It has come to my attention that I was not clear about the nature of the project I am now involved in. The Miracle Age is not going into production (yet), we are merely presenting a staged reading so that people can come 'round with their show-shopping carts, look at us, pick us up, play with us, and decide whether or not we're worth spending money on, considering there is a chance we might piddle on the carpet. Think of it as a pilot. In television, pilots are taped and shown to networks in hopes that they will adopt/buy them.
Not that this will mean any less work for those of us putting on the staged reading. Sometimes these things can be fairly close to show-ready, and sometimes they're just a bunch of people sitting on a stage, reading a script. I've actually done that, already. A "friend" (read into that whatever you like) had a play that he'd written, that he wanted to try and sell, so he asked us to workshop it into a final draft, then read through it for a small audience and a camera. That was strictly a play, though, no music involved. I've been told that this staged reading will involve dancing, singing, and acting, just with fewer sets and costumes.
Clear?
Good.
Huh. I thought I had more to write, but I've just been staring at the blinking cursor for about 5 minutes, so I guess I'm done for today. It's the whole Daylight Saving Time thing. That hour loss is messing with my brain. Also, I happened to wake up earlier than I meant to, and just decided I might as well get up. So really, I've lost two hours of sleep. When you only get about 6-7 per night, that's a big loss. I think I'll go compensate by drowning myself in coffee.
Byee!
(Extra 'e' intended)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Good News!
Hello everyone! I know that it's been a while since I've written, but I've been very busy.
My birthday was on the 16th, and as many of you know, I spent it with my Mom, my Sister and her girlfriend, Becky. We all went to dinner, then played cards, where I kicked butt and took names. That's right, you know who you are. Who's your Daddy!?
Ahem.
I got some lovely pressies, and just generally had a nice time.
Then I returned to NY and jumped right back into work. I worked extra hours to make up for my time away, which is why I haven't had much time for writing. (I know: excuses, excuses, right?) I was also busy preparing for my callback. Let's review.
PREVIOUSLY ON JULIA'S LIFE:
Becca: Hey, so I just e-mailed this guy who wrote a new musical called The Miracle Age. He needs people to do a staged reading of the show, and he's holding auditions. You should e-mail him too.
Jon: Hi, I'm Jon. I just wrote a new musical called The Miracle Age. Why don't you sing something for me?
Jon: That was great! I love your voice! Can you sing another piece that doesn't use your soprano, so I can hear your belt?
Jon: Great! You have a really nice soprano, a good mix, and a good belt, so you've really covered all the bases. And you've got the acting chops, and you present yourself well. So, you're going to get a callback....I don't know when, but you'll definitely get one.
Julia: Hey! I got a callback! WOOHOO!
AND NOW, THE CONCLUSION.
So, I went to the callback, and because of certain circumstances (which I will detail later) I was an hour early. The elevator to the studio opens right into the lobby, so when the doors parted I was met with the sight of 7 beautiful, skinny, blonde, curly-haired girls all sitting in the cramped lobby with Jon (also blond) somewhere in the middle. As a group, they turned to look at me. The music from the Twilight Zone played in my head, but I ignored it and just smiled nervously. Jon greeted me, and I said something I can't remember and asked where the bathroom was. One of the bright, smiling, blonde girls pointed me in the right direction, and I slunk my brunette-self away. In the safety of the bathroom, I permitted myself to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. I took off my many layers, combed my hair and made myself presentable, then ventured outside. The blondes had vanished. Perhaps they had never really been there at all....or perhaps they were auditioning for the lead girl role, which I was clearly not right for. (I should mention that I was auditioning for a chorus part.) Becca arrived a few minutes later and we headed back outside to get something to eat while we waited. When we returned, the blonde girls were leaving, (HA! I hadn't imagined them after all!) and there were some more normal-looking girls there instead. This was clearly my group. We went in and sang some songs together, to hear how our voices blended. One song we already knew because he had e-mailed it to us to learn, and the other we learned on the spot. Neither were very difficult. They were written in a way that was natural and instructive. You knew when you were supposed to breathe because there was a natural pause in the music, and the beat was such that once you got into the swing of it, it was easy to follow. We did some line readings, one at a time, then sung some more. Then we had to come in one at a time and do a "flapper showgirl" walk. The girl who went before me had clearly had more dance training. She was also taller, skinnier, and basically perfect for this sort of thing. She even incorporated a Charleston step into her walk. After that, the most I could hope for was to be funny. I did my "walk" which was really more like interpretive dance (I believe I did a spin, though I'm a little fuzzy on the details).
