Crafty like a Fox

Hello readers--are you still there? Its ok if you're not. I think we've won the "world's most anticipated blog update award"--how many months does it take for Whit or Kristi to post? Let's see...a-1, a-2, a-3, a-4...4 months! Longer than it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, that's for darn sure. One day, I promise, a blog post won't start with an intro like this. Little goal--huge feat--I think we can do it.

Now, looking at my title you might ask, "Oh, crafts! Is Whit going to share a fun craft we can do? Maybe decoupage our expired resumes to a vintage something and call it art? Make felt flowers with which to decorate our 16-bars? (accompanists love this, you know) Is she gonna get all Pinterest-y and post 18 ways to use old nail polish to jazz up my boring audition outfit?"

Umm.....

No. (Although, do the things mentioned above (and document it well with you sassy Instagram app), and you earn actor gold star bonus level-ups!)


Ok, so what am I talking about?

Audition packages.

I hate love crafting audition packages. This is why I'm not so in love with general auditions. Yes, its a great time to show your stuff, but I like being specific... for specific shows...for specific parts even. And yes, its maddening--trying to find new material to fit each audition. But what a great way to add to my collection of (almost) 25 monologues in my proverbial back pocket.

And yes, with being crafty comes risk--risk of under-preparedness, risk of cornering myself in a specific type of character, risk of my ideas not meshing with a casting director's. But aren't those the risks at every audition? I'm *learning* to accept risk as part of my artistic journey.

On the plus side, in being crafty, I find that I am reading SO. MUCH. MORE. I'm really starting to put into action our main mission with this project--looking for audition pieces in the strange, obscure, unexpected. I'm paying attention. I'm investing myself in the projects I'm interested in--whether I'm cast or not. I dare you to call me a lazy actor. Go ahead.

And guess what? Risky, crafty fox that I am, I think I've found my first "written for a male character" piece. Whether its appropriate for a specific show...not sold on that. But for a general audition--why the hell not try it?

In risky, crafty fox business, I bid you a good day. Until next time (and hopefully not 4 months down the road),

Whit

It's Raining Men

And by "men" I mean "auditions".

Before I get too much further into this entry let's give it up for Whit, who successfully compared the audition process to a PB &J sandwich. Hear hear!

So, remember when I said it's audition season in Chicago? The winds of the season blew in full force this weekend aren't leaving any time soon.

Here in the Windy City, auditions come in waves. (apparently I like weather/nature related analogies) In the fall, we usually have a whole bunch of Season General auditions. This basically means the theatre company is testing the talent waters. You usually are not auditioning for a specific show, but rather giving them an idea of what you can do. If they find you appropriate for one of their upcoming shows, they call you back to audition a second time, but it might not be until March......even though you auditioned in September....it messes with your head, I gotta be honest. BUT, it's quite thrilling to get that call in March that someone saw you audition in September and remembered you. I'll take it!

I have TWO auditions this weekend. One Saturday and on Sunday. Both require two monologues, which means a total of four monologues! Ahh, PANIC!

Sidebar: I have a rather difficult to pronounce last name and when I was in high school, someone gave me the nickname "She's-In-A-Panic", which sounds similar to my last name if you say it really fast. That nickname was well earned. I panicked prematurely then and I still do now.

Once I got over myself, I realized that I really only have to do 3 monologues. (3 because the first audition requires a Shakespeare, which isn't appropriate for the second audition) Here's the direct instructions I've been given for Audition #1:

Choose Thine Own Adventure based on the works of Willy S -
"Please prepare a 1-2 minute Shakespeare piece you love. Don't worry about gender, age, race, comic vs dramatic, etc. Your love for the lines you choose is most important."

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
"Please prepare a brief poem (2 minutes max). Margaret Atwood or e.e. cummings are good examples of poems to look at in terms of style. Using this poem as a base, create a fully realized world for it. Through the language and physicality we should have a strong sense of what is happening. What kind of character are you? To whom are you speaking? What is the situation and where is this moment taking place? The specificity is not meant to intimidate but to allow absolute creative freedom, creativity and artistry. Your imagination is appreciated and celebrated by the Filament artistic team!"

I'll be busting out that old chestnut from Hamlet, "I have of late, but wherefore I know not..." because I love it. I love the speech, I love the meaning behind the speech and I relate 110% percent to what he's feeling at that moment in time.

For the second piece, I think I'm going to work on a poem called Love After Love by Dereck Walcott. (I read it the beginning of the book The Time Traveler's Wife, but shh...no one needs to know that) It is speaking about healing after a break up, but I think the actual words are more universal. I think his words are really about healing in general. Healing after a time of being so despondent, you feel you can't get any lower.

So there's my audition package for the first audition. Down in the dumps with Hamlet, then rising from the ashes with Walcott.

I will use the Walcott poem again for Audition #2 and I'm still trying to find something else that I think compliments it. This company was not nearly as specific about what they are looking for, so I'm on my own.

I have to be honest, I have a lot of work ahead of me this week. Especially to get the poem to reflect what Audition #1 is asking for. I'm pretty excited about it though. I've read Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice and several of her other plays. She's one of my favorite playwrights, so I hope I make a good showing. I would love a chance to do some of her work.

Off I go!

-Kristi

So little time...

I'm afraid to say that here I am again, preparing for an audition that was 3 weeks away, but magically has drawn nearer! And I can feel that pattern: wait, search, panic, second guess, wait, and freak starting to set in--but I'm determined NOT to let that happen this time.

This upcoming audition requires one classical and one contemporary monologue, and the hunt begins tomorrow. I have a few classic pieces prepared (one Shakespeare, one not) but neither seems appropriate (either too long or comedic-I need a dramatic). And as far as contemporary goes-well, I just have to say that I'm really tired of women's monologues (the ones in monologue books especially) being centered around the superficial or the overly dramatic (and depressing for that matter). I mean really, where is the solid storytelling? Those that really grip your heart and emphasize the character's goals instead of fabricated emotions. But that's our mission, right?

But for this I'll be looking towards a fantastic poetry book called Staying Alive. 

And I may also be delving in the realm of male roles. Just because I'm curious about what pieces women pass up solely because its not a "women's monologue."

More later-

Whit