An Actors Problem
There’s a problem / dilemma / question that arises most frequently when we come to an audition with a new piece that we’ve learned to be greeted by a Director we’ve never met: “What does she want?”. I often meet Actors contorted into all shapes and sizes of anxiety about how to squeeze themselves into, again, all shapes and sizes of what the Director might want. It seems to me that some Actors would love to be all things to all people. Are you KIDDING?
Of course, in a way, it’s quite admirable. We all want to do a good job – nothing wrong with that. We’ve got our lines down and we’ve come to place that requires us to perform this in front of a person, or persons. And then we get ourselves all worked up. No, no, no, no, no. This will not do at all.
I went for an audition last week. It was for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. I had the lines down and I went in. After meeting the Director, the first thing he asked me was, “Do you have any questions?”. I asked if he had in mind ‘ye Olde English’ rendition or was he to stage it in a contemporary context, to which he replied that he wanted the latter. I think I said “good”, but what I meant was “Yes, I understand”. Well, I did my thing and I did it again to some of his directions, and that was it. Two days later, I learned that I didn’t get the gig.
Without going into expressing what the usual feelings of disappointment of not getting a gig we audition for felt like (let’s face it, we all know this so there’s not much point regurgitating it here), I can say that my read was an honest approach to the part and I could sit around contemplating what I might have done differently, but it really doesn’t change anything.
The point is, if you’re open to direction and happy to be there, and you have your lines down, there’s not much more you can do. No point trying to be everything – it ain’t gonna happen.
I can’t wait for my next audition.
The fox that chases two rabbits catches neither. – Old Russian saying
Comments
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
