#3. Company One

When I showed up at the Boston Center of the Arts Plaza Theatre for the audition for GRIMM, a collection of short plays by local playwrights inspired by the fairytales of the brothers with the same name, there were posters up for the Performance Laboratory's Le Cabaret Grimm: a punk cabaret fairy tale (sans fairies). I had to ask someone else if they were casting an encore production before I found out that they were different things.

I wonder if Company One was miffed at the timing.

Auditions at the Plaza Theatre manage to draw all sorts of actors, since everyone knows someone who's worked at the BCA on- or offstage, big shows or small, and I always manage to run into somebody I know. This time it was Zack, a friendly fellow with a bold jawline who was in Independent Drama Society's SLAMBoston with me. He played a guy who was trying to help another guy pee.

"This is gonna be a shitshow," he said. "I just started learning this monologue yesterday, and I don't think I have it yet."

"Just breathe and stare meaningfully at something between each line," I told him. "You'll look like you're processing."

The audition called for a modern comedic or dramatic monologue. In school, I was taught that modern monologues came from a different time period from contemporary monologues. Rather than asking for elucidation, I assumed the wanted to hear something written by someone who hadn't died yet. I chose Jeff's.

A trio of ladies were reading from what looked like a side from one of the plays. Presumably, this was a two part audition.

After waiting for a while, pretending I was busy so I didn't have to talk to anyone else, I was asked in by the friendly stage manager. I introduced myself to the two directors, who did not introduce themselves to me. In the middle of my monologue I realize that they had already decided to stop caring about what I was saying. When I was done, they said only the word, "Thanks." I received no side.

I stepped back into the lobby and looked around. The three women were still the only ones reading any sides. Despite the many people that went into audition, no one else had received anything to read from. Zack, who also got a lukewarm response from his audition, noticed this as well.

Well, I guess a good director knows what they don't want.



7 headshots remain.