10 Best and Worst Things Musical Theatre People Say...

Over coffee with a friend this past week, we had a conversation about the power of words...The origin of saying probs instead of probably. Or the use of such phrases like YOLO and LIVING in everyday conversation. Every culture, sub-culture, sub-sub-culture, etc. has found a way to communicate differently.

Of course, this led to a test. I gave myself two minutes to immediately think of the ten best and worst things I constantly hear people say at auditions and in my circle or musical theatre friends...The following is that result:

10 WORST THINGS MUSICAL THEATRE PEOPLE SAY:

1. "WERQ!!!": No, not work; some horribly spelled command to tell someone to do their absolute best. Cute? Maybe. Except, when it's used in reference to everything. Example: Pouring just the right amount of soy milk in your Starbucks drink and overhearing someone scream "WERQ!". Too early, sir.

2. "BOOK IT!": Instead of saying good luck for an audition, this has become a custom phrase, even though it sounds more like you're going to the Bahamas and not a chorus call...

3. "WE DID THE ORIGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY...": But really, did you? Do you know how many times I have watched people show me the opening combination to A Chorus Line after having said those words...shame on the choreographer for lying.

4. "MY AGENT NEVER CALLS ME...": Your agent isn't going to get you a job. He or she is going to help you find opportunities where you then have to do numbers 1 and 2 of this list. Take some responsibility and stop wasting your time complaining...it gets you no where.

5. BELTING: Talking to me about belting in a conversation that doesn't involve being in a casting room is like talking about Russell Crowe...I'm over it.

6. "I NEED to add that song to my rep book!": You need to take out all of the songs you don't actually know. I don't care if you have a 4 inch binder with music. If you're not prepared to sing and act every one of those songs, you're just carrying around uselessness. I love people who only bring three songs.

7. "I'm broke": I know, we all are. Stop bringing it up.

8. "I'm a dancer, so the only numbers I need to know are one through eight": I don't know who said this first, but I would personally like to slap them.

9. "#grateful": There is a difference between being grateful, because I certainly know I am, and actually just using the word in a 400 word Facebook status of you booking a regional production of Honk...

10. "Ugh...I can't believe we got the understudy!": I've been there... Going to a show to see someone you admire and getting the understudy instead. (I saw every person who played Claude in HAIR except Gavin Creel...okay...) But can we give these incredibly talented actors some credit AND a chance. Let's support each other. They may turn out to be even better than who you were hoping for.

10 BEST THINGS MUSICAL PEOPLE SAY:

1. "TAKE THE NOTE (AND SHUT UP).": Words to live by when you are an actor during tech.

2. "PAY YOUR DUES": Those who have truly made it have been in the ensemble, have been in flops and successful musicals, and have persevered. Take every opportunity you can get.

3. MIX VOICE: I could talk about this forever.

4. "FIND YOUR LIGHT": I love when lighting designers say this. For me, it's one of those moments that directly show the collaborative process; when the actors and teams work together to create a moment. It always makes me grateful that someone cares that I am seen.

5. "SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, MEAN WHAT YOU SAY OR SHUT UP": Period.

6. "WHERE'S THE BUTTON" The musical theatre button has existed forever. Please never let it go out of style.

7. "VAMPS ARE YOUR FRIEND": See number 4 and then thank your conductor.

8. "MARK IT...": I can't mark things but I appreciate people who can and take the opportunity to concentrate on the moment they are creating rather than the steps they are performing. Maybe one day I'll get there...or tired.

9. "THIS IS AN ENSEMBLE PIECE": When theatre truly is just that, a company working together to tell a story; there is nothing more beautiful.

10. "I WAS IN THE WIZ IN HIGH SCHOOL": Because it was probably an all white cast but you had one hell of a time and have a deep appreciation for some incredible songs.

CUE: God, I hope get it, I hope I get it...

Remember those times when the only people who you were around that knew what the word recession meant were either economics majors...or stoners who thought the word was funny...or bad first dates who also bring up politics and gun control before dessert?

Well, thanks to forced adulthood (because let's face it- who volunteers to be an adult?) we are living at a time in the United States when higher education is as unimportant as the type of paper your resume is on and the phrase "we're looking for someone with more experience" means you should have been working since you were forced out of your mother's womb.

Unemployment rates are ridiculously high. Fact. 

