Doin’ it well

Posted June 18th, 2004 by Sean Williams

There are times, regardless of what I said in my last post, where auditioning feels exactly right. When I went in to read for City Of Angels, I told the music director that I knew the score really well, I just needed to make sure I had the words right, so he let me read over his shoulder. He later told me that he knew I was sight-reading, and that it was such a relief to know he wouldn’t have to drag another idiot actor through a score that hard. That was one of those auditions.

I almost always claim to know the score. For some reason it impresses people better than sight reading, mostly because the director and casting director think you’ve done a ton of research on the role.

Since I’ve been in New York, I’ve done almost nothing but premieres. In fact, now that I think about it, everything I’ve done except for A Soldier’s Play has been the first time anyone’s done these plays. Which is cool.

I went in and auditioned for a new musical two or three days ago, and it’s one of those situations you really don’t dare ask for because it’s just so wonderful. The playwright is great, the music director/composer is great, the hall is really nice and they’re doing the whole thing with no cues, no sets, no costume changes, so the whole mess is just gonna *happen*, us actors doing material that I actually love. When I went in and auditioned, it was like seeing old friends, except that I’ve never met these people before. So, it was perfect, and they just called and officially offered me the role.

The role is that of a spoiled Mayor/CEO who’s not a bad guy but his heart is in the wrong place. He’s obnoxious and larger than life. For those three of you who’ve followed my so-called career over the last four years, it’s Mayor Poppy/ CEO of Buzz Cola and Paul Kelleher’s Boss all roled into one.

I’ve got another show this summer, but rehearsals start about a week after this show closes, so it sorta works out perfectly. On top of that, Gideon Productions had one of the best meetings of our existence last night where we broke down the structure of our new show, coming next year, called “Fleet Week”. It’s a musical featuring the coast guard, the navy, the city of New York, Ed Koch and The Statue of Liberty. Seriously, she’s one of the characters.

If I could make five dollars an hour for the time I spend working on my career, I’d be a millionaire, but in lieu of that, I’ll take rehearsal as payment.