Politics and Auditions....

A very historical day after a rollercoaster of emotions yesterday. Last night I hung out with some friends here for dinner at my favorite watering hole on 49th and 9th called Pam's Real Thai. Not only does this place give you a good portion, BUT IT'S CHEAP!! The food is phenomenal (especially since Pam was there herself last night in the kitchen). She has 2 locations. One is that one we went to and the other is on 47th and 9th called Pam's Encore. I particularly like the one on 49th the best even though it's smaller and noisier. Pam's Encore sprouted after I went to sea and I just favor the other one better. After eating with my friends last night they said that somehow the food tastes better, it has larger portions and smaller prices at this one too. After we spent a good 2 hours there we decided to walk the avenue and hit up a Japanese Dessert bar that one of the girls was curious to try. Kyotofu was the name of that place and it was a gem of a find. A fabulous date place. The menu is so eclectic that you would really find out some interesting traits about the person you decided to take there. The desserts are phenomenal ranging from tofu ice cream to warm miso chocolate cake. Nothing had any dairy in it and it was all fresh, new and tasty. The atmosphere was so warm and hip at the same time. It was an adventure for the senses. Afterward we bid adieu to two of our friends and headed uptown to watch the election unfold. It was a night of nerves, cheers and tears. As we watched the sea of blue take over the country, relief came into our hearts since we knew the country would now be in good hands. The emotional pinnacle came when states that would normally vote Republican swayed Democrat and McCain gave his concession speech. It was a very heartfelt speech congratulating Obama on his achievement of winning the white house. The crowd was not so forgiving, but McCain's message stayed on the right path with no slander against Obama's race and it was touching. Obama'a acceptance speech was moving. He still vowed to fulfill his campaign goals. He made a promise to listen to the people (unlike Bush). It was so moving to see we have finally made a change in our historical path. One change leads to another so I feel our country is now headed in a positive direction.

After the excitement of last night, today didn't start off too well. I set my alarm for "too damn early" in the morning. I was used to living a life of getting up around 9:00am and THAT was early. I needed to be up today because there was a chorus call in the morning and for chorus calls you should be there a half hour beforehand. Well the alarm went off and I slapped it instinctively and told myself that I would just lay there in the warmth for a bit before exposing my comforted muscles to the air. An hour later I rolled out of bed and in a little bit of a frenzy. I scrambled to pull myself together and get prepped. It seemed like there were obstacles at every turn. I tried to print my resume directly onto the back of my headshot (that was the stick paper I got for the shot so I could do that) and the printer kept jamming up. I was wasting time trying to do that so I just figured I would staple for now. Only in my current situation I could find no such item. I was a little befuddled. Nonetheless I got ready and dressed as fast as I could and now 20 minutes off schedule. On my way to the audition I stopped at a check-cashing place to get a stapler. I was lucky only the paper I had cut from the pervious day didn't match up. Shoot!! I stapled anyway and darted into the subway. The subway took an hour to get to the Public Theatre on Lafayette & Astor Place in the lower west side. I was off by half an hour. The auditions weren't closed yet and I was still only 38 on the list. Whoa!! I was milling about trying to get situated and then my book swung open and al the paper in my folder spilled to the floor in a huge spread as paper does when it glides to the floor in one huge clump. I was suddenly embarrassed and began to quickly shuffle it together. My number was called so I had to get into that area of waiting. All these signs this morning seemed to be trying to keep me away from the theatre. I went in to audition with my book and I looked at the pianist to give tempo and to get the first chord. He said I must have the wrong chord and he proceeded to TRY and find it on the piano. I somehow got the feeling I was in trouble now. I started off and cracked the first note. Woops. The rest seemed fine until the ending. My nerves kept showing here and there making breathing difficult. The end I sang the final melody and the chord was supposed to come in. Either he or I hit the wrong notes and I tried to slide up to the correct note at the end. Nada. I was so embarrassed. I left feeling a little defeated, but I knew I had one more to get to today. I decided to take the train back to the apartment, refreshen and practice a few before heading right back out again. This tie for a 50's show called Hula Hoop. I did okay in that audition. Nothing spectacular though. I came back to catch up a bit on some e-ccounts. Boo. The rest of the day was pretty laid back after that.

New York Life...

Election Day! It's a pretty big one folks so get out there and vote. I hope it all works out in the end.

