Over the years I've mostly heard the same thing from people after their Second City audition. "Eh. It wasn't great." No one ever seems to be happy with how they did. Sometimes you hear great stories of things going disastrously wrong, but usually its just a resigned sense of mediocrity.
I wish I had a different story about my audition, but I don't. I would classify my few improvised scenes as "competent but uninspired." I think my biggest flaw as a performer (and maybe as a person) is that I'm just not aggressive enough. Even as my audition group ran through some warm-up exercises outside the ETC theater, I started thinking, "Uh oh. You're not getting out there enough. Get out there. Do more scenes. Why are you hesitating during the warm-up?"
I also don't really do a lot of characters, which may have hurt me in the "we're looking for a wide range of characters" exercise that made up the bulk of the audition. I played a Frankenstein monster who talked exactly like me, a woman (that may have only been distinguishable as a woman because my voice was slightly more lilting and I was pretending to hold a cake), and a guy who talked slightly louder than I normally talk. I finally got myself to trot out an attempt at a cockney accent that went pretty well, but in retrospect, I think the scene right before had someone else doing a vaguely similar accent.
None of this was bad exactly, just, you know, competent but uninspired. I don't expect to get a call-back.
6 comments:
I know a few improvisers read this blog. I'd be curious to read any other audition stories, if anyone's interested in sharing.
hello arnie. nice to see that you are auditioning! how exciting. i would like to credit myself with any and all of your chicago successes since i organized that amazing cc trip for all 11 of us. do you ever go by that hostel/old folks home? maybe you even live there! anyway, i have no audition story--but i was recently on tv. i was in a psa about sexual assault!!!! not super funny, really. word to you sir. luv, audrey ching :)
I auditioned with Kate Duffy a few years back, and while my audition was terrible*, she was amazing. Stood out considerably from a group of good performers. But I don't think they even called her back...and since she did so much better than me, I've been scared to try again.
*it was the first time I've had stage fright, like, ever. I got the feeling that of the 10 people watching us audition, not one of them expected to laugh. Oy.
The first time I ever auditioned, I thought it was decent but not great. But T.J. was one of the auditioners, and he told me I did really well, and that he and one of my former teachers argued strongly for me to get a callback. Don't give up, he said.
Confidence bolstered, I was totally ready the next time, and I had what I thought was a really great audition. And still didn't get a callback.
After five tries and no callbacks, I came to the conclusion that they really weren't interested in me, and I never went back.
Man, you would think that a theatre with a bust of Zack Galifianakis on it's arch would be a little more easy going.
I had my first tourco audition this past round. I felt really good about it, but also didnt get a call back (as expected).
you were, i am almost positive, the first improviser that i remember sticking out in my mind as ever seeing and being funny. I know that may not get you hired to tourco...but i think its worth noting. you're a funny dude and i think you should know that.
dont give up!
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