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So when I started writing
this post…2 weeks ago, I wanted to catch you up on the last several months.
Something I wouldn’t have to do if I was consistently writing! Anyway the post
began with this long sort of clever, if I do say so myself, apology for not
writing and then a long recap of what’s been going on in this crazy 2013.
What’s funny is this past week alone has been so hectic that there is no
possible way that I can write a summary of the past several months and you stay
awake to read it! So I will make this as quick and painless as possible and
hopefully you’ll get a glimpse of how the Windy City and I have been getting
along.
Over the last six months
I've had the opportunity to meet, work, and play with some pretty memorable
people, take on a role that I'll probably never get the chance to play again,
and fall in love with a restaurant that sticks french fries INSIDE their
gyros...that's right people it's a topping not just a side dish!
In January I started a
four month internship with an amazing Casting office here in the city and can I
just say that it is soooo much more relaxing to be the person on the couch
instead of the person in front of it. I was reminded of many things from my
time here but two things really stuck with me. 1. The casting director is
sadder than you the actor are, when you’re not on you’re A game because it just
means that he wasn’t able to get his job done! And 2. Answering phones is hard!
Don’t laugh. I mean it. Oh sure picking up a phone and sounding pleasant is
easy but when you have four calls coming in at the same time and three have
asked to speak to the same person and you can’t remember the first caller’s
name because he screamed it at you while driving down the highway thousands of
miles away and you’re almost sure that caller number three is some big FOX executive
because the name his foreign assistant gave you sounded like the name on the
piece of paper in front of you titled IMPORTANT PEOPLE!!!!...well then you can
come talk to me:)
I started rehearsals for
an all female production of Julius Caesar, which opened in March and closed in
April. The overall process was amazing. I remember going to the call back and
being blown away by all of these women who each had a powerful presence and
larger than life voice. I knew right away that this was something I wanted to
be a part of. I think what made being cast as Mark Antony so appealing was that
everyone that I talked to had a strong opinion or preconceived idea of who this
person was. I
didn’t have one at all so the process of creating was fresh and fun. The show
itself did well and we received some great reviews but what I appreciated were
the friendships I made within the cast. In fact a group of us are going bowling
soon. Pretty excited.
So, about three weeks into my internship things begin to pick up speed.
We were getting ready to plunge into pilot season and suddenly famous acronyms
like ABC, NBC, and FOX were being thrown around. The office was looking to cast
several pilots and films and I knew that as the reader (the person reading with
all of the actors during their auditions, for all of you non-actors), I’d have the opportunity to take part in a process few people get to
witness and I’d learn what makes actors pop in the eyes of those casting.
I
witnessed great directors who had worked on projects like the West Wing and
Boss talk to actors about what was needed for a role and how to get there. I
watched as great and experienced actors came in and blew everyone away with
their preparedness and graciousness and I learned that the number one thing
that an actor must be beyond anything else is a hard worker. It sounds sort of
funny to some to say but I heard a director very recently put it this way. The sooner we as actors take down the
imaginary “magical” curtain that we’ve put up and destroy this hang up that we
have about ruining the illusions of theatre by letting people see what goes on
behind the scenes, the easier it will be for people to see that what we do is
indeed hard work. (He was pretty passionate about it) Good actors must
understand and then attempt to duplicate with all of the honesty they can
muster the extremes of the human condition aka Hard stuff. My complete takeaway
from my time there at the casting office was I’ve got some serious work to do.
The
end of spring brought about the end of my internship and the closing of my show
and with it a bit of starting over in my mind. I had been auditioning during
the entire process of my previous show and applying like crazy for jobs (Michaels
had cut hours significantly) with no breakthroughs on either front. But the
lack of response was ok in March. By May and the beginning of June it was not!
Thank goodness for amazing friends, family, and faith in a God that says He
will supply all of my needs according to His riches and glory! I remember
sitting at a bus stop on the phone with my mom and completely feeling helpless.
What is it about mothers having the exact words that you need at the exact
moment you need them. (What class do you all take for that?!) All I know is that
I got up from that bus stop with a renewed sense of purpose. Nothing fell into
place for probably another month but by the end of June, I was understudying
for a company that I loved and even more recently due to start rehearsals for
two shows in August and November. I joined an amazing prayer group with some
amazing artists. Hours at the day job (or night job for those of you who have
had conversations with me over the phone right before I clock in for that midnight
shift) have picked up and I’ve acquired a kid. Don’t worry I only have him for
a few hours Monday through Friday and then I get to give him back.
So, how are the old Windy City
and I getting along? Well we certainly have our fights and disagreements and
apparently she’s pretty hot with someone. It was in the high 90s all last week
with a heat index that I don’t even want to talk about. But she’s cooling off
and all in all we’re doing just fine. I really think she likes me. The feeling
is definitely mutual.
Oh and as for that gyro (pronounced
yeer-oh; NOT gear-oh or jih-roh according to the extremely passionate
workers) restaurant, it's called...
I've included their
website here so you can watch their videos and be jealous if you don't live in
driving distance!
http://gyro-mena.com/home.html
Goodbye! or as my
greek friends would say "αντίο" (adio)
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