Fun with Auditions! Part 2

It was four days before the the shoot.  Audition night. I was driving around struggling to find my way to the audition site.  Nerves, darkness and very teeny tiny, poorly illuminated street signs were all contributors in delaying me from arriving at my destination.  I made a call to the casting director on my cell phone and was safely guided into the parking lot of the building.  

The week leading up to tonight, I had read and reread the script and its 4 re-writes at least 8 times each.  I had all 3 lines memorized.  I was nervous but feeling pretty confident never the less.  The production crew had asked me to bring my guitar as we were going to need a working guitar for a prop in one of the scenes and we wanted to be sure that it was going to meet the directors expectations. Armed with resume, head shots, script and guitar, I headed into the lobby where I was invited to sit and wait for my name to be called.  I could hear the other auditioners acting their scene.

Finally, the producer walks to the lobby and says "Lisa, they are ready for you".  Then he asks, "So, can you play a little something and sing along"? WHAT!!! I advised him that I had not played guitar in over two years and had not prepared ANYTHING.  While I would stay up nights straight to workout any musical composition in order to shoot in 4 days, I couldn't play anything on the spot.  I suddenly felt weak and sick to my stomach and any confidence I had walking into the audition, was suddenly sucked out of my body.

I entered the room and reached out to shake the directors hand and said hello to the screenwriter.  "She says she cant really play anything" the producer reports to the director.  Great, I think, nice impression and I haven't even opened my mouth other than to say hello.  "That's okay" the director says. "Here, we can look up the lyrics and the chords to the songs here on my laptop." &(^%%$%$ Internet! For real!?  I was starting to have an out of body experience.  I was above everyone, looking down at myself, and wondering what song and dance (literally) number I was going to pull out.  Then the director says, "I want her to be bad.  She thinks she is a rock star but she cant play or sing."  TA DA! That I can do!  I took a deep breath and started to go through the motions of being a rock goddess and tried to sing a non melodic, pitchy (in the words of Randy Jackson) rendition of a song that I had indeed played in my band days.  People in the room, including the director and screenwriter, started to laugh and nod their heads and after a few painful minutes of performing several "mash ups", the director announced, "You're hired"! "Don't practice too much, I don't want you to get good before the shoot"!

I couldn't have been more pleased!  I was hired!  My audition was terrible and the Hollywood director said I was hired! It was one of the most fun auditions that I had ever had.  I took a deep breath and went "all in".  And it was a success!  I, was a success!  And I was going to get my opportunity to act.  My resolution was coming to fruition.

Fun with Auditions! Part 1

My first year in Cleveland I tried to network and meet as many people as I could.   I did lots of technical theatre.  It seems that theatres are always looking for technical people so it was pretty easy to get our there and network.  This year I made a "resolution" that I would start auditioning for stage or film roles. Not that I am going to stop doing technical theatre but I really want to get onstage or in front of the camera.  I want to act.

    Last year I signed on to be a Production Assistant/Script Supervisor for a local film.  I joined and learned alot about filming.  Before this adventure I did a couple of small extra parts in front of the camera but that was the extent of my film experience.  The film is a feature length made up of 10 or 11 vignettes.  I was assigned as PA/SS  for about 5 of the shorts. I recently completed the shorts to which I was originally assigned and learned that they were auditioning for another vignette.  The director, originally from Cleveland, was now in LA practising her craft.  And, the writer of the piece was also working in LA. The short featured 2 female leads and a crowd of extra females.....
    It was stated pretty early on that one of the leads was already cast with a known actress from the LA area.  (which for a local project, all of the above mentioned acclaimed participants is great because it means a greater possibility for distribution later because of the names attached).  I was going to audition for the 2nd lead role. I read the script and began thinking of characterizations that the director might be looking for.
    But....then it was announced that yet another LA actress had agreed to join the cast.  Again- Awesome news for the production!  I really want to be a part of this collaboration!  Audition night was approaching and I was hoping that there would be a role for me! After all- there are no small parts!

 

Happy New Year! I am so looking forward to a Happy, safe and creative new year!

Wishing all of my family and friends a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! Warm Hugs and Kisses- LW

Lets see if this works- type once and post in 4 different social settings...if this works- I am truly a social butterfly.....first time for everything!

