Another Audition... Another Adventure

I participated in another audition today, and it went very well! It was at my new church. (Can I still call it new? We've been there since January...)

Our church has a really neat program for the children. The littlest ones (Birth through PreK) go to "The Farm" while the K-4th graders go to a big area known as "XKids City." (Our church is Crossroads and they just used the X instead of "cross" to keep it simple and cool. It's also how they did our church's website address.) There's a big stage that's nicely decorated with different doors that really work (for skits and such), a full sound system, lights, big screen... it's really great!

Anyway, I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was ready to become a part of all that. So I let the coordinator know, and was sent a lengthy script to learn for the part of the storyteller. (The storyteller is basically teaching the "main lesson" to the whole group each week. There are also sometimes skits, videos, etc. involved as well as the worship time and small group discussions & crafts.) But learning a storyteller script is hard! It's very different from learning a play, since there is no dialogue and no other actors to help things move along! Just me.

Anyway, I was able to pass the audition (whew!) and am scheduled to be the storyteller next Sunday. I'll be talking about God's grace and telling them the story of the lost sheep & lost coin from the book of Luke. I think this will probably be great stage experience for me... I've done the one-act thing, I've done musicals, and I've even handled short monologues. But a whole 5-6 minutes of speech? And being entertaining enough for K-4th graders while doing it? That's a new venture. You'd think because I'm a former elementary school teacher that it'd be easy for me... but it's not. Perhaps because when I'm teaching, the "monologue" or "speech" to my class is less planned out and more off the cuff? (Planned topic-wise of course, but not generally rehearsed). I'm eager to take on the challenge and know it will help me grow and prepare for opportunities to come.

~ Allison

Farmer's Market Forecast - Sunny!

Great news! The Weather Channel has predicted sunny skies for Wednesday, so I will be back at the Main Street Farmer's Market in Villa Rica, ready to offer my home-canned goodies and frozen chocolate bananas!

Also this week, I'll be headed up to the AMTC offices in Marietta for a "bonus" modeling workshop. They've opened it up to both fashion and commercial models, so I'm looking forward to a fun time and lots of learning. And working with those folks and others who are going through the same process is awesome anyway. I'm really looking forward to it!

The local production of "Hoodwinked and Hoodooed" has been postponed. We think that the new performance dates will be August 5-7 but I'll let you all know for sure. It's a great show!

Lastly, I'm auditioning next Sunday to be a storyteller in my church's children's program. The storyteller learns about a 5-10 minute script and then delivers that as the whole-group lesson during one of the Sunday services. Once I'm doing that, I'll also be eligible to participate in their dramas as well. I enjoy teaching kids and explaining things to them, so I think this will be fun! And it will give me another genre of performing to practice. Storytelling is very different from dialogue!

To those of you who are joining this blog as a result of meeting me at the Farmer's Market - please do leave a comment and say hello! You're welcome to "follow" the blog to receive regular updates as well. But I'd be tickled to know that you stopped by. :-)

Have a great week, friends!
~ Allison

#80 - Audition for something (the continuation...)

Great news! Well, at least I think it's great news. It's great, and a bit terrifying at the same time. I've been welcomed as the newest member of CAST! (That stands for "Community Alliance for Stage and Theater" if I've never told you. Or you forgot. Either way...)

I wasn't totally sure I'd get in. I mean, yeah, I was the lone ranger at my audition. And they did tell me I did a nice job. But it was an awfully awkward script for me, and... well... these people don't know whether I can act! I read quite well, if I do say so myself. Been doing that since I was 4. (Thanks, Sesame Street!) But anyway... the way I was welcomed wasn't exactly the way I'd envisioned it.

I figured I'd get a phone call. I didn't. But I did get an email from L, urging the recipients to come to an audition to be held this coming Monday. (I guess they didn't get enough folks to audition this past Tuesday.) Curious, I wrote L asking her if the group had considered starting a Facebook page. After all, Facebook is everywhere... and that's where all the cool stuff happens, right? The place for people in the know! (And also those who have WAY too much time on their hands...) I told L all about how wonderful a FB page could be for the group, not only to reach potential actors and actresses, but also to advertise upcoming shows.

L loved the idea, and thanked me for volunteering to set it up. (What? Should have seen that coming.) I did, all in a couple of hours, and sent it to L and the director. He replied to me that he was excited about the FB page and having me on board, and looked forward to working with me on the upcoming show as soon as a cast list could be made.

Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAST-Productions-Douglasville/123045564431474 Snazzy, eh? I hope I get a nice, professional-looking photo to put up on there with MY bio someday!

So... that's it! I'm in. I'm honored, excited, and terrified all at the same time. I've never done interactive theatre before, so it should be interesting. But you can bet that I'll be the first one to sell you all tickets to the show! :-)

Love,

~ Allison

#80 - Audition for something

Check this one off of the list, ladies and gents. I did it! I almost chickened out...

During the ice-in last week, I received an email from the local community theatre group (C.A.S.T.) about auditions for an upcoming mystery dinner theatre. The play is called "Murder at Rutherford House" and will be held in late March through early April.

So... it's been a good 6 years since I've auditioned for a part in a play, and I have never done dinner theatre. (Attending one doesn't count, even if you know one of the cast members!) But I have always had this love/hate relationship with watching live stage performances. I love it, because it's great entertainment... but I hate it, because I'm always wishing it was *me* up on that stage!

Well, I may not have to wish for much longer. I admit, the "audition" was a little different than what I'm used to. I met the director and 2 of their regular members, but I was the only one there to read for a part. They're having another audition tomorrow and are expecting a few more people, they said. I'm welcome to come back tomorrow if I'd like, but I probably won't.

The script was ordered and has not arrived yet, probably due to snowmageddon last week... so I had to read from a different script. It was a romantic comedy, and I admit it was a little awkward doing a cold reading in a role that is trying to seduce another character... but I did my best and they seemed OK with how I did.

Now, I wait. It sounded to me like I'm "in"... but of course I don't even know what the roles are so I'm not sure what kind of part I'll get! We shall see, and I will certainly keep my readers posted.

Thus begins a new and exciting venture in my life! Today, Douglasville... tomorrow Broadway! OK, maybe not tomorrow. But I *would* love to at least see a show there if I ever get the chance. Even if it means stirring up the whole love/hate thing. :-)

~ Allison