Open Wardrobes

With the Fringe still in flux (though still looking possible), I decided to audition last night for Anything Goes at Lakeshore Players (my hope being that between the two of them one will work out). Musical auditions always make me much more nervous that auditioning for a straight play, as my confidence level for singing and dancing is not always as high as for acting. I decided to sing Reviewing the Situation from Oliver as it's a fun song for a character similar in personality to the one I'd really like to play in Anything Goes. There were a lot of people there at auditions last night (though not very many guys) and so I had to wait a bit before going up to do my song. But, at last, it was my turn and I was sent up to face the music, literally. As I said, a singing audition makes me more nervous but when I reached the theater I was put at ease by a familiar smiling face in the audience. I don't know the director for this show, but I discovered that Laurie, wonderful Laurie, our stage manager from Greens is stage managing this show as well. So, feeling a little more relaxed I handed the pianist my music and took my place on stage as she began the introduction...


...which sounded nothing like the recording! Panic set in, for my greatest fear when singing is that I will start on the wrong note (not that I necessarily do, but that's the fear). Now from practicing the song I left that I was reasonably certain I could pick out the right note even without hearing it, but having also listened to a recording of the song many, many times I was certain that with the intro I would know my note. But the intro, for whatever reason (perhaps because in the musical it's played on violin?), sounded completely different to me and I was thrown. So I made a decision. I was going to commit to my note. I was going to commit to that note like I've never committed to any note before. I was going to sing with confidence and either hit the right note or fail spectacularly (which if you're going to fail is really the way to do it)! Well, I don't think I failed spectacularly, so I came away feeling good about the song.


Then came the dance part of the audition. Now you have to understand, I can follow choreography, I can learn dance steps, really I can. Last spring for the 10-minute play festival I had to do the Electric Slide while delivering lines. And in college I was in a touring group for a summer that did dance and rhythm pieces. So I can learn these things, just not that fast! The choreographer (who is clearly quite good) went through things so quickly I was barely hanging on. I threw myself into it as best I could, though I left that part of the audition feeling slightly less confident.


The auditions did not include reading from the script, and I am very unfortunately not available for callbacks on Wednesday, so we shall see. If I get the part, great, if not the audition itself is always good practice and I will be back for the 10-minute festival auditions.


I wish you could have heard that note. That was the note of committment!!!