Called back

PA Players called and asked me to show up again tonight at 8.

Callbacks

Callbacks went well. I arrived 15 minutes early, while chorus auditions were being held, and I had hoped they would let me hang out in the waiting room, but they made me stay and listen to 15 pairs of people singing the same page of a chorus number. I happen to like the number, and most of the auditioners were good enough to cast on the spot. There were only a couple of people who were marginal.

After they were done with the chorus, they let most of them go home, and kept a few on to go for the featured roles. There are several men and one woman on the Board of Governors who have significant character parts. They gave each of us men the same 4 bars to sing, and the women got a different 4 bars.

Then they lined all the men up in a row (I was second from the left) and started with the guy next to me. We each sang the snippet solo. I did okay, a couple of guys did better. Then we hung out while the women did the same with their music.

The women were not asked to read, and were sent home. The men were each given one of two paragraphs to read, I drew the butler, others got the innkeeper. This time we got to stand on the X and do our reading, coming up one at a time. There was one guy, John B., who read better than me, I've been onstage with him at least once before, but I can't remember when. And another fellow, named Jack, who is about my age and I've done a show or three with, was there but he can't sing well enough for the part I wanted. Then they gave out a short reading to a couple of the men, and when those were done they let all the men go except me. It was now 9 pm, time for the Jekyll/Hyde nominees to arrive. They gave us a page from the first scene, and I read the part I was going for (Sir Danvers) against each of the other fellows. Three of the four did well.

Then they let me go, sad because I had been hoping to read with the women going for Danvers' daughter. They had now all arrived. Sigh.

Each time a group was sent home, everyone applauded, which was nice. I got way more applause than I deserved when my time came.

I would not be surprised to be offered the part I was going for, but one never knows. PA Players has a big book of actors they can call if they don't find the right person for a role, and they have been known to use it. Regardless, it was nice to make the finals, and even nicer to be Last Man Standing, so to speak.

They did not say when they would have a decision. When they cut the chorus lose, they jokingly said "we'll send email in 2-8 months". Rehearsals start in less than a month.