Thursday, February 19, 2009

Two Weeks In

Well, I have been in New York City for two weeks and one day. I'm not really sure how I feel about things, yet. The city is so big and there are so many people! Not like San Francisco. Much more crowded. And everyone has their own plans, places to go, and appointments to keep. You really have to keep up with these people or you'll get eaten on the streets.

I have been in my apartment since the 9th. It's nice and small. Very small! I like it though. The only thing that I could do without is the noise. There is so much noise on 14th st! I have to keep the window open because it gets so hot with it closed, but at night forget about it! I tried to sleep with the window open one night and got a total of 1 1/2 hours rest. Never again! My family came out to visit this past weekend. That was fun (and I got to stay in their hotel room!). They left on Monday and that was the day I went to my first audition.

It was for a show called "Little Red". It is a show which performs at various local schools around New York and teaches kids about the dangers of strangers. It would have been perfect for me since it is running during the time that I am subletting here and was offering $400/week. I should have given myself more time to practice my monologue while my family was here, because I felt like I goofed on words and wasn't very prepared. No call back for that one.

On Tuesday I auditioned for a company (can't remember the name) which hires talent for various venues, like cruise ships, resorts, conventions, etc. When I got to the studio I was the 69th woman on the list. So I sat in the hallway and waited my turn. As I was sitting there, trying to read but failing, I heard just a bit of the competition I was up against. All of these ladies sounded like they should be on American Idol! I heard so many strong and intense voices that I almost walked out of the building. I do not have a voice like that! I wasn't working on having a voice like that! I really considered leaving, but I figured that I am here in this city to audition so I stayed, did my song, and didn't get a call back.

Today I was going to audition for a show called "A Celebration of 60's". It would be during the summer in South Carolina. After waiting for two hours and hearing people talk about the different pop/rock songs they were going to sing (and belt!), I decided to leave. I was not prepared to go into that audition room and sing something completely unsuited for the show. I felt a bit defeated for leaving the audition, but being there made me realize that I need to prepare more types of songs that will be well suited for any audition.

Later today I had another audition for a show called "Wild Thing". It's a show that is comprised of 5 adult actors and 5 child actors. It runs from April 13-May17 here in NYC. There is a $1000 stipend for the actors. I felt like I was most prepared for this audition. I really worked on my monologue and landed it while on stage. Now I don't know if I'll get a call back, but if I did I'm not sure if I would stay here for an extra month for just $1000. That wouldn't even pay for a month's rent out here! Let alone the rent that I would have to pay back home! Like I said, who knows if I'll get a call back, but at least I'm already thinking about things.

Well, tomorrow is another audition. Hopefully I'll feel more in place than the last few.