God, I hate this: 132 actors, each with exactly two minutes to convince 45 casting agents, directors, and producers that they're worth a second look. Everyone's nerves are on edge. Some actors pace. Some mouth their monologue and gesture to the wall. The veterans lean back in their chairs and close their eyes and hope their hearts stop pounding.
A few years ago when they staged a revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway, they put out an open call for cast. More than 3,000 actors showed up in a line that stretched for blocks. The auditions went on for months as the director winnowed the applicants down. The actors kept coming back and coming back and giving it their all. I caught that show. It was fantastic. But for all they went through, I can't recall the name of a single member of the cast. Another reason it's tough to work on Broadway.
This line was not that long. They took us in in groups of 20 or so, all types, all ages. In my group there was one lovely little girl of 9 or 10 with long brown hair whose little knees were knocking together so hard. I wanted to put my arms around her and tell her she was going to do wonderfully well, but I doubted somehow that my words would sound sufficiently convincing. As it was I just tried to smile at her reassuringly. I do hope she was there because she desperately wants to be an actress. She was such a sweet-looking little thing. There should be a rule that children go first, so they don't have to suffer so.
How did I do? Okay, despite my own knees feeling decidedly wobbly. It is rare that I wow myself - I'm much too tough a critic for that - but I did okay. I looked fabulous. We'll see if something comes of it. Fingers crossed.
This line was not that long. They took us in in groups of 20 or so, all types, all ages. In my group there was one lovely little girl of 9 or 10 with long brown hair whose little knees were knocking together so hard. I wanted to put my arms around her and tell her she was going to do wonderfully well, but I doubted somehow that my words would sound sufficiently convincing. As it was I just tried to smile at her reassuringly. I do hope she was there because she desperately wants to be an actress. She was such a sweet-looking little thing. There should be a rule that children go first, so they don't have to suffer so.
How did I do? Okay, despite my own knees feeling decidedly wobbly. It is rare that I wow myself - I'm much too tough a critic for that - but I did okay. I looked fabulous. We'll see if something comes of it. Fingers crossed.
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