That Tall Blonde at the Callback — KonMari Your Audition List
Full disclosure: I ripped off the subject for this blog from another headline I saw. I’d credit the author, but I can’t find it again in the sea of Marie Kondo mania that has swept the Internets! Sparking joy is literally everywhere. But when I saw the headline (I didn’t even read the article), I immediately thought — OMG that’s what I HAVE TO DO. I love auditioning and like going to bunches of them. Normally I’d say “cast a wide net!” where auditioning is concerned. But right now I’m booked up and just can’t fit more projects in, so I’m going to have to be SUPER RUTHLESS about what I attend in the coming months/year. Enter KonMari.
For those of you under a rock, the KonMari method of tidying up (popularized by TV personality/author Marie Kondo) takes a methodical approach to cleaning up your house/stuff. I’ve got to do the same with the next year of theatre opportunities lest I miss out on what will be the right project at the right time for me. Here’s my game plan — following the KonMari rules/suggestions:
1. Commit yourself to cleaning up. For our purposes, this means give yourself a goal of what is doable for you project-wise, and then a goal of how many auditions that will mean for you. To arrive at what will be best for you, you are going to need to give yourself a few hours of uninterrupted time, as you will likely need to do quite a bit of research on what is coming up, and what the right roles for you might be. Make a commitment to put aside this time.
2. Imagine your ideal. I am booked for 2019. But if a lifechanging role comes up, I COULD possibly do a very late 2019 fall/winter show. Any audition for a 2019 show has to meet that litmus test, and be worth giving up an early 2020 show, because I just cannot do 3 shows in 2019 and then anything else in the first half of 2020. Bucket list only. So I’m thinking 1 MAYBE 2 auditions that might meet this test. If the show is a 2020 show, it can meet a slightly lower bar, but I think even for 2020 shows I’m looking at 5–8 auditions total. To fill any these slots, I’m looking for major roles, at theaters I want to work at. I want to do ALL the theatre — but anything less is not worth the family time I give up right now.
3. Pull everything out. Most professional organizers will tell you to get everything out where you can see it. You can’t make any decisions until you understand what you are working with. For me, this translates to getting a solid list of what theaters I’m going to zero in on and what is in their season. Compile a list of theaters you want to work with. Is it drivable for you to get there? Err on the side of inclusion at this point and leave the ruthless cutting to later. This helps me: Imagine your dream role. If this theater was mounting that show, would you show up to audition? If yes, put it on. If the answer is “no, even for THAT role, it’s unfeasible for me to get there or commit to their schedule”, drop it. If the answer is “no, they would never cast me in that role because it’s too professional or I’m sure they are going to cast so-and-so, and I’d have no chance”, STILL leave it on for now — we’ll get there. Now, take your list of theaters, and get their season announcements so you see what is there to pursue. This is usually on their website and many are making those announcements right now. As this information is often incomplete, make sure you are on one or more of the Facebook/Google audition groups so you see announcements as they are made. There WILL be projects you had no idea about that pop up along the way, so consider leaving room for that as well. If you have personal contacts at the theater, you can also reach out to those folks for the inside scoop.
4. Go by category. When tidying, KonMari suggests pulling out all your clothing at once, regardless of which room you may have it stored it in. This “go by category” parallel for me is go theater by theater. For me, I make a big cut right up front. Musicals only. Good, now let’s look at each musical at that theatre. Identify which shows have roles you are interested in (RESEARCH EACH SHOW so you have character descriptions, age and vocal ranges, and even listen to the music for each character). Pull out every strong possibility and put it on a list. If you consider ensemble, do the same and heavily consider the reputation of the theater. This is where you start to get ruthless on those “but they would never cast me” theaters. If you have a goal of working more professionally, keep them on, but be willing to take smaller roles and work your way up. I’m dying to show up at the TheatreWorks generals for Ragtime, but really, it’s just not realistic for me, so it’s getting cut. Same with places like 42nd Street Moon (and all the other SF theaters) — it’s just not doable for me to work in San Francisco with my home location/schedule constraints. But I SO WISH I could.
5. Does it spark joy? Now you have a list of theaters/shows/roles that are possibilities for you. You need to rank them. This “spark joy” phrase is so ridiculous, but it’s a good concept. Let’s say theoretically I see a great role for my age/type at a great theatre. If it’s just not a show/role I’m dying to do, I may have to take it off the list, or leave it on a “B” list (audition only if you haven’t been cast in other shows that were higher on your list). You want to be left with the strongest list possible of roles you are going to enjoy bringing to life and grow by doing them. If not, why do it? Keep in mind that the most joy-sparking roles may also be the most difficult to land, so perhaps keep a realistic devil on your shoulder and make sure your list is not ALL roles/theaters that are so in-demand that they are likely to be beyond your grasp. If they are ALL stretch goals, get comfortable with the fact you may not do a show in that slot if none of them pan out.
Whew. Are we done yet? That was exhausting. Now I really need to tackle my closets, too, before I’m in an episode of “Hoarders”. Have you noticed my shoe habit?
