There's Hell, and Then There's Open Call Auditions

This week is all about doing things. Getting back out into the world and not letting myself sit around when I am not at rehearsal. So to start with I took myself out for a day of culture on Sunday.

Sunday was Chinese New Year. So a few of my housemates and I decided to hop on a train and head up in to Trafalgar square to join in the festivities. Unfortunately on the way one of our crew was delayed and had to join up later, and the other was called in to work at the last minute. No worries, we were meeting a friend there so I would be sure to have some company. Well, maybe not. I arrive at the very crowded square and proceeded to wait in the rain for over an hour. At this point the ceremonies had started, so I got to watch the firecrackers and hear some of the speeches, but being short and at the back of the crowd I wasn't truly able to see much of anything. Except for a sea of umbrellas that is. Ah well, the good thing about being stranded at Trafalgar Square is that the National Gallery is right there. So while I was waiting I wandered inside and spent some time with my good friends the impressionists, which really can make almost anything better. After a while everyone did show up and we wandered off for some tasty food!

Then in the evening I went to Silent Opera's production of Orfeo. Now this was a very interesting experience. I am not 100% sure why Silent Opera have chosen that name, being that they are not silent in any way shape or form. I can only assume it comes from the trend of silent raves  - where everyone is given a set of headphones. That way those participating in the rave can hear the music but it is silent for anyone observing. So, at the door we were each given headphones and invited in to the space, a warehouse right out on the water in the middle of the Docklands area. The space was very cool, in fact the design overall was really really interesting. However I think in the long run, the design ended up distracting from the production as a whole. They were going for the whole immersive theatre experience, which is something that I find amazing when it works right. The audience is moved from location to location, the actors move among the audience, it can be very cool. However this one didn't quite gel for me. Maybe it is because I am too short - as soon as we moved to the next location everyone was standing and so I missed half of the second act. I think if they had put a little bit more thought into the layout of the evening it would have worked a bit better. That being said the visuals were stunning (my favorite being the hundreds of glass jars suspended from the ceiling as you entered hell). And there were some lovely voices. The headphones weren't really used to their full potential until the final act, when they added a bunch of cool sound design. Before that they really only acted as amplification for the chamber orchestra. The biggest drawback of the evening I think was the lack of heating in the building on a night that it started snowing, my toes gradually going numb throughout the final act was a bit distracting. So all in all I enjoyed my trip to hell, however I think it didn't reach its full potential.

Continuing in our lovely theme of Hell, yesterday I dragged my housemates to an open call audition for the touring production of West Side Story. Now you may remember that my last open call was for A Chorus Line. Waiting 5 hours in line, in the rain, by myself, for a 10 second audition. This one was a bit better, but still an open call - which is never a pleasant experience. We only waited just over 2 hours before we were called in, and got about 30 seconds of audition time. I still managed to make a fool of myself, by missing the timing on the music and having to ask a question about it. It really wasn't a huge mistake but the guy running the audition kindly took the time to make me feel about 2 inches high. Ah well, such is the business. Looking at the girls held for a second round I really wasn't their type anyway, but I always hate feeling like I didn't perform at my best. But, at least we went. These calls are bound to get better every time.

This morning has already seen some productivity. I have called a few voice over agents, and have had two of them ask me to pass along my reel, which is always a good sign. So I just keep on truckin! The rest of today will be filled with research, errands and then pancakes! Because apparently in the UK Mardi Gras (or fat Tuesday) is Pancake Day. So as I made that huge effort to bring a box of bisquick back from the US I am subjecting people to American Style pancakes this evening. Should be fun! Then it's back to Prison tomorrow, and we begin the cycle all over again.