Play Auditions (Or, I Get Really Lost...)

So last week, I decided to audition for a straight play entitled Circle Mirror Transformation. I knew almost nothing about the play going in, one of the co-producers had been a fellow Ronnette in Little Shop of Horrors, so I decided to audition if only for the chance to hang out with her for a few hours. I don't, on principle, audition for things that do not have a role for me, but I had read a synopsis of the play and found that one of the five parts was right in my age category.

Me, auditioning for a play.

That day, I was still unsure if I actually wanted to take the audition because I had auditioned for the revue the night before and I didn't want to have too much on my plate going forward. The audition was at 7 om; I had a doctor's appointment that ended at 6:30. About 15 minutes before I had to leave for the doctor's, I decided that YOLO, I was going to audition for the play! I ran downstairs, printed out a copy of my resume and headshot, Mapquested (is that a verb?) directions to the audition, and flew out of the house. I was (almost) on time for
my appointment, but what is a couple minutes in the grand scheme of life? (I was only two minutes late) After the appointment, I hopped in the car and followed my directions all the way there until... a bridge was closed.  

Yeah. About that...


And there were no detour signs to be seen. Heavy sigh.

And, like an idiot, I used a printout of directions instead of just taking the time to grab the GPS, so I had no way of knowing how to find another way over the river that didn't involve swimming or superhuman powers. I called my stepfather (unfortunately for him, I call him every time I get lost, which is relatively frequently) and told him where I was. This is the first time in my life that he wasn't able to immediately figure out what sort of a debacle I had gotten myself into. I drove back the way I came, naming landmarks (of which there weren't many) and he still couldn't figure out where I was (which kind of scared me since it was obviously not the best area). By this time, it was 7:05 and I was still a good way away from the audition. But then, I saw...

A DETOUR SIGN!!!


Hoping that it was the detour I needed and not something else, I followed the signs blindly. They were really far apart, and I kept stressing out that I had done something wrong before another magically appeared before me like a knight in shining armor through a wall of fire.

Long story short, my stepdad had his friend call me and talk me through getting to the audition once I finished the detour. It ended up being in one of the sketchiest places I have ever seen in my life. The only reason I could even tell I had found the auditions was the tiny "Auditions" sign posted in the window... I felt like I was in an episode of SVU. The street was deserted besides the cars parked along the edge. The streetlights illuminated patches of the pavement, wet from the drizzle, while leaving other sections shrouded in shadow. On one side of the street, the dark, deserted warehouses and mill buildings watched me run from my car to the shadow of a doorstep as the canal flowed sluggishly past, bordering the street's other side.

It was creepy.

I got the audition about 20 minutes late, but it was totally fine because other people got there far later and I was not the only one to have been duped by the evil bridge detour. We played some theatre games, most notably the play's namesake, Circle Mirror Transformation, and then started the cold readings. I have never been to an audition in which they had everyone read SO MANY TIMES! We were there for three hours, reading the same scenes over and over again. Needless to say, that got boring. I think I did alright, but really did not think that I would get cast for I had never auditioned for a straight play before and the writing of the scenes was far more "human" than I was used to. It was written beautifully, but was very difficult for the play is riddled with silences and pauses that often mean more than the words themselves. I left (still imagining I was going to become an episode of SVU) with a general air of blah at my audition. I was glad I had done it, but had very little hope of getting a part and was still focused on the revue.

Me, in a part way older than myself...

I went home, watched some Star Trek TNG, and went to bed. Imagine my suprise when, the next, I got a call about the play. I steeled myself for a rejection... but they offered me a part! And not the one I had been expecting. Because they had not had anyone audition in the correct age category for a character a good 7 to 10 years older than myself, they offered me that part but also the one in the correct age category if I didn't want to play someone so much older. Feeling incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of playing a role that was so outside my comfort zone, I said I had to think about it. I was also still waiting to hear back from the revue, so I didn't know if I could do both. A few days later, I asked to see the script to see exactly what I would have to do in this role. After reading the script, I knew that I would not be able to do the older part justice, for there were things required that I was not in the least bit experienced or comfortable enough to do on the stage. And I'm not going to go into any more detail than that. I accepted the younger role, after much agonizing over the decision, for I didn't want to leave the production in the lurch, but I also knew that it wasn't fair to accept a role that I was not excited, or truly willing, to play.

So that is how I came to be doing Circle Mirror Transformation. We have our first read-through tonight. Sometime this week I'll write a post about how that goes!