The Beginning

My husband Ivan and I moved to New York City New Years Eve-December 31, 2011.  

We left to sail around the world ten months later- October 2012.

Part I- New York City, NY

We moved here to audition for musical theatre. We love it in New York. I got 2-3 part time jobs and auditioned 3-4 times a week.  Ivan got two gigs and we had to do long distance for a total of 8 weeks.  He worked in Hilton Head, South Carolina and St. George, Utah. We are leaving this October to be performers on a cruise ship.  We’ll perform in 3 different shows and go all around the world on the same ship for 8 months! Seriously a dream come true because around the time we were offered the job, we really needed a reason to A. Get Money and B. Avoid the Heat, Humid and unfortunately, bed bugs! It was pretty much an inevitable July- it felt like you needed a shower all the time, but everyone felt that way so I guess it was okay.  The time the e-mail invitation came Ivan and I were SO EXCITED! 7/17 was a good day.

Part II- Auditioning

If only auditioning were as glamorous and some of my friends and coworkers thought it was- a SMASH or Glee experience?

I ALWAYS here the question, “How was your audition?” And my response is, “What audition?” My list of auditions this year so far is about 75.  Also on my lucky day, 7/17, I got a callback for a show I don’t even remember auditioning for. I looked on my calendar, and it was over 2 months before and I sang 16 bars of a song and received muted smiles so I just figured nothing would come of it. So “How is auditioning going?” It just goes!

You try to play this mind game with yourself- you want the job and try to make the casting director seem like you are so excited for and perfect for this job, but inside you tell yourself it’s NBD and it won’t matter if you get it or not because there’s 100 other girls that look like you there.  And the second question people ask is “Did you hear back from that audition?” and my first response is, again, “What audition?” and then “No, I never really find out, but if I do it’ll be 2 months later via e-mail about an audition I don’t even remember going to.” 

So, that is one aspect of what auditioning is really like.  A big part of it too is  I may tell a friend I have a specific audition to go to the next day and by the morning I don’t even end up going to it because I read through a blog online that they’re not seeing non-equity (people like me.) Or my “specific audition” means I go there to get in line to sign up and maybe get a time slot, and by then I’ve “wasted” 3 hours, or rather put 3 hours into it so I have to stay until 4pm when I go to the bathroom or take a call and they call my number why I’m gone and have to sign up again at the end of the line. Glamorous, huh!

So here is a REALISTIC timeline showing me and Ivan’s Road to obtaining an 8 month job.

2012

4/11- Ivan hears about this cruise job from a cast member who says we’ll be perfect for it and she can put in a good word for us.

5/2- I (in NY) make a video audition with my Flip camera and pay my friend $15 for 30 minutes of accompanying me on the piano.

5/10- Ivan (in SC) makes his video audition on his iPhone.

5/15- Ivan edits the video and e-mails it to the castmember/friend, tries to upload it, problem with the server.

5/22- Ivan re-emails and resubmits our videos. 

5/29- Ivan re-emails and resubmits our videos and these ones actually go through.

5/30- receive an e-mail from the company saying my video clips weren’t received so we e-mail them again.

6/4- Ivan’s friend said she put in a good word for us and they saw our info and they “look like they’re giving us the green light.”

6/6- Ivan turns down a gig, in hopes that the cruise works out.

6/17- Ivan asks his friend again. She says they’re super busy so we probably won’t hear from them until September.

7/9- An e-mail from the casting assistant asking for an e-mailed headshot because she can’t open my previous one. I send it again.

7/17- *Lucky day* An email to me and Ivan inviting us to join their staff

7/18- We call them back, ask some questions and they send us a sample contract for us to consider. (Hm, wonder what we’ll say..)

7/25-  Ivan e-mails and officially accept and they e-mail us a ba-gillion documents to fill out

lots of planning and packing
8/15- We make arrangements to get out of our apartment contract on Oct. 31-lucky us!
8/25- We e-mail off our signed contracts, waiting for Melissa's passport to arrive and filling out Seaman's Book forms, measurements, random forms, etc.
9/10-  Waiting in line at clinics to get forms filed out, vaccinations, background checks, etc. etc. when will it end?
9/20-  Finding out details of our rehearsals and slowly, mentally preparing
9/24-  Ivan gets a camera for his birthday (thanks Dad!) He starts prepping to take some awesome pictures to show you all.
9/30- Hurriedly completing our NYC Bucketlist of 2012, really getting serious about forms and leaving our favorite city :(
10/20- Last day of work,  final packing and filling a storage unit in nyc.
10/22- Saying goodbye to friends and moving out of our apartment.
10/23- fly to Las Vegas

10/24- rehearsals start

11/12- cruise ship disembarks

All that took 7 months!  For a 9 month job!  Lalala..The actor's life for me!