Auditioning for Comedy

Yesterday I had an audition/reading to see if I could actually do comedy. You see, I had a meeting with this Director/Writer/Producer at the end of August, and we seemed to hit it off, except that you generally need to be able to demonstrate some kind of acting ability before being cast. He had seen my demo reel, and liked the work I had done, but my demo reel and CV are both desperately lacking in the comedy department. This isn’t to say that I have never done comedy, but it is mostly in class settings, like in the following picture, from Michele and my’s first Tom Todoroff workshop 😉

So, after sending me the script, we met to see if I could handle comedy. I was late, which I felt absolutely horrible about, and the other actress couldn’t make it, so I was just meeting with him, who would be reading for me. I played it truthfully, but also forgot a line and apologized, which I know I am not supposed to do (at least not in the scene like that). He had me do it a second time, with the note of being bigger, more exagerated and more valley girl. It was fun playing it ditzy, and very much reminded me of the Battle Creek scene in class a few months ago, where I had the hardest time making what I read as half-hearted attempts to make my friend feel better sound like actual realizations in the scene.

The phone hadn’t been recording, so we did it one last time, playing off of each other, before he walked me to the door. I originally wasn’t sure if this was an audition where he was seeing other people, or just a meeting to make sure that he was right in casting me. Our discussion at the end made me think he wasn’t auditioning anyone else, and I mostly have the part, since he really liked how I handled the scene, and how I was able to take his direction and just go with it, but I had to prove that I am a good fit with the project. I am trying to be pickier about what I am willing to do as far as roles are concerned, and I look extremely innocent, so even swearing looks like it could be a stretch for me. We mostly reached an agreement, but I still think I might have to prove myself, without compromising what I want out of my career. Either way, I can’t wait to start working on the pilot and see what happens 🙂

“Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.”

-Steve Maraboli