Community Theater
After work yesterday, I drove straight home and picked up Hannah, and drove her to the Jefferson Community Center, where she and I auditioned for the next community theater play. We won’t know until after Thursday if we got parts.
The play is a comedy about a middle school spelling bee, so there are many parts for children of Hannah’s age. But there are also parts for adults, especially those playing the kids’ parents. Of course, my dream is for me to play the character who is my daughter’s character’s father.
It was nice to see a friendly face as soon as we arrived: Christine, my work buddy’s wife. She was there to audition after volunteering for some months now behind the curtains. She pointed out what form to fill out and introduced us to some other people who were involved in the production, so it was nice that she was there. I was surprised at the number of kids there, several around Hannah’s age. On the other hand, there were no men present waiting to audition except for me. And hey, if I get a part by default, I never have to tell anybody. (...oops, I maybe just did?...)
The person handling all the paper work also used a digital camera to take everyone’s pictures. Hannah looked cute in calf-length jeans, a white top, and her hair down. She’s good at smiling for pictures. I felt awkward to be photographed, but I suppose my pictures did not turn out hideous.
Christine came out from her audition shortly after we’d been photographed, and did not seem enthusiastic about how well she had done. After a little more waiting, it was Hannah’s and my turn. Since neither of us could decide who should go first, I flipped a coin, and in she went. She seemed to stay inside the audition room for a very short time, but then after she came out, I was made to wait a long time before being let in, so maybe they were talking about her at length. I hope so, because I want her to get a part even more than I want to get one.
When I went in, there sat a woman of around my age, and a slightly older man, behind a paper-strewn table. I was introduced, but I’ve now forgotten their names. But, the woman was the director. I want to say her name was Jen, but I’m not sure. We talked very briefly, and they were down to earth and friendly. I had written “Any” on the line for the part I was auditioning for, so she quickly decided she wanted me to read the part of the Coach.
Then she did a very director-y thing: she described the role in general terms, sort of like a preemptive answer to “What’s my motivation in this scene?” lol. Basically, the Coach is this one kid’s football coach, baseball coach, etc., and he’s treating the spelling bee training just like he would treat an upcoming football game’s training.
So that was easy! I put on my roleplayer hat, flashed back to coaches I’d had, coaches my kids had had, and tossed in a dollop of military training, and voila - loud, proud, encouraging, directly instructional Coach came out. I read lines like, “No flashing loser signs when you beat the other kids!” with resonance, enthusiasm, and the kind of sincerity that makes lines like these funny.
The director read the boy’s lines with me, and the man read the boy’s grandfather’s lines, and it was a fun little audition. I think I made her chuckle a couple of times, which I hope had more to do with my comedic delivery than with amusement at my incompetence, lol. I sincerely do think I’m reasonably good at reading body language, and I’m pretty sure it was the former and not the latter. So, I exited feeling excited about my chances.
“Call backs” are on Thursday - I assume that means exactly what it sounds like, a second look at people who have an actual chance of making the cut. I feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store - it’s fun to try something that pushes my personal comfort envelope!
The play is a comedy about a middle school spelling bee, so there are many parts for children of Hannah’s age. But there are also parts for adults, especially those playing the kids’ parents. Of course, my dream is for me to play the character who is my daughter’s character’s father.
It was nice to see a friendly face as soon as we arrived: Christine, my work buddy’s wife. She was there to audition after volunteering for some months now behind the curtains. She pointed out what form to fill out and introduced us to some other people who were involved in the production, so it was nice that she was there. I was surprised at the number of kids there, several around Hannah’s age. On the other hand, there were no men present waiting to audition except for me. And hey, if I get a part by default, I never have to tell anybody. (...oops, I maybe just did?...)
The person handling all the paper work also used a digital camera to take everyone’s pictures. Hannah looked cute in calf-length jeans, a white top, and her hair down. She’s good at smiling for pictures. I felt awkward to be photographed, but I suppose my pictures did not turn out hideous.
Christine came out from her audition shortly after we’d been photographed, and did not seem enthusiastic about how well she had done. After a little more waiting, it was Hannah’s and my turn. Since neither of us could decide who should go first, I flipped a coin, and in she went. She seemed to stay inside the audition room for a very short time, but then after she came out, I was made to wait a long time before being let in, so maybe they were talking about her at length. I hope so, because I want her to get a part even more than I want to get one.
When I went in, there sat a woman of around my age, and a slightly older man, behind a paper-strewn table. I was introduced, but I’ve now forgotten their names. But, the woman was the director. I want to say her name was Jen, but I’m not sure. We talked very briefly, and they were down to earth and friendly. I had written “Any” on the line for the part I was auditioning for, so she quickly decided she wanted me to read the part of the Coach.
Then she did a very director-y thing: she described the role in general terms, sort of like a preemptive answer to “What’s my motivation in this scene?” lol. Basically, the Coach is this one kid’s football coach, baseball coach, etc., and he’s treating the spelling bee training just like he would treat an upcoming football game’s training.
So that was easy! I put on my roleplayer hat, flashed back to coaches I’d had, coaches my kids had had, and tossed in a dollop of military training, and voila - loud, proud, encouraging, directly instructional Coach came out. I read lines like, “No flashing loser signs when you beat the other kids!” with resonance, enthusiasm, and the kind of sincerity that makes lines like these funny.
The director read the boy’s lines with me, and the man read the boy’s grandfather’s lines, and it was a fun little audition. I think I made her chuckle a couple of times, which I hope had more to do with my comedic delivery than with amusement at my incompetence, lol. I sincerely do think I’m reasonably good at reading body language, and I’m pretty sure it was the former and not the latter. So, I exited feeling excited about my chances.
“Call backs” are on Thursday - I assume that means exactly what it sounds like, a second look at people who have an actual chance of making the cut. I feel like the proverbial kid in the candy store - it’s fun to try something that pushes my personal comfort envelope!