Many Brits and Irish have long been fans of the 2006 indie film Once, especially for the music by Glen Hansard, known for his band The Frames and appearing in The Commitments: the song he wrote with co-star Markéta Irglová, ‘Falling Slowly’, won them an Academy Award for best song. The plot of the film, as is typical of many indie films, is not necessarily a happy one and the film doesn’t r0und off with a clichéd ending. But it is adorable. So I was beyond excited to hear it was going to be a stage musical.

The confusing part is that although Once is an Irish film and the musical’s creative team is largely Anglo-Irish, the musical had its workshop and world premiere in New York at the Off-Broadway theatre The New York Theater Workshop. Due to its success, the show transferred to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway, where it has been playing for over a year. It was also very successful at the 2012 Tony Awards, winning best musical, best book of a musical, best actor in a musical, best direction of a musical, best scene design, best orchestration, best sound design and best lighting design.

It is sad that such a successful and different show, with its use of actor-musicians and minimal set, had to start life in New York. London has small off-West End theatres but not in the same way New York has off-Broadway and even off-off-Broadway. It was perhaps for the best it got to be nurtured at the Theater Workshop which has also helped develop the musical Rent and premier work from playwrights such as Tony Kushner. I am unsure if we could have created such a loveable show here in the UK or if we had if it would have been taken to the hearts of Broadway as it has been on being transferred.

However it has now been taken to our hearts in London, too, and the UK production opened last month at the Phoenix Theatre. Interestingly with a lead actor, Declan Bennett, who is a British performer but spent the past seven years working in New York on shows such as American Idiot. He originally auditioned for the role of Guy on Broadway before being asked to take the role in London. The British connection is being deepened in New York currently as two British performers Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who’s Rory) and Joanna Christie (Equus opposite Daniel Radcliffe) have just opened as the new lead characters.

Once is one of those musicals that seems to come along every so often and just dismisses what a musical has to be. It is not a loud megamusical and neither is it a traditional musical comedy, as some of the creative team have been quoted as saying “it is a show that celebrates music”, which is perhaps why it excites me so much.

Image: Once The Musical at the Phoenix Theatre

This was one of those weeks for me where everything seemed to centre around one theme. Like when you learn a new word and then suddenly you see it everywhere and realise you’ve been skimming over it for years? Well, since moving to the city, I think I’ve been skimming over the power of words themselves, and how they can affect our creative environment.

One of my many jobs in the city is working at a very classy gym. As part of my compensation, I get a free membership, which I use liberally. The classes are amazing, plus they are free. The free part is my favorite part.

A couple of weeks ago, I was waiting outside the dance studio for one of these classes to begin, and happened to hear a very unsettling conversation involving a good number of the women in the hallway. They were all talking about the gift they’d purchased for the teacher as an end of the year thank you. The exchange went something like this (names have been changed):

Woman A: Megan got everyone’s attention at the end of class so we could give it to him.

Woman B: Megan? Who’s Megan?

Woman A: Oh, you know! Megan! The tall, beautiful dancer.

Woman C: I don’t think she’s a beautiful dancer. She dances kind of like Gumby.

Excuse me, what? Let’s back up here. Did I mention this class was at the gym? This is not American Ballet Theater folks. People are here to burn some calories, not to show off their Baryshnikov-like leaps! I was absolutely appalled by her rudeness. I would never have expected such “mean girl” behavior from a grown woman. Not only was she bad-mouthing some poor girl who wasn’t even there to defend herself, but she was doing it in front of the whole class. And the insult itself was just so low. I subsequently felt constantly judged during my workout, and probably always will.

Just a few days later, I had another experience which proved to me how powerful off-hand comments can be. I was randomly Googling my mother — don’t ask — and I came across a quote on someone’s blog. The author said that my mother had, “read [her] poem,” and that my mother’s, “simple act of encouragement sustained [her] for a year”. A year? I was overwhelmed. My mother had made a huge impact on this woman’s life. This made me a very proud daughter — although I already was — but it also struck me as an artist. The littlest comments we make amongst our creative peers can mean so much, and we don’t even think about them.

When I was about 12 years old, Sheila Donovan, an older and much cooler girl than I, told me I sounded beautiful on a song we were singing with a large group of kids as part of a medley. I was probably very obviously nervous and awkward, and Sheila was nice enough to say something that made me smile and has stuck with me for over nine years.

So, recently I’ve been trying to be freer with my compliments. I say, spread the love! Instead of awkwardly staring at Marc Kudisch at the gym, go up and tell him how awesome he is! Okay, that may only apply to my bizarre life. But, in all seriousness, everyone makes an impact on this world. Now, it’s your choice whether that impact is positive or negative.

Image: Jogging on a bright November morning

I have now been living and auditioning in New York for two months and I have to say, I find the whole thing simultaneously wildly hilarious and horribly depressing. More than anything though, the New York audition circuit is simply bizarre.

Dozens of girls crawl out of bed at 5am or earlier, grab their pre-packed audition bags, and head to Midtown. Once they take the two or three trains needed to get to the audition studios from their “transitioning” neighborhoods 100 or so blocks north or south of central Manhattan, they wait outside in the bitter cold or blistering heat until the building opens and then go into the “holding room”. Yes, a “holding room”. As if you didn’t already feel like one in a herd of cattle.

They then put their names on the unofficial list and set up camp, unloading their makeup, curling irons, and simple chic dresses they cannot really afford. One of my favorite audition pastimes is watching a room full of schlumpy looking nobodies turn into a bevy of supermodels. It’s like the transformation from Beauty and the Beast, complete with fog courtesy of the thick cloud of hairspray and powder pervading the air.

