Always Auditioning

This was my first audition at The Actors Connection. I had no idea what I was doing or how it was going to be run. Well, I did know I was going to sing “I’m a Star,” but that’s about it.

I walked in feeling good, handed my headshot and resume, then walked up to the pianist to give my music. I started right away with my song and then Ms Boals asked me to sit and talk with her. She kept the conversation going with question after question. I was very happy with how the interview went. She really did want to get to know more about me and was impressed. I can confidently say that I made a very good first impression.
I left that audition feeling as though I was floating. I was such a happy girl.
Now, this was only one experience and I don’t know for sure if I will be signed. What I do know - I made a great impression. I came in and sang the crap out of my song. I was well-packaged and couldn’t have been more professional. Before I came into that room, this agent had never heard of me. Now she has and now it is my job to be in touch in such a way that she remains informed about my career and doesn’t forget me.
Overall, I from that audition alone, I can confidently say that I am happy about my investment in Actors Connection.

I don’t know about you, but I ate a whole lot on THanksgiving. I didn’t feel so bad during the day or the next day cause I went back to my healthy ways. But today, I was dumb and went back to the house that held the leftovers. I ate two pieces of pie! Terrible! Now, my brain is like freaking out. I have weight I need to lose and not gain. To some, I may be overreacting because I am a thin girl. But this is how my brain goes crazy when I don’t eat right. It is far from relaxing. I obsess about it and don’t feel good about it. It is not fun and it makes me mad. Earlier this year, I was sticking with this regimented way of eating and it really worked for me. Now, it doesn’t work as well for me when I am eating crap like pie. I know some people think I can just overcome and have a good time. “Just indulge” people think. THat doesn’t help. IF anything, the only thing that does help and gives me peace is when I don’t eat crap. Period. THere is no exception. So, now I am not a happy person when it comes to my body simply from eating those two peaces of pie. I am going in circles and sound “obsessed.” That is what eating wrong does to me. It is more than just eating crap. It sends my brain in a whirl and I am unhappy. It sucks. So, now I am once again recommitting myself to eating the food that makes me feel good about myself.
Your thoughts? You have any struggles with food/eating right?

Actors Connection is a place where casting directors, agents, and managers are paid to come, speak for a little bit and then give paying actors a chance to be seen. I have always figured these auditions were a crock of shit. The professionals are only there because they are paid and have no real interest in signing people. That has always been my opinion.
I have heard opinions on both ends of the spectrum. It is true that hardly anyone is really signed when they go to these places, however, people have been signed. From speaking with others, I have been advised (according to the majority) to invest my time at this place. Otherwise, I would not be seen by these people.
I met one performer who was very happy with his new agent. He was being sent everyone and for many things. His career had moved forward by having the agent. That’s exactly what I want! … kept repeating in my head over and over again.
So, I went online to learn more and see who was going to be there. There were so many big names, I didn’t know where to begin.
But before booking anything, I looked up the prices. They had some deals. You could do 3 sessions for 99 bucks. I knew I was interested in doing several auditions there regardless and this was the best deal for me. So, I went for it. I did research long beforehand and already knew which agents I wanted to sing for … I didn’t know how things would turn out. I didn’t know if I would actually get signed. All I knew was that I was going to actually sing for an agent. At this point in time, I don’t know how else I am going to make that happen without Actors Connection. So I am going for it.

This is a day to be thankful. And for any artist, it is vital to have gratitude. Here is a quick gratitude list:
1. My family
2. My beautiful apartment in New York City
3. My voice teacher and ability to work for her in exchange for voice lessons
4. My health and abundant energy
5. My work ethic, drive, and passion for my dreams
6. The progress I have been able in regards to my goals
7. My love life - I actually have one right now! (I hope he is the one)
8. My supportive, amazing, inspiring friends
9. Nature - the natural sounds and sights that make me serene
10. House music - how could I ever live without those beats?

What are you grateful/thankful for this year?

This is one of the greatest miracles for me this year. I can’t afford voice lessons anymore. At this point in my career, voice lessons are a necessity, not an option. I am a spiritual gal, so I was constantly praying for a solution. I was ready to go homeless for the lessons.