All in all, I thought I'd blown it. He shooed everyone out except for three girls, then began calling us in one at a time. At the beginning, he'd told us he was looking for 4 girls to be in it, and 4 girls to be alternates (understudies). There were about a dozen of us. Some girls eventually came out and left, and then he called the rest of us in as a group.
"I've chosen the four, and now I'm going to choose the alternates," he said. Then he pointed to three girls, paused a moment, and pointed to me.
"What does an alternate do?" we wanted to know.
"Well, you will attend rehearsals, learn all the music and lines and choreography, and if one of the girls has to drop out at the last second, you'll take over. The reason, just so you know, that I chose the way I did, is because I wanted more mature girls. I was looking for a particular age group, that's all. But I like your voices, some of you I remember from your initial audition," here he turned to me, "like you. I remember your voice very clearly. And I think you'd all be great."
So that's that. We weren't given a schedule or any other information, just the knowledge that we would be working. I'm thrilled. I work well with directors because I work hard. Maybe I'm not the most talented (certainly in the area of dance) but I work at it until I get it right, and now that I have a chance to show that, I think it will open some doors.
So that's the good news, and now some more good news.
What I Was Doing Before the Callback
The people I work for (Annette and Deirdre) are trying to get a website up and running for their store, Otto. A few years ago, they had a photographer take pictures of the store and a lot of their merchandise. Now, however, they have moved to a new location, and much of the merchandise has changed, so they needed new photos. Gleefully, they approached me.
"So, we were thinking, Julia," Deirdre began, a light in her eyes, "that maybe you could model the clothes!"
"If you want to," Annette chimed in, "We know that it's last minute, but we just thought it would be fun."
"You try on stuff all the time, and always look cute..." Deirdre took over, but I stopped her there.
"Sure. I'll do it. As long as you're sure you don't want to hire a professional," I said, uncertainly.
"No, no, no. We'd rather you did it," Annette assured me, "You'll give it a life and a reality. Otherwise we would have to use a mannequin, which just looks creepy."
"OK, I'll do it. As long as I don't have to do the bikini."
So, on Friday, before the callback, I went to the store for a little while, then headed off into Manhattan to meet Lizzie, the photographer. Her studio was in the Newscorp (Fox) building near Rockefeller Center. I had to call her to sign me in downstairs, then we went to the 10th floor where the New York Post operates. She led me down a long hall decorated with famous headlines of the past, before ducking into a small studio.
It was fun! They put on some music and made me very comfortable, even though I started out feeling very awkward. Lizzie is clearly a pro. She knew just how to direct me (and being an actor, I take to direction well) and made me feel good about the whole thing. We did about 7 different outfits, and it was over before I knew it.
As soon as the website is up and working, I will put a link here, so you can all go look at me. Uh...or something like that.
This concludes my news.
Next on Julia's Life: the first rehearsal.
Later!
My birthday was on the 16th, and as many of you know, I spent it with my Mom, my Sister and her girlfriend, Becky. We all went to dinner, then played cards, where I kicked butt and took names. That's right, you know who you are. Who's your Daddy!?
Ahem.
I got some lovely pressies, and just generally had a nice time.
Then I returned to NY and jumped right back into work. I worked extra hours to make up for my time away, which is why I haven't had much time for writing. (I know: excuses, excuses, right?) I was also busy preparing for my callback. Let's review.
PREVIOUSLY ON JULIA'S LIFE:
Becca: Hey, so I just e-mailed this guy who wrote a new musical called The Miracle Age. He needs people to do a staged reading of the show, and he's holding auditions. You should e-mail him too.
Jon: Hi, I'm Jon. I just wrote a new musical called The Miracle Age. Why don't you sing something for me?
Jon: That was great! I love your voice! Can you sing another piece that doesn't use your soprano, so I can hear your belt?
Jon: Great! You have a really nice soprano, a good mix, and a good belt, so you've really covered all the bases. And you've got the acting chops, and you present yourself well. So, you're going to get a callback....I don't know when, but you'll definitely get one.
Julia: Hey! I got a callback! WOOHOO!
AND NOW, THE CONCLUSION.
