Here's a question worth pondering, how do you decide what are the "right" auditions and how do you know when to take on the "right" project? With auditions, I think it's easier. I don't really think there is such a thing as a "bad" audition. You might have an audition where you don't perform to the best of your abilities, or feel "good" coming out of it. You might encounter someone who is auditioning for someone that doesn't know what their doing. I don't know, lot's of other things. But in general every audition is a chance to get better at auditioning and to learn something new. Something which did or didn't work, maybe. Or just to get more comfortable with the process of auditioning through repetition.
If you are starting out, or at a certain level, then you should be auditioning as much as possible for whatever you can find, within reason. Hey, seriously, check out the talent page of Craigslist every once in a while. Stay away from anything with the word "adult" in it, and generally use your judgement. But I've found some really solid gigs and opportunities through Craigslist, no joke. If you don't know these things, New England Theatre 411 is good, so is New England Film and if you aren't a member of Stagesource... what are you doing? Go and join Stagesource. Yeah yeah yeah it costs money, but it's cheaper than a lot of other similar websites (have you seen how much a subscription to Backstage costs? If you live in New York or LA, you need one, and they are expensive).
Let me elaborate on my musing. I'm no longer starting out, and I'm not at the level I was referring to that I feel the need to audition for anything and everything. I feel like I've evolved to the point where I can pick and choose a little more. This doesn't mean that if something comes up on Stagesource or whatever that I might be a good fit for, I don't respond and mark my calendar. But also in the month of March, I've been busy performing one show and rehearsing another. So I haven't been able to get to as many auditions as I would like. Also, since I'm already doing these shows, that limits what stuff I can do just by nature of conflicting rehearsal and performance schedules.
And also, previously in my career, I would do shows for the sake of doing them. To an extent this is still true, because working on stuff keeps me creatively satisfied. But I also have an awareness that I only really should be doing things that advance me in some way, either in terms of career advancement, like if a prominent theatre were to cast me or the knowledge that working with a group or certain persons would make for advantageous connections or if I know that artistically the role would be challenging. For example, Uncle Vanya was the latter, I knew that it wouldn't directly affect my acting like a larger speaking role might have but that it could turn out to be a big deal and that top notch people would be involved. Swimming in the Shallows was the opposite. I didn't really know anyone involved going in, or expect it would substantially increase my visibility to the theatre community but that it would be a challenging satisfying role.
So far, all the decisions of this nature have served me well, one way or another. Because I feel like I'm in a pretty good place, with a good ways to go of course, in terms of my artistry and my career. I guess this got started because recently an audition came up which intellectually I knew could be worthwhile, but that in my gut I was kind of like "meh, I'm not sure". Most of those successful choices I've made following my gut. For example, my gut told me a recent audition wouldn't be worth it. If I'd gotten this particular gig, it would be rehearsing on Tuesdays in April. Instead, I've signed up for On Camera Auditioning with Carolyn Pickman which I think will be much more worthwhile both artistically and from a career perspective which will be meeting... you guessed it, Tuesdays in April.
As to that other audition I was on the fence about, I think I'm going to do it and see what happens. If I get offered a role I'm not crazy about, hey I can always turn it down. That is to say, if someone asks me "hey do you want to play another spear carrier?" I can just say no. It's that simple! We can have self respect as artists! I know, crazy talk. But it's true.
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