The time has come to start the blog I keep saying I’ll start: “The Adventures of an Auditioner”… (the name is still in the works. Suggestions welcome.) I just have far too many awkward, terrifying, and hilarious stories not to share. And I have only just begun my life as an aspiring theatre artist!! What did it?… What made me say, “Yep, start typing.”? Let’s just say that while I type, I am sitting by myself in an abandoned metra station somewhere on the outskirts of Chicago finding ways to pass the time before my audition in 4 hours. I usually show up early to auditions for several reasons, but today’s 4 hr wait was not by choice. I shall explain. Having a car in Chicago is expensive and unnecessary, or so they say. So when a musical theatre house in Lincolnshire, IL calls me back, I have to be creative in how to get there sans car. Cab? $100 easy. No thanks. Metra? $8. Yes, please. Audition is at 1:45pm. Metra leaves from Union Station downtown, which is a nice 1hr30 min commute from my humble apartment. There is a train at 9am set to arrive in Lincolnshire at 9:51. Ugh… Too early. But the next train isn’t until 1pm!!!!… Making me 6 minutes LATE for the audition before the cab I have to find to take me the 2 miles to the audition!!!! (did I mention it’s raining?) So… Obviously I hopped on the 9am train, allowing me the 4 hrs of time to pass that motivated me to finally start my blog. Phew. Did you follow? I opted for the 20 minute cab ride downtown this morning. I wanted the extra sleep, as my noble intentions of getting into bed early last night failed miserably. I think it was 2am when I snuggled in and decided I’d take a cab. “What’s another $30?”. Ugh. I had Flash Cab (now in my speed dial) pick me up at 8am thinking I’d grab some much needed coffee at the train station. Plus with traffic on Lakeshore, I wasn’t going to take any chances. Giving myself 1 hr for a 20 min. cab ride? I am so responsible!.. Or so I thought. Oh no. Still so much to learn. Traffic was a bitch, and I arrived at the station a meer 3 minutes before my train’s departure. No coffee. No ticket. “That’s fine… I’ll buy my ticket on the train and take the $3 fee for the inconvenience”. Wait!!! I forgot to grab some cash before I left this morning… Debit cards not accepted on the train. It’s like the “Sister, Sister” episode when Tia and Tamara are trying to make it to the Boys2Men concert and are hiding on the train with only 1 ticket!!!!! No worries. A simple bat of the eyes, a couple tears, and the “I’m not from around here” card bought me a one-way ticket to Lincolnshire!… “Going in the blog”, I thought.
So that is how I found myself here. I’m feeling good, though, because I am fully prepared for this audition. Moral o’ story: Be prepared for the audition, because EVERYTHING ELSE WILL GO WRONG.
Stay cool.