So, while I was still out of town, I was constantly racking my brain and trying to figure out ways to work for my teacher in exchange for voice lessons. I offered to build her a website, but she had already hired someone to do just that. I also make video reels, but she is on top of that as well and really has no use for them. I thought my dance background may be of some use to her - we could do a master class with her focusing on the voice and me focusing on the dance. She was not interested.
Just when I thought I was not going to be able to come up with anything good enough, she found something. Her husband, also a voice genius, needed an assistant. According to his wife (my voice teacher), he really needed the help. I didn’t know what she was talking about until I saw his very cluttered office. I was thrilled to see the clutter because I knew instantly that I could actually be of some help.
Now, when the barter was initially communicated to me, I thought that it would only knock down the price. But I figured something is better than nothing. So, at the end of my first voice lesson, I pulled out my checkbook and asked how much I owed.
She looked at me like I had three heads and basically said, “No, you don’t pay. This is a barter.” I was so grateful that this big wish of mine had come true. I started to tear up. I held back the full cry, but I really wanted to. Free voice lessons. Yes, I am working for them and it is so worth it.
So, when I am in NY, I work for my voice teacher. And on both ends, we couldn’t be happier.

I was at the open call for Chicago the other day. I didn’t want to be there. I was not in the mood to wait around to get yet another lame ass rejection. There were all of these beautiful dancers dressed like fabulous sluts for the show. They all seemed to want to be there and they all looked the part.
As I said, I really didn’t want to be there. However, it is my job to be there.Dude, it was for Broadway. It could have just been a required call, but I am good for the show. Leaving was not an option.
Since I am still amongst the nonunion, I was not sure if I would be seen. I stayed in my regular clothes because, as I said, I really did not want to be there. I showed up early for the audition and had to wait. I was standing outside the door where they would dance us talking to someone and waiting to find out if I would even been seen at this audition. … suddenly the door opened quickly and unexpectedly and slammed into my back. It was a “nonunion moment” for me. It could have it any of the girls, but it somehow successfully rammed right into me. It was an ironic plus for not wanting to be there in the first place.
They were letting in the first group of girls. Still no one had told us if we were being seen or not. So, someone asked.
“No unequity will be seen today.”
I was very happy to hear this and skipped my way out of the audition. Yeah, I was very jaded that day.

I realize that this gentleman has nothing to do with the arts, but his speech on Oprah has really inspired me to live my life to the fullest. Could you imagine it? Say you were going to die at any point … what would you do with your life?
This man chose to focus on the positive. He chose to focus on “life and how to live.” Wow. Hearing a man who is going to die say that - it is so powerful that all I can do is cry. He talks about following our childhood dreams. To me, that is being done. if I went any further back in my dreams, I would be working towards being a princess. Yeah, I will stick with the stage and fame. I feel like that is more obtainable than the whole royalty notion.
“Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.”
When Dr. Pausch said this … well, I don’t like the quote. I believe that I will get where I want. I won’t take anything less and I am going to keep working towards my dream until I get there. And once I get my dream, I will move onto another one and so on. For me, the sky is the limit. No one can put “don’t get what you want” in a quote and expect me to agree.
There is so much in this amazing lecture. I just pointed out a few thoughts when I watched the first part of the video. For the rest of this man’s talk, I had to just sit and take it all in. Please enjoy this. Please watch all of it. It will truly inspire you.

Love this girl’s voice! But if I was a casting director, how would I cast her? But really … who cares. Listen to the beauty of her voice. I can’t lie, when I first saw her face, I instantly doubted. I guess that makes me a real shit, but I did that. It is unfortunate how looks alone can get me to judge. But then again, it is a total eye opener. I am sure many casting directors do exactly that. They see the face and instantly judge. Looks really do make up for part of the equation.
But right away, as this love girl began to sing, I fell in love. Her soprano just flows for me. It was a beautiful sound and I had to keep listening. Beautiful.
I am not gonna lie. I wish I was discovered on youtube or anywhere for that matter. I don’t hear the story that often, but wouldn’t it be amazing to be “that person.” I am usually not that person. I can be persistent and am known for working really hard to get where I want … but for things to be handed to me without much of an effort - yeah, that doesn’t happen too often.
In this case, I do hope this girl gets discovered. I would love to listen to her voice on a regular basis.

