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My Audition Stories

I had a lot of fun running an audition today, but I felt myself getting nervous just being in that atmosphere. It did, however, seem like a nice opportunity to tell some audition stories.

The catch?

I want to hear yours too. I'll post mine if you post yours.

-- The Stories --

"The One Lyric" -- I was up for a lead and I had a cold. The character only had to sing one line. The guy up against me was matching me toe for toe with every scene we did. So the director had us sing the one lyric--literally, a line--that the character has to sing in the entire show. I squeaked it out, the kid sang it just fine, and I wound up with the supporting role. The twist? The supporting character had an entire song. Go figure.

"The Trinity Audition" -- I auditioned for Trinity when I was 15. Thinking back on it, I get physically ill. I had absolutely no training. The only plays I owned were The Odd Couple and Inherit the Wind. So I did Oscar's monologue to Felix and Drummond's speech about the rocking horse. I remember thinking I nailed it. Guess what I would do first if someone gave me a time machine?

"The Audition in Boston" -- It was the best audition I've ever done. It was for a professional company. It was literally in the furnace room of an office building. It was then I realized that the line between professional and non-professional is very, very thin. The people were incredibly nice, and I never heard from them again. Still, I consider it a very positive experience.

"The First Big Role" -- I was in high school and I was sitting in an audition. The director didn't have anybody to read for one of the leads, and it was the exact moment when the shy kid that I was heard a much louder voice inside him say "You better get up there and get that role, or you're going to be playing Guy #1 for the rest of your life." I got up, I read the scene, I got the role, and the biggest mouth in the world was born.

"The Living Room" -- I auditioned for an independent production a few years back. The entire thing took place in a girl's living room. I remember thinking, okay--you can either pretend you're at Carnegie Hall and zone out the living room or you can work the living room. So I worked the room, and in retrospect, I can understand why. The play was incredibly sexual, and someone acted the way in my living room the way I acted in that girl's living room, I'm not sure I would be able to look them in the eye after that either.

Okay, I spilled. Now it's your turn.

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