Comfort Zone

I'm going to do it. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves is holding auditions on July 8 for "The Philadelphia Story". Count me in.

This may not seem like a huge deal, considering the amount of theatre I have done over the last several years. However, I have never auditioned for this group before. I generally stuck to the same groups show after show, year after year. And that's nothing against any of them, because I met great friends, made great memories, and on the whole had a blast. But after a while, it became stale to me. Only in the sense that I knew auditioning wasn't even a "must" anymore. And while it is a great feeling to have the choreographer call you and say, "I need a dancer for this show...you in?", there's that special rush you get when you audition. The combination of nerves, fear, anxiety, and excitement. "Will I get the part? Won't I? Will I make the show? What if I don't? How will I react?"

Cold reading auditions don't bother me at all; stick a script in my hand, show me what to read, and within 15 minutes I'll practically have the damn thing memorized. Dance auditions give me only a bit of a twitter; however, I always have the attitude, "You show me what you want, and I'll give it to you. If I can't, I'll damn sure fake it." Singing auditions? Whole 'nother ballgame. I freeze. Choke. Throat tightens, whole nine yards. But I blame that on one simple fact: I've NEVER been given a chance. Never have I had a solo of more than, oh, a line. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate having any solo singing lines at all. But I often wonder, could I do it? Could I sing in front of 200 people the same way I sing in my shower, or in front of my close friends? The world may never know...

But anywho. "The Philadelphia Story" isn't a musical, so I won't have to worry about the singing for now. Here's my attitude on this next venture: "I'd LOVE to make this show. I'd LOVE to try on a different company for size. BUT, if I don't make it, I won't be inconsolable. Yea, it'll probably suck not getting a role (there's room for 9 men, 6 women), BUT at least I know I gave it a shot. I stepped out of my comfort zone, and that alone will boost my confidence at least a little. The singing? We'll save that for another day. Baby steps, here. Baby steps."