Replacements and “RESPECT”

Once upon a time… I auditioned for a show and got a callback. Fell in love with the scenes and music I got to prepare for them. Didn’t book the show.

Fast forward three years to LAST WEEK. I’m working 60 hours a week at three part time jobs and barely making enough money to pay for my new apartment that I just moved into. In between working so many hours and barely sleeping I was doing the crazy hustle that has been “audition season” in Los Angeles since the new year started. I was lamenting to a friend that I couldn’t seem to book gigs I was interested in, and every audition felt more and more like a dead end.

Not 24 hours after that conversation, I got an email asking me to step into a show as an immediate replacement for a girl who got nodes. (Sounds like a bad episode of Glee amiright?) The catch? I had 36 hours to pack a suitcase, find covers for my work shifts, and board a plane to Arizona. The show? Yes, the same director/producer/show that I had auditioned for and lamented about three years before (but a different production!).

It was a no-brainer. Well, except for the stress of leaving my survival jobs for a month. The contract was more than enough money to cover my bills and I couldn’t wait to dive into a new show and challenge myself artistically.  And BOY HAS IT BEEN A CHALLENGE! The score incorporates 60 songs from the last century of popular music. I got two days of rehearsal to learn one track in this crazy, four women, 2.5 hour show.  On what should have been my day off, I woke up to a phone call that I would be going in for a two show day. No, my performance wasn’t even near perfect. And yes, it was absolutely terrifying. But I proved to myself that I can do anything. ANYTHING. Everything after this will feel like a cakewalk. I didn’t stop feeling stressed about the show until the 6th performance I gave. Even tonight when I stepped onstage I thought to myself “Do I know all of this? Will I remember everything?” But here is the beauty; the best part of this whole scenario. IT’S LIVE THEATER. Even if I flub lines, I get to THRIVE out on that stage. How lucky am I to have the chance to be in the moment and perform PERFORM PERFORM. I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity and for the challenges and lessons it has brought.

Photo credit: personal photo

Me in the costume I wear for most of “RESPECT: a musical celebration of women”

photo credit: personal photo

My cast members and I after I survived my first show!

Happy auditioning friends! I wish you casting decisions that happen before three years go by, and patience to keep on that hustle!