Monday, March 21, 2011

So much for "Blogging for Accountability"

I guess what's important is that I'm back, and blogging now. Uber-condensed update follows:

I love my new apartment and new roommates. The rent is affordable, we have roof access, and within my first week my roommate texted me to let me know we were having a 'vegan burrito party'. I totally found the right people.

I went to callbacks for 'Honestly Abe'. While I was happy and flattered to be called back, the role was very not-me. While I'd like to think myself capable of playing an ingénue straight--little wit, tongue in cheek humor, or spunk--that's not me, and I am certainly not the best person to play those roles. Long story short, I was not cast.

However! The story has a happy ending. Nehemiah spoke of my good audition to Ross, a playwright I know from college. They're doing a staged reading of their musical 'Brick by Brick', and want me in it. Yay!

Back in Boston, I auditioned for the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. My audition went very well, and the director asked me to seriously consider their apprentice program because of the "women in shakespeare problem". While my audition was very good, there are people with far more impressive classical resumes than mine, and they will end up being cast in the three or four available roles.

The apprentice program is full-time for ten weeks during the summer. Apprentices take class on a variety of things, are warm bodies on stage during shows, and sometimes get to understudy real roles. Not only does the program cost to attend, but I wouldn't be able to make any money this summer.

I boiled it down to the following question: is having the Artistic Director of CSC as a reference worth all the potential money I could make this summer (not to mention networking during the slow season with agents and casting directors)? I decided no, it was not.

Onto the next! My voice teacher passed my info on to a Dancer/Director, who is making a site-specific piece for the opening of The Museum of Narrow Places at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Now I have a singing gig in cambridge on thursday.

I have an audition this afternoon for another showcase, and tomorrow night I'm attending an industry event.

In the next blog: Maya's New Game Plan.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

In which Maya survives the scrutiny of three agents at once!

I survived the last class of access to agents! While my feedback was generally positive, all three hate my current headshot. I thought it was still in the realm of "not so bad". Looks like I was being overly optimistic.

There is one slot left for the Broadway session of Access to Agents. I'm extremely torn...Paul says that fewer Musical Theater actors are submitting themselves to agents...there's an actual opening in this ridiculous marketplace. I think the class would conflict with the Abe Lincoln show. I think my current compromise will be to send out mailers to agents who specialize in musical theater on my quest for representation.