Once the audition monitor arrives, everyone eagerly waits to hear whether the unofficial audition list will be honored. At this stage in the game, there may be up to a hundred names already on the list… and only seventy actors in the room? How can that be?

At every New York audition, you will find actors sleepily staggering up to the unofficial list and adding their name to the dozens already there… and then adding the names of their ten closest friends who aren’t actually in line yet.

Now, there are about a million and one reasons why these other performers haven’t yet gotten to the studio. The frantic text messages they sent all of their actor friends begging to be added to the list run the gamut from: “The F train is experiencing delays!” to  “I’m coming all the way from Philly!” and “There’s another open call I have to get to today. If you sign me up there, I’ll sign you up here! Then we can switch!”

We have all felt the pain of early morning auditions. But on the popular and extremely useful website Auditionupdate.com, one reader who lives outside of the city points out that they can suck more for some than for others. Sometimes, the first train into the city on New Jersey Transit or Metro North may not leave until 5:00 am or later. So, it is important to note that these absent actors are not necessarily lazy bums.

On the other hand, I don’t think most actors, myself included, really consider the ramifications of adding their friends to the audition list, though that’s not to say there is no discussion surrounding the topic: the aforementioned “Bitching Post” on Audition Update shows that there is debate surging.

Every name that you add to the list that is not your own may mean one more actor who does not get seen that day. Five minutes can mean the difference between getting seen and getting a job, and not even getting to sing or read because you had to go pick up your charge, Billy, from school or get to a temp job before they reach your number on the list. And if you can’t get in the room, you simply aren’t going to get hired.

I don’t think it’s fair to advise readers to never sign up their friends or vice versa.  After all, this new, more ethical system will open up work if everyone buys into it. It would be like telling everyone they should just arrive at auditions when they actually start, rather then getting there at 6am. Wouldn’t that be nice? Then we could all sleep in! But it’s simply not going to happen and it’s not a crusade you can win on your own. However, as the genius folk-rap duo Flight of the Conchords would say, “You gotta think about it. Think, think about it.”  By helping out your friend, are you simultaneously ruining someone else’s day?

If you are an American reader of A Younger Theatre and would like to contribute to the AYT USA blog series, please contact blogs[at]ayoungertheatre.com.

I have been living on my own in Manhattan for all of a month and a half and am already overwhelmed. I’m probably giving myself an ulcer. I’m surprised I haven’t developed hives yet. And what has me so stressed? Not auditioning, but day jobs.

Being an actor with a day job is an oxymoron. First of all, you can’t really have a regular job during the day. You have to be free for morning auditions. Then, if you get cast, you have to be free in the afternoons for rehearsals. But then, you can’t really work in the evenings either because once you open, you need to keep your nights free for performances. So, when exactly are actors supposed to make money to pay rent and utility bills? And you know, eat occasionally?

The other issue is that one cannot get a day job without experience, especially in New York City. Craigslist want ads for waitresses in Manhattan often ask for three or more years of serving experience in a high pressure, crowded environment. Many childcare positions go to those with their Masters in education. Who knew you had to be bilingual and have a degree to hang out with someone’s five year-old? And receptionist jobs are hard to come by, competitive, and not very flexible.

So, temping will work, right? It’s so flexible! And the rates aren’t terrible either. But wait, you’re saying I may not get called in to work for weeks at a time? Or that I may never hear from you at all?

Alright, so I guess I’m stuck being poor. I’m not looking for a fancy lifestyle! What do I need with money? Oh wait, I have to pay for voice lessons, dance classes, coachings, theatre tickets, headshots, a gym membership, audition outfits, workshops, and master classes? Oh. Problem. Striving for that triple threat moniker requires regular training and training does not come cheap.

Currently, I have two temp jobs that I’m really happy with. At one of them, I even get to substitute teach. But it’s just not going to foot the bill. I’m searching for job number three and am lost as to what I should even be looking for at this point. If only I had some unique skill like woodworking. Then I could make my own schedule! Why was that not a class I took in college?

Oddly enough, my artistic life is going much better than my practical one. In the less than two months I’ve been living here, I got my first show, ASMed another, and even became EMC. And while all of that makes me very, very happy, I’m still frustrated at the end of the day because I am not self-sufficient.

One major issue I have is dealing with the guilt of being a less than reliable employee. I can’t go into an interview and confidently claim I will be able to work any one job for a year, or that I won’t consistently ask friends to cover my shift. I know that I came here to act and that, consequently, other things need to come second but I really don’t like the idea of quitting on someone.

In any job you do, someone is relying on you; you are always part of an ensemble. And if I didn’t learn the importance of ensemble work in school, then I don’t think my education was worth very much. Acting is all about being able to rely on others and to make it possible for them to rely on you. But how can I do that in a world where I need to be free for a callback at the drop of a hat? Or to leave the state or even the country at a moment’s notice to perform at a regional theatre or join a touring company? I can feel the ulcer forming now.

I don’t really have a solution to this ethical dilemma. But, I suppose I do have three options: 1) Quit performing altogether and find a 9 to 5 job, 2) Move to a city where it is possible to both perform professionally and still hold down regular hours or 3) Stick it out and work hard to give everyone as much notice as I can on any change in my hectic schedule.

For right now, I’m going with option three. I want to give this a real go while still trying to maintain my reputation for being reliable.  I find that I have to constantly remind myself that I came here to perform and that right now, auditioning is my real job. The other stuff is just to pay the bills. And, oh, are there bills!

If you are an American reader of A Younger Theatre and would like to contribute to the AYT USA blog series, please contact blogs[at]ayoungertheatre.com.