Callback to a Wedding

I feel like my blog posts have been very list-heavy lately. Mostly because I've been chronicling my life through them more than I used to. I've started considering trying to force myself into the form of shorter, more frequent posts. Even just experimentally. Just to see if I could. Anyway, there is a poll on the upper-right column of the blog that will be up for a week. Please add in your two cents (it's anonymous).

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On Friday morning, I had a text message on my phone. It came from Ex #1. He sent it at 4:18am.

"I am drunk. And Waiting on a World to Change is playing. Thinking of you."

My thoughts:
1. A drunk text? Really? NOW? I FINALLY talked with him after a 10-month hiatus, and now suddenly he's open and communicative and texting while drunk? WTF?
2. Why was he still out drinking at 4:18am on a school night? (He's in grad school)
3. That's not the name of the song. It's Waiting on THE World to Change.
4. There is NO reason that he should think of me because of that song. No correlation between me and John Mayer whatsoever. And didn't that song get popular AFTER we'd broken up? WTF?
5. I'm not thrilled that he gets drunk and thinks of me.

I think I liked him better silent.


In contrast... Around 7:00pm, as I was walking out the door, I got a delivery. I bouquet of roses. I didn't have to read the card to know they were from Brian.

I've never been to any acting school... but this is my spin on improv, Sunshine.

He's pretty great, right?

I put the flowers in a vase and headed out to my "third callback" for Tony n' Tina's Wedding.

(Note: No idea why they call it a third callback. First of all, I've only had one previous callback, so if anything this should be the second. Next, it wasn't a callback at all. It was just an opportunity to see the show.)

I ran through a torrential storm on my way there, blinking as I was temporarily blinded by lightning that erupted from the sky in large flashing panels. By the time I arrived, my wet dress clung to my legs, my makeup had streamed down my face, and my hair -- which previously had looked phenomenal -- resembled a dead animal. Despite this, I was comforted by the fact that it was raining (as is my habit... see A Little Water Clears Us). I knew that things would be alright.

I sat down next to the other people who had been called back during the pre-show. Dan, Mel, and Leticia. We compared stories about our callbacks (none of our partners made it on to this round). Dan's partner sounded great, Leticia's mediocre, and Mel's was about as unclear on the instructions as mine was.

(Example: They had the same "stuck in a box" scenario, where one person wants to stay in and the other wants to get out. So Mel started off as the desperate one trying to get out of the box, but then her partner started doing the exact same thing. So Mel switched and started acting like she wanted to stay in the box, but then her partner started agreeing with the points she made then as well. So there was no conflict whatsoever.)

The show really begins in the half hour before curtain, during the pre-show. There's a group of people called "Black Staff" (named as such because the reception hall is owned by a man named Vinnie Black) who are in training to be lead characters, and they did a great job of starting the comedy early. Plus, I had a whole conversation with "Tony's Grandmother", who started telling me that he went out to Vegas for a bachelor party the night before, missing the rehearsal dinner, and she hoped he'd shave before the wedding.

The first part of the show is the wedding ceremony. It's in a little chapel, and you start getting a feel for the characters. There's Tina's gay brother, a pregnant bridesmaid, an over-zealous photographer, a singing nun, Tony's dad's hotsy-totsy girlfriend, and Tina's recently rehabbed ex-boyfriend, among others.

The best part of the show is the reception. You do all the normal wedding reception stuff (including the chicken dance), and the various characters all have things they do that are absolutely ridiculous. They also all come around and interact with the tables.

At this particular performance, there happened to be a large girl scout troup (middle schoolers) taking up half the room, which was very entertaining in and of itself.

I let my fellow callback buddies know that I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with getting out on the dance-floor and making a complete and total fool out of myself. Dan said he'd be completely willing to go with me, and so it began. We were dancing up a storm along with some people from the cast.

When I saw cast members trying to get the audience to dance, I figured I'd help out. So I started getting some of the girl scouts to dance with me. AWESOMELY FUN! Dude, do you know how much experience I have being the only person dancing and trying to persuade others to dance with me? A TON. And do you know what my success rate is? Not great. But at this show, when you try to get people to dance, THEY DANCE! They realize that by participating they're getting more out of the experience, so they comply!

At one point, one of the bridesmaids (Donna, the attention whore one) started dancing with Dan. So I accused her of trying to steal my man, and then went and started dancing with her "boyfriend" (Dominic, who was played by the guy who I think was hitting on me at my first callback). Then she came over and tried to start a fight with me. It was HILARIOUS! LOVED IT! Later in the show, Donna got up on stage, pointed at me, and said "This song is for you." She then proceeded to sing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot". It pretty much made my day. Awesome.

At the end of the show, the four of us callback people were instructed to stay and talk with the stage manager (whom I had met the previous weekend). She started talking shop with us, explaining the ins and outs of the show. Apparently, when you work on the production, they give you a book explaining all the crazy details of backstories and relationships between the characters. They talk about Tina's crazy aunt and Tony's brother, neither of whom are in the show. They mention who was the confirmation sponsor of whom, and which characters got in a fight in the second grade. Anything and everything you might want to know, which gives the actors more to riff on in collaborative improving. It's really fascinating.

She said that by the sheer fact that we've gotten to this point, we should know that they think we're talented. But getting this far DOES NOT guarantee that we'll be in the show.

The reason that we were asked to see the show is that it's not for everyone. Having to do the chicken dance 5 times a week, eating the same food over and over again... it can be rough if you're not made for it. She said that we should think about it for a day or two, and that if we were still interested, that we should call her and then she'd let the director know.

So I called her the next day. I told her I'm still interested. *fingers crossed*

Of course, the whole thing with me going to grad school in a few months could be a problem, so they might not cast me at all. The stage manager knows I'm going "in the fall". She doesn't know that I'm planning to move in the beginning of August. And if they ask me to disclose that information... Well, they might not to invest that much time and money training me to be there for such a short period of time.

And getting cast might screw up trip my to Nebraska to see Brian next month. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to get this show. I really do think it'd be fun. I don't mind being "Black Staff" for 3-5 weeks, as even they seemed like they were having a good time. And it would be good to get that improv experience under my belt. And dude, I'm totally willing to shake my bum on that reception dance floor five times a week. No problem. ;)

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In other news, Tipp from A[tipp]ical Thoughts has presented me with an award!


Eek! It's an honor just to be nominated!

So I'd like to spread this love to a couple of bloggers who have made my day.

- Kristen from This is the story of a girl..a complicated girl.
She recently referred to me as "a phenom of a blogger" (which was quickly added to my Compliments Book). It totally made my day. And she took me up on my Pay It Forward Challenge and held her own contest. You go, Kristen!

- Cheryl from Places Never Planned.
She also took up my Pay It Forward Challenge. Lately, she's been naming her posts in the style of Friends episodes, which is brilliant. And really, I just love her blog. Whenever it pops up on my Google Reader, I get so excited to read it. :) I really dig her style.

- Renee from A Beautiful Day in the Reneeborhood.
She says I inspired her to blog, and I'm so glad! She's a born writer. And has great taste in formal wear. ;)

Spread the love, ladies!



May you make someone's day today.

~A~