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.

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.

First New York Callback!

Its on thursday for Honestly Abe. Woohoo! No word yet on what role, or what it will entail.

Sadly, it turned out I couldn't make it to the callbacks of All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret, so I canceled my audition.

Also sadly: North Shore non-eq auditions are on the same day as Theater by the Sea auditions. While the idea of cutting a bus ride out of my schedule is tempting, I think I'll be trekking home to Boston for NSMT.

Monday looks to be an interesting marathon. Not only does in include the third dragging in as many weeks of all of my possessions across public transit, but it is also Agent Night, the culmination of my class with Paul Russel. Hopefully one of three agents will call me in for a meeting. If they don't, then the research begins on what agents to start mailing to. I'm especially hopeful about Honestly Abe, because then I could have a project to which I could invite agents and casting directors. Fingers crossed.

Networking FTW!

Tuesday night I sent a facebook message to a friend who had been my music director in multiple shows back at Sarah Lawrence. I said hi, and asked what he was up to. He responded by asking me if I wanted to audition for the show he's currently MDing. Of course I did!

The show is called Honestly Abe, about president young President Lincoln previous to his move to Springfield. It turns the out the director is also someone I know from school.

So, I knew two people in the audition room very well. I sang very well. Nehemiah thinks its curious I'm still calling myself a Mezzo (I have a secret fear I'm a dramatic soprano. More on that later), and Josh asked me about my dance experience. I got the slow, respectful nod from the producer/manager, and could not have been more pleased with how it went.

Well, maybe if my hair had had a few less flyaways.

Saturday I've also got an audition for the All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret. Let's get some work and invite important industry people to see it!

Working and Moving and Class, oh my!

Last night in our Access to Agents class, I had a "good, no, very good" audition. While some of my classmates were sent out to enter the room again and again, or needed work on their scenes, I entered once, read once, and was given no notes. I am a beast!

I've successfully made it to New Jersey for my week of apartment limbo. This weekend I will start moving my things to my fabulous new apartment in Kensington. Its well below my previous price estimate, has roof access, and fabulous foodie roommates.I can stay there on a month-to-month basis, and the utilities are included in the rent. Its also a grand total of two blocks from the F train. Win.

I am torn as to whether I want to sign up for Paul Russel's April session--the twice yearly musical theater class. I think I'm going to hold off and see if any agents call me in from this session before spending more money on classes.

Stealing my food? Seriously?

My housemates had a jam session at 4am. Not only did they manage to wake me up, they also ate some of my food. Can't wait to move out.

On that note, I've found a very promising sublet up in Washington heights. It has a 24 hour doorman, the electricity comes from solar panels on the roof, and the kitchen looks gorgeous. I have an appointment to visit on monday.

This morning I subscribed to Backstage online and the Call Sheet. I've assembled all the stationery necessary to create my fabulous Paul-Russel-Certified mailer, and look forward to printing that out on my fancy craigslist printer.

....I'm not really a fan of the formatting on the Backstage website. Booo.

Not bad for my second full day in New York

At 9am this morning I received a phone call regarding one of my countless submissions on Actors Access. This one was for a spokesmodel gig at fashion week. They asked if I could be there at 11. I put on my pretty face, figured out the wonky train transfers (I'm still afraid of the bus routes), and got there early!

It was a quick and painless read. The group producing the video seemed small and new, but they seemed to like me. My fellow readers were, on the whole, less than intimidating.

This evening I went to the first of my Access to Agents class with casting director Paul Russel. My resume is in far poorer shape than I had thought. So much for my professor passing it around my Auditioning class at Sarah Lawrence as an example.

I'm actually excited about my homework. Ordering fancy paper and labels and reformatting my resume sounds like a blast. Yes, I realize I'm a nerd.

On the way home, I picked myself up a six-pack of the Sam Adams winter lager. I think a nice beer is good at the end of a good day.