Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

As recently I’ve been itching to work and get on with this whole musical theater thing, I’ve been browsing the web for auditions for theater in Germany. I stumbled upon an open call for Tokyo Disney, auditioning in London….and I took a little looksy…

As it turn out, Tokyo Disney is the 2^nd largest theme park in the world….and they get paid almost $1,000 BIG ONES per week! Housing, a per diem, and round trip travel to and from Japan is taken care of for you. Contracts run for a minimum of 6 months.

DUDE!!!! What an amazing opportunity! Ideally, this would be a FANTASTIC way for me to save a little bit of money while getting some professional theme park experience! I’ve heard from others that Disney really takes care of their performers. And yes, I know, Tokyo? Really?! That’s pretty crazy, but if this where to work out, I wouldn’t be able to say no.

So I checked, got the time off, bought the flight and booked a hotel within the next 6 hours. It was a very spontaneous decision, and I am investing a significant amount of my wages in this audition, but it is worth it just to get the experience. And I thought, hey, if they wave me away from the second I open my mouth, at least I’ll be in LONDON and I can go frolick for a day! I ironed my awesome green dress and I’ve selected “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret and “I Whistle A Happy Tune” from the King and I. I figured it would be best to show my classical training, because that’s what I’m strongest at, but in the Cabaret number I’ll show them that I can belt a little bit. I think the main objective for the first round of cuts is to wear something memorable (green dress and big blonde hair, check) and show as much personality as possible.

So here I am. It’s 6:40am, and I’ve already checked out of my hostel. I left at 6 this morning to go to the Studio where the audition is held to hold my place in line, but when I got there, there was NOBODY THERE….I started to panic a little bit thinking that maybe I had the wrong day….but now I’m sure I haven’t. I’ve just heard over and over from my friends in New York that when an open call states “Check in is at 9am”….that means you need to arrive at 6 am to hold your place in line. Oh well. This way I’m waiting until 7am and then I can grab the free breakfast here at the hostel I “slept” in last night….I was far too excited and nervous to get a solid sleep. But I feel vocally great, so no worries. Hopefully this buzz will hold today…..

So, theoretically, I could be cast as: A lead/understudy/ensemble member of “Wicked”, a 40’s big band singer, a lead/ensemble in their big Western dinner/theater show, or a stunt woman in some crazy monster show. I’m hoping at best bet that I’ll stand out enough to be considered for the ensemble. I know this is absolutely NUTS, but the truth is, I know that if I never put myself out there, I will never get anywhere! You have to really take chances in order to make yourself available for these opportunities….nothing ventured, nothing gained after all! And, at the very least, I will have experienced my first professional “Cattle Call” audition and spent the day in London!

Let me just say….I’ve only been here for a few hours, but I’m staying in the Borough of Camden, and this place is AWESOME. So much character! I cant really describe it….something among the way the buildings are carved out, and the way the cobblestone streets jam together and the appearance of the taxi cabs and double decker red buses floating around! ( I rode on a bus last night from Victoria Station to my hostel!) I’m thinking I might try to catch a show in the west end tonight…that is, if I can find a cheap enough ticket! The only other thing that I have to worry about is getting myself to the Stansted Airport to fly back to Germany at 7am tomorrow morning. Les Mis? Legally Blonde? Hm….

I wish I had more time to spend here, however I know that I don’t have the funding to really experience London. I think Dad and Matt should come here. I also had the thought….would it be possible for me to move here and pursue my theatrical ambitions instead of New York? Would I need a visa or a work permit of some kind? Could I audition for some agencies here? Obviously I would have a better shot if I had more training….which is why a Master’s degree is appealing to me right now….There’s a FAB program at the Royal Scottish Academy in Glasgow that I would love to be accepted in. It’s only one year, so that’s less money to spend and less time before I’m actually able to be out working in the real world.

You know, I really believe that moving to Germany has tripled my independence level. I always felt independent at home, especially from being constantly encouraged by my AWESOME parents…from the first time I got my first job all by myself to the second I paid off my last bit of debt at the bank….I really think that I could go anywhere and accomplish anything. And, especially now that I’ve gone to live in another country and learned to communicate successfully in a mere 6 months…it was extremely difficult to be separated from my family at first, but now I’ve managed quite well! The prospect of taking on this audition is NOTHING compared to what I’ve already achieved in the last 6 months.

PART DEUX:

Life is just a funny funny thing. People are funny. The way people and opportunities are woven in and out of your life.

