Saturday, February 16, 2008
How the Other Half Lives
This blog is being written while I’m babysitting in a suite at the Waldorf Towers Hotel that is larger than my apartment. Its been a great side job working for this childcare agency not only because of my ability to work as little or as much as I want, the good pay and tips, my love for playing with kids, but also getting a glimpse into “how the other half lives.” I find it so much fun to get to go and spend an evening in some of the nicest and most famous hotels of New York City. Not too m uch to update on from the past week, just more open call auditions, dance classes, and work. However today is Zoka’s first birthday!!! Last night he got to go and play with his “girlfriend,” the neighbor dog Molly May who turned one year old yesterday. Sorry this is so short, hopefully next week will give me some more exciting stories to share!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Oh the Weather Outside...
New York has finally had the first real snow since we've been here. We've been blessed with an uncommonly warm winter. However, today I finally got to take Zoka out to the park for his first day in the snow. We chased a stick for about an hour and had a great time.
It seems like all I ever blog about is Zoka... my life is so much less exciting than Elisa's.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
My Life As An NYC Actress
I am writing this entry as I take the longest subway ride in the history of my time in NYC. The online point-to-point destination calculated it to be 1.5 hours. For that long of a trip you’d think I was taking the subway from one end of NY to the other, well I’m not quite going all the way across, but almost!
I am on my way home from an audition in Inwood which is in the Northwest Corner of Manhattan. To get home I must take the subway the entire length of Manhattan and then over into Brooklyn (at least its an express train), ah but this is just one of the many adventures fresh young actors must take in the big city.
Let me go back to the beginning of my day today to give you a sense of what it means to be an aspiring actor in New York City…
My day really started with the preparations I did for it last night. In my giant audition bag I needed to pack, headshots and resumes, dance shoes (jazz, ballet, heels, jazz sneakers), shoes to wear during the day since I needed to wear boots while walking in the rain, a lunch and a whole bunch of snacks to last me 12 hours, water, my music book, make-up, info sheets for each audition, and of course my current reading material: “Audition” to read when I’m waiting around. Once I was packed and had my audition clothes picked out I could go to sleep to make sure I was fresh and ready to go the next morning. I slept in a little later than planned and rushed to get out of the house and to Ripley-Grier studios as soon as possible to get my name on the non-equity list.
I arrive at Ripley-Grier (one of the main audition/rehearsal studios) with a slew of other actors streaming in the doors. I make my way to the audition ‘holding room’ and find the sign-up for non-equity. I’m number 102. Since it is an equity open call the protocol is all equity actors are allowed to audition and then time permitting they will call from the non-equity list. The equity list has about 120 girls so far; it’s going to be a morning of waiting around. I find a spot to myself in the crowded hallway surrounded by more skinny girls than I’ve ever seen in one place and all wearing leotards, tights and lots of make-up. I begin stretching and am grateful for the last month of dance that has gotten me back a fair amount of flexibility since everyone around me seems to be stretching out their splits. (which I’ve never been able to do).
About two hours after I checked in they make an announcement that they are almost through dancing all the equity girls and will be calling in non-equity 50 girls at a time and “typing.” This will be my first audition to be typed and I’m a little excited to experience it. When my group goes in they line us up in rows of 10, we all hold our headshots and resumes (I felt like I was in Chorus Line!), and say our names one at a time. They take our resumes and lay them out on a table, take 10-15 seconds to glance at all 10 and then tell all but one of us we are done. And that is a typical experience for a non-equity actress at an equity open call.
I go into work for the remainder of the day, during this time I receive emails with about 10-20 more audition notices. After work I head to the subway to make my way up to Inwood for another open call audition, this time it’s all non-equity and for a small community theatre. Since the play is “The Crucible” I arrive to find lots of other young actress hoping to get a part. I sign in and then wait around for almost an hour before getting called into the audition room with a group of girls. We are put into groups of four and given a scene to go rehearse. After we are called back in to read the scene, we do it twice and are told thank you for coming. And now I am on way home to Brooklyn. Just another day of auditioning in the big city! At least the audition I have tomorrow is for a specific scheduled time! Hurray!
