Audition: Getting Even With Shakespeare, a one-act play as part of the WinterFest 2010 festival.
Champions Studios
Note for the future: If there is a Non-Union open call from 6-9:30 ever again, DO NOT arrive anytime after 6pm. It's not like a party, you're not going to look like a douche if you're the first one there.
I saw "Avatar" that night, which is the source of my tardiness, but still if I'd hauled ass from Lincoln Center as soon as I got out of the movie, I could have gotten a decent slot. As it was I got there around 6:30 and all the slots were full, as well as a list full of write-in slots that went well beyond 9:30. Hopping on the bandwagon, I signed up for 10:45pm.
So now I was stuck with a dilemma, the Should I Stay or Should I Go question.
Normally, I feel like I would have just shrugged my shoulders and went home, accepting the fact that I got there too late and they wouldn't be able to see me. But I'd just seen Avatar in 3D, and spent a good three minutes in the middle of the movie crying because I wasn't IN that movie. Seriously.
So I was in the mood to audition for something.
I made a brief Starbucks run, grabbed a corn dog from Papaya dog, and I decided to hang out. If someone didn't show up, if people decided not to stay, you had best believe I was going to slip my ass in there.
As it turns out, the people running auditions were incredibly generous with their time. There was no one coming into the studio after them, so they said they would stay until closing, which was at 11pm. They bumped a few people to this morning, but they said they'd see as many people as possible.
I stuck around, played around with my phone and doodled in my notebook. The studio across the hall from auditions were having some kind of dance battle for inner-city teenagers. Awesome. It was like a clown car the way lines of kids in big puffy Northface jackets just kept piling in that room, and every time the door opened the hallway filled with thumping bass and the sound of "Hey! Ho!"
There were these three sassy black ladies in charge who sat in the hallway, and every time some kid would come out of the room, they'd grab him by the arm, lead him down the hall saying, "Keep it moving, these people are auditioning!"
Now, having attended Benjamin Cardozo High School, I happen to know that having that many teenagers packed into one room dancing to hip hop music was a bad idea, and it was only a matter of time before something happened, which in a crowded hallway like that in Champions Studios, would no doubt erupt into a stampede like at that America's Next Top Model call when someone yelled, "bomb."
Thankfully, it wasn't until about a quarter to ten, when most of the people waiting to audition had gone home and there were only a handful of us still sitting in the hall. A parade of kids came up to the door to join the dance party, and then all of a sudden, someone's up in someone's grill and before you know it:
Gang Warfare.
Well, it was actually like Little Miss Gang Warfare, because the fight was between two twelve year olds.
The sassy black ladies were very quick in using force to drive the rowdy teenagers out of the hallway, but I do feel bad for the girl whose monologue was interrupted by a chorus of, "Say it to mah face! Say it to mah face!" coming from the outer hallways.
Their tactic was brilliant too. They all had those bathroom air fresheners, like Lysol, and they just started spraying the girls with them. First in the torso, but when they wouldn't back off, they went for the eyes.
It was hilarious.
Needless to say, that was the end of the dance party.
I was one of the last people to audition. There were only two girls after me, one of whom had a Saturday morning slot, and was just hanging around on the off-chance they'd be able to fit her in. I'm sure they got her in right after me, because as I'd predicted, not everyone stuck around.
My monologues seemed to go well. They laughed, which after five straight hours of monologues, is surprising. For my Shakespeare monologue I decided to do Hamlet's "To be or not to be," but as one of those girls on "My Super Sweet Sixteen." I figured if anything else, it would be memorable.
And I was right, because they just called me an hour ago to call me back for one of the roles today at 1:30.
Sweet.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tomatoes...
I am sitting in my apartment, drinking white wine and submitting my resume electronically to virtually anything that lists "Caucasian Female, 20-35" in the character breakdown.
