BUT I have news! Exciting happy clappy news. I've been trying really hard to kickstart my acting career recently - be a bit more proactive. I paid for IMDB pro so now if you look at my imdb page here, you can see my photo. I've done a lot of workshops with The Actors Guild. And I went and saw my lovely agent about why I wasn't getting auditions...and lo and behold 2 days later I'm auditioning.
I met Phelim McDermott whose work I've admired since I saw Shockheaded Peter back in 2002 on the West End. He runs Improbable Theatre Company. And he's directing Cosi Fan Tutte for the English National Opera. I met him last Wednesday - it was a strange audition. This was the brief
We
are looking for performers to join our Skills Ensemble for the
production. Basically, this is a group of actors and performers who will
form an integral part of the production: establishing the world of the
opera and facilitating changes of scenery (i.e. moving set/props
around), as well as performing routines.
Phelim
and set designer Tom Pye have chosen to set the opera in the 1940s
Coney Island world of Carnivalesque, Freak Shows and Circus. So, we are
looking to people this world with incredible performers of all sizes,
shapes and skills.
It was an utter pleasure just to sit with Phelim who showed me the set design and talked about his ideas. But I just had to be me. And I admitted I couldn't really "do" any freaky tricks - he mentioned they'd seen a lot of glass eaters that day plus a sword swallower - but I talked about work I'd done, devising experience, artists we both knew etc.
And I got the job! So I must have done something right! So as of next Monday, I'm in rehearsal. And we open on the 16th May. Tickets are insanely expensive and details are here. I'm not sure exactly WHAT I'll be doing in the production - but I'm sure it's going to be amazing. I'll blog when I can about it. It was a mad rush to arrange childcare but I managed it - the universe seemed to be smiling on me as a mum who has SEN kids herself suddenly had a vacancy at exactly the right time. Thank you Karma....
One of the best bits? I get to be on the West End. And go through a Stage Door to work - one of my dreams since I was a little girl. And yesterday I got to go through it for the first time for a wardrobe meeting.....and my heart fluttered. I feel like an ACTOR again goddammit! I've never worked on a stage show this big before. With a live orchestra...and opera singers....it's going to be amazing.
