8 Hours in NYC

As per usual, I'm stalking playbill.com and the Actor's Equity audition postings a few weeks ago and I see a notice for The Phantom of the Opera Tour and Broadway replacements. How could I not go to that?

When I was 12, my mother, my best friend and her mother, and I went on a day trip to NYC. Everything about it was terribly scary and exciting. From the train ride, to the search for an "authentic Jewish deli lunch," but most importantly our matinee of The Phantom of the Opera, I felt like I was seeing something larger than myself for the first time. People push, and taxis almost kill you, and we got lost a few times, but I felt so awake! Like everything was filled with a rushing importance.

At somepoint after the chandelier fell in the opening number, during the ballet scene, a thought settled into my addled 12 year old brain. One day I'm going to be Christine Dae. That was the day that started my love affair with the musical theater, and most importantly, placed a tiny little flame in my heart. I am still convinced that one day, I will play Christine Dae.

Ahem...moving on to the present day...When I saw that audition posting I thought,"Now is the time I start pursuing this long held dream of mine. Time to stop being scared and time to just do the damn thing already." I had the day off from work, and a bus ticket is cheap, so what did I have to loose?

I got into the city around 1pm, and when I arrived at the audition studio, soon found out that 348 girls had pre-registered for an audition spot. Via equity rules, if you are not present when they call your name half an hour before the audition, you loose your pre-registered spot. Only about 90ish girls out of the 348 were there. Amazing.

There was another audition in the same building, and I tried to get on the alternate list, in case someone with a pre-registered spot didn't show. I was the 128th person to ask to be an alternate. Busy day in the city.

I was in the very last audition group of the day for Phantom. I waited about 3 hours to sing 20 bars of music. In the past year I haven't had to wait that long, but compared to my non-equity days, this was a walk in the park. My heart went out to the non-eqs, waiting in the hallway (they aren't allowed into the equity lounge), and not even being seen.

My day ended with a very pleasant walk down 6th ave to the Flatiron neighborhood where I had dinner with an old high school friend. Made it back just in time for my evening bus home.

I really had a wonderful day in the city. Today my "city confidence" was reaffirmed. For the first time, I can imagine myself living in a city; but more specifically, living in New York City. I won't be able to reach the tippy top of my dreams unless I am where they actually happen.