We took the number 66 bus to Navy Pier for another audition. Another beautiful day. The bus was very full at 10am on Friday, and somehow Emily and I were separated. The time alone was nice, though. It allowed both of us to focus and center ourselves before our next try-out. I wrote some thoughts into my journal on that bus trip. I cleared my head of some things that had been eating at me.
This time, our auditions were separate. The woman who met us (very nice woman) first had us fill out an audition form--another first on this trip. We both liked having our own time with the auditor. Neither Emily nor I impose on each other, but we cannot help but give a little of our focus to the other person when we are together at these auditions. This one was a nice change; we should try to create that same focus when we are in the room together.
Both of us were happy with our work. Afterwards, the woman showed us their mainstage space (modeled after The Swan in England). Interestingly, she said that they had been looking to Canada to find classical actors. "In Canada, their national theatre companies are both classical theatre festivals," she said (referring to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals. Canadian actors MUST be able to do the classics, whereas U.S. actors do not necessarily have to know them. I blame Nickelodeon and MTV.
After the audition, we went on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. I wanted to go around twice, but we dismounted after one time around. We then went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where we saw a performance art piece. Two dancers doing a slow, sexual dance in an empty space between exhibits. As it turns out, the dancers were there with a class, and I crashed their post-performance de-brief. Their professor said to them, "people will watch you when they see someone else already watching." Seeing someone else watching tells a person that it is OK to watch it too. And while I was watching, some other patrons barrelled through. Art on the wall was worthy of contemplation; living art--happening between two people on the floor--was not.
That night we saw another play--this one a new play that had some good ideas but fell short on the execution. Then Emily drove through the mean streets of Chicago, hopped on the highway, and brought us to Milwaukee. She was on a mission, that's for sure!