Really, though, what is the American dream? For all I know, it can really be anything. But … isn’t that the point? I don’t think everyone wants the house, white picket fence, and family deal. People want more than that. “I Want it all,” a fabulous song from the musical “Baby,” really depicts today’s American dream. We are so much more aware of what we can do with our lives as performers that it’s practically impossible to not want it all.
My “American Dream” is totally in the “I Want It all Category.” Exactly what do I want?
I want:
To publish and inspiring book(s)
To have a top selling music album and sing to packed audiences
To be a Broadway star
To have a family and live on the beach
To write for a magazine

There you have it. I want it all. Sharing my list of dreams may seem simply, but it really isn’t. These dreams of mine are very true to my heart. If anyone was to trash any of these dreams - it would really hurt me. I like to keep these things to myself because I don’t want any doubt to get in my way.
But here I am, sharing my dreams. These very valuable dreams.

… Now I ask you … what are your dreams? Are you open to sharing them or do you prefer to keep them to yourself. BTW - there is no wrong answer. Your dreams are your dreams. If you want to title them, you can. There is no wrong. So, dream away.

What the fuck? There, I said the F- word. Is that like totally bad to do on a blog? Well, I am doing it because hearing about yet another show closing only gets bad words to come out of my mouth. It is horrible.
I remember when Spamalot first came out. I was not interested in seeing the show at all. I have never been a fan of that kind of humor. Several years later, I finally went to see the show and absolutely loved it. It was hilarious from the start. For me, it was impossible to stop smiling as I enjoyed the performances and journey of the show.
If you haven’t seen Spamalot yet, it it totally a MUST SEE. Trust me, it is worth your time and money. Plus with all the negativity in the air about the economy, it is a wonderful escape. … isn’t that the point of theatre?

Inspirational actress all the way. I watch her weekly in Grey’s Anatomy and this girl absolutely takes my breath away. Every choice she makes is so believable. I really believe she is who she is when I watch her perform.
Then, when I look at her old clips from doing Spamalot on Broadway … I can’t believe it. She is completely versatile. I want to be like her.
In her career so far, she has had the opportunity to be on Broadway. That is an amazing accomplishment on it’s own. I could only dream to be on Broadway. If you keep up with my blog, you know very well of my specific dream to be on the Broadway stage. Not only was she on Broadway, she got to play a phenominal role which explored all parts of her voice and allowed her to play with her comedic abilities. “Diva’s Lament” rocked the house when she sang it.
Then, there is the ever-so popular Grey’s Anatomy. The journey her character has gone through is so meaty. She gets to experience everything and then some. From love to a broken heart to exploring a new kind of love … and how she deals with it all at work. Lucky girl. And she works it. She lives the experience on the stage and I feel for her every step of the way.
Sarah Ramirez is a stunning actor and I completely admire her.

So … apparently, Hairspray is going to close. I know, it totally sucks. In the meantime, while it remains open, the producers have decided to bring the original lead back to the cast for the holidays. They figure it is a good way to rake in as much money as possible before the show closes. Simultaneously, they are letting go of performers to reduce costs as well. What there is more … the real kicker … apparently, the entire cast was not informed about these changes until the day before they made the public announcement … leaving no room for members of the cast to have any say or react or anything. It was almost as though they found out by reading a newspaper. Nobody had a clue that these big changes were being considered.

I always thought that once I was Equity, I would always be treated well. If there were any changes in a show, I would be informed well in advance in order to have the time I needed to adjust to the changes. Just to join Equity, there is a high price. With that, I figured performers are protected by the union. I guess the union doesn’t fully protect a performer as much as I would hope. Man, I would think that “on broadway” the treatment would be great. Apparently, this is not the case. Horrible.

I apologize if this bores you, but I feel it is important to acknowledge a show when it closes. These are some sad times for Broadway.

“The current revival of Gypsy — starring Tony Award winners Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti — will end its run at the St. James Theatre March 1, 2009, at the conclusion of LuPone’s original contract.

Directed by the musical’s librettist, Arthur Laurents, Gypsy will have played 388 performances and 27 previews when it closes. Following an acclaimed run at City Center, Gypsy began previews on Broadway March 3, 2008, with an official opening March 27, 2008.

In a statement lead producer Roger Berlind said, “I know I speak on behalf of my partners when I say that this production has been one of the most gratifying endeavors of our professional careers. Legendary director Arthur Laurents assembled a superb company lead by the incomparable Patti LuPone. And, while we wish Gypsy could entertain us all much longer, it has become clear to us that there is no way to replace the irreplaceable.”

