Auditions: the inside look you've been waiting for...

"They were the best of times, they were the worst of times."
"Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred auditions."
"Tomorrow, tomorrow, auditions tomorrow! ...and the next day and the next day..."

Ok that's all the relevant phrases I can think of right now.
Here are pics of some of my 2014 audition ventures thus far:

*Items in photos might be less glamorous than they appear*
unless they don't appear glamorous. which i simply can't believe. ;)

So when we moved to NYC in september (happy 5 months, new york! ahh!) auditions started out really slow, but everyone reassured us that we would need to buckle our seatbelts come springtime - aka "audition season." There are a lot of reasons for this - some having to do with shows' contracts ending with their respective theatres so new shows move in, some (tons of) auditions are out-of-state theatres auditioning for their summer stock shows, and lots are NYC-based shows trying to get their shows cast & running before the summer Tony awards. So, a mere 3 days into January, I was already getting my first audition under way - Matilda! My first couple weeks of auditions in 2014 left me with unrealistic expectations because I got seen at every single one of them (mostly having to do with the fact that a lot of people weren't back in town yet). BUT it wouldn't be a normal audition week if it didn't come with a few complications. ;)

About 30% of my auditions thus far have felt like undercover missions - stressful, highly strategic missions. Pretty much having to do with the "full-time job" sitch. But the good news is they have helped me develop a fairly reliable system for each audition studio - how early to arrive, how long I must wait til I can leave for a little while, what time I must return for actual sign-ups & how much time it takes to SPRINT from my cubicle & still make it to the studio in time to hand them my headshot minutes before my audition. Learning this system has come with many successes & failures, and is still not full-proof - but allow me to give some examples:

1. My Audition For Newsies On Broadway: NEAR FAIL.

So, quick recap: there are 3 types of actors - 
(Here's a more in-depth explanation on one of my first blog posts this summer)

1. the equity actor who has had the chance to perform in a show that is legit enough/has enough money to be able to offer an actor or numerous actors an equity contract, which then allows that actor to join the actors' union - aka the Actors Equity Association;

2. the actor with equity points or EMC points - these are actors who worked in a show where they were not offered a full contract, but were able to receive points toward their equity card... once they gain enough points, they are then able to join the union;

3. the non-equity actor - or as many kind, politically-correct individuals like to refer to it - the future members. this is the humble few with which most of us get to identify. the very teeny fish in a very large pool waiting for their equity opportunity - but this title is not all bad! there are MANY shows and tours that are exclusively "non-equity" (shout out to Eean Cochran on his SECOND non-eq national tour - before college graduation! WHAT?), and once you become equity, you can never be cast in a non-equity show again. so as we have been told too many times: do not RUSH to get your equity card, let it come as it may.

so like... it's pretty chill.

So, what does this have to do with auditions?
Well, everything, really. Equity actors get the significant privilege of being seen first, always. Depending on how crowded an audition is expected to be, equity actors get to arrive at a reasonable time and set an appt. for that day (or have their agents schedule an appt. for them) where they get to then leave, enjoy their day, and arrive a mere 10-15 minutes before said appt. Nice! Then, after all equity appointments have been assigned, actors with EMC points get seen next. This middle ground is a pretty sweet place to be. AND FINALLY, after the entirety of new york city has flooded in & out of that audition room, and if there's time left in the day, the non-equity actors get their chance to SHINE (with about 20 seconds to sing 16 bars - or even 8 - which is excellent if you've been wanting to sing a song composed of a single note).

But truly... It's Not All Bad. ;) For real. There are MANY moments when I'm done with an audition by 11am, or moments when I arrive after lunch & still get seen, or "non-equity open calls" when we get to be the first in line! So really, I don't mind all that much. F'real! BUT ANYWAY, BACK TO:

1. My Audition For Newsies On Broadway: NEAR FAIL.

So, what often happens is we'll arrive to the audition studio around 6:30am, put our name on an "unofficial list" created by all of the non-eq actors wanting to reserve their place in line, and then we wait! Usually we spend about 1.5 sweet hours in the bitter cold and then get let into the building around 8am - possibly 7am - depending on the studio. Usually studios are kind enough to let us transfer over our "unofficial list" onto their "official list," but we'll typically hang around til sign-ups just to make sure. ;) At that point, there's usually a guarantee that you have a least a couple hours til your audition time - although there's no way to really know. So the Newsies audition - what does an audition look like for someone with a full time job? As I've mentioned before, the Lord SERIOUSLY blessed us by placing us in an apt. right next door to one major studio (Telsey), and by placing me in an office in the SAME building as another major studio (Pearl 519), and across the street from the two other major studios (Pearl 500 & Ripley Grier).

