Stumble it!Great Weekend!
So this weekend has been great. It started out with a very cool audition in Boston for a privately funded independent TV pilot called “Route 1”. I had the script for a few days before the audition and I really liked it. I really connected with the character I was reading for and was excited about the audition. One of the ways I can tell if a character is strongly connecting with me is seeing how much I remember after reading through the script once. If after reading through I have the scene nearly memorized I know that this character is going to stick with me. In these cases I don’t have the script memorized word for word but I have the essence of the scene nailed down.
When ever I get scripts emailed to me before an audition I never try and memorize the scene perfectly. I have read in many books that it is not a good idea; each book having a different reason why you shouldn’t do it. I don’t remember the reasons so much anymore, and now it is just my way of doing it. I go in and use the script to prompt my memory, and I don’t worry so much about getting the words exactly. I worry more about doing a good performance and getting the emotion and essence of the scene. I am going on the theory that they are not hiring you on how well you can read a piece of paper, but how you can put across the story. This may back fire some day, especially if the writer is in the room.
So, anyhow, I went in and did the scene with the director and it was great. He started smiling half way through and at the end he said it was amazing or something like that. He said he was even more excited about the project after seeing me read it through. I have no idea if I will get the part, but he seemed to like me a lot. I try not to think about it too much, or get to excited about it, but damn it is tough when they really seem to like you. But I must go back to the old standby and Fire and Forget. Just let it go and if I get a call then it will be a nice surprise and if I don’t it won’t matter because I will be off on some other audition or gig.
So on to the next cool thing of the weekend. This Saturday was the screening for the movie Swink. I met at a restaurant in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA with five of my friends. We had a nice lunch then all took the subway over to the Kendall Square Cinemas to meet 6 more of my friends and we went in to see the screening. The theater can seat 300 people and it was at least 80% full. The movie looked great, and sounded very awesome. The movie was scored by a very talented musician who created a beautiful extremely professional sounding score. The audience seemed to really enjoy the movie and my character got some nice laughs. After the movie there was an after-party across the street at a bar/pool hall called Flat Top Johnny’s. There was catered food and an open bar for beer and wine. My friends were pretty excited about the free beer. It was fun hanging out with the cast and crew and their friends and family. I ended up signing lots of autographs; felt weird but fun. All in all I had a great weekend. Today, Easter Sunday, I am just hanging around relaxing and enjoying the day.
‘Tis all for now.
Hey Don!
Glad you had such a great weekend! How fun to sign autographs, but I can understand how it would feel weird, too.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you regarding that audition! You must feel great knowing they liked you and that you did a good job auditioning! Too bad that doesn’t always mean you’ll get cast, but at least you know you did a good job and can be proud of that. Getting cast will be the icing on the cake!
Take care, and thanks for all of your supportive comments on my blog, I really appreciate it!
Comment by iziezi — April 17, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
After seeing the name of the movie I had to laugh! I live north of Boston and all I could think about is movie based on traffic jams, bad drivers and shopping malls!
Glad you had a good audition and I wish you the best of luck!
Comment by StnkBll — April 17, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
Ah Donnie!
I’m sad I couldn’t be around to see your screening! I would’ve been there for sure if I were still in Boston. I’m so glad it went well! I’ll have to get your autograph when I’m next in town! I can say… Donnie, I knew him when…
:-)
vanessa
Comment by denkiva — April 18, 2006 @ 9:30 am
Hey Don:
It was great seeing you at the ‘SWINK’ screening. I really like what you did w/this site. Very professional. You seem to have a lot going on w/acting, and may a lot of good roles come your way! Hope we’ll have the opportunity to work together again.
Comment by bobd — April 20, 2006 @ 1:56 pm
Wow, I didn’t realize you were so close, I’m in CT. I would have swung up for that screening. Anyway, I remember the reason given to me about not focusing to much on the lines. I had a class with actor William H. Macy and he said the words were gibberish. Learn the lines, then forget them understand the essence of the scene and what your character wants and focus on the moment. If you could get in that zone, bam! Magic!!!
Comment by Ricardo — April 20, 2006 @ 6:30 pm
Everything sounds so exciting, Don! How fabulous the screening must have been. Good news! Great news!
Comment by magickat — April 22, 2006 @ 9:22 am
It’s great to see you’re doing so well Don.
Comment by orright — April 23, 2006 @ 6:56 am
[…] So I am so pumped right now. I just got an email from the director of ‘Route 1’ asking me to play a lead role in the privately funded TV pilot that I auditioned for last week. It is going to be filmed on HD and the locations will be in parts of Maine and Massachusetts. I just got the full script and it looks really great, and very funny. I think this one is going to be very cool. Another thing that I am excited about with this project is that I am cast in a starring role. […]
Pingback by Donald Foley - An actor’s Journey » Excellent News! — April 24, 2006 @ 10:09 pm
[…] Tonight I go down to Providence, RI to the Vampires Ball where the trailer of pretty dead things will be playing and the cast will be signing autographs on posters and lobby cards. I have had the experience once of signing autographs before and it was weird and fun all at once. It seems so strange to sit her and practice signing my name today, not sure what other job would have you doing that. You see my signature is unreadable, so I decided to come up with a “stage” signature that people can actually read. At the last signing I was at for the movie Swink (read about that here) I was signing stuff with my normal signature, but felt bad about it because know one would be able to know who signed it. It was like some rogue doctor was running around signing posters with his god awful prescription signature; my penmanship is that bad. So here I am today practicing a new signature that is readable and more importantly consistent and since my cursive is so bad, my “stage” signature is in ah… what is the opposite of cursive called? Non-cursive? Block letters? Print? […]
Pingback by Donald Foley - An actor’s Journey » Autograph Signing Tonight! — October 22, 2006 @ 11:54 am