They Were Off My Path

Lynn snuck a photo of me while I was measuring out a circle on the floor.
Photo courtesy of Washburn Theatre Department

So after coming to terms with the fact that I didn't get cast (and realizing I hadn't posted anything on here in over a week) I talked to Tony Naylor, the scenographer and set designer for the theatre department. He agreed to let me help paint the set. What I didn't expect was that he would let me choose what the floor would look like (Well, he had a design chosen but I got to choose how it laid on the floor), and be in charge of getting it painted!

It was a bigger challenge than I expected. I've taken the set design class, but it's a whole different ball game to actually apply the knowledge. Everything has to be measured out in scale on the small picture so that it can be applied to the real floor. For example, if I wanted to paint this on a wall:

Photo courtesy of stock exchange images

I first have to determine how big I want them. If my wall is eight feet long by seven feet high, and I want the squares to cover the whole thing (without the reflection) I have to count how many squares there are, measure them in scale and then calculate how many will fit.

For the show, I was working in 1/4" scale which means that 1/4" = 1'. so if a circle on my template is two inches across, it would be eight feet across in real life.

Here's a scale table I made in my set design class in quarter inch scale.

This table is made in quarter inch scale. If it were real it would be 7'x3'x4'.
Photo by Jamie Schartz

If it were a real table, it would be 7 feet long by 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall.

And It's All Very Strange

The Original Broadway Cast, led by Bernadette Peters as the Witch
Courtesy of Martin Beck Theatre

Okay guys, so I've had some questions as to the titles of my posts. To clear this up, all of my titles are pulled directly from the show. Most of them (He's s Very Nice Prince, ...Well He's Tall) are lyrics. Others (First Midnight, Second Midnight, Last Midnight) are song titles. The rest of them (A Bean Can Begin an Adventure) are quotes from the characters.  The title of the whole blog, "Just a Moment: Into the Woods" is a play on the lyrics from the song "Moments in the Woods."

CINDERELLA'S PRINCE
This was just a moment in the woods.
Our moment,
Shimmering and lovely and sad.
Leave the moment, just be glad
For the moment that we had.
Every moment is of moment
When you're in the woods...

Goodbye.

I chose this because the show is just one of many. Washburn only does a musical every two or three years, but Topeka has multiple theatres that regularly put on shows, both musicals and plays. Regardless of the outcome of the casting, it is just a moment that we had.

Last Midnight

Photo by Jamie Schartz

The final step to the audition process is the posting of the cast list. This is the make-or-break moment for an actor. It's everything you've been waiting for and dreaming of.

If your name is on the list, it's the most exciting feeling.

If your name is not on the list, your heart drops into your butt, your stomach drops into your knees, and all you can wonder is "Why hasn't anybody told me I suck? Do I suck? Maybe the director sucks."

It's a beautiful and horrifying experience. Either way, there's usually screaming and gibberish talk. Some people cry, out of joy or pain. Some people are so accustomed to the outcome that they just walk away.

If you are cast, you gear up for the rehearsal process, which lasts anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the show and the theatre presenting it. Some theaters are constantly mounting new shows, so one show is rehearsing during the day while the current show is being shown at night.


Sadly, I did not get cast. It was a difficult pill for me to swallow, for a number of reasons. First of all, almost all of my friends were cast, which means once again, I will be left out of all the fun. Another reason is that I have not been cast in anything since my first show at Washburn,
"The Language Archive," despite auditioning for every other show that has been put on.

It took me awhile to post this because it took me a few days to be able to work myself up to talking about it. I avoided all my friends who were cast, out of jealousy mostly.

Second Midnight

Photo courtesy of Alex Laughlin

The next step in the casting process is callbacks.  This is the director's chance to hear more than just a snippet of what an actor is capable of. Often times it also allows them to see how two actors interact with each other, which is more important than you think.

Have you ever seen a movie where the two main characters are supposed to be madly in love (or hate each other but end up together anyway) but the actors have absolutely no chemistry? Callbacks are the director's chance to make sure that doesn't happen. When it does happen, it is usually because the actors have big names (meaning they are super popular and will bring lots of people to see the movie), there are scheduling conflicts with a performer more suited to the role, or financial reasons.

Callbacks, from an actors standpoint, can be very stressful. If you get a callback, it could mean that you were good enough that the director wants to see if you could handle a larger role, or it could mean that you were not as impressive as the director hoped so they want to give you a second chance. It could also just mean that he wants to see how well you work with another actor.

On the flip side, not getting a callback either means you were super fantastic and the director already knows which role he wants you for, or it means that you were awful (or just not what the director was looking for) and your on-stage involvement with the show is over.