Submitting Via Self

I am starting to think that if I am ever going to post regularly, I have to stop thinking that I have to write long, orations for every minor event. That’s daunting at the end of every day. I simply want a running commentary on what is going on in my career, particularly since my acting website is designed to talk about the jobs I actually book. The only place I talk about upcoming possibilities is in the “News” section, and I only keep the most recent information posted. So I need this blog for posterity!

Yesterday I auditioned for Mt Sinai’s standardized patient (SP) program. It seems as though they only hire new actors once a year, and only to fill abandoned slots from the previous year. This type of work is so much fun and is so rewarding that actors hold onto their slots tightly. This audition involved 2 contrasting monologues to be delivered in no more than 2 minutes TOTAL (which required me to do some clever cutting.) Then they asked me a few questions about my experience as an SP, and then we did an improv exercise to test my skills at keeping two scenarios going at once (hard to describe in a blog.) As I walked out of the room I heard the program director say that I gave a very good audition. I hope I can make it into the program this year. If not, I will keep trying for future years.

Today I had an audition for an HBO promo - this one involved playing a waitress at a hip bar, serving tennis greats Serena & Venus Williams and Billie Jean King. I was a huge tennis fan growing up (played for 6 years in high school and college) so this would be an awesome job. It was a typical promo audition- you go in, slate for the camera, then do the copy and leave. I was given pretty detailed instructions as to what they wanted, and then they gave me a redirect to see if I could do something different. They complimented me on my necklace (my necklace?) and then I was off. Between my actual persona and the two reads I gave, they got 3 distinct characters and I hope it bodes well for future work!

This coming Sunday I have an audition for a web series spoof, produced by some recent NYU graduates. A director I had worked with in 2006 gave me a heads up about the audition notice, and recommended me after I submitted. After submitting, he congratulated me in an email, saying they like my look and want me to audition. The audition will consist of improv, most likely. Should be a lot of fun.

So, who says you need an agent? I got all of the above auditions through self submission, and through maintaining relationships. Yay, me!