Filed under: Blogroll, Dance, Hollywood, Midwest, Wisconsin, acting, singing
Hello, friends. I have little news to report; recently I have auditioned frequently but not gotten any parts. Nonetheless, some of the auditions have been surprising so I share them mostly for your entertainment.
I have in the last month auditioned for two, count ‘em two, Spanish-language telenovelas. I am called back for one of them this Saturday; the other casts continually, so they could really call me at anytime. This second one is not too picky about its actors, actually. It is a broadcast program–I just watched an episode the other day–but it is quite clear the actors are inexperienced.
In another audition, I played a homeless, mentally-ill Peruvian man called “el americano.” The character was called “el americano” because he looked North American.
I auditioned to play a guest at the prom in a music video by Monet for the Disney Channel. It was to air during “The Secret Life of Zach and Cody.” Part of the audition included “busting a move like we were at the prom.” I now regret not rocking them with “the worm.” If nothing else, it would have been memorable for everyone.
One time I got called back as a Latter Day Saints missionary for a spec commercial; I was eager for this one because a friend had recently said I reminded them of an LDS missionary. For you “30 Rock” fans, the breakdown also said I was supposed to be “like Kenneth from 30 Rock.”
So the answer for most of these auditions is “no.” But I can say pretty genuinely that most of the time, “no” does not get to me like it used to. My perspective is that in Hollywood, you need to knock at every door you can find. The vast majority of the answers you get are “nos,” but you need to keep knocking. Steady on, steady on, because sometimes there are “yeses.”
Audiciones Recientes
Hola, amigos. Tengo pocas noticias que reporter; recientemente, audiciono con frecuencia pero no me ha salido ningún papel. De todas maneras, algunas audiciones les van a sorprender, así que las comparto para entretenerlos.
Este mes, audicioné para dos telenovelas en español. Para una, tengo una segunda audición el sábado; escogen actores continuamente para la otra, así que me podrían llamar en cualquier momento. Ésta segunda no requiere mucho de sus actores. Ahorita vi un episodio y está claro que los actores tienen poca experiencia.
En otra audición, el papel fue de un hombre peruano que vivía en la calle y tenía una enfermedad mental. El personaje se llamaba “el americano” porque se veía norteamericano.
Audicioné para ser un joven en el prom de un video musical de Monet para el Canal Disney. Se iba a presentar durante “The Secret Life of Zach and Cody,” un programa muy bien conocido entre los niños de aquí. Tuve que bailar en esta audición y ahora pienso que debía hacer un movimiento que se llama “el lombris.” De todas maneras, no me dieron el papel y por lo menos así me habrían recordado muy facilmente.
En otra audición me tocó ser un misionero “LDS” (mormón); estaba emocionado por este papel porque recientemente una amiga me dijo que le recordaba de un misionero mormón. Para la gente que mira el programa “30 Rock,” la descripción decía que debía ser parecido a “Kenneth de 30 Rock.”
Pues, en la mayoría de estas audiciones, me dijeron que no. Pero puedo decir con toda sinceridad que la mayoría del tiempo, “no” ya no me molesta tanto como en el pasado. Mi perspectiva es que, en Hollywood, hay que tocar toda puerta que se presenta. La gran mayoría del tiempo, la respuesta es “no,” pero hay que seguir tocando. La persistencia vale la pena porque de vez en cuando la respuesta es “sí.”
Last week, I was particularly excited to audition for a musical theatre version of “Great Expectations.” It would give me further experience acting with a posh British accent, and I am eager to do any project that recreates great literature.
The audition required 16 measures from a ballad and 16 from an up-tempo song, so I pulled out two pieces I worked on with my voice teacher back in Madison. I practiced more or less every day during the five days preceding the audition.
Just an hour before the audition, I began to rethink my choices. Perhaps a different section of “Not While I’m Around” would be more moving. And if I chose the beginning rather than the end of “I Could Write a Book,” it would make more sense to those casting.
I unwisely decided to go ahead with the changes, and appropriately reaped poor results.
The audition was poor in part because the accompanist’s complete reading of the music and driving tempo were foreign to me. Usually I play just the bass or treble clef at whatever tempo seems natural to me.
But this element aside, my audition would certainly have been better had I stuck with the selections I had diligently practiced. Rather than a fair representation of my abilities, I presented an unsure and expressionless performance.
