Bait and Switch

I've been auditioning a lot lately, sending out the resumes, getting back the appointment, pouring my soul on stage in under two minutes, and waiting in trepidation for judgment to be pronounced. Thankfully I've recently been cast in not one, but two plays that should keep me busy through the middle of May. I can hang up my heels for a while.

The thing about auditions is that at them actresses present an enhanced, almost unrealistic version of themselves, especially in the way they dress. The table full of judges may only have two minutes of your time, but damn it if you're not going to look great during them. I obsess over my audition outfits the way I might over getting dressed for a first date; slacks, blazers, little dresses, lipstick and mascara, stockings and high heels. Its a tricky business. You want to look professional, like you take the theater you are trying out for seriously, but you also want to look the part. I'm more likely to wear a dress when auditioning for a period piece, I'm more likely to wear slacks when auditioning for a character who's older than me.

What doesn't change is that, should I be so luckly as to land the part, it all goes away. At my last audition, a callback for The Cat's Meow at Redwood Theater, I wore a little black dress with gold detailing, black strappy heels and red lipstick. When I showed up a few days later for the read through, I wore jeans, converse, and my hair in a ponytail. This new casual dress code will hold steady until the opening night party, when we all dress up again, this time to impress the audiance.

There's nothing wrong with the bait and switch, we all do it, its expected, part of the business. I look down on people who don't do, like the actress who wore jeans and a sweater to a callback for Neil Simon's Rumors, a play in which all the characters dress in evening gowns. There are exceptions, some people are so stinking talented they can get away with wearing Ugg boots to a Shakespeare audition, or backwards baseball hats, or torn jeans, but really, why risk it? So when May arrives and I'm facing that next lull in the schedule looking for a play to fill it, I know I'll reach for those heels, before walking into the audition room like I own it.

You have to bait...so you can get a chance to switch.