I am on my way home from an audition in Inwood which is in the Northwest Corner of Manhattan. To get home I must take the subway the entire length of Manhattan and then over into Brooklyn (at least its an express train), ah but this is just one of the many adventures fresh young actors must take in the big city.
Let me go back to the beginning of my day today to give you a sense of what it means to be an aspiring actor in New York City…
My day really started with the preparations I did for it last night. In my giant audition bag I needed to pack, headshots and resumes, dance shoes (jazz, ballet, heels, jazz sneakers), shoes to wear during the day since I needed to wear boots while walking in the rain, a lunch and a whole bunch of snacks to last me 12 hours, water, my music book, make-up, info sheets for each audition, and of course my current reading material: “Audition” to read when I’m waiting around. Once I was packed and had my audition clothes picked out I could go to sleep to make sure I was fresh and ready to go the next morning. I slept in a little later than planned and rushed to get out of the house and to Ripley-Grier studios as soon as possible to get my name on the non-equity list.
I arrive at Ripley-Grier (one of the main audition/rehearsal studios) with a slew of other actors streaming in the doors. I make my way to the audition ‘holding room’ and find the sign-up for non-equity. I’m number 102. Since it is an equity open call the protocol is all equity actors are allowed to audition and then time permitting they will call from the non-equity list. The equity list has about 120 girls so far; it’s going to be a morning of waiting around. I find a spot to myself in the crowded hallway surrounded by more skinny girls than I’ve ever seen in one place and all wearing leotards, tights and lots of make-up. I begin stretching and am grateful for the last month of dance that has gotten me back a fair amount of flexibility since everyone around me seems to be stretching out their splits. (which I’ve never been able to do).
About two hours after I checked in they make an announcement that they are almost through dancing all the equity girls and will be calling in non-equity 50 girls at a time and “typing.” This will be my first audition to be typed and I’m a little excited to experience it. When my group goes in they line us up in rows of 10, we all hold our headshots and resumes (I felt like I was in Chorus Line!), and say our names one at a time. They take our resumes and lay them out on a table, take 10-15 seconds to glance at all 10 and then tell all but one of us we are done. And that is a typical experience for a non-equity actress at an equity open call.
I go into work for the remainder of the day, during this time I receive emails with about 10-20 more audition notices. After work I head to the subway to make my way up to Inwood for another open call audition, this time it’s all non-equity and for a small community theatre. Since the play is “The Crucible” I arrive to find lots of other young actress hoping to get a part. I sign in and then wait around for almost an hour before getting called into the audition room with a group of girls. We are put into groups of four and given a scene to go rehearse. After we are called back in to read the scene, we do it twice and are told thank you for coming. And now I am on way home to Brooklyn. Just another day of auditioning in the big city! At least the audition I have tomorrow is for a specific scheduled time! Hurray!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Homework Helper?
If only I could isolate the cause of my continuous distraction from writing my paper.
The world may never know.
The world may never know.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Dance Dance Dance!!!
I started taking dance two weeks ago at Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan. My goal is to take 6-8 classes per week for at least a year and then hopefully by that time I will feel that I can be competitive for open calls, national tours, etc. I wanted to start out a bit slow since its been a while since I’ve taken classes. I’m proud to say since I started going three weeks ago I’ve been going to about 5-7 classes per week.
What I’ve found to be so awesome about classes in NYC is not only are there lots more variations of dance classes to take, but there is always a dance class happening, 7 days a week, 10am to 10pm. Broadway Dance Center is one of two main studios in the city and is located just a few blocks from Time Square. The main classes I’m taking are ballet, jazz, theatre, and a few hip hop/jazz funk classes. Theatre dance is my favorite! (surprise, surprise!) Every week in the musical theatre class we learn a dance number from a show, including shows currently on Broadway. The first week I went to this class we learned the choreography to “Step in Time” from “Mary Poppins.”
