I had two auditions today. One at 9:20am for an American Cable Provider Commercial, later followed by my Conservatory Audition at 11:30. For the first, I don’t give out much hope. It is a union gig, meaning the competition will be that much fiercer. Also, the audtion itself was four guys in a room, all singing the highest note possible in harmony. Only one of us will be chosen…which means that they are really only going for looks. It is impossible to tell one persons solo singing ability when you have them doing harmonies. It was also one of the shortest auditions on record. I fought rushhour traffic to get there, parked, walked to the studio and signed in. Totally time: 1:15. Was let into room, did a slate, sang my note and then was released. Total time: 0:45. Kind of sad, really.
So, I had lots of time on my hands before the next one. I fought my way through traffic (some big problem on the Gardiner this morning) to Spadina, then grabbed a parking spot at King and Peter, then chatted for for a couple minutes with Charlene, one my classmates, who had a 10:30 call time. Soon enough, she had to go in to warmup, so I hobbled over to Tim Horton’s for a pick-me-up. The reason I say hobbled is that my back was killing me. I had thrown it out the other day, and it worsened that morning while brushing my teeth. Who knew that could be such a vigorous activity? My dentist would be proud. The first audition of the day was not an issue, but I was horribly concerned about the Conservatory audition because of the amount of physicality it may require. Improv is not a sport for wimps.
So, between sipping my coffee I was stretching through the pain, trying to get this damned disc back into place. An entire hour was spent on this activity, and though I didn’t perfectly succeed, I did manage to get things to the point where I could breathe without groaning in pain.
Due to the aformentioned traffic problems, another classmate, Chris was actually late for his audition, so he was moved into my timeslot, which I appreciated greatly…somebody I knew to work with. During warm-ups we were instructed to find something topical to use as a lightly prepared scene, so Chris and I chose the story of Air Canada scrapping free meals on flights. Four of us auditioned at 11:30, and it was pretty straightforward. We began with the topical bits, then just did some random scenes. Two people were in the room to judge us…Moira, who runs the school, and one of the Conservatory Teachers, Lisa. Throughout the audition they were completly stoic…showing us nothing…which I kind of prefer. What did surprise me was the comment that we would find out within the next day, whether I get in or not. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what my chances are. Who knows what they are looking for, specifically? I showed my character work and ability to status transfer. I also used the very small room to the best of my ability.
Melanie asked me tonight if I would be depressed if I didn’t get it. The honest answer is yes. I would also be depressed if Chris, Brandy, Brian and Charlene don’t get in, as they are the rest of my classmates who auditioned. Only 1/2 of the Level E class chose to move forward…and it would be fun to continue as a group, even if the dyamics would be changed.
Well, we shall know for sure tomorrow. I will post once I know.