the audition

yesterday morning i overheard carrie talking to ben. something about reading. something about an audition. something about how stoked she was that something like this was coming to our little town. my ears perked up. what, i asked her, are you talking about?

turns out that san luis little theater is doing the laramie project. over 50 characters. open audition monday and tuesday night. without even thinking further i asked, can i tag along?

so at 7:00, with a co-op mate in tow, i went to my very first audition. it was awesome. the most fun i've had in months. even if i don't get a part (does everyone say this?) i'm just stoked for the experience.

most of the characters are a reach out of my age range. well, some more reachable than others. there are a slew of university-aged girls. those would be less reachable. there are a pocketfull of 40-somethings (sigh. unfortunately becoming more and more reachable.). and then the rest were heading north: 50, 60, 70. i didn't know what to expect: would i be able to read for a part? would i have the opportunity to read something impressive? would i have just one line to paint with? i had no idea.

those of us without headshots got makeshift ones made out of a polaroid and a woodpaneled-wall backdrop. i tried to smile while i gave out the obligatory cheese. and then joined the herd heading into the audition room.

lady luck shone down upon me because when my name and number were called i got to read reggie, emotionally relating finding matthew's body tied to the fence. the only part of his face not covered in dried blood were his cheeks, which his tears washed clean. so moving. so sad. so bleak. later i read the part of a random lesbian, afraid to show any affection for her lover in public. afraid of being run down by a redneck-driven chevy. both times i got to read with an older guy who kicked ass and obviously has a lot of experience on stage. he was fun to read with.

tonight we are going back. me, carrie and michael. going back with our name tags, our bottled water, and our fingers crossed. meanwhile, if you live in san luis i'll be blabbling about showtimes when they arrive (late february) whether i'm in the play or not. and if you don't live in slo town, check out hbo's site, which gives a decent synopsis of what the whole thing is about.