As I recently posted on Facebook, it can be so daunting to search for work just to pay bills and ultimately takes all of your time away from working towards your dreams and career goals.

And I'm not only talking about the actors, dancers and artists who come into my life daily...

No, I'm talking about the business majors who can't find anything more than an unpaid internship that may lead to a possible job.

I'm talking about those who can't even consider affording education at a university level and are practically shoved out of the waiting room because they are considered illiterate and incapable of performing the basic of tasks.

This is our reality. Granted, I'm making the choice to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world so I can only blame myself.

As I write this, I am still searching for a job while auditioning. I can't say the few pieces of advice I am about to offer will lead to the end result of getting a job but I can only hope they will improve your chances.

Some say it's survival of the fittest; I say if we don't start helping each other out now, there won't be a world to bother surviving in...

- 

1. Know what you're good at:

 This may seem obvious but actually ask yourself "what am I good at?". If you're passionate about something that can be seen by a hiring manager faster than anyone who walks in and just looks desperate. Also, it will inform you as to jobs you should NOT apply for. If you're not qualified to do something or if you have no interest whatsoever in the work, don't even bother. You'll end up miserable and probably won't last that long, thus bringing you back to square one. 

2. Your friends (the ones who have jobs) are your greatest asset:

 Your friends aren't going to get you a job; you need to do that for yourself, however, they can be incredibly helpful in your search. They may know of potential openings or positions within their own line of work. And, if they are your friends, they'll be honest as to whether or not you would be a good match.

3. Always have a resume...in fact have many:

 If you are unemployed, you should have your resume with you at all times. Take time to organize it. Be very sure your references will actually answer their phones. If your applying for different jobs, even consider having different resumes. A restaurant could care less that you were an executive assistant and a law firm doesn't want to know you washed dishes when you were sixteen. Be a boy scout; preparation for the unexpected is key.

4. Have a plan but don't follow it (always):

You have to hit the pavement, especially if you're in New York City. Emailing does not get you jobs (did you even stop to think just how many people email someone for one position). Come up with a ground plan of areas you'd like to work, scout them out, and then take the time to go place to place to introduce yourself and fill out an application. It can never hurt you to try. They may say they are not hiring; it happens a lot. But you will not know unless you ask. 

 Don't follow your ground plan the whole time either. Go off onto side streets and see if there are any potentials places to work. You never know when you'll see a HELP WANTED sign. 

5. Know answers to the obvious questions ahead of time:

Be honest. Availability (are you willing to work mornings), job positions you're interested in, references, are you willing to work at a different location, salary...any of those questions that you have heard time and time again in interviews, know the answers before you get there. Decisiveness is crucial.

6. Follow up:

Give it a few days but always follow up, either in person or by phone. Make sure they have all the necessary information from you. Always get the name of the hiring manager and the phone number of the business. If you don't meet the manager on your first visit, get the name of the person you spoke to. Make a list or spreadsheet (if you are Excel savvy).

7. Craigslist is not job searching: 

This is a new pet peeve of mine. Craigslist can be incredibly helpful because of the continuous postings but when you are emailing someone who doesn't post the company's name, phone number, etc... it's just a waste of time, in my opinion. Do your research, yes, but don't spend a week of your life sitting in your apartment only applying from Craigslist...if someone can prove me otherwise, I'll retract this one.

8. Keep your phone charged:

You never know when someone will call. Stop Instagramming your salads from lunch and hold onto that battery power in case someone calls.

9. Don't stop. Unemployment is not a vacation:

We all have those days when we get so frustrated over being unemployed that we need to cry...I did yesterday on 5th Avenue and some tourists got quite a show...But the only way to be employed is to keep searching. Don't use this time as an opportunity to date Netflix. Save your favorite shows and movies for night time after you've done your work during the day. 

10. Believe in yourself:

 You are important. You are intelligent and capable of anything you put your mind to. You will be okay. Surround yourself with support and love. Recharge when you need to. Cry when you need to. Exercise to keep yourself balanced as much as possible. Don't stop living. DO stop buying alcohol when you don't have a job. You know you can do this...

J

musings of improbability...

At the beginning of the week I had the chance to read this lovely list from the Thought Catalog involving 15 reasons why people move to New York City... Though I could identify with many of the reasons, number 8 struck a very personal chord:

"8. We have aspirations of being the best in our field. We are hungry, hungry tigers with a serious work ethic. You don’t move to New York to do Nothing..."

