I think sometimes that as an actor I should stop fighting against certain trends. I've been incredibly lucky the past year having a string of successful shows and my reputation is, at least in my mind, improving. Never really felt like I had a bad one, but I can definitely say that having a good one is way more beneficial.
So should I just take advantage of that? Part of me wants to, but the purest in me wants to continue to put myself out there, and audition for shows. Even when I know going in that I'm nowhere on the Director's radar. Maybe that's presumptive of me, but after enough auditions, you can read the faces behind the table. Body language and facial expressions and the sometimes blase communique tell a lot. I expect that to some extent in the cattle call auditions, but not in call backs. All that is beside the point. If you bring your best and your still don't get cast....that's part of the process. I'm used to it and shrug it off. Regardless, I made a list of shows I wanted to do this year, and so far, I'm 0-2. Now technically I was in the first show on my list, but not in the role I wanted. Long drawn out story on that one. Probably commented in a past blog entry. But #2 I'm definitely not a part of. I only wanted the title role and made callbacks.....of course I got stuck in traffic and was late. Never a good sign, but I still felt I had a good callback. For whatever reason didn't happen. Move on.
But that got me thinking. I had two other shows I could have done. Two good shows with good solid characters and an opportunity to work in a different venues. And I passed on them due to my list. Now part of that was I wanted to play opposite of my girlfriend, but obviously that's not happening in this show. (She's still up for her role though). So what do you do?
It's the summer season in Las Vegas, and there are a ton of shows having auditions and I don't have a clue what to audition for. There's Super Summer Theater, Fringe Festival, LVLT, and a myriad of other theater groups with venues, but I'm still hung up on whether I should just prepare for all of them, or wait for someone to come to me.... Because that's what it's been like lately. I've had directors and producers asking me to audition. It's a great sign when someone says, "I'd love for you to come read for ___________. You'd be perfect for it." And I've passed on every one. I don't know what that means, but I can't help wonder if I should just follow that path and tell directors. "If the audition I didn't go to was good enough to give me a call back, then the call back I won't be at should be brilliant and you should just cast me now."
But I want the roles I choose to speak to me, or be intriguing or something that will challenge me. Sure there are a few roles that I want for the opportunity to be the lead, but those have their challenges. I don't want to just take roles because they're handed to me......unless they fall into one of the above categories. I'm humble, not stupid.
I certainly don't want easy, but I need to recognize that I'm not every director's cup of tea or coffee or whatever diet-decaffeinated-herbal liquid they're ingesting. Perhaps I should look closer at my options and decide what will advance me more in my career. Of course I say this after just being cast in another Strip Show that pays, and I'm complaining about doing theater for free.
Thank God it's Friday.
