Prepare to be shocked.
Perhaps nothing I do shocks any of you anymore, but seriously. I shocked MYSELF.
I went for a run the other day and met up with my friend while I was out. We strolled down a road I don't normally take, and right there on a light pole was a flier. It read, "PIRATES OF PENZANCE" AUDITIONS TONIGHT. I nearly crapped my pants. I've had some personal struggles recently, and had decided a mere 24 hours before that I needed to focus my energy into something creative. BAMM! An audition.....for my favorite musical. It was all too perfect.
I know I was in every musical, musical review, play, and choir performance there ever was from age 12 to about 20. But the last MUSICAL I was in had to be in 1998. The last PLAY I was in was when I lived in Connecticut in 2003! Are you catching all of this? I haven't opened my mouth to really SING in a bazillion years. I was TERRIFIED!
The production is being put on by a Jewish Women's Theater Company, but thankfully being Jewish isn't a requirement. Oddly enough....ALL the parts are being played by women, including the men's parts. I just can't imagine anything funnier than my calling home to tell my family I was cast as the Pirate King! :D
So I showed up to the audition. I'd been practicing all day. I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't horrified. The dance rehearsal came first, and I did alright. When it was time for my singing audition, however......it was NOT pretty. I started out ok, but then there was squeaking and cracking, and maybe even popping. All in all, it was downright embarrassing. They were lovely ladies so I didn't feel like a total waste of space, but I pitied them Oh So Much.
I went out of town immediately after the auditions, but to my surprise, I got an invitation for a call-back. I wouldn't be back in time, so they told me they would base their decision on my first audition. I instantly cringed when I heard that.....but.........I suppose if it was good enough the first time, it would just have to be good enough the second time around too.
So there you have it. I'm in the show, I just don't know if I have a part or if I'm simply chorus. Either way....I don't care. I'm thrilled to be in a play for the 2nd time this decade, I'm grateful for the opportunity to sing again, and I'm sure I'll make friends for a lifetime. HOORAY!