I can't agree enough with this...Why would you ever put yourself through the torture and literal financial suicide of living in one of the most expensive cities in the world if you didn't have a very strong desire for something?

Whether you are here to make your dreams come true, further your personal and career goals, or to live the most hedonistic night life imaginable, everything is possible in these boroughs.

Something came to mind while I was walking in Astoria late one evening... that we should truly not focus on considering the impossibility of things, rather the improbable. Nothing is impossible. Everything has a degree of improbability...The beauty of probability, however, is the constant fluctuation- the scale can always move in the other direction and you play a significant role in this.

So while things in life may seem improbable (not impossible), we, these wandering dreamers of New York City, have inside each of us an ignited passion that moves us forward, constantly...

Something I have learned is that the golden-age dream of "making it" no longer exists. I could go on for hours about that phrase but for another time. As I have made my way through the first five years of my twenties, I have come to a very serious conviction that opening yourself to the infinite possibilities of the world, to shred yourself of these socially induced notions that lead to human tunnel vision, is one of the greatest ways to fire your desire to do. Through action, we are able to learn the greatest of our character.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

food, glorious food!

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope that 2013 is treating you well and that the year that is aead brings each and every one of you happiness, health, and joy in doing what you love.

Something I love is being in my own kitchen and cooking. To me, nothing is better than hosting a get together or having a friend over to cook dinner with. At the same time, it is incredibly gratifying for me and cooking is an immediate reminder to myself that, yes, I can take care of myself and everything is going to be okay (with a dozen cookies right next to you).

 Having moved back to New York city this week, I made a resolution that I was going to cook more and go out to eat less...even coffee (SHOCKER!). I'm still working on the latter...

Let's face it, unless you are living on the upper East side and have an enormous inheritance, there is no way to survive living in this city if you don't cook for yourself. The occasional outing is great (especially if it involves frozen yogurt) but cooking at home will save you enough money to buy the new Ted Baker spring line...well, not really... but you get my point.

Cooking at home also helps keep those health resolutions because you know exactly what you are putting into your food, how much you are making, and you don't have to worry about trekking your leftovers home because your refrigerator is right there!

Here are a few thoughts I've had whilst being in my apartment that may help you find the joy of cooking!

1. Call it a WISH LIST and not a GROCERY LIST: Don't go to a store and just wander. You'll spend too much money. Plan out meals and their ingredients. It makes it so much more exciting, like a scavenger hunt, and you can focus on deals rather than locations.

2. Spice up your life: My necessities...Red Pepper, Sea Salt, Italian Seasoning, Cinnamon, and Garlic Salt...Find flavors you love and they will make any meal taste fantastic.

3. Invite a friend (and have them bring something): Cooking for one can be dull at times but making a meal for yourself and others is the type of joy I see on my Grammy's face every time we have family dinner. So you don't feel like you're a restaurant all the time for your guest(s), ask them to bring some ingredients or a bottle of wine. Still cheaper and you get to drink a whole bottle rather than a glass...

4. You don't have to be Julia Child to cook: Make mistakes, concoct, look up recipes online. Just stop saying "I can't cook". That's no excuse and this is something EVERYONE can find that they are good at. You'll find your signature dishes too...

5. Fill the FRIDGE not the freezer: Get fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. Only use the freezer to store food your aren't going to eat immediately. If it's in the fridge, it means it needs to be used (and most healthy foods need to be used in a certain amount of time). This will keep you away from preservatives and frozen dinners that taste like airplane food. Pasta takes 10 minutes to boil...Drizzle some olive oil, add a few spices and you're one step closer to heaven.

6. Clean your dishes: Washing dishes is, in fact, one of the most therapeutic activities. Not to mention you can moisturize those hands after a freezing day walking in the city. Cleaning your kitchen gives you time to think and clean out your mind before you tackle on the rest of your life. Not to mention you just nourished yourself so you're all the better for it.

7. Cooking makes you mindful: We forget how fortunate we are to be able to put food on our tables or have a fully stocked cupboard. Cooking will always remind you that your hard work paid for the food for which you are about to eat. Small moments like that can make any day extraordinary.

Hope to see even more Instagrams of photos from your kitchen this year!

And special thanks to K for inspiring this post.

J