Here’s another subject I’m somewhat reluctant to blog too much about, but what the heck?  What could go wrong?!

This last week was a busy one with packed houses for Spelling Bee and getting ready for two auditions.  I won’t say what either was for, cuz I don’t really want to jinx anything, but I’d be absolutely over the moon to book either job.

The premiere audition for the week was the first call I’d had for this particular show.  I needed to bring in two contrasting songs to sing for the auditors for a more classic-styled musical theatre piece.  I chose “Come to me, Bend to me” from Brigadoon by Lerner and Lowe and the first section of “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir” from Sweeney Todd.  Neither went particularly well.

The Brigadoon piece is one that I did in the show at the Gateway Theatre a few years ago.  I took for granted how well I knew it, apparently, because singing it at the call seemed like the first time I’d ever heard the song at all!!  I can’t really blame anyone for that but myself.  I always try to work with someone who plays the piano ahead of time to work on these pieces, even the ones I figure will be no problem.  Evidently I was feeling cocky.  The Sweeney piece went much better, but still not great.  I had a few voice cracks because I was SUPER tense after dropping the ball on my first piece.

They were very kind, and hopefully familiar enough with my work to give a second crack at it, but I’m not holding my breath.

The second audition was a great reminder of just how great it feels to really prepare for an audition, even if it doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Four scenes and a song were to be prepared, which I’d spent quite a bit of time on (probably why I shat the bed so badly on the first audition).  One scene was a historical character, a king, which I had a blast digging into.  Josh Epstein was gracious enough to give me a coaching on the piece, which was incredibly helpful.  As we pounded through the pages, it was so great to have an outside eye there to really help me shape the scene in a way I had so clearly laid out in my head.  Without his help, I know it just wouldn’t have had the same depth.

The other three scenes were from a musical based on a classic novel.  At the end of the first scene came the song I was asked to prepare, and it was an incredibly challenging song.  Musically, it goes right up to the top of my singing range and just kinda hangs out there for the whole song.  In my solo runs with it at home, it was a disaster.  But another one of my Spelling Bee cast mates answered the call to help me navigate the challenging song.  Tracy Neff!!  If you need someone to help you with a song, she’s the one to go to.

I’m lucky to have these great people in my life.

I think the audition went off really well, and although the song wasn’t as smooth as I’d have liked it to be, it still showed I had what it took… or so I hope.

The moral to the story?  Not sure.  But maybe if I put out my audition stories into the world I’ll be more likely to treat each audition like the second.

If there is good news, you’ll be the first to know.