Yesterday was the first touch of New York life. I woke up early to get prepared for my first 2 of many auditions this week. I got myself together and took the subway into town to make my appointment for the "Altar Boyz" audition that would be playing in Medea, PA. There were lots of slots still open when I got there so that was good. I made it for a noonish time and set off on my way to get my cheap versions of my headshots cropped right and to start the process of ordering reprints of the better ones from Reproductions here in the city. The cutting and stapling began. Again. Once I got that little job squared away, I headed over to the reprint company. Wow. I had never been in there. I go in to view my test shot today. That would be the one print they copy to make sure everything on it is correct. Then they start the order for the reprints. I started with 50 just to be safe. After dropping a wad of cash here I headed over to the location of my second audition just to find it and then to find Broadway Dance Center's new locale. I had some time and I wanted to acquaint myself with the area a bit again. It was now time to head into the audition. It was at the Actor's Equity Building (AEA) and the nerves began to appear. I got up to the lounge and I could hear the auditions happening. The jitters go to level 5. The monitor asks for all the noon appointments and then asks if we wouldn't mind going in early. It was a slow day I guess. Nerves up to level 7. He lines us up and I'm first in line for our group. Level 8 now. The guy before me finishes (and he was awesome) and the monitor goes in to present the next group. Now at level 9 and shaking. He comes back and in I go. I casually greet the Director and Manager and present my music to the Musical Director at the piano. He saw the piece and says he played it a hundred times or more. Ahh, level 8 again and a little eased off on the shaking. We set a tempo and I go out to my mark. I nod and he starts. He starts off fine and I've sung the piece several times ON STAGE in an intimate setting. I start out confident, but he starts to falter at the piano missing beats and chords and getting behind or ahead of me. He's really played this a hundred times? My focus goes everywhere and the directors are just staring at me. I now head up to level 10 on the nerve scale and I'm at full shake. How is this possible after performing for thousands of strangers in my past? I notice the shake in my voice and the tension in my body starts to climb. This could be trouble for the high notes. Halfway through the song I realize suddenly how long this song is and just want it to be over since the piano playing was just awful. I finish and just have to laugh it off. I hoped the second one would go better. The second one was for "Rent" on tour with Adam Pascal and the other original cast member from the Broadway show. I was ill prepared and didn't really have an appropriate pop song for this. I was scraping as it was. I showed up and a friend of mine was there, which eased my nerves a bit. It was a chorus call so I was in line with other cattle. I didn't have too long of a wait though. 40 minutes max. I was in and out and less painful than the first. The only high-tension moment was just before the door opened. I was using a new piece so I was more nervous about making an ass out of myself forgetting words than anything. I was glad to have this experience over and done. That evening I saw one of my friends perform with a group called Broadway Voices. It was an event at the Kaufman Center (part of Lincoln Center). It reminded me of the show "Inside the Actor's Studio" in a way since it was in interview format with songs dispersed in between. The guests of honor were Richard Maltby and David Shire of famed musical endeavors such as "Starting Here, Starting Now," "Closer Than Ever," "Big, the Musical," and "Baby." Excellent lyricist and orchestrator duo. The songs are clever and tell wonderful stories. I'm a fan of several pieces and most were performed that night. It was an honor to be in the audience and experience such an event. This was my classroom! The musical theatre history I never got in college. It was amazing! They not only performed some of the pieces themselves, but they (as writers) were able to give little insights into the songs and shows they put together. My friend performed with the group in one number and they were fabulous. It was good that the evening ended on a high note.

I came to thinking the other day about the business I'm in. You really have to INVEST in yourself and market yourself as a product. As an actor I am a small business. You HAVE to have money to be in this career or struggle through it. For one New York in the ONLY place to be for this kind of business. If you're more of a TV/Film actor, then L.A. is the place and if you're a variety artist of some kind there are several, but Las Vegas being a major hub. To reside in all these places COSTS big bucks. Once you have a place to live and a suitable secondary job (income must come in somehow when you're LOOKING for work in the business), you have to obtain your marketable materials. This includes headshots or reels, which can run into the 100s. If you're a singer/actor or variety artist a repertoire of singing material of all different styles should be put together. If you have your own show, thousands of dollars go into making charts if you don't possess that knowledge. Even if you're just a singer and need a song transposed, cut, found, or fixed it can cost you if you don't have the musical knowledge to do it yourself. Then there is maintenance. You MUST have an internet connection and a cell phone these days. There is no way to keep up without them. Inevitably this means something portable for the internet such as the new blackberry technology or a laptop. There are lessons to take whether it is acting, voice, dancing, or instrumental. You also have to stay in shape (for the most part) so a gym membership is necessary. You also have to look stylish and good so a variety in your wardrobe is a must. Your skin must be fresh and your hair must be up with the times. I was having this epiphany the other day as I was prepping for the week. Wow. I am my own small business. This is where, despite the hard times, I have to be thankful to cruise ships for the savings I have built up and the debts I have already paid. I know I don't want to see that arena again, but it is a way to travel and it is a nice temporary fix for a low bank account. I can't quite kick it yet until I know I'm too old for it. As far as my knowledge goes, I still have 10+ years for that venue to finally expire completely. After all it is just business.