Due to my spectacular falling down during the Christmas bar crawl I went on with my co-workers, the viewscreen on my camera has cracked! I can still take pictures, I just don't see what they look like until I upload them onto my computer. It's weird, it's like I've gone back in time to a day in which you got an envelope from CVS full of photos and you're like, "What the hell is this?" Old school.
But that means no videos for a while, which is a real shame. I had a few more rattling around in my brain, I was just procrastinating. Just goes to show you.
I do have $400 in my "Moving to LA" fund, which I've placed in a sealed envelope in hopes that I won't have to dip into it in the Christmas hustle and bustle. Maybe I'll buy myself one of them video cameras with the amusing commercials.
That burger song: Hilarious.
Audition tomorrow, immediately following "Avatar" in IMAX.
It had better be good, because if I go to this movie, and it doesn't stand up to the hype, and then I go to this audition and blow, I'm going to blame James Cameron. James Cameron will owe me.
Due to my spectacular falling down during the Christmas bar crawl I went on with my co-workers, the viewscreen on my camera has cracked! I can still take pictures, I just don't see what they look like until I upload them onto my computer. It's weird, it's like I've gone back in time to a day in which you got an envelope from CVS full of photos and you're like, "What the hell is this?" Old school.
But that means no videos for a while, which is a real shame. I had a few more rattling around in my brain, I was just procrastinating. Just goes to show you.
I do have $400 in my "Moving to LA" fund, which I've placed in a sealed envelope in hopes that I won't have to dip into it in the Christmas hustle and bustle. Maybe I'll buy myself one of them video cameras with the amusing commercials.
That burger song: Hilarious.
Audition tomorrow, immediately following "Avatar" in IMAX.
It had better be good, because if I go to this movie, and it doesn't stand up to the hype, and then I go to this audition and blow, I'm going to blame James Cameron. James Cameron will owe me.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Tick Tock...
Happy Turkey Day everyone, as I prepare for a long night at work, watching happy people enjoy a $200 turkey dinner with friends and family.
It's all good, I'm having leftovers with my family tomorrow night. I actually kind of like working holidays. And not just because I get time and a half, but because it's kind of nice being with my co-workers on a day like today. All of us are missing a holiday with family, it gives us a nice "Goodnight Saigon" kind of feeling. We're all in it together.
I can't believe it's already the end of November. Mostly because I've only had to break out the winter coat once. Congratulations Al Gore, you were right.
I have yet to peek into my travel fund for after my 25th birthday. It's looking kind of full, but it's mostly small bills. Maybe people will be feeling generous tonight and tip the poor sad girl whose family is eating yams without her. I figure I should have at least 1200 dollars for the move to LA, provided I can find someplace to stay that won't require "rent" in the strictest sense.
Of course if I become famous before then, rather than go to LA I'm going to Europe. And I feel I've taken a step in the right direction. I just got myself a manager.
That management company that had contacted me over the summer, A Future Star Talent, is now AFST Management, and run by a woman named Jenn who is actually good about returning emails and calls, unlike whoever was working there when they cancelled my audition and never rescheduled.
I got a newsletter from them, so I guess I'm still on some kind of mailing list or something, so I emailed them to explain my situation. The next day I got an email with an audition appointment. Way to go Jenn.
She had me read a scene, first with no direction, and then as a ditsy blonde. Then she had me do my Irish accent, and poof: Management. They're a freelance company, so I didn't have to sign anything. It's good but it's also a little worrisome. It's good because I can still look for my own jobs and submit myself for things independently from them. But it makes me a little worrisome because it's a little hard to tell how hard they're going to be fighting for me. I don't know, no contract kind of makes me think there's no obligation, and I'm undecided as to whether or not that's a good thing.
But one thing is for sure, having a manager definitely gives me a leg up. First of all they have more contacts than I do. They have clients who have booked HBO pilots and roles on Ugly Betty and so on. And also it looks a lot better to have a manager submit my resume than if I just found a casting director's address and slapped a stamp on the back of my headshot. Having representation implies that someone has seen you work and thinks that you have talent. It implies that someone believes in you. And that's great.
