we were the "skip to my lou" players

I am on hold with Disney right now to add my flight information to my trip. They are the only company I don't mind holding for. Last week I was talking to the dinner reservation people and the guy was SO nice. Every time he was confirming a letter he'd be like "D as in Dumbo, E as in Eeyore" (etc, etc) and I was like... GIGGLE. Seriously. I am excited.

Over the weekend I went to UPTAs in Memphis to audition for a bunch of theatres. I was supposed to leave Charlottesville at about 1pm. We got on the plane but then they had us de-board because there was a screw stuck in one of the front tires. They had to call in people to assess the situation, which took about 45 minutes and then, since they couldn't fix it, they had to call another airport to send a jack down strong enough to lift up the plane which took about 2 hours of waiting and one hour of fixing. I was at the Charlottesville airport for FIVE HOURS before my plane was able to take off and it is NOT a big airport. There isn't even a real food place inside... I had to eat a bag of pretzels and a couple pieces of string cheese for lunch. We didn't get out of there until after another plane from charlottesville, on the same airline, had already left for Charlotte. I missed my original flight to Memphis and had to go on the later one, which didn't put me there until after 9pm, central. Worse things have happened, but I was REALLY ready to get out of the airport.

Saturday was my audition and I figured it was going to be an easy day. The auditions last until like 4pm but mine was at around 10:30am so I thought, once I was done, that I would be able to chill until the dance call at 5pm. I have never been more wrong in my life. Ali (I was staying with Ali and her girlfriend, Natalie) and I got back to the hotel and no callbacks from our group were up yet, so we went back to the room for like 20 minutes. I changed my clothes and then we went back down to check. I feel weird talking about this because I not only got more callbacks than I've ever gotten from a unified audition in my life, I'm pretty sure if you combined all my callbacks from OTAs over the years and UPTAs in 2007, you would still not reach this number. I was obviously HAPPY but then I realized that a lot of places were starting callbacks before the dance call (I thought they'd still be watching people audition--apparently they were not). I spent the first 45 minutes after writing them all down running around like a crazy person, trying to sign up for as many as I could. At one point I forgot we were in central time and I RAN back to the room to change into my dress, thinking I only had 15 minutes total, but I was wrong, I had an hour and 15 minutes. I changed, arranged my "callback itinerary" and started going to talk to people and/or do whatever they asked me to do. I was only able to sign up for 11 places. That was seriously the highest number I could manage without possessing the power to stop time, which I don't have (yet). This was less than half my callbacks and even with the 11 I signed up for, I could only make it to 9 of them. Some of them were places I've been interested in for a LONG time, some of them were new to me but I was still really interested in them, one of them I should have never gone to because the woman was the DEVIL. It was the most embarrassing callback ever and she was just one of those EVIL casting people who is completely all about appearance and ridiculousness with no concern for anyone but herself and I amost walked out of the callback more than one time. She was evil. I also got called back for two asian roles in the same company (the king's main wife in The King and I and the mean lady in Millie). I don't know what it is about me that is saying "asian" (the red hair? the fair skin with pink undertones?) but if I was offered those roles, you know, I'd take them. When would I get another chance to play Lady Thiang in The King and I? NEVER!

Anyway, between my callbacks there was also a dance call that went fine. I say "fine" because I did it perfectly (after practicing it for 30 minutes) but it was so easy that I doubt it mattered that I did it perfectly. Ah, the "movement" call. It was performed to the tune of "Skip to my Lou" and it was about1 minute long. In all reality, I loved it. There would have been no way I would have been able to do the real dancers routine. It was INTENSE. Not only was it intense, you also had half the time to practice, and, I would never have gotten it right. I'd rather be perfect with "Skip to my Lou" than to seriously mess up something in the REAL dancers dance call. Ali did the real dancers routine and the tap routine which means she had approximately no time to practice outside. Ali is an amazing dancer (she once broke her nose because she kicked too high). I am not. I should have added a pirouette into "Skip to my Lou", though. I can do some things really well in dance... I just can't do them altogether without ample practice time. Callbacks were posted again after the dance call, but I never had a free second to go down there to see if anyone added me (I REALLY DOUBT that they did anyway).

So, I was at callbacks until 10pm. Ali ordered pizza for us and thank God she did because the only time I had open to eat it was WHILE I was changing into my leotard. Not a good time to eat, but it was all I had. I was exhausted during the whole second half. Everyone was. There was a point when me and a couple others girls were waiting outside for this one place and we were just like... blobs. I was able to joke with a few of the casting people (whether they were directors, education people, whatever) which made me happy. There were a LOT of places I would like to work. I hope I get a job. Callbacks are nice but without any offers it doesn't matter. I got called back for Dollywood, but I wasn't able to get to the callback (that, and for Busch Gardens). I wish I would have. How COOL would it have been to work at Dollywood? I know that is some people's idea of Hell, but I bet you'd get to meet Dolly Parton and she seems like a NICE LADY.

The next morning I had to wake up at 4:15 to get to the airport for a 6am flight. I snuck out of the room, as not to disturb Ali and Natalie because they looked so peaceful, and went on my way. Luckily there were no flight delays and I got back on time at 10:48am. Ohhh. I was so tired. I was also so HUNGRY and Chris took me to McDonald's.

The NEXT day (Monday) Chris and I drove up to Silver Springs, MD so I could audition for the DC League auditions. I did the same package I did at UPTAs, wore the same dress, and also ran into my friend from the Huron Playhouse, Eileen Earnest. I hadn't seen her since 2004 at the latest, and she looked great. We were in the same group, too! At this audition you basically performed and then left. I was the first person in a long time to sing with accompianiment. For some reason a boy a few spots ahead of me sang "The Street Where You Live" a capella. I started wondering... if you are a singer in DC, you must not have that much competition, right? I still don't know the answer to that. The theatre was a very "dead" space... I felt like I was singing into a brick wall. It was also horriby dry. DEAD AND DRY, the best place to perform. So, I auditioned, a girl checking in the auditors said, "Congratulations!!!!!!" as I was leaving, and then I changed back into my regular clothes and we went back to Staunton, trying to find pet stores in NOVA along the way. We were successful... but they were either closed on Mondays or out of business. I just wanted to see some puppies. We saw a bunch being walked in Silver Springs. One had a stick in his mouth and he just looked so proud to be carrying that stick.

So, now I am DONE with auditions for now! HOOOOOORAY!!! It was fun for a while but I am really glad I don't have any for the foreseeable future. I feel like I've been waiting for these for so long. I registered for UPTAs in September or something! I would go again. I like UPTAs. I'll like it more if I get a job (or jobS) from it. If I don't, though, although maybe not OKAY, I will still not fret too much. I've still got YEARS until my prime casting age!