Danblog (Jul-Sep 2004)
Jerry: It's a baguette... with brie, and butter... I had six of these damn
things every day I was over there!
-- "Twin Peaks"
28 Sep 2004
Why stop now. Today I auditioned for
Marriott Theatre (in Lincolnshire). It's an actual "professional"
theater -- but auditioning was pretty much the same, except that you
needed an appointment. But that's not entirely true. When I got there,
they had a waiting list with a dozen walk-ins. At least with my appointment
I didn't have to wait around like they did. The audition notice said to
prepare 16 bars of an uptempo song and 16 of a ballad, so that's what I did.
And I stopped singing each one after 16 bars. From outside
the audition room you could hear what was going on and I don't think
everyone was that strict with their audition songs. Also, it was really
easy to listen to both guys who went before me; so operatic and bombastic.
At first I thought, great, how do I follow that. But really, that kind of
singing compared to mine -- apples and oranges. Anyway, the people were kind
enough not to laugh at my "resume" and my photo. I saw everyone
else with the black & white 8x10s. I'm so casual.
Check it out. I made a
chart
of my auditions. (Or maybe it's only a table.) Because I can.
26 Sep 2004
Time sure flies like an arrow. I'm starting to repeat audition
locations since my last show. Tonight I was at
PM&L again,
this time for "Honk!". I'm kind of not so sure about a show built
around the idea of preaching that no matter how different people
are, they all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. It's
a musical retelling of the "Ugly Duckling" story. But how could
I resist another opportunity to audition. So I went and I sang
("Fully Dressed", from "Annie"), I danced, and I read for the
main male roles. And I did my best to ensure I wouldn't be cast
by saying no, I wouldn't accept any other roles. I might have
said yes to that, but RLAPD Community Theater is having auditions
in a few days and I already decided to take any role there.
23 Sep 2004
Only one more week to get your tickets for
WCP's
Halloween Costume Party & Fund Raising Dinner Theater Event! It's Oct. 16th
from 6-midnight at Corky's Pub in Beach Park, but the RSVPs are due
by the 1st. It's a fundraiser for the theater. Tickets are $25 per
person ($40 per couple). There will be a buffet style dinner, a
one-act dark comedy, and a DJ to keep things rocking when no one's doing
the karaoke thing. Oh, and a cash bar for you lushes. Boo! Any WCP
member (present company included)
should be able to tell you how to get your tickets.
15 Sep 2004
Wow, what's been going on in the last two weeks. Well, nothing
I want to report here. Tonight I went out to the
TownSquare Players
once again. They're doing "The Diary Of Anne Frank". This was the first
time that I prepared a monologue for an audition. There are actually
quite a few books in the library filled with monologues, I suppose for
acting classes and auditions. I've even heard of some of the plays in
the books I picked up. Not the one I chose for my monologue,
though: "Silent Night, Lonely Night". It didn't
have anything to do with Anne Frank, Nazis, or WWII, but then, I
don't think it should have. I did get to hang around and do some
cold readings from the script afterward. There weren't a whole lot
of guys there, but then, it was the second night of auditions. And
the guys that were there looked the part of the older gentlemen in
the show. Not that I could go undercover in a high school or anything.
Or, could I???
04 Sep 2004
Wow, three auditions in a week and no parts for me. I should
have seen that coming. But without any shows, whatever shall I write
about. Well, in a couple weeks I should be getting my annual
rejection postcard from the syndicated "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".
It's been a week and a half since I passed the written test. They've
already sent out the postcards to the people they want. For some
reason, they wait a few weeks to send out the bad cards. So, as
I always say, let the good times roll.
01 Sep 2004
Let's make it 3 in a row. Last night I went to the auditions for
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the
Highland Park Players. One of them's got to have a part for me,
right? The first two of the three I even said I'd take "any" part. Of course,
I don't want to do that for "Joseph", being a musical. I did have 7 or
8 possible roles for me in mind and I might have even written them
all on the application -- until I saw where it said that everyone's
responsible for selling 20 tickets. 20 tickets! Hotchy motchy!
I'd end up buying them all myself. That's $280. I'm sure I'd be
stuck with them because, for the last few shows I've been in, I've had 2 comp
tickets -- and I still have those tickets. 20 tickets. I'll pay an
activity fee, but that's just too much. Unless maybe if I'm Joseph.
No, I'd still have a problem with it. Anyway, at that moment I
decided this audition was just for fun. Because, remember, I loves
to audition. And besides, I'd already come all that way. Back to the
audition story. In the
two nights of auditions, they had over 100 people. I sang my
song, did a lousy Elvis impersonation -- I don't really do impressions,
and I couldn't think of anything to say -- and probably a bad French
accent. Then it was on to the dancing. Before I saw the paperwork and
decided this was
all just for fun, I was kind of leaning toward the non-dancing
roles, since I don't really dance. Still, everyone auditioning
goes through it. They taught us an actual
choreographed dance, like at some other auditions, but it was simple
enough that I was getting it. And God help me, I actually
was starting to enjoy it.
Now that I'm such a veteran on the local community theater scene --
no one needs me to point out that I'm being sarcastic, right? --
I'm actually seeing people I know at these auditions. Of course
I knew people at the WCP audition. But the wicked stepmother from
"Cinderella" was at McHenry County College, and one of the stepsisters
was at the Highland Park place. And both those places are 20 miles from
Round Lake.
31 Aug 2004
Last night I went over to
McHenry County College to audition for "Picnic". I'm pretty sure
that's the "Picnic" from 1955 starring William Holden as a hunky, no-good
drifter. Of course, I've never seen the play, so who knows how similar
it is to the movie based on the play. I can play a hunky, no-good drifter,
right? Sure.... It's not entirely clear to me, but I think the
name of the theater group and the venue are the same: The Black
Box Theater. And maybe this is always true and goes without saying,
but the theater is definitely like being in a box. And it's all black.