LuPone, Gaines and Benanti are joined onstage by Leigh Ann Larkin as Dainty June, Tony Yazbeck as Tulsa, Marilyn Caskey as Electra, Alison Fraser as Tessie, and Lenora Nemetz as Mazeppa with Bill Bateman as Mr. Goldstone, Jim Bracchitta as Uncle Jocko, Sami Gayle as Baby June, Bill Raymond as Pop, Brian Reddy as Weber and Emma Rowley as Baby Louise.

The company also includes Beckley Andrews, Andrew Boyer, Nancy Renée Braun, Jacob Clemente, Kyrian Friedenberg, Matt Gibson, Sarah Marie Hicks, Steve Konopelski, Matthew Lobenhofer, Nicole Mangi, Matty Price, Lisa Rohinsky, Jaclyn Taylor Ruggiero, Jessica Rush, Alicia Sable, John Scacchetti, Geo Seery, Rider Quentin Stanton, Dorothy Stanley, Pearce Wegener and Emma Zacks.

Gypsy features scenic design by James Youmans, costumes by Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz, lighting by Tony Award winner Howell Binkley, hair by Tony Award winner Paul Huntley and sound design by Dan Moses Schreier.

Gypsy is produced on Broadway by Roger Berlind, The Routh - Frankel - Baruch - Viertel Group, Roy Furman, Debra Black, Ted Hartley, Roger Horchow, David Ian, Scott Rudin and Jack Viertel

The Encores! Summer Stars production of Gypsy played New York City Center July 9-29, 2007. It opened July 14.

The Broadway production of Gypsy won three 2008 Tony Awards: for stars LuPone, Benanti and Gaines.

Gypsy features a score by Jule Styne (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) and a book by Laurents. The musical bowed on Broadway in May 1959 at the Broadway Theatre, playing 702 performances before closing at the Imperial Theatre, where it later transferred, on March 25, 1961. Ethel Merman created the role of Rose in the original production; subsequent Broadway Roses include Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters (as well as Linda Lavin, who took over for Daly). Merman and Peters were Tony-nominated for their performances; Lansbury and Daly won the coveted award.”

It’s fun to come up with movies/plays/stories/anything that could be turned into Broadway musicals. One of my favorite movie musicals, The Court Jester, would be perfect for Broadway. It starred Danny Kaye. Need I say more? Now that they have White Christmas opening on Broadway, I am really praying for someone to put that one on the stage. There are many fun roles in the show, but if I was a guy, I would be dying to do the Danny Kaye role. For me? No, I don’t think there’s a role for me unless they cast the witch a lot younger.
I went searching on the internet to learn if there were any other “interesting” musicals coming to Broadway. Here’s What I found:

Rocky, The Musical
Yes, the Rocky Balboa movies we all saw on the big screen with Mr. Stallone. Yep, they are actually considering making this thing a musical. You don’t believe me? I can’t believe it myself! But when I read a small article about it, it looks like they are really taking it seriously.

“The New York Times and Playbill.com have reported that the hit movie franchise and Academy Award winning film Rocky will be made into a Broadway musical. The book will be written by Thomas Meehan (TONY Award winning best book of a Musical for Hairspray and author of the book for The Producers and Young Frankenstein). Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, currently represented by Glorious Ones at Lincoln Center, will take on the lyrics and music. It was also mentioned that Joe Mantello (Wicked and The Ritz) would possibly direct.”

Really? I mean, REALLY?

Moving from Broadway to Hollywood comes naturally for theatre artists with Tony Awards gracing their shelves. Kristin Chenoweth, Sara Ramirez, Nathan Lane, and Sam Mendes are just a few who did it — and choreographer-director Rob Marshall, a six-time nominee, even morphed into an Oscar-nominated film director.



This year’s list of Tony nominees is awash in future talent that should be on Hollywood’s radar, including the single-named Stew and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who have both received multiple nominations as actors, writers, and composers in Passing Strange and In the Heights, respectively. Heights, which received 13 Tony nominations, is a series of interrelated stories set in New York’s Washington Heights barrio that combine rap with salsa and Latin pop; Passing, which received seven Tony nominations, is an autobiographical journey that is at once rock concert and performance art.

Here’s a talent shortlist they should take note of:

Deanna Dunagan
August: Osage County
Nomination: Best performance by a leading actress in a play

Why her? As monster mom from hell Violet Weston, Dunagan manages to be hilariously funny despite her extreme stridency and abusiveness.

Up next: Osage County led to two film auditions, she says. “When this is over, I expect to go home and resume my life in Chicago the way it was before I left.”

