One healthy thing about having a job in a show like Spring Awakening…despite the fact that "time flies" and two years can go by so quickly...I really cannot believe how much I did in those two years. My journey was long at that show and I had many different positions there. From only covering Melchior, to being a full time swing, to taking over Hanschen...I don't look at my time there as ever being wasted. I feel more like time is flying now that I'm out of the show, simply because there are seasons to auditioning and a constant need to get a job...and when you go from audition to audition and hope for the best...that's when the time goes by fast. I've been fortunate enough to have tentative plans for the fall and yet another planned appearance on Gossip Girl...but, there is always a craving for more.
The past couple months have been interesting and I've been relieved that I have managed to fill my time. I have had interesting audition opportunities, including singing in front of Stephen Sondheim himself...something I only dreamt about as a kid. I have also enjoyed a couple reading experiences such as the Bare reading last week.
Bare went especially well. I only wish it had been open to the public so that someone could have snuck a bootleg out of Shoshana Bean singing the fu*k out of "All Grown Up." Hahah.
But it was a thrill to work with (the extremely lovable) James Snyder again. James is a blast to work with and made the process of mounting the few songs we did in a couple days that much more enjoyable.
I was so happy to meet and work with Stafford Arima. I truly believe that no other director out there is going to be as passionate and as caring for this fantastic show as he will be. It will be a great production when they mount it later on this year.
My life and career came sort-of full circle for me during that reading. Randy Taradash of ACT in San Francisco and the Producer of Bare in SF reminded me that he saw me in a community theatre (and all-white teen) version of "Once on This Island" when I was 14. I played Daniel. It was surreal to work with someone in New York City who remembered me from my community theatre days.
I cannot believe it's already March. I was walking through the unbelievably shitty weather today, a little depressed, and far too cold.
I was reminded of a similar moment, exactly 2 years ago, when I was on site for a Dawn commercial. It was a blizzard outside. I had been bored out of my mind on set and was walking around like an idiot. That day I was waiting for a call for another job, wondering if I'd actually get a break that year. I was a terrible Production Assistant and I knew it. I chatted with the director of the commercial who casually rolled his eyes when I told him I was an actor...He looked at me and said, "Actor, huh? Have you seen Spring Awakening? Now, those kids are talented." (Seriously…that’s not for dramatic affect…that’s what he said…word for word.) It burned. I had been in for the show 7 times over the previous 5 months. I looked like a fool when I tried to ramble on about how I had almost been cast in the show.
I was sent out to get hamburgers for the production crew. I remember walking back to the old studio building in Chelsea, holding two greasy bags while cold snow pelted my face. I was so angry. I was convinced that it was only going to get more difficult over the course of the next few months. I was sick of auditions and call-backs that went nowhere.
About a half hour later I got the call from Spring Awakening. It was completely unexpected. The director of the commercial was shocked. He told me to go home and celebrate.
So when things feel cold and shitty, I remind myself of that day. Like everyone else, I can easily get caught up in the negatives and only worry about what's going to happen next...rather than just trusting that things will work out if you stick with your gut.
