Thursday, January 8, 2009

And Off to New York...

Perhaps one of the greatest thrills for me is auditioning in New York. Although I have lived in Cedar Rapids my whole life, I have been to New York City several times and have auditioned for numerous shows, including The North American Tour of The Music Man, The National Tour of The Sound of Music, Oliver! on Broadway, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Broadway (and perhaps another that I can't really remember). The latter two did not affect me after the audition, for I did not get a role in those shows. However, when I was at those auditions I gained a sort of confidence that lacks when I audition in Cedar Rapids. I can be whoever I want to be in New York, and I can be as outgoing as I want to. Outgoing is something they like to see, and I can be very outgoing when I don't have to worry about being modest (around friends, e.g.). So many opportunities may come out of a single audition in New York, and that's the truly exciting part.

And now, I'm off to New York on Tuesday. I will be auditioning for the role of Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs. I would be simply ecstatic if I were to be able to participate in this show. First of all, I played Eugene in my school's production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, and I simply fell in love with the show. The humor, the characters, the drama: they're so real, and the show connect to every soul in the audience. It is truly my favorite play ever written (excluding musicals; adding in those would make the contest way more competitive). If I could, I would play Eugene every single day of my life. I made people laugh, and I wish I could always do that.

My dad was the first to hear about this audition. He heard from Amy Blades, whose daughter, Catherine Blades, performed with me in The Music Man (and many other shows), and although Catherine lives in Cedar Rapids as well, she is still very connected to the theatre world. She was planning on auditioning, but decided not to (or couldn't) for some reason. Anyways, once we heard about it we instantly got around my resume and the video of Brighton Beach Memoirs and sent it to the casting director. Two weeks later, we called them to see if they received it or not, and they told us that I could audition for them.

However, the day that the auditions were to be taking place for non-Union actors, such as me, was on January 17, the day of our first show choir competition, and perhaps the most difficult competition we will be going to all year. Thus, I could not go to this audition, but thankfully, they told me that I could press my luck at the Union auditions which are Wednesday and Thursday. They told me that I am not guaranteed an audition. But as Kollasch told me, "It's Broadway." So I decided to go, and as time went on the cards began to favor us. We found out that once we get to the audition, I put my name on a list (because I am not in the Union). When there is a moment when there is not a Union member waiting to audition, I am called. We plan to get to the audition around 8:00, until the auditions are done. Hopefully, during these nine hours or so there won't be someone waiting and I can have the opportunity to audition.

Overall, I think it's definitely worth it. How many times do I actually get to audition for Broadway? It'll be a good experience no matter what, as I will get to see some family and old friends as well. It may be a one in a million shot, but hey, that's one. I've just got to nail it.

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