I’ve definitely been sore, especially the days after I do 2 or 3 classes in a row! But I am enjoying the classes and many of the teachers at BDC. February and March seem to be big audition months in New York and starting this week I will be attending 2-3 open calls per week. I am interested to see how I fare at these auditions now that my body is getting used to dance again. The auditions are for everything from national tours to regional theatres to summer stock. I will definitely keep you posted on how they are going!
Thanks for reading!
What I’ve found to be so awesome about classes in NYC is not only are there lots more variations of dance classes to take, but there is always a dance class happening, 7 days a week, 10am to 10pm. Broadway Dance Center is one of two main studios in the city and is located just a few blocks from Time Square. The main classes I’m taking are ballet, jazz, theatre, and a few hip hop/jazz funk classes. Theatre dance is my favorite! (surprise, surprise!) Every week in the musical theatre class we learn a dance number from a show, including shows currently on Broadway. The first week I went to this class we learned the choreography to “Step in Time” from “Mary Poppins.”
I’ve definitely been sore, especially the days after I do 2 or 3 classes in a row! But I am enjoying the classes and many of the teachers at BDC. February and March seem to be big audition months in New York and starting this week I will be attending 2-3 open calls per week. I am interested to see how I fare at these auditions now that my body is getting used to dance again. The auditions are for everything from national tours to regional theatres to summer stock. I will definitely keep you posted on how they are going!
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Oh an Actor's Life for Me!
I've found that my subway commute goes by much faster if I use the 30-45 min each way to read a magazine, newspaper, or a good book. Recently, I've decided to use that reading time to educate myself more on acting. The book, "Audition" by Michael Shurtleff has been on my shelf for a few years now; I suppose at some point during undergrad I was told it was a book every actor should have. Since coming to the city I have been told my numerous sources that it is a MUST read, hence I have begun reading it.
I think it is great so far and wanted to share this amusing, yet ever so truthful quote from the prologue:
"To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted. I've always thought it's better to give up sanity. Settle down and admit you're crazy or you wouldn't want to act. When you find out what acting is like and what the odds are, and you still persist, the proof of your own insanity is inescapable. Accept it. Most actors make themselves unhappy searching for sanity, by insisting on thier normalcy; its a grave mistake. The life of an actor is a bit easier to take if you admit you're bonkers."
So there you have it, I admit that I am "bonkers," especially being in NYC, there are actors EVERYWHERE!
I think it is great so far and wanted to share this amusing, yet ever so truthful quote from the prologue:
"To go into acting is like asking for admission to an insane asylum. Anyone may apply, but only the certifiably insane are admitted. I've always thought it's better to give up sanity. Settle down and admit you're crazy or you wouldn't want to act. When you find out what acting is like and what the odds are, and you still persist, the proof of your own insanity is inescapable. Accept it. Most actors make themselves unhappy searching for sanity, by insisting on thier normalcy; its a grave mistake. The life of an actor is a bit easier to take if you admit you're bonkers."
So there you have it, I admit that I am "bonkers," especially being in NYC, there are actors EVERYWHERE!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Adrienne's Visit
I am proud to say that it has only been one week and a day since my last entry! I need to back track a bit to talk a bit about our first few days back after the new year ….
My good friend since middle school, Adrienne came for a short visit the day after we returned to the city. In the few days we were here we got to see two Broadway shows, Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde. I have already seen both of these but love them so much I would see them again and again. Also, the first time I saw Spring Awakening, two of the leads were understudies. I must say, seeing Lea Michelle play Wendla is the only way to see that show, she is phenomenal! Also, they had just replaced John Gallagher Jr.’s role with a guy who is from the TV show Lost, and the adult female role is now being played with a woman from Grey’s Anatomy. Funny, but those are the only two tv shows I actually watch, so I enjoyed seeing the actors in a stage performance.