Adam Epstein
Cry-Baby
Nomination: Best musical

Why him? Producer Epstein creates crowd-pleasers, first with his Tony Award-winning Hairspray and now Cry-Baby. A broad musical pastiche with wonderfully tacky songs, it’s the old chestnut about an upper-crust good girl who falls for the sensitive bad boy, straddling the line between homage and send-up.

Up next: A revival of Godspell and a musical adaptation of Ever After for Broadway. He says, “My intention is also to produce movies — both musicals and otherwise.”

Raúl Esparza
The Homecoming
Nomination: Best performance by a featured actor in a play

Why him? Esparza's Lenny is an uneducated, lower-class Brit pimp who’s at once sinister and infantile. His chest puffed up and leading from his crotch, his walk was wonderfully vulgar, yet he was totally understandable.

Up next: Esparza is currently playing a killer in Wes Craven’s latest for Rogue Pictures, 25/8, and has a recurring role on ABC’s Pushing Daisies. “I enjoy doing films, but they’re not my first love,” he says.

Tracy Letts
August: Osage County
Nomination: Best play

Why him? Not unlike Quentin Tarantino, playwright Letts has an uncanny ability to merge the horrific with over-the-top comedy. Like a white-trash Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Osage County presents a family suffering from emotional paralysis.

Up next: Letts, also an actor, says there have been no movie offers, “but I don’t pursue them. I’m cynical about that end of the business.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda
In the Heights
Nomination: Best performance by a leading actor in a play; best original score written for the theatre

Why him? Refreshingly devoid of elbow-nudging irony even in the corniest moments, Miranda’s ability to convey enthusiasm and faith in the future makes his performance so endearing.

Up next: Miranda has written two songs for Stephen Schwartz's Working, playing in Sarasota, Fla. “Since the Tony nominations, it has been an amazing whirlwind,” he says. “I’m still trying to soak everything in!”

Kelli O’Hara
South Pacific
Nomination: Best performance by a leading actress in a musical

Why her? In addition to her exquisite soprano, O’Hara gives a multilayered performance that merges innocence with a darker soul.

Up next: “Over the last few years, my Tony nominations (The Light in the Piazza and Pajama Game) have definitely helped move me into TV and film in small ways,” she says. “So here I’ll stay, hoping to get lucky, not relying on Tony nominations but knowing they can’t possibly hurt.”

Bartlett Sher
South Pacific
Nomination: Best director of a musical

Why him? While clearly a period piece, Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific is rousing and its views on racial relations still have disturbing resonance. The staging is exceptional. This is theatre at its most engrossing, thanks in large part to Sher.

Up next: Directing Namaste Man at Seattle’s Intiman Theatre, where he serves as artistic director. Later this summer he will helm Charles Gounod’s opera Roméo et Juliette at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. “I’m now getting some interest from Hollywood,” he says. “I will be looking into it.”

Stew
Passing Strange&apos
Nomination: Best performance by a leading actor in a musical; best book of a musical; best original score written for the theatre.

Why him? Passing Strange and its creator-star are wholly original, with Stew as the most unlikely and endearing of Broadway stars. So, too, is Passing, a rite-of-passage story that recounts Stew’s hilarious journey through Europe’s downtown scenes.

Up next: Recording an album of three new songs, directing a screenplay, and “developing another music-theatre piece, which would explore and create connections between rock concert and theatre at an even deeper level than Passing Strange does,” he says. “It’ll be something a little less narrative-driven and more of a happening.”

Matthew Warchus
Boeing-Boeing
Nomination: Best direction of a play

Why him? With its classic physical comedy and wonderfully dated views on gender relations, this door-swinging mid-60s farce about an American businessman juggling his three mistresses is just plain fun. Madcap comedy is not simple, and it’s to Warchus; credit that Boeing-Boeing takes off.

Up next: He’ll direct the first revival of Alan Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests in October at London’s Old Vic, and he says he’ll either be involved in a film project or an international production of the stage production of Lord of the Rings by the end of 2008.

Tony Trivia
Compiled by David Sheward
Director-producer Harold Prince has won the most Tonys, with 21.

The musical with the most Tonys: The Producers (2001), with 12

The play with the most Tonys: The Coast of Utopia (2007), with seven.

The only mother-and-daughter set to be nominated for Tonys in the same year and category are Rosemary Harris for Waiting in the Wings and Jennifer Ehle (who won for best actress in a play) for The Real Thing in 2000.