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