The Mousetrap

This evening I went to the Apollo Civic Theater to audition for the Agatha Christie play, "The Mousetrap." I will share some thoughts on it in a moment.

"But Ty," you are thinking, "you never mentioned to us, you;re loyal blog readers, that you were planning to audition. What gives?"

What gives is that even I did not know I was going to do it until tonight.

I knew about it and had been kicking it around in the far dark reaches of my consciousness, but had not really considered it up front. I wasn't sure if I would have the time.

But I checked the performance dates, and I realized I could get by doing other things I have planned for the spring, and still do this show, if cast.

Plus, I have never been in a play at the Apollo before, and I thought that it was time that I branch out a bit.

I have in fact performed at the Apollo before. Reaching back a few years into the blog, you can read about a talent show I was a part of at the ACT in early 2006. I ad to audition for that. But this was the first actual standard audition I have attended there.

And actually, it was one of the most thorough auditions I have been to in several years. Possibly because there quite a number of people there. About 15 I gather. (Which by the standards of the last few plays I have tried out for, is pretty large.)

The director, it turns out, is a friend of mine, with whom I have acted before. I didn't know that until I got there, I don't think. I thought he was just involved in it in some other fashion. But it is nice sometimes to know the director from previous work.

This director went through many different combinations of people reading with other people. It took longer than he thought, but I didn't care. I was taking it easy, staying relaxed in a theatre I am familiar but not intimate with. (Plus, where else did I have to be?)

I knew some of the people that were there. One guy from the single night reading I did back in the fall. A woman I was in Anything Goes with. And a man I have done two previous shows with, but not in several years.

Plus several faces that I could not place, but I am certain I have seen on the Apollo stage before.

As for the audition itself, I feel I started out a little rough. Not terrible, but it could have been better. I would sit down, others would read. I would be called back up with different assortments of people. After I few scenes, I started to warm up. By the end of the evening I was hitting a groove. Not bad at all, really for a total cold read. Before this, I knew only how it ended. I had never read the script or saw it performed.

There is a, shall we say, "flamboyant" character. I read for him once. I do not know what I think of my reading for that. I have never been that great with such characters. But I have rarely had to read for one either.

When I read for "Giles", the guy who owns this inn where the action takes place, i felt a little better. The director said we could try to sport accents, or not. I opted to for Giles because he is British, and I am fairly good at those.

Italian...that's another story.

I am sure my reading for that really sucked. I have never attempted an Italian accent before. I am not even sure if it WAS one. All I had to go on was Mario from Nintendo. And I don;t even think I sounded like him.

Then I read for the character of Sgt. Trotter. This is the policeman that warns everybody there is a murderer on the loose. For some reason, I opted not to give him an accent. I don't know why. I wanted to try something different, so I did a slightly harder version of my own voice..with a slightly lower register. I ended up reading for him more than the other characters, so I guess it didn't ruin the reading.

In the end, I reached my top potential for a cold read. I cannot complain, though I have no real feelings one way or the other. I do know that 23 people total tried out for the play, and there are only 8 slots. 5 men. I have no idea how many of the 23 were men. I think there were about ten of them there tonight.

In short, I have no idea what my chances are. But I will know one way or the other by Sunday, it seems. At which point, so will all of you.

So there you have it. I've not gone to an audition in such a last minute fashion since college. And back then the theater was across the street from my dorm.

Damn, I miss those days...