I have an audition for a play this morning. I’m excited, because this is something that I can totally do, but I’m slightly nervous, too . . . in situations like this (where I feel pretty confident), it’s easy to grip the bat too hard. So here’s how I’ll have a successful audition:
- keep it simple
- respect the material
- make it my own
- don’t over-think or over-complicate it (see number one)
- have fun
- when I’m done, let it go
. . . don’t forget that “successful” doesn’t necessarily mean that I get the job . . .
This week’s Games of our Lives is Tapper:
For maximum fun, whenever your video-game counterpart chugs a beer, chug one of your own. If you can make it past level three, you’re an honorary Frat Guy. At level seven, you’re an honorary Kennedy. Past level 10, you’re Ted Kennedy.
I feel like I’m starting to hit my stride with Games of our Lives. Writing it is currently the highlight of my week.
Later today, I have another audition, this time for a cool improv job. I get to work with my friend Travis from ACME, so I’m really looking forward to that. Whether we get the job or not, I’m guaranteed to have fun there.
It’s kinda weird to write about auditions . . . they used to be so important to me, but my priorities have changed, and my focus has switched so much in the past few years, they’re not life-or-death any more. I can honestly say that I just hope to have a good time, and not stink up the place. At the very least, I usually get a good story out of the thing.
. . . and that’s when I realized that I was really a writer: the day I started treating every experience I had as an opportunity to get a good story . . .
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Good luck with both auditions 🙂 If all else fails, write more!
That’s totally funny about Ted Kennedy.
Wil, just thought you might like to know you turned into an inspiration. I’m starting to play with this story that was in my head. I know how it starts and how it ends… so I’m letting it wander there however feels good… and not forcing it. I might actually turn it over to my mom’s cousin (hotshot movie screenwriter guy) when i’m done. Hey, if he actually decides to make it a movie, would you be willing to star in it? I’d totally send you the stuff I’m writing, while in progress. Email is [email protected] (i know you wrote me about the free tunes once).
Now I get to read lots of emails of other WWdN readers calling me a dork. Heh… cool. 🙂
Gary
Wil, now you’re starting to get it!
As a current MFA student of creative non-fiction writing, something one of my professors says is “a writer is someone on whom nothing is lost.”
Sounds like you already have that figured out–and it took me a whole year of grad school to get that little nugget . . .
Break a leg at the audition.
When I was doing stand-up, everything I experienced was tagged “Potential Material.” When I was freelancing for trendy music mags, it was all filtered through a hipster lens. Now I need one of those shirts that says, “I am SO blogging this.”
Ah, Tapper. Hours at my Commodore 64 hating the punk kids and loving the outer space level. Took me at least ten times playing it to figure out that when people turned around, it meant they didn’t want a beer. Like that would ever happen in real life. The fools.
Been there, done that as far as the priorities go. I used to have a pretty decent career in theatre and opera. Then I realized I wanted other things, like a home and a family. That’s not to imply that you can’t have all of those things at once, but I thought it best for me to, oh, actually live in the same state as my husband most of the year. Now I teach voice and acting. It’s fulfilling in a completely different way, and I never expected it to be. Didn’t think I’d like it, but it turns out that it rocks. Funny how plans can change sometimes, huh?
Break a leg.
Break a leg!
>Sending Good MoJo To Uncle Willie
Break a leg at both auditions Wil. And man, that last sentence really hit me. 🙂
Good luck, Wil! You will do great!!!!
Have a great time!
Wil.
Dig the site. Although I think you’re a writer when you have two books available for purchase on Amazon.com…
Keep blogging and break their legs!
Hey Wil,
BREAK A LEG DUDE…..No seriously I hope you get the jobs. I noticed that you are enjoying life more than when you were younger. I wish I could come and see you perform. Sounds like you have found your stitch in life. (Oh yeah I have the movie Mr. Stitch and even though it wasn’t well received, I still love that movie.)
Good luck on the auditions……
With love,
Morgan
and Charlie_The_Cat
I know what you mean; almost everything around me is a potential blog entry. I just need to learn to sit down and pull that info out of my head and piece it together before it’s gone forever.
Break a leg!
Good luck on the interview. I’m sure with your talents, they’ll all be shoeless as you’ll have knocked their socks off.
And thank you for validating my memory that Root Beer Tapper was the red-headed stepchild of the original Tapper. I know can officially declare “neener-neener-nee-ner” to several people.
As a suggestion for another review: The Journey video game was SO cheesy (how cheesy was it?!?), I think Kraft bought the licensing rights.
Now that you aren’t so focused on the auditions, I bet you’ll start landing more roles. It’s like dating – when you’re desperate to meet someone, it never seems to happen. If you’re not looking for a relationship, you often fall into them. Maybe it’s just because you’re more relaxed or something and it makes you come off differently?
Anyhow – break a leg! 🙂
Good luck on the audition!
Yep, it sounds like you’re a writer. I walk around in my daily life and think “Oh, yeah! I’m writing about that!”
Break two, you dirty bastard.
Sorry I missed you at Acme. Got SCREWED on the 405.
Anna said we should have come in LATE.
I think my honey just wants to meet you.
What a slut.
I am NOT walking into a 90-seat theater LATE.
And I am NOT giving my g/f any material for her sick WW fantasy.
It’s bad enought that she makes me shave my head and that before we have sex I have to say “Engage”
–AJ @ Egg Radio
Break a leg at the audition Wil! My favourite actor said in an interview that he always views an audition as an opportunity to act and have fun, not as an opportunity to screw it up and fail.
That totally gave me courage to go audition for a play a month ago – and it was fun! (and I got the part).
Sounds like your head’s in the right space, so have fun!
good luck at the auditions Wil 🙂
makes me wonder about how actors “make money” while they’re inbetween jobs… if the salary they get for one job can get them through the time inbetween. and then i dont mean brad pitt ofcourse, but regular actors. hmm.
Your writings are great.
Also i was listening the audioblog the other day and just the way you /tell/ things, put words into a sentence is awesome too. It shows that you work with text alot, read alot, write alot, speak alot. I love listening to well composed sentences 🙂
good luck 🙂
Oh! Tapper rocks… I play it using the Atari 2600 emulator: Stella.
http://stella.sourceforge.net/
My fave is ELEVATOR ACTION.
That game still RAWKS.
Yeah, I enjoyed playing Tapper while puffing on my candy cigarettes. Those were the days you could be an 8-year old degenerate and your parents wouldn’t get arrested.
By the way, AJ is 100% right. It doesn’t get any better than Elevator Action (althoug Dig Dug is close!).
Break a leg! And more importantly, have fun!
Break a leg, a rib, whatever it takes for you to get out of the auditions what you need to get out of them.
I truly enjoy your writing style, by the way. Thank you for making it available to all of us.
U RaWk, D00D!
Ooooh, Tapper. I totally suck at that game. Maybe I’d be better if I started drinking!
And hey, if you do get the part in that play you can do what I did and decide not to bother with it after all! I’d wish you good luck, but I don’t think you’ll need it. Have fun.