I'm still going to be trying to get my own stuff. I've only been Jenn's client for less than two weeks and there's only so much she can tell about me from one reading. Probably the best thing I can do is make sure she sees me work so she can get a better sense of who I am. That way she'll know what to submit me for.
She seems really on top of things and professional, I'm really excited about working with her. So much so that I will excuse her spelling her name "JENN" when clearly only one "N" is necessary.
It's all good, I'm having leftovers with my family tomorrow night. I actually kind of like working holidays. And not just because I get time and a half, but because it's kind of nice being with my co-workers on a day like today. All of us are missing a holiday with family, it gives us a nice "Goodnight Saigon" kind of feeling. We're all in it together.
I can't believe it's already the end of November. Mostly because I've only had to break out the winter coat once. Congratulations Al Gore, you were right.
I have yet to peek into my travel fund for after my 25th birthday. It's looking kind of full, but it's mostly small bills. Maybe people will be feeling generous tonight and tip the poor sad girl whose family is eating yams without her. I figure I should have at least 1200 dollars for the move to LA, provided I can find someplace to stay that won't require "rent" in the strictest sense.
Of course if I become famous before then, rather than go to LA I'm going to Europe. And I feel I've taken a step in the right direction. I just got myself a manager.
That management company that had contacted me over the summer, A Future Star Talent, is now AFST Management, and run by a woman named Jenn who is actually good about returning emails and calls, unlike whoever was working there when they cancelled my audition and never rescheduled.
I got a newsletter from them, so I guess I'm still on some kind of mailing list or something, so I emailed them to explain my situation. The next day I got an email with an audition appointment. Way to go Jenn.
She had me read a scene, first with no direction, and then as a ditsy blonde. Then she had me do my Irish accent, and poof: Management. They're a freelance company, so I didn't have to sign anything. It's good but it's also a little worrisome. It's good because I can still look for my own jobs and submit myself for things independently from them. But it makes me a little worrisome because it's a little hard to tell how hard they're going to be fighting for me. I don't know, no contract kind of makes me think there's no obligation, and I'm undecided as to whether or not that's a good thing.
But one thing is for sure, having a manager definitely gives me a leg up. First of all they have more contacts than I do. They have clients who have booked HBO pilots and roles on Ugly Betty and so on. And also it looks a lot better to have a manager submit my resume than if I just found a casting director's address and slapped a stamp on the back of my headshot. Having representation implies that someone has seen you work and thinks that you have talent. It implies that someone believes in you. And that's great.
I'm still going to be trying to get my own stuff. I've only been Jenn's client for less than two weeks and there's only so much she can tell about me from one reading. Probably the best thing I can do is make sure she sees me work so she can get a better sense of who I am. That way she'll know what to submit me for.
She seems really on top of things and professional, I'm really excited about working with her. So much so that I will excuse her spelling her name "JENN" when clearly only one "N" is necessary.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
ActorFest 2009!
Last year I spent $40 bucks on a ticket to ActorFest, having registered too late to get a good deal on any workshops, worked until mindight the night before, woke up too tired to get up, and therefore decided to blow off ActorFest 2008.
Oh but that was in the past, when I thought that I could just waltz around town going to one audition every three weeks, and some casting director would inevitably take me under his wing and coach me into the next Patti LuPone.
THIS year however, I spent the day before ActorFest in Long Island seeing my good friend Evan as Franz in "The Producers" at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. The train home got me into Penn Station at 2am, which got me home to Queens at 3:30am. I spent some time printing and cutting my resumes, and making sure I had absolutely everything I needed before getting dressed in the outfit I planned to wear to ActorFest, and going to sleep at about 4:45am.
When my alarm went off at 7:30am, I was up. Because this year I'd spent $92, and I had three workshops waiting for me at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
Got there at 9, which is when it technically started. My first class wasn't until 10am, so I figured I'd have a little time just in case there was a line to get in.
