Non-VO Acting Stuff

So I decided on a lark to go and audition for a regional production of "Jekyll and Hyde" today. I saw the audition notice earlier in the week and toyed with the idea but I never really prepared anything for an audition. I missed yesterdays auditions and today was the last day of auditions and they started at 7:30. At around 7:50 I figured what the hell, I'll do it for the experience.

When I arrived, all these beautiful young people where sitting around limbering up for the dance part of the audition, the part that I was blissfully unaware of. Had I known there was a dance audition, I'd probably have stayed home. Other people where reviewing sheet music and again, I thought to myself, what am I doing here? I don't have any sheet music, I don't have any dance shoes, I'm not ready for this!

So they call everyone in for the dance part of the audition. Twenty four poor souls learning a routine that I'm certain would be cake for a professionally trained dancer but which for us double-left-footed types, was tantamount to a space walk. I got in line with the rest and bravely turned left when everyone else turned right and I shuffled when I should have kicked, all the while maintaining an attitude of joyous good fun. And it was good fun. How could I not laugh at my own glaringly untrained dancing. At any rate, we all got through the dance part and were asked to wait outside.

They called us in in groups of 3 or 4. A couple of times I could hear angelic voices sailing through theater doors, both male and female. There was some real, heavy duty talent in there. At last, came my turn along with two lovely young ladies with voices of such beauty that they could make you cry. Finally the musical director called my name.

"Hi Joe, what are you going to do for us today?" said he, "well I have to apologize because I just saw the audition notice today and I didn't have time to prepare anything." says I. "Well, what do you know?" said he. "I was going to try 'I've gotta be me'" I said, at which he responded to the pianist, "what do you know?" Apparently the musical director was not a big Sammy Davis Jr. fan. The Pianist holds up a fake book of Broadway show tunes and hands it to me. I peer into the book whose type is of the microscopic variety and me, having left my reading glasses at home, merely pretended to peruse the selections.

After auditioning another two singers, the musical director turns back to me and says "so, how we doing Joe?" "I'd be doing much better if I had my reading glasses" I replied, at which the director and various other theatrical flunkies chuckled heartily. "Well, do you know any songs? I just want to hear you sing. It says here your a tenor. I want to hear something tenor-ish" he said. "Do you know 'Oh Holy Night?'" Sure I replied. "Ok, let's hear it from the fall on your knees party" So the pianist tries bravely to play the song but she doesn't really know it but she hit a nice chord and I jumped in with my rendition of Oh Holy Night from the fall on your knees party. The Musical Director turnes to the person beside him and says "That's what I was hoping to hear"

I got a call-back!

So Wednesday I go back for the role of the Bishop. I am not really familiar with the show so I don't know how big or small a part it is but apparently, the guy is a tenor so there should be at least some singing involved.

It just goes to show you, you never know, unless you try.

What have you tried today?