The Theatre Bug: My First Audition

By: Tabitha Garnica

"Ding Dong the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch!"

“And I dug right down to the bottom of my soul to see what I had inside. Yes, I dug right down to the bottom of my soul, and I tried, I tried.” ~ A Chorus Line

We all have that “First Audition Story” that follows us throughout our lives. It is the story in which we are first introduced to the horror- I mean the honor of auditioning.

I had my first audition at the age of 9. The interesting part is that I was pushed into auditioning by my mother. Now, my dad is responsible for my love for theatre, and my mom thinks I am somewhat of a freak. Therefore, that is why it is so intriguing that she was the one steering me towards this first audition experience.

"There is a lady all in white, holds me and sings a lullaby"

She saw an ad on our church bulletin about an audition at a local summer community theatre group for The Wizard of Oz. When she told me about it, I was very indifferent to the idea. I knew I loved musicals, but I had not actually considered the fact that I could actually take part in them. My mom persisted and told me I had to audition. When we got home she got out the soundtrack to Les Misérables, which she had recently seen on Broadway, and told me to listen to “Castle on a Cloud” until I had it memorized. “Come sing it to me when you have it down perfectly” she said. I vividly remember being in my living room for hours just playing that song over and over again. It was the first time I took myself seriously as a singer. Finally, I was able to sing it in front of my mother.

This is the exact songbook. I still have it today.

The audition called for a photo and a resumé. My dad made copies of my recent school picture, and devised a resumé. Looking back, I have no idea what he wrote on it because I had absolutely no experience. Somehow, it looked full. It also called for sheet music, of which I had none of, so my mother went to a theatre store in the city and bought me a music book called “Broadway Songs for Kids”, which of course featured “Castle on a Cloud.”

My father took me to the audition, and I was introduced to the world of performing. I remember being shocked that so many other kids my age were there. I mean, I was the theatre weirdo at school. This was the first time that I actually realized that so many other children out there shared my passion. I remember how I could pick out the girls who were auditioning for Dorothy. They were a few years older than me, and they wore blue outfits, and pigtails.

I remember shaking of nerves because I had no idea what was going on and everyone seemed so intimidating. I was also coming to grips with the fact that I was actually going to have to sing in front of people.

A group of us were called in for a dance audition. We learned a routine to “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” The choreography basically consisted of skipping and hand motions. I remember having a grand old time and wishing that was all to the audition.

But alas, there was more. We all were taken to a separate room into which one by one we were to be called to sing our song. I went to the back of the line on purpose because I needed time to calm my breathing. When it was my turn I shyly went in and was faced with a table filled with people and a video camera. I gave the pianist my music and it was time. I opened my mouth and this shaky little voice came out. To make matters worse I messed up the lyrics!

When it was all over I remember I was almost in tears and in my head I was saying, “I am never doing that again!”

I got rejected, but not because I performed poorly. The funny thing is that I probably never should have auditioned for that show. That summer I was going to be away on vacation for three full weeks, and they rejected me because I would have to miss too many rehearsals. I remember the man on the phone telling me, “It’s alright. You’re young. You’ll get another chance.” I was immediately introduced to the phenomenon of rejection. The good thing is I did get another chance. But, that is for another post. ;)
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Copyright (c) Tabitha Garnica 2013 All Rights Reserved

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