30 Aug 2004
The boy who loves to audition is at it again. Yesterday I went to see
my old friends at
WCP who were holding auditions for "The Book Of Murder", the
first production of their upcoming 49th season. Let's see. Could I be
the 50ish murder victim who's on his 4th wife? (Much is told in
flashback.) Or the 20ish police detective? Hmm. That's the extent of
the male roles. Should I mention that Seussical didn't work out?
Naturally. I wouldn't be auditioning for other stuff if it had.
18 Aug 2004
I must be addicted to auditions. (Oh, yeah, no part in "Moon Over
Buffalo". I think I was too good looking. Yeah, that's it.) Tonight
I went to the Deerfield Park District for "Seussical The Musical".
I couldn't even tell you how many male roles there are. There were
probably 10 guys there. And there was this long dancing part. Not
as bad as for "West Side Story", but still, the choreographer was there
to coordinate all this "real" stage dancing. And there was no reading,
just singing something that you prepared. Apparently, the show is
mostly singing and dancing. So, um, why was I there? Oh, yeah.
I loves to audition.
09 Aug 2004
I took another shot at an audition tonight, this time at
PM&L.
They're doing "Moon Over Buffalo", which has 4 male and
4 female roles. There might have been 12 guys there; throw in
several more that are bound to show up tomorrow, and that's a
lot of guys auditioning! And we know how that works against
my strength. Because of the crowd, I only got to read for
two of the roles. At first it was looking pretty bleak. I read
for one part that had only a couple short lines in the half
dozen pages of scene that we read. But they made up for it
in the second scene I did. I ended up having what seemed to
me to be an awfully lengthy monologue. I kept thinking the
director was going to stop me, but I ran through the whole thing.
That probably showed him more than he needed.
07 Aug 2004
And we come to the end of another show. I feel as if some
people are happy to see the end, but I'm like, let's just keep on
doing it. What surprised me most about "Annie" is that, in the
last couple shows, the Wacky character (the ventriloquist's dummy)
seemed to get so much more attention from the audience than anything
else I did. It's only one scene, and he's only got a handful of
short lines, and, well, it's only a plain black sock with a couple
threads of green yarn for eyes. Maybe the fact that I don't think
it's funny at all helps make it more funny to other people. I do
move Wacky around while I'm sitting there watching other people
sing in that scene, but that seems more diverting than
entertaining to me. I guess I lucked out with that role. It's
possible I'm doing something humorous, just not the kind of thing
that I find humorous -- but it's a big world out there.
02 Aug 2004
Hey, it's the between-week for "Annie". The first two performances
actually seemed to go pretty well, as far as I could tell. I
don't get to see it all, but I do hang around for most non-orphans
scenes. A glance at the program, though, brings a touch of
reality and reminds me that I can't stick to a plan, even if
it's my own. But that's all in the past. Tonight I went down
to Mt. Prospect for an audition. I'm not sure what
D.R.A.M.M.A. is, or the Mt. Prospect Theatre Society, or how
they (or it) are related to the Mt. Prospect Park District, but
they're putting on "Dracula". The most amazing part to me is that,
combined with yesterday's audition, they got over 30 people to
come out for a non-musical. The cast has 6 males and 2 females.
At tonight's audition, there were 11 dudes (and 2 chicks). So
they've got plenty of guys to choose from. And based on what I saw,
they have plenty of good choices. Some of those guys were really
into it, with the various accents (English, German, Transylvanian)
and emotional readings. I'm not exactly the kind that can just
let himself go like that.
23 Jul 2004
Looks like there is an "Annie" poster after all.
21 Jul 2004
I haven't seen a poster for "Annie". But here's the schedule. It'll
be here before you know it! See it several times. For the children!!!
All shows at the Round Lake High School Theater at
800 N. High School Dr., just off Cedar Lake Rd.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for kids ($1 less in advance).
July 30, 7:30 pm
July 31, 7:30 pm
Aug. 4, 1:00 pm
Aug. 6, 7:30 pm
Aug. 7, 7:30 pm
16 Jul 2004
Hey,
Buffalo Wild Wings has made its way to Lake County, Illinois.
And they're packing them in.
I guess it's too late to reap the benefits of bringing that
franchise to the area. On the other hand, I seem to recall
that starting one of those required millions of bucks.
Anyway, one type of crowd likes to go do the karaoke after a show. After
tonight's "Rapunzel", a different crowd went to the erstwhile
BW3's. (Why'd they change the name? I don't know.) What's the
point I'm slowly creeping towards? They've got the NTN trivia
game there. And I'm much better at that than I am at karaoke.
Even though my enthusiasm was tempered by my average scores,
there's still some satisfaction in having the high score in the
bar for each game I actually played. While some might be insulted
that the people in your group act surprised to see you at the top
throughout the games, I kind of like them being surprised. Plus, it's fun
to be one of the best at something, even if it is within a very small
sample size.
09 Jul 2004
Less than a week before "Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel" opens. I
guess there's no poster for this one. And in another first, there's
no kissing of any kind for my character. But, as the King, I am
once again playing half of a married couple in the show. That streak
will end when "Annie" starts. Here's the schedule for "Rapunzel".
They're practically giving it away!
All shows at the Round Lake Area Park District Community Center on Hart Rd.
July 15, 9:30 am (all tickets $3)
July 16, 9:30 am (all tickets $3)
July 16, 7:00 pm (adults, $5; kids 12 & under, $3)
July 17, 7:00 pm (adults, $5; kids 12 & under, $3)
July 18, 2:00 pm (adults, $5; kids 12 & under, $3)
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