Cats! meow....

5. White Plains Performing Arts Center. Cats.

Today was awesome and I have pictures! Yay!
White Plains was our destination. A small suburb with city flare that lays about 40 minutes from our Harlem apartment. Sarah my roommate (en route stage manager) decided to accompany me up to White Plains to view the theatre, but mainly to have some Buffalo Wild Wings. So we headed down 125th to the Harlem Metro-North line and away we went!

Yay for transportation. I amused everyone by singing the 'Cat I'm a kitty cat' youtube song, and 'The Meow Mix' Song in multiple languages. Much to Sarah's dismay.

 Sarah so excited I'm taking her picture, she just wants her Parmesan Garlic Wings.

  

Yay! Time to eat! We arrived around 3:30. My audition wasn't until 6:30 so we appeased Sarah's wishes and ate our hearts out at Buffalo Wild Wings. Meow.

Sarah my Manager who multi-tasks VERY   well. Clearly too busy to even order.

Me, the star. Too cool to read the menu right side up.

And the nosh begins.....

 FRIED PICKLES! My first attempt and they're DELICIOUS!

After our delicious lunch, we decided to walk around main street and what not to kill some time. On our way we passed a Milk bar, because what town isn't complete without one? Especially when auditioning for Cats. Meow!

 Then we passed a castle and Sarah and I decided we will live here if we move to White Plains. Of course then we wandered into the Trump Towers and Lofts and we changed our minds!

Onto the audition! I stopped taking pictures at this point because I was getting ready to audition but I have a very apt and detailed description for you :)

So at the White Plains Performing Arts Center is a very nice venue in the middle of town surrounded by great restaurants and shops and a giant cinema. The theatre is a beautiful 400+ house with a medium sized stage and ample backstage space, but I digress.

The call was for non-equity singers who move, but I think they're really looking for triple threats because the show goes up in December so they need people who can learn fast. 

Well I was called around my time of 6:30 and went in to sing. I sang one of my go-to songs that has a good range to it and it went pretty well. I showed some fun character and sang pretty, even though the space was dead without much acoustic. Then I was asked to stay and dance, Yay! ... oh wait... uh oh.. Hahahaha. 

So after I changed, and "stretched" I amused the masses by meowing occasionally and talking to Bruce Jones. 

 I love Bruce. He's full of life, and silly and can sing his face off. He's too loud all the time but it makes life funny. Bruce had to run downstairs to the Target in the basement and buy dance clothes, yay for impromptu dancing!

So we all got on stage and learned a piece of the original choreography to the opening. It was rough at first but once I got the moves in my head I was fine. Since I'm not the most technical dancer I concentrated on personality and having really strong cat hands. Haha, I wanted to add in a lick here or there but there wasn't much wiggle room in the choreography. So we danced and danced and danced, and danced some more, all to the choreographers counting because the music wasn't functioning properly.

After they were sure we all had the choreography down, they split us into groups of 4. My group was 3rd to go and I started off in the front. I feel like I sold it really well and gave it my all. When we switched lines I didn't give it as much gusto so my ending was off a bit, but it was still full of personality.
We all finished dancing and that was that. 'Thank you and we'll be in touch!'
In my absence Sarah got a tour of the theatre from the artistic director and auditor himself and of course she put in a mention for me :) It's all about connections right?

So we headed back to the train and on our way. It was a long afternoon, but it was fun and luckily the train ran straight from White Plains to Harlem, EXPRESS! It's always a pleasant surprise when you get on a local train and it rides express, unless of course you need it to be local but that's an entirely different blog entry.
Until next time!

Ever Hopeful,
Jillian

Callback, or 'That's great, thank you!'

3a. Weirdest callback ever, and not because I had to do anything funny but essentially because it wasn't a callback but just singing a different song.

I arrived early today at Chelsea per my traveling fiasco the day before and checked in with the monitor. I still had a good 45 minutes, but they seemed to be running early and I got prepared just to be sure.
Cohoes asked for a different song in the style of the show, so I decided to sing Prima Donna as it shows off my Soprano really well.
As I was waiting I noticed that people were just going in and out of the audition not really staying or coming back for sides or other songs, that was strange to me, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention to the time actually passing in the room. My turn finally came up and I went in, gave the pianist my song and tried to sing her my tempo, remembering that everyone had said she liked to play a bit fast. I hadn't had trouble the day before but today was another matter. She gave me the first note, I began to sing and SHE'S OFF!
It was so fast I didn't expect a song from Phantom of the Opera could be played as a jazz piece.... I tried to reign her in and control the tempo but whatever, I still sounded good and my High D's came out just fine.
There was a slight pause after and then they smiled and thanked me and that was that. No reading of sides, no extra singing, not even a single question about me or the production. It was like an initial audition all over again.