A MODERN AMERICAN CLASSIC:

CONVERGENCE-CONTINUUM PRESENTS A MODERN AMERICAN CLASSIC:
THE BOYS IN THE BAND, OPENING, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7

convergence-continuum, continues its 2011 Season at the Liminis with Mart
Crowley's 1968 ground-breaking play, The Boys in the Band.

Set in an Upper East Side Manhattan apartment during a birthday party, the
evening begins as a hilarious and spirited celebration among friends.  The
guest of honor is Harold, who is glum about getting older and losing his
looks.  Michael, the host, is uncomfortable about his sexuality and
undergoing psychoanalysis, as is guest Donald, a conflicted friend who has
moved to the suburbs to spurn the gay lifestyle.  Other guests include
Bernard, an African-American who still pines for the wealthy white boy in
the house where his mother worked as a maid; interior-decorator Emory, who
is openly and extremely flamboyant and the most stereotypical of the
group. Also attending are Larry, who is an aggressively sexual player and
Hank, who passes as straight: a couple living together but disagreeing on
the issue of monogamy.  Rounding out the revelers is "Cowboy,"  a young,
attractive, but less than bright, hustler who is Emory's gift to Harold.
It's all laughs, until an unexpected guest, Alan (Michael's straight
college friend), too much alcohol and a truth-telling game reveal tensions
that rip open the men's souls. The Boys in the Band premiered in 1968 and
represents a major milestone in American theatre as the first play to
openly portray the pleasures, miseries and private lives of gay men.

The Boys in the Band is directed by convergence-continuum company member,
Tyson Douglas Rand, and features actors Curt Arnold, Benjamin Gregg, Zac
Hudak, Jim Jarrell, Dan Kilbane, Clyde Simon, Jonathan Wilhelm, Bobby
Williams and Scott Zolkowski.

The Boys in the Band opens Friday, October 7 and runs at 8 p.m. Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays through October 29 at the Liminis, 2438 Scranton
Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113 in the historic Tremont neighborhood.  Tickets
are $15 general admission, $12 for seniors (65+) and $10 for students.
Reservations and information are available at
http://www.convergence-continuum.org and 216-687-0074.

The Guys

'The Guys' pays tribute to 9/11 heroes

12:45 PM
SEP 07
2011

BY LORI DEMRES

Want to go?
• WHAT: "The Guys"
• WHEN: 8 p.m. Sept. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 & 24; 2 p.m. Sept. 11 & 18
• WHERE: Harlequins Theatre, 414 Wayne St. Rear, Sandusky
• COST: $10/ticket
• INFO: 419-621-1311

On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Harlequins Theatre has chosen to open its 84th season with Anne Nelson's "The Guys," a play that honors those who responded to the tragedy at the Twin Towers.

"I won't kid you, there are parts that are sad," said Jennifer Wertz, one member of the two-person cast. "But the overall show is uplifting in that we are honoring the fallen by sharing their stories. And there is humor in some of the stories. And it's okay to laugh at that humor, because the play is not a dirge. We are 
celebrating these men's lives."

Director Lisa Wiley agrees.

"There are moments of levity, when the Captain, in remembering his guys, describes their personalities and their antics," said Wiley. "They were real people, and to keep them real he remembers the vulnerabilities and eccentricities, as well as their acts of heroism."

In celebration and commemoration, Harlequins is donating a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to local first responder charities, including the development of a 9/11 memorial in Huron County using a support beam from the Twin Towers. First responders will also be granted free admission during the first weekend of the show.

"The Guys" is based on a true story. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Nick, a New York City fire captain (played by Rob Albach), must compose several eulogies for those he lost in the Twin Towers. Too overwhelmed and still struggling with such a great loss, he enlists the help of a writer named Joan (played by Jennifer Wertz), who guides him through his grief to re-discover and remember the 
camaraderie and friendship he had with his colleagues.

Harlequins is actually reviving this show from when they first performed it five years ago. Both actors and the director returned for this event. 

"I did it because it's a powerful show and a wonderful role," said Wertz. "I always look for shows that not only entertain, but educate and enlighten."

"You can never recapture the feelings that were present in a previous performance, just create new ones," said Wiley. "The enormous scope of the tragedy was something that most of us have never witnessed. I wanted to show the transitions people made in dealing with their own feelings, the emotions of those around them and the interaction of both."