When I was about nine my Nanny, Papa, Mother and I went into
It was the first show I had seen on Broadway. I enjoyed the show immensely; however, there was one character that particularly stood out to me, Fantine. There was something about her character that deeply moved me. I would spend long hours in my room reenacting, over dramatizing and belting her parts. So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when my drama teacher announced that we were to preform Les Miserables that year. I practiced relentlessly for the upcoming auditions (obviously, I was auditioning for the part of Fantine). Well, eventually auditions came. I was out of my mind nervous because this was my first audition and getting the part meant the world to me. For my audition piece I chose " As long as he needs me" a slow ballad type song that Nancy sings in Oliver
We didn't get a big show for auditions the first night, it wasn't horrible either though. Close to twenty five people. I was one of the last people to audition. The people who had sung so far weren't bad, but they weren't fantastic either. When I got up Ms. Dupree ( Drama teacher) was slumped in her chair and she really looked like she had enough, which made me a little skeptical. I willed myself to move my legs and bring me center stage. I sang my range by the piano, still shaky from nerves. I sang my peace and eight bars from "I dreamed a dream". By the end of my audition Ms. Dupree was standing up and beaming at me. I have never felt so good in my life.
Four days later she told us that there were not enough guys to eloquently cast the roles.
I cried.
That is the big, juicy, gut wrenching story of my first audition.
2 comments:
Wow that stinks but at least you razzle dazzled your teacher! Les Mis and you will meet again someday!
Hi Ainsley,
I am not sure how I found your blog but I have enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of my one of my many auditions for Les Miz. I think it was 1995 or 1996 in New York for then Executive Producer Richard Jay Alexander. I was auditioning for Javert. I waited for hours and got typed out. (They didn't even let me sing even though I had been invited by a casting director to audition. Later on that evening I went to sing at a piano bar called Don't Tell Mama and told my tale of woe about my 'audition' earlier in the day. I sang "If I Can't Love Her" from Beauty and the Beast.
When I was done I spotted a friend who was in the Broadway Cast of Les Miz and sat down to chat with him. He was with a friend who aparently liked my singing and asked "You were typed out of what?" My friend Brian said "Out of playing opposite you! His friend was Craig Schulman who was at the time playing Val Jean on Broadway. Luckily for me Craig talked to Richard and I got an audition where I actually got to sing. I ended up getting cast in the ensemble playing Coufeyrac and covering Javert in the Third National Tour. It was no doubt the highlight of my acting career.
Keep the love and excitement of theatre. You will never know where it takes you.
Post a Comment