You know call backs really are an emotional extreme. There's the happy side which is the "Yay! I got a callback that means they like me!" but then there's the anxious/paranoia side afterwards which is the "Did they like me? Are they going to cast me?"
And then you wait,
 and wait
 and wait
and WAIT until you hear of someone doing the show or realize rehearsals just started and you're not there.... *sigh* Such is the Never-Ending No of life...
Well until next week, I'm talking CATS.

Ever Hopeful,
Jillian

Traveling to Chelsea Studios

I hate going to Chelsea... it's not a bad studio, in fact it's beautiful (and where I met Christopher Walken) but I hate having to transfer trains, especially when the trains take FOREVER!
Normally I'm a very prompt person, but when I work late the night before an audition it is terribly difficult for me to get there early to sign up. Especially when I've had a terrible night as I had last night... ugh Full moons always bring out the worst in people and I'm a firm believer in that.. I felt like I had leprosy or some unmentionable plague the way people were treating me.... but I digress.
Thanks to Marianne Haggar(my awesome audition buddy) I was signed up for both the Cohoes Music Hall and Prathers Entertainment audition. Yay!
I tried to get up early enough, but to no success I felt like I had been hit by a bus and rolled over by a lawn mower. Eventually, I rolled out of bed after many update texts from Marianne and made my way to Chelsea.
Well, I got stuck in the train for what seemed hours! Meanwhile they were almost to my number at Cohoes... when I finally transfered to the 1 train at Times Square Marianne wasn't responding to my texts which meant she was waiting to be seen. I practically ran to the audition and found Marianne waiting in line to go in and sing, she was next.

3. Cohoes Music Hall. I found the Cohoes monitor and asked if I could be seen even though I missed my call. I said I was running from another audition(I know, I know its a little white lie, but they'd rather hear that than you got stuck on the train). She graciously put me in the next group as I groveled profusely and went to change.
I sang my classic 16 bars that showed off my Soprano easily and that was that.

4. Prather Entertainment was another matter all together!
Marianne and I were in the 200's and Prather was moving at a snails pace so we decided to go grab some lunch. A nice hour and panini later and we were back waiting to be called. Finally the monitor with the wonderful color palette of clothing called us, but it was to collect our headshot/resumes and to beg us wait for another hour.
Finally when it was my turn I went in to sing my new belt comedy song and they laughed and said thanks, but that was that no callback. My voice was kinda shaky, at least to me, but Marianne said I sounded good... You are your own worst critic right?

Later that night I got an e-mail asking to come back for a Callback for Cohoes Pirates of Penzance Yay! Soprano yay! So at least the day was not a complete train wreck :) We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Ever Hopeful,
Jillian

Cruise Lines... I never learn my lesson.

I'm going to combine two auditions into one since I started this blog today and not yesterday.

1. Carnival Cruise Lines 10/4/11 (or the audition I bombed)
 Now for most of you that know me, you know how much I hate pop songs. Well in case you didn't know I HATE singing pop songs. My pop repertoire sucks to begin with, and I can't riff to save my life but I have been recently trying to fix those issues.

Anyway, a good friend of mine and audition buddy Marianne Haggar text me the night before this audition asking if I was available to lunch with her the next day. I said yes and then she asked if I was going to attend the call. I said maybe if I could get some sheet music to print, which I couldn't.
So the next morning Marianne texts me at 9:45am asking if I was coming. I didn't hear my phone and subsequently didn't wake up till 11:45(hey I work till 2am so my sleep schedule sucks). They were moving slowly at the audition so I decided that since I was getting ready to go to lunch and meet Marianne downtown I might as well make myself audition.
Well I did.
It was a train wreck of a piece and the auditor was over the day. Apparently, they stopped calling people back after like 40, which is why I usually get to auditions early, more of a chance for them to like me. The only pop song I had to sing was Michelle Branch's 'Everywhere' remember that gem of a pop princess? I mean I sounded fine(well sort of) but the auditor was more interested in his granola than my cute polka dot dress and broadway-belt-trying-to-sound-pop-and-pretending-I-can-riff-voice.

