but is among the many eager to be a part of the director’s last hurrah and decided to come out for the show. Funny coincidence. If any of you folks from that production ever read this, give me a shout.
The results won’t be in until next week, so be patient.