Adrienne and I also spent a day shopping in Manhattan! We made our way down to Soho and Canal Street which is a mixture of high end fashion boutiques and tents with designer knock-offs. We were absolutely freezing the entire time but wandered amongst the Canal Street vendors looking for cheap souvenirs and a new purse for Adrienne. It was quite the experience seeing as how to buy anything you have to barter with the vendor, something neither have much experience with or are very good at we realized. While trying to barter for the purse Adrienne wanted we attempted to ask for a really low price (thinking we would end up somewhere in the middle) but the woman just said “no” and then turned and walked away. We stood stunned, not knowing if we had offended her or if this was just part of the game. We walked away and then came back 3 minutes later giving her the amount she had asked for but having to pay $4 of the amount in change. Next time our plan is to bring someone with us who knows how to barter better, or I guess barter at all for that matter.
The other moment of excitement during Adrienne’s visit was when we saw a giant rat in the subway up on the platform next to us! I don’t mind seeing them run along down on the tracks, but this big guy was running along right next to our feet! We both screamed and ran … causing ‘true NYC-ers’ and Mike to laugh at us. The problem was, the rat then ran underneath a garbage can and kept poking its head out to see if the coast was clear. Every time he popped out, we screamed and he went back to his hiding place until finally he made a run for it and kept running through our screams of terror!
Sadly, Adrienne’s visit wasn’t longer and so she returned to Seattle after a few fun-filled days. Mike and I look forward to our next visitor, whoever it may be, because it gives us an excuse to get out there and do all the tourist stuff! Mike or Adrienne, you should post about your “Mike and Adrienne Day-O-Fun” you had while I had to work.
My good friend since middle school, Adrienne came for a short visit the day after we returned to the city. In the few days we were here we got to see two Broadway shows, Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde. I have already seen both of these but love them so much I would see them again and again. Also, the first time I saw Spring Awakening, two of the leads were understudies. I must say, seeing Lea Michelle play Wendla is the only way to see that show, she is phenomenal! Also, they had just replaced John Gallagher Jr.’s role with a guy who is from the TV show Lost, and the adult female role is now being played with a woman from Grey’s Anatomy. Funny, but those are the only two tv shows I actually watch, so I enjoyed seeing the actors in a stage performance.
Adrienne and I also spent a day shopping in Manhattan! We made our way down to Soho and Canal Street which is a mixture of high end fashion boutiques and tents with designer knock-offs. We were absolutely freezing the entire time but wandered amongst the Canal Street vendors looking for cheap souvenirs and a new purse for Adrienne. It was quite the experience seeing as how to buy anything you have to barter with the vendor, something neither have much experience with or are very good at we realized. While trying to barter for the purse Adrienne wanted we attempted to ask for a really low price (thinking we would end up somewhere in the middle) but the woman just said “no” and then turned and walked away. We stood stunned, not knowing if we had offended her or if this was just part of the game. We walked away and then came back 3 minutes later giving her the amount she had asked for but having to pay $4 of the amount in change. Next time our plan is to bring someone with us who knows how to barter better, or I guess barter at all for that matter.
The other moment of excitement during Adrienne’s visit was when we saw a giant rat in the subway up on the platform next to us! I don’t mind seeing them run along down on the tracks, but this big guy was running along right next to our feet! We both screamed and ran … causing ‘true NYC-ers’ and Mike to laugh at us. The problem was, the rat then ran underneath a garbage can and kept poking its head out to see if the coast was clear. Every time he popped out, we screamed and he went back to his hiding place until finally he made a run for it and kept running through our screams of terror!
Sadly, Adrienne’s visit wasn’t longer and so she returned to Seattle after a few fun-filled days. Mike and I look forward to our next visitor, whoever it may be, because it gives us an excuse to get out there and do all the tourist stuff! Mike or Adrienne, you should post about your “Mike and Adrienne Day-O-Fun” you had while I had to work.
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