My favorite was years ago. I went to audition for a play. It was cold readings and I didn't know much about the theatre company. I arrived and signed in and gave the assistant manager (or whoever it was) my headshot and resume. I then saw them take the entire stack and put them in the office. We all sat in the house and the director proceeded to call up various people she knew to read. Everyone laughed (it was a comedy) for each other and everyone seemed to get a chance to read. Everyone except me. After about an hour of this, the director thanked everyone for coming and we all left. Now, I could have said something and probably have had the chance to read, but I really saw all I needed to know it was not a production I wanted to take part in. The funny thing was, the director called me the next night. She said she really enjoyed my audition, but she was not able to use me in the show. However, she asked if I would like to take part in their children's production. I let her know quite politely that she never actually saw me audition and that she never even acknowledged that I was in the room. I also told her that it would have been pretty difficult to call me up to read when she had nothing that identified who I was. She stammered embarassingly and asked me why I didn't ask to read. I told her I shouldn't have to.
I eventually went on to better things, anyway, so I chalked it up as a learning experience. Unfortunately, Chicago is not much kinder to strangers, which is why I've only attended two auditions in the last two years.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Updated On: 1/17/05 at 07:21 PM
