auditions

[helenic]

After talking to the_alchemist on Saturday about the CULES panto of Peter Pan, I made the decision that although nothing was likely to come of it, I was going to finally get round to doing some auditions this term. Cambridge seems to be the university with the largest amount of plays on at any one time - about, what, twenty a term? more than that? - and many of them are quite bad, which means I stand a chance (as a first-time actor) of getting a part in one. With the apparent emphasis on quantity over quality, Cambridge, however long I'm going to be here for, is probably the only opportunity I'll ever have to be in a production. I should take advantage of it.

During the conversation with Catriona I established that audition information was to be found in Varsity, one of the two big student newspapers, but I didn't manage to get hold of one until the next day. I discovered that all the auditions were scheduled on the first weekend of term - the 17th and 18th - and as they all took place in the late afternoon and evening, I couldn't make any of the ones on Sunday due to choir commitments, and I had of course already missed the Saturday ones. Still, I noticed there were a couple of productions which continued auditioning until Monday, and an advert for Yeomen of the Guard for a principle alto saying to arrange an audition by email. These looked promising; I industriously noted them down in my diary.

I emailed the Yeomen of the Guard organisers and discovered they are also auditioning tonight. The part on offer is Dame Carruthers and they want to hear a prepared piece. Unfortunately, I don't know Yeomen, and have left my Best of G&S at home. The only score I could get hold of is Pirates, and Ruth (the alto) doesn't have any interesting solos which would really show off my voice - particularly not if I only have an hour or so to learn one. I don't think, therefore, I'm going to be able to do it. It's a real shame, because Dame Carruthers, from the look of what I've seen online, is a fantastic character part and she has a couple of quite fun songs - besides which a singing audition would be good experience for me. It's a pity they aren't just asking me to sight-read, because that's something I can do with relative ease. But a prepared piece is assumed to be one demonstrating the best of your ability, and I just don't have anything non-churchy I could take with me. It's disappointing, but I'm going to try and get to the other auditions on tonight: "Smorgasbord", a Corpus Playroom production which will apparently showcase five new plays from student writers, and the Christ's College radio play, which I'm possibly more suited to than the stage, although to be honest the Corpus thing doesn't exactly sound prestigious.

I'm also auditioning tomorrow, for the Tolkien Society's charity recording of the radio play of Lord of the Rings. This is something I am absolutely desperate to get involved in (since I missed mirabehn's by a few months), although I have no idea which character I should ask for if given the choice. Elrond? Faramir? Celeborn? My immediate choice would be Merry, but I have no doubts he will be much fought-over. (People who know both me and the book: who would you cast me as?) The other thing that's happening is the result of pleasingly good timing: I was discussing the Cambridge Greek Play with the_lady_lily after lectures today and wondering when auditions were going to be advertised when lo, I checked my email only half an hour later and there were the details in my inbox. Needless to say I've contacted them, although as it's Oedipus Rex which has all of one female character I doubt it will come to anything. I suppose I could play the Messenger as a strapping young lad. I like messenger speeches.