Little Things You Do Together

One thing that I really enjoy about life is when you wake up in the morning you really have no idea what the day will bring and how it might change or effect you.  And that phenomenon happens a lot in an actor's world. Today I went to the open call for the In The Heights, non-equity, national tour. Having friends in this industry is by far the most valuable tool any actor can have. My lovely friends, Shanna Richey and Mckenzie Davis, so graciously signed me up on the list at 5:30am in the morning. This couldn't have been any more of a lifesaver. Not only am I pursuing a career in theater, going to as many auditions as I see fit, I'm also working full-time at a restaurant, enrolled in the Cap 21 Practicum program, looking for an overnight job, all the while I just moved into my apartment in Brooklyn last week and I'm maintaing a long distance relationship. Saying things are hectic is huge understatement. Saying I'm overwhelmed and have no time for a good night's sleep is pretty much accurate plus or minus a few adjectives. So the fact that I didn't have to leave my apartment at 6am, to sign up for something that I may or may not succeed in, was a huge weight off my shoulders and I am forever grateful.

For anyone not familiar with the audition process it can be quite complicated. There are Equity (Union) and Non-equity(Non-union) productions. For equity productions, the auditions are conducted by time slots and/or appointments for actor's who belong to the union.  Belonging to the union depends on your experience and your involvement with professional contracted productions. As part of the union you are protected by rules and regulations for your safety and health and are also eligible for health care and other benefits. If you are not part of the union: YOU GET NOTHING! For non-equity productions the auditions are basically a free-for-all playground of people trying to get seen. With no time slots or appointments, us non-union actors must sign-up on a list to secure our audition spot. This becomes difficult when people arrive at the establishment at 5:00 in the morning to make their own list which over the years has evolved into the, "Unofficial List". Once the monitor of the audition arrives, at a normal hour, he/she will ask the actors to transfer their names from the Unofficial List to the Official List. This becomes problematic because those folks that signed up at 5:00 am are now either at home resting or on their way back, but at this point others have already jumped in front of them on the list.  And so since people can't be honest or gracious when transferring that list we are all forced to become skeptical, untrustworthy and bitter about the whole process. And THIS is why people need governing. We obviously can't make a collective decision of how to treat these non-equity auditions so we are left with nothing but the motto: for each their own.  The audition room is full of many different types of people with different backgrounds of training and experience and yet all yearning for their shot at getting the job. Today I realized how human a casting director is. This human sits behind a table for hours and hours and watches actor after actor to try and select the best possible cast for their production. I mean granted, the other end is pretty equalized. We sit around for hours and hours, to audition for less than minute in hopes that we will be called back. If we aren't called back, then unfortunately we wasted hours of our lives, especially if you were there at 5:00 in the morning. Luckily I wasn't one of those people with wasted time on their hands.

I was called back by Joy Dewing of Clemmons/Dewing Casting to read for Sonny and Usnavi. I couldn't believe it actually. I never do. And what's more unbelievable is that I had to rap. Me? Rap? You must be kidding!? Well I had 4 hours and a voice lesson to tackle and solidify the material. And by golly I tackled it. My nerves get the best of me in the audition room so I can't say I solidified the audition but I gave it my best shot. It wasn't quite strong enough for a callback but my goal was just that. A callback means the casting director either liked you, or saw something in you that they wanted to see more of, thus meaning that I'm doing something right. There is a certain refinement that you have to own in the audition room during the call back and I have yet to own it.  But I do own the material and I will keep refining my skills until the next time I'm called in for In the Heights.

Coincidentally Joy Dewing was our guest cast director this evening at Cap 21 and it couldn't have been more complimentary to the rest of my day. This is exactly what this program and this industry is all about: making connections and relationships that you want to sustain and continue throughout your career. Ms. Dewing is such a simple, insightful and real person that was a pleasure to experience and begin a relationship with. It was my encounters with her throughout the day and my overall experience that made me realize that THIS program really isn't about the final product of the showcase. It truly is about the foundations that we are planting with these industry professionals. Even Joy said herself that it is human nature for people to cling and feel comfortable with things that are familiar and we are becoming that something familiar. It is happening.


~ Michael-Anthony

P.S. Friends are everything.