Holy Hell, was there a line. It stretched from the entrance on 34th between 8th and 9th, halfway down 34th street, all the way down 8th avenue and halfway down 35th Street as well. Thankfully I ran into a couple of current students at my college, so at least I had someone to stand with.
At 9:45am people started to come down the line pulling out the people who had 10am classes. That was really cool of them. I mean, it was my fault for not anticipating how many people would be there, they could have easily just let us miss our classes. Kudos. And I don't care how many people want to complain about it being disorganized, there must have been a thousand people on line outside at 9:45, let alone the people who were already inside. You try organizing that many people anywhere outside of Nazi Germany.
My first class was a voiceover workshop. Voiceover has just recently occured to me as a career path. There's good money there, and I enjoy doing voices, so I figured I might as well learn some more about it. There was a great panel, including Valerie Smaldone, who is the woman who makes the, "This is Seth McFarlane's third nomination and first win for 'Family Guy'" announcements at the Emmys.
Kind of make me not want to do voiceover anymore. Like most areas of acting, it's not something you do just on a whim. If you're not 100% dedicated to making it as a voiceover artist, then you shouldn't bother. Because apparently it's really competetive. And there's not much of a market for animation in New York. It's mostly L.A. for the kind of voice stuff I would want to do.
Oh well. Informative, to say the least.
Next up was, "The Casting Director's Master Class: On Screen with Todd Thaler." Todd Thaler is a casting director for film and tv. He was one of the only casting directors who came to the showcase my graduating class put on at the end of our senior year. First moment he came in he sat down on the back of his chair with his feat on the seat adorable.
I got the last seat in the first row. Feeling pretty good about, it. I wanted to sit in the front so that i could hear and see everything and be easily heard and seen. And then some Too Cool For School guy in a leather jacket takes a chair from the wall and plops in down right in front of me. I was PISSED. I was like, "Who the hell is this asshole? You can't just make your own row!" Who the hell does this guy think he is? And then he turned his head, and he was Jim Caviezel.
Oh...
Um... carry on.
An interesting thing about Todd Thaler: He's more interested in the person than the actor. Apparently he cast "The Professional" by hvaing conversations with the actors auditioning, and sending tapes to the director. None of them actually did any monologues. Luc Besson got the tapes and cast the actors based on the kind of behavior they showed in the interviews. He said that the ones who got cast were the ones who were the most themselves, and the least self-conscious about being on camera.
He picked some names out of a hat and had the people do a few lines of a monologue. I got picked, which was awesome. Didn't get tooo much feedback, but it was still fun!
After that I had two hour to walk around the ballroom, which was full of booths and tables with classes and headshot photogoraphers. Nearly everyone was offering some kind of deal and holding a raffle for something free. I met some teachers and put my name on some mailing lists and met up with a few more people that I knew.
The amount of people there was insane:
I got a ton of free stuff, most of which I haven't even looked through yet. It's all in my complimentary ActorFest tote bag on my kitchen table.
My last workshop was a cold-reading workshop, which was the closest I came to taking an actual acting class while I was there. The panel was made up of five top acting teachers, and they did the same, name-out-of-a-hat thing and had people do scenes and monologues. This time I didn't get picked, but I learned quite a lot from the feedback they were giving.
Got out around 5:30 and started to crash, since I'd gotten so little sleep and really hadn't eaten since breakfast. Stopped briefly to drop whatever headshots I had left in some of the casting director drop-boxes, and then I headed home, my head full of knowledge and my heart full of joy.
Fell asleep watching The Office at around 7:30 and I didn't wake up until noon.
Good day.
Oh but that was in the past, when I thought that I could just waltz around town going to one audition every three weeks, and some casting director would inevitably take me under his wing and coach me into the next Patti LuPone.
THIS year however, I spent the day before ActorFest in Long Island seeing my good friend Evan as Franz in "The Producers" at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson. The train home got me into Penn Station at 2am, which got me home to Queens at 3:30am. I spent some time printing and cutting my resumes, and making sure I had absolutely everything I needed before getting dressed in the outfit I planned to wear to ActorFest, and going to sleep at about 4:45am.