I was second in line to the Pineapple Dance Studios for the audition this morning. The first in line was a lovely girl named Amy, also American, and as it turns out, she was my saving grace today. Without her, I don’t know how I possibly could have navigated this crazy city.

The turn out for this audition was definitely eclectic….but everyone was relatively young. Most people didn’t turn up until between 8:30 and 9, and there seemed to be only about 75 people there to audition. We waited for about 3 hours before they actually started calling numbers. I was number 16. Most of the people there truly looked terrible…wearing awful trashy things that weren’t at all appealing. The people ahead of me in line were all relatively whiney and belty. I walked in with total confidence and sang my little heart out. They responded graciously for my efforts to come all the way to London, and then thanked me for singing for them. Fini. I took this as “Thanks, have a nice life!”

I totally am not torn up about it….the reason I invested in this trip was to see a little bit of London and also to get this kind of experience. As I’m reflecting, I know that these people have been casting for Tokyo Disney for 10 years, and they’ve been doing the same shows for 10 years. They have a very distinct formula for what they’re looking for in a Disney performer, and honestly….I’m sure they know if you fit the mold the minute you walk in the door. And I felt SO good about my singing, and I knew that I was better and more prepared than the other 6 or 7 that went in before me. It’s a corporate thing. And, this just means that I am available for something else to happen to me! Maybe Wicked in Oberhausen will work out after all.

So, for the rest of the day, dear precious Amy lent me her debit card, cell phone, map, and knowledge of the area to help me get around. Our first goal was helping me get my ticket back to the airpoirt for tomorrow morning….and the second was showing me around! We stumbled to St. Paul’s Cathedral, across the Thames to the Tate and the Globe, getting a great view of London and Tower Bridge. Then, we moseyed back to Leicester Square, where we sat at T. Square for about an hour and just talked about theater and life. She just finished her Masters in Acting from a school in Birmingham, and she’s planning on moving to London in a few weeks! She also offered her couch to me should I ever come back and audition! Seriously, I would have been COMPLETELY lost and disoriented without her….she seriously was my angel today. Funny how that worked out…like she was just sent to that audition to look after me J

After Amy caught her train back up to Birmingham, I stumbled over to the National Gallery and saw some Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci works, went to Westminister and saw Big Ben and the Parliament buildings….Westminster Abbey, and also tried to find Buckingham palace without much success. I suppose I could try to go see it now…

My treat to myself was to buy a student rush ticket to see Wicked in the West End! So now, I’m waiting until 7:00 when the doors open! I am so thrilled! And then after that, I catch the train back to Stansted Airport where I will most likely pass out waiting for my plane. I have to be there at 6 am anyway….so I thought best to just sleep there. Anywho…Maybe I should try to make it over to Buckingham Palace today….I do still have one hour before curtain, and I don’t think that Buckingham Palace is far from here. Maybe I should find a map…..Silly Sara. Trying to navigate London without a map. Thank goodness I met Amy.

Where is Summer?

I've been feeling a bit gloomy these past few days....the weather here is DEFINITELY not summer like at all....grey and often rainy every day with highs no more than 65 degrees. But that humid kind of 65 degrees where it's not warm outside and you still have to wear a jacket but you end up sweating anyways. Yuck. I've lost every tiny bit of a tan that I managed to soak up while I was home in NC...sigh. I guess that's healthier for my skin.

I've also, just in general, begun to feel very....crummy. Düsseldorf is a city known for its fashion and glamour, and it seems that no matter what kind of effort I put into my appearance in the morning, I always end up feeling like a tramp in grimy clothes that aren't flattering as I'm walking Mucki through the town. I KNOW that is vain...but....I really like how the people here put effort into their appearances. I really love people watching on the Kö in the mornings and I only wish that I could be one of them. But it's not just my crummy nanny clothes crusted in Mucki's spit up....My hair is getting gross and needing a trim....my skin is seriously having some kind of pizza-like reactions, only to be made WORSE by wearing cover up, so I have to brave the town looking like I have the chicken pox...My bras don't even fit correctly.

Surely that is superficial...and unnecessary to post in a blog...but I can't HELP it. I really hate feeling like a tramp and that I have nothing appropriate to wear to make me look nice....but it's really difficult to find a chic and practical 'nanny' look...no matter what I wear I will end up getting spit up or drool or what have you on my clothes. I don't know how the Düsseldorf moms do it....looking as chic as they do with 3 kids in hand. Of course I could spend my meager wages on some nice looking versatile pieces....a nice summer jacket, for instance, which I seem to be needing these days....a bra that actually fits me and that is pretty....a nice looking professional and chic bag...but I can't seem to justify spending my money on that when I could use it for other things....like travelling...