SO I CANNOT COMPLAIN.

Buuuut still, it can be stressful. So at this particular audition, I waited nervously in my cubicle (Newsies is my dream), heels & music binder hidden nearby, for the green light from Rachel. After looking away from my phone for two seconds, I realized I had about 5 texts from Rachel consisting of "i think they're about to call our names. wait, they just called your name. wait, they're taking headshots and lining up. ok you better hurry. wait, COME!" AHHhhhhh! So I grabbed my stuff, quietly burst out of my office, confused our doorman & ran through the snow to the other studio - and I made it in just enough time to hear the words, "you missed your shot, we'll put your name at the end of the list." So there it was. A big ole bummer. So I then waited an entire hour for my audition time and was forced to use that hour as my lunch break - it was 10am.

to break up the monotony...a pic from a happier time;) CAFE LALO

2. My Audition For Newsies Nat'l Tour: SUCCESS!

So here's a story of when it worked. I showed up at 6:45am and was around #20 on the list (this is the audition studio that's right next door. aahhh, #tooblessedtobestressed). After putting my name on the unofficial list, I took a gamble on the knowledge that Telsey doesn't open their doors til 8am, & I went home! I was able to go home, enjoy my coffee, get ready for the day & sprint back over around 9am - when they DID end up transferring the list! Thus, I made it to work on time, stayed up to speed via those who were kind enough to post on auditionupdate.com, and made it in plenty of time to be seen around lunchtime! Pshhh, what, like it's hard? ;)

In addition to those, we've also experienced just about everything in between:

• Sister Act - prepared for days, so excited, ... never got seen.
• Mamma Mia - Sarah signed us in super early, we waited around for hours, we got seen with ease. (And my boss let me take off work! So I was even able to go out to lunch! Ah, too nice.)
• Hee Haw - (yes, "Hee Haw") in the same building as my office, got seen during my "20-minute snack break."
• And so on, and so on...

But in our life outside auditions, we've done some other stuff too!

there was that time we waited in line for SNL... #maybenexttime

then we finally explored all the way from our neighborhood to the hudson.

then i saw Roundabout's "Machinal" with the T-Dunn! Wahoo!

celebrated our sweet Nat's bday! in mega NYC style. #photobooth

and the bday of the FABULOUS Vicky T! (whatta cutie)

& celebration #2 when we belted & screlted showtunes with
the waiters til we shut Ellen's Stardust Diner DOWN! #suchlocals ;)

Ok, but all this to say, it has been a CRAZY january & a crazy 2014. Auditions out of our mind, birthdays every time we turn around, endless financial battles involving "shall we buy groceries or a dance class? or perhaps a yoga groupon? but wait, kinda need to replace a broken hairdryer...", and somehow we STILL have time to catch a good episode on TLC (or twenty). So 2014 has been good to us so far. A lot of uncertainty, a lot of change -- but a lot of hope, and a LOT of excitement. And I've barely even dipped the surface! So more to come, such as:

A story about the time I auditioned for an agent amidst a battle between 

"Kelsey's voice vs. Kelsey's chest cold." (Guess which one won...)

OR a story on my first dance call! AKA the differentiation between "fake it til you 

make it" and "shimmy in place until the other dancers complete their pirouettes."

NEVER A DULL MOMENT. 

So anyway, stay tuned... Til then, a couple pics 

of the things that continue to make NYC worth it:

Hey, look you guys! It's Sarah Beard! Sarah Beard moved
to NYC! Sarah Beard lives in NYC! And we're friends
& spend lots of time together! And we're so happy!

Happy Wednesday, everyoooone!