When my alarm went off at 7:30am, I was up. Because this year I'd spent $92, and I had three workshops waiting for me at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
Got there at 9, which is when it technically started. My first class wasn't until 10am, so I figured I'd have a little time just in case there was a line to get in.
Holy Hell, was there a line. It stretched from the entrance on 34th between 8th and 9th, halfway down 34th street, all the way down 8th avenue and halfway down 35th Street as well. Thankfully I ran into a couple of current students at my college, so at least I had someone to stand with.
At 9:45am people started to come down the line pulling out the people who had 10am classes. That was really cool of them. I mean, it was my fault for not anticipating how many people would be there, they could have easily just let us miss our classes. Kudos. And I don't care how many people want to complain about it being disorganized, there must have been a thousand people on line outside at 9:45, let alone the people who were already inside. You try organizing that many people anywhere outside of Nazi Germany.
My first class was a voiceover workshop. Voiceover has just recently occured to me as a career path. There's good money there, and I enjoy doing voices, so I figured I might as well learn some more about it. There was a great panel, including Valerie Smaldone, who is the woman who makes the, "This is Seth McFarlane's third nomination and first win for 'Family Guy'" announcements at the Emmys.
Kind of make me not want to do voiceover anymore. Like most areas of acting, it's not something you do just on a whim. If you're not 100% dedicated to making it as a voiceover artist, then you shouldn't bother. Because apparently it's really competetive. And there's not much of a market for animation in New York. It's mostly L.A. for the kind of voice stuff I would want to do.
Oh well. Informative, to say the least.
Next up was, "The Casting Director's Master Class: On Screen with Todd Thaler." Todd Thaler is a casting director for film and tv. He was one of the only casting directors who came to the showcase my graduating class put on at the end of our senior year. First moment he came in he sat down on the back of his chair with his feat on the seat adorable.
I got the last seat in the first row. Feeling pretty good about, it. I wanted to sit in the front so that i could hear and see everything and be easily heard and seen. And then some Too Cool For School guy in a leather jacket takes a chair from the wall and plops in down right in front of me. I was PISSED. I was like, "Who the hell is this asshole? You can't just make your own row!" Who the hell does this guy think he is? And then he turned his head, and he was Jim Caviezel.
Oh...
Um... carry on.
An interesting thing about Todd Thaler: He's more interested in the person than the actor. Apparently he cast "The Professional" by hvaing conversations with the actors auditioning, and sending tapes to the director. None of them actually did any monologues. Luc Besson got the tapes and cast the actors based on the kind of behavior they showed in the interviews. He said that the ones who got cast were the ones who were the most themselves, and the least self-conscious about being on camera.
He picked some names out of a hat and had the people do a few lines of a monologue. I got picked, which was awesome. Didn't get tooo much feedback, but it was still fun!
After that I had two hour to walk around the ballroom, which was full of booths and tables with classes and headshot photogoraphers. Nearly everyone was offering some kind of deal and holding a raffle for something free. I met some teachers and put my name on some mailing lists and met up with a few more people that I knew.
The amount of people there was insane:
I got a ton of free stuff, most of which I haven't even looked through yet. It's all in my complimentary ActorFest tote bag on my kitchen table.
My last workshop was a cold-reading workshop, which was the closest I came to taking an actual acting class while I was there. The panel was made up of five top acting teachers, and they did the same, name-out-of-a-hat thing and had people do scenes and monologues. This time I didn't get picked, but I learned quite a lot from the feedback they were giving.
Got out around 5:30 and started to crash, since I'd gotten so little sleep and really hadn't eaten since breakfast. Stopped briefly to drop whatever headshots I had left in some of the casting director drop-boxes, and then I headed home, my head full of knowledge and my heart full of joy.
Fell asleep watching The Office at around 7:30 and I didn't wake up until noon.
Good day.
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