Speaking of travelling...I will be going to Mallorca next month and then spending the week after my birthday visitng my cousin Patricia in Paris! The GerMan is coming along as well...and I am really looking forward to that. Of course, September is ALSO the month of Oktoberfest, so I have that to look forward to as well. Then, in October, I have been invited to go to Italy with Kai and his family (Yaaaaahooooo!!!!!) I also found a 25 Euro ticket to Edinburgh, so I'm thinking I might try to make a trip up to Abernethy during the month of November.

Also been thinking alot these days about auditions and grad school....and life. I do feel stuck in limbo right now....I'm not really doing anything monumental or going on any adventures this month, and my German has definitely hit another stand still. Of course it has improved...but I'm still struggling with the grammar and getting the 'Der Die Das Den Dem' thing straight. I have sent my headshot and resume to some casting companies here for auditions to Cinderella and Wicked, but they will have to get back to me to invite me to the call. Pre-screening. I had some help putting my performance resume in German, so I'm hoping that me being an American and native English-speaker will not be a disadvantage to me. It shouldn't be....because it's musical theater, after all, but you never know. And on that note....is it wiser for me to give the musical theater scene a try here first? My German isn't PERFECT....but I can certainly sing in German and I can learn lines and pronounce it correctly...Eva tells me that I don't have much of an accent when I speak. Is it any less competitive here than it is in the States? I wish I had someone who I could talk to about it, but I don't know ANY contacts, and Eva's contacts are primarily in the opera and classical world. Even though to study at a conservatory over here would be way cheaper than it would be at home (ironically...) I would still need to be fluent in German to make that happen and these days I am NOT feeling ANYWHERE close to fluent. Kai has been very helpful and encouraging....and him bringing me over to family functions has certainly been...shall we say....inspiring.

On that note....alles klar on that front. He is dreamy. I never realized how low my standards actually were with boys until I met this one. I've stopped being shocked whenever he does something like....calling when he says....or, inviting me to meet the parents....these every-day normal things which for him are no big deal, but for me, a HUGE deal! To actually have someone who is direct and caring, and who isn't afraid of putting me into his life and have me around his family and friends....is pretty remarkable. I had a little bit of an emotional moment on Friday...I was already feeling homesick that day and missing my mom....and was thinking about Thanksgiving and how I probably wouldn't be able to make it to Atlanta again this year. I was having dinner with Kai, his mother and sister, and another family that they're very close with. Of course, after the point where dinner crosses the 4 hour point, and as I'Ve learned, that's normal here....I start to tune the German out. But the laughing and the stories, and the talking over each other....it made me feel really really at home. Even though I am so far away from my family, it felt really really good to fit into another one, despite the language barrier.

I got a little emotional during dinner and succeeded in hiding it at the time, but the next day I was watching an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother' with Kai that was about Thanksgiving dinner, and I TTOOOOOTALLY lost it! Poor Kai. He had no idea what was wrong with me, and as I was sobbing and waving my hands trying to communicate, 'Oh, it's really nothing....I'm fine....just having one of those crazy moments you know...' He's a winner. To put up with my crazy.

It is hard to be far away, still. I do love it over here, despite the lack of summer and the feeling non-glamorous, but there really is no place like home. I guess you no matter how grown up you get, you never stop missing home.

Live Music and Mexican Food!!!!!

Overall....this week has been really fantastic. I have been missing Mexican food....and have been feeling some pangs of homesickness this week for sure. And then. I discovered Casita Mexicana, and real authentic Mexican place in Düsseldorf!!!!!!!

They had nachos, REAL guacamole, burritos, tacos.....ahhhhh Himmel! (Heaven!) And, it was super affordable.....4 plates and 4 beers for only 30 euros!

Friday night, Kai and his dad invited me to see this artist Dub FX play in the northern part of the city....and WHOA. The show was really cool....this guy started making music as a street musician, and he made these crazy elaborate tracks from looping his voice in different ways. All he had was a microphone, his voice, and a pedal board where he used different effects from. It was really awesome, and I was really glad to get a sense of some live music.

Unfortunately, on the way to meet Kai and his dad I got in a little bike accident....These rollerbladers were in the bike lane coming towards me, and I mistakenly thought that they would respect my right of way and move. They didn't, we played chicken for a few seconds and then as I swerved to avoid them, so did they, but of course I ended up flying over the handlebars into the street, scraping the left side of my body, and flashing the entire intersection. I wasn't too pleased....so today I'm at home nursing my bruises.

More to come!