Amidst the chaos of submitting two theses and preparing for finals, I received an email from one of our new professors at WAC bearing the simple, ambiguous subject: "summer".
My professor knew of a summer production of Taming of the Shrew and had taken it upon herself to recommend me to the director. They were friends and had been peers while pursuing their Masters degrees at Yale.
Fun fact: Award-winning actor, Lupita Nyong'o, was at Yale at the same time, though in a different graduating class.She wanted to know my availability and my interest in pursuing the project. My summer plans were really up in the air at that point, so I said I'd be happy to submit my headsht, resume, and some audition material. I really knew nothing about the project, but any opportunity is worth pursuing right now!
When I heard back from the professor, I found out that the project was unpaid, uncertain housing arrangements, and wait for it...in Northern California (#cantaffordthatsh*t). But wait! There's more! 1) The professor was willing to help me sort out a type of scholarship to help with the cost. 2) The venue was a vineyard in gorgeous Murphy's California. 3) If cast, I'd be working on transcontinental collaboration from early July to late August with God knows how many nifty, talented people (#moneycantbuythatsh*t)
#3) honestly trumps most issues in this business. Opportunities are opportunities. I know now that they may present themselves through a series of sight-unseen emails (something I never would have expected before) haha
Conveniently, my final for my Independent Study for this past semester consisted of what I call my 6 Monologue Marathon. I had been working with another professor all semester on 3 classical, and 3 contemporary monologues. I performed them for other professors in the department on the last day of classes. Despite technological difficulties, we managed to film all of the monologues and send them to my professor who then relayed them to the director.
Less Fun Fact: I never got to review the audition material before it was sent to the director. I should have been more vigilant about communicating with the professors that recorded my pseudo-audition. If I could do it all again, I would have used the Marathon as a practice round, then recorded in the (nifty as all hell) One Button Recording Studio we have on our campus.
One Button Studio - an amazing resource Washington College has that I should have taken advantage of while I was a student.My audition (bearing Godknowswhat sound, video, acting quality) was enough to get me a phone call from the director!
After a bit of phone tag, she called me and introduced herself. It was strange that I had been corresponding about this opportunity for a few weeks and I was only now speaking with the director and learning all the hard and fast details about the project.
We talked for a long time about the play, her vision for it, the venue, the logistics of rehearsing, housing, living, performing, a bit about my experience, and then...my availability...Due to a commitment I had made to a theatre summer camp in Easton, MD, I would have had to miss the first week of rehearsal...BOOM DEAL BREAKER. Young woman who has never received official training in Shakespeare/ never been in a full production of Shakespeare AND can't arrive until a week after all the dramaturgy and teaching have finished...yeah I wouldn't hire me either haha.
The phone call quickly went from two theatre artists excited to collaborate with one another, to two women who no longer needed anything from one another. We tried our best to gracefully end the phone call.
I tried not to be too disappointed. I had known it was a longshot when I replied to the professor's "summer" email week before. Talking with the director, though, made the project sound like a possibility. Everything she told me about the project sounded amazing, too. It broke my heart to have to step away from it.
In the end, the puzzle pieces just weren't going to come together.
WHAT NOW?:
I have to believe that it wasn't meant to be. PLUS! There's always next year. I followed up with a "thank you" email thanking the director for taking the time to speak with me. I followed up with the professor, too, expressing my disappointment regarding the current project, but also my enthusiasm for any subsequent projects. We'll see what happens!
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| Check out details below to reserve your tickets! Break a leg Tara! |
For those of you near Murphys California:
- Check out Shakespeare on the Vine's very first production - a semi-modern, gender-swapped, version of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew directed by Tara Kayton!
- Running: July 31st - August 22
- Venue: Brice Station Vineyard
- Click HERE to reserve your tickets
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