Being you.

It's a common note I get - bring more of you into the role. And while I've had a couple of acting teachers debunk this as a note that would be somewhat impossible to fulfill (because the question becomes, what side of you do they see? what facet of your personality are they drawing from?) I think I've finally learned how to use this note towards positive action in my auditioning.

Mind you, this is all theory because I have yet to book a pilot. Over the last 5 years, I've definitely had a lot of pilot auditions that you'd think I'd be learning something substantial about the process. So here's what I'm experimenting with this year. I'm going to be me in each of these roles. Inject my favorite and most fun part of myself into all of it - drama, comedy, no matter what I get, I'm putting my own artistic flourish on each audition I give.

I began the experiment last week in a pilot audition I had. It was for a drama and it was a heavy scene, but there was a moment in the scene where my character needed something from the other person - and because my personal default for getting someone to like me/relax around me or bend more easily to my will, is humor - that's what I used. I didn't change the lines, which were dramatic, but I added humour to it.

Now, the feedback after the audition was 'that was really great...(small talk in between)...I have some really good things coming up for you this season'. Translation = not this one for you. But maybe injecting a little piece of me into the audition helped define what it is I do and what I will excel at for this casting office. And for now, I'm pretty pleased with just that.

Now back to working on a pilot audition I have this week =)