So, I went to the callback, and because of certain circumstances (which I will detail later) I was an hour early. The elevator to the studio opens right into the lobby, so when the doors parted I was met with the sight of 7 beautiful, skinny, blonde, curly-haired girls all sitting in the cramped lobby with Jon (also blond) somewhere in the middle. As a group, they turned to look at me. The music from the Twilight Zone played in my head, but I ignored it and just smiled nervously. Jon greeted me, and I said something I can't remember and asked where the bathroom was. One of the bright, smiling, blonde girls pointed me in the right direction, and I slunk my brunette-self away. In the safety of the bathroom, I permitted myself to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. I took off my many layers, combed my hair and made myself presentable, then ventured outside. The blondes had vanished. Perhaps they had never really been there at all....or perhaps they were auditioning for the lead girl role, which I was clearly not right for. (I should mention that I was auditioning for a chorus part.) Becca arrived a few minutes later and we headed back outside to get something to eat while we waited. When we returned, the blonde girls were leaving, (HA! I hadn't imagined them after all!) and there were some more normal-looking girls there instead. This was clearly my group. We went in and sang some songs together, to hear how our voices blended. One song we already knew because he had e-mailed it to us to learn, and the other we learned on the spot. Neither were very difficult. They were written in a way that was natural and instructive. You knew when you were supposed to breathe because there was a natural pause in the music, and the beat was such that once you got into the swing of it, it was easy to follow. We did some line readings, one at a time, then sung some more. Then we had to come in one at a time and do a "flapper showgirl" walk. The girl who went before me had clearly had more dance training. She was also taller, skinnier, and basically perfect for this sort of thing. She even incorporated a Charleston step into her walk. After that, the most I could hope for was to be funny. I did my "walk" which was really more like interpretive dance (I believe I did a spin, though I'm a little fuzzy on the details).
All in all, I thought I'd blown it. He shooed everyone out except for three girls, then began calling us in one at a time. At the beginning, he'd told us he was looking for 4 girls to be in it, and 4 girls to be alternates (understudies). There were about a dozen of us. Some girls eventually came out and left, and then he called the rest of us in as a group.
"I've chosen the four, and now I'm going to choose the alternates," he said. Then he pointed to three girls, paused a moment, and pointed to me.
"What does an alternate do?" we wanted to know.
"Well, you will attend rehearsals, learn all the music and lines and choreography, and if one of the girls has to drop out at the last second, you'll take over. The reason, just so you know, that I chose the way I did, is because I wanted more mature girls. I was looking for a particular age group, that's all. But I like your voices, some of you I remember from your initial audition," here he turned to me, "like you. I remember your voice very clearly. And I think you'd all be great."
So that's that. We weren't given a schedule or any other information, just the knowledge that we would be working. I'm thrilled. I work well with directors because I work hard. Maybe I'm not the most talented (certainly in the area of dance) but I work at it until I get it right, and now that I have a chance to show that, I think it will open some doors.
So that's the good news, and now some more good news.
What I Was Doing Before the Callback
The people I work for (Annette and Deirdre) are trying to get a website up and running for their store, Otto. A few years ago, they had a photographer take pictures of the store and a lot of their merchandise. Now, however, they have moved to a new location, and much of the merchandise has changed, so they needed new photos. Gleefully, they approached me.
"So, we were thinking, Julia," Deirdre began, a light in her eyes, "that maybe you could model the clothes!"
"If you want to," Annette chimed in, "We know that it's last minute, but we just thought it would be fun."
"You try on stuff all the time, and always look cute..." Deirdre took over, but I stopped her there.
"Sure. I'll do it. As long as you're sure you don't want to hire a professional," I said, uncertainly.
"No, no, no. We'd rather you did it," Annette assured me, "You'll give it a life and a reality. Otherwise we would have to use a mannequin, which just looks creepy."
"OK, I'll do it. As long as I don't have to do the bikini."
So, on Friday, before the callback, I went to the store for a little while, then headed off into Manhattan to meet Lizzie, the photographer. Her studio was in the Newscorp (Fox) building near Rockefeller Center. I had to call her to sign me in downstairs, then we went to the 10th floor where the New York Post operates. She led me down a long hall decorated with famous headlines of the past, before ducking into a small studio.
It was fun! They put on some music and made me very comfortable, even though I started out feeling very awkward. Lizzie is clearly a pro. She knew just how to direct me (and being an actor, I take to direction well) and made me feel good about the whole thing. We did about 7 different outfits, and it was over before I knew it.
As soon as the website is up and working, I will put a link here, so you can all go look at me. Uh...or something like that.
This concludes my news.
Next on Julia's Life: the first rehearsal.
Later!
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