2. Jean Ann Ryan Productions 10/5/11 (or having high hopes and falling flat)
The call read: Prepare 2 contrasting pieces. One Classical, one Musical Theatre Andrew Lloyd Weber Preferred. I was praising the Lord for a cruise line that didn't want pop. YAY! My natural element!
I had had a voice lesson on Monday with the talented Christopher Stephens and he helped me pound out Prima Donna from 'The Phantom of the Opera' as my classical, with not one but two high D's! Yay! I was classically golden!
The singers call was at 12:30p.m., boo. I never know what time to leave and sign up to ensure an early spot. So I woke up at 8 and was out the door by about 10. I got to the call and was number 72, not too bad considering I didn't sign up when the unofficial list was up early in the morning.
I rented a room at Ripley-Grier warmed up and made sure I had the pretty, rich sound I wanted and went to grab some lunch.
I arrived back at Ripley at 12:15 to change and get ready and the first group was called early. So on and so forth until my group came up. I got in line and when they were ready they marched us into the room, all 20 of us... YUCK!
If there's anything more unbearable than singing a pop song, is an audition in front of everyone else... whatever. I went to a conservatory, it's just like singing in class right?
So I get up there to do my 16 bars of 'Prima Donna' hand the pianist my music and he then groans about how small the score of my music is, and asks if I have something else... I mean seriously? It's the Phantom of the Opera and the chords are right there... I think you can manage.... so once he accepted the fact that I didn't have another piece he said "Fine, I'll guess I'll try" and I smiled a great "Thanks!" and waltz over to the X.
Well I sang out my guts, I mean that song is fun anyway and very operatic and High so it's my best friend. (The pianist played it perfectly, btw).
What followed was a "Thank you, Jillian" and that's it. Well I held my own and said "Thank you" and waltz over to the piano collected my music and turned toward the door. Everyone against the wall was gaping and shaking their heads and mouthing good job, because honestly who goes in and sings 2 high D's at a Musical Theatre audition, it's not a common thing. Then I walked out of the room and 3 people told me I sounded awesome. And I trotted back to the room.
Such is the life of never knowing the reason for not getting a callback. I mean honestly it was probably because I wasn't the same size of whoever was in the part before, but it still drives me crazy.

Ever Hopeful,
Jillian

Why no? Why now?

Hey everyone! Welcome to my blog. I'm no good at writing introductions, or at least I never was in high school but I'm going to give it a shot here.

Obviously the title is a bit funny, let me explain.
I am your typical young actress. I studied at a conservatory for 2 years. I live in New York City. I wait tables and I'm constantly auditioning for productions.
Now I know what you're thinking, there's a million of us out there, what makes my story so special?! I'll tell you what! I'm talented! Just kidding, I mean I am talented, but EVERYONE is and that's not an exaggeration.
This city is thriving with amazingly talented singers, actors and dancers. It is the mecca of Broadway after all, so it is very easy to feel lost and hopeless with this much competition.
Anyway I digress a little.

It has been 1 year and 8 months since I graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and I have been auditioning since. Granted, I had a few set backs last year and I went into an audition hiatus for 2 months this year, but all in all I have been a constant auditionee pounding the pavement.

This idea occurred to me last night when I was thinking about my future memoirs and if I ever write one, I need to start writing things down now since my memory is so terrible. I then thought I should put up a list on my wall and write down every single audition I go to and what the response it. Then I figured in a year, five or maybe in 10( Lord help me) when I finally begin to book work I could symbolically rip that list to shreds knowing its what everyone goes through, some longer than others.

Now here we are, almost 2 years later with an unending list of 'No's' and almost 'Yes' which has driven me to bug all of you.

To my fellow actors who may be reading this I hope you don't have to create a never-ending list of 'no' blog,  but I do hope you can learn from what I have to say. Maybe it will offer you some audition insight and if not, maybe you can offer me support obviously I need it. ;P
To the rest of you, sit back, relax and enjoy the journey and hopefully we can turn my never-ending 'no' story into a Yes.

Ever hopeful,
Jillian