This is Emily. And I need to say a thing or two about blind phone calls.
Here are some things I would rather do than call people I don't know on the phone.
1. Eat oatmeal.
2. Watch morning television.
3. Stab myself in the eye with my phone's antenae.
But in the course of human events one has to make a blind phone call or two. And as much as I would like Bret to make all the phone calls, he was not to keen on the idea.
To make matters worse, if that is possible, my phone reception is sketchy. In my apartment my phone consistently tells me I have full signal until just after some very important Artistic Director answers the phone, and then I suddenly have two bars! I think my phone wants my career to fail. Little does my phone know that should I fail, no one will be paying its fancy bills!
And so I sat in a cafe, thinking my signal would be better there, clutching my phone and desperatly hoping a car would crash through the window and take my life, or at least my dialing arm. I spent a few futile moments reviewing theater information and repeating my speech and swearing under my breath.
Finally I made my first call. It was just as terrifying as I had assumed it would be. In fact, the man I spoke with was quite nice, and directed me to his casting director, a woman who works mainly at a different theater (who might be seeing us when we pass through). But success, or at least friendliness, did not seem to help me feel any better about my task.
It did not help that I started with Chicago. Now, don't get me wrong, Chicago is a great city, and a wonderful theater city. The problem is, Chicago has a lot of actors, and many of the theaters in Chicago are small enough that they cannot afford to bring actors in. So I heard a lot of very friendly people tell me that when I move to Chicago I can send my headshots and come in.
I also left messages, which was great in that people did call me back. If you let people call you back, however, they will call you when they want. They have called me at 9am, they have called me in the middle of the street, they have called me while I'm in the shower. I didn't answer that last one.
I have to say, though it may not seem like it, that one of the things I am most looking forward to during this trip is meeting all of these people across the country. Most of them seem very generous, very honest, and very helpful. And I swear that I am much much more interesting face to face. My face is very nice. Or so I am told.
All in all, I'm getting better at phone calls. I must be. At least it only takes me one deep breath before I call these days.
I would still, however, rather perform in 100 naked auditions than make one blind phone call.
If only that was an option.
I bet I'd get a lot of callbacks.
Hee hee.
Naked.
