This year, my decision to actually be picky about parts has been successful. I have been in three plays this year. One of them, I co-wrote. At the time, my joke was that it was the most challenging role I have had in a long time, but that's because I wrote it that way!
Next, I had a part in a play in a short-play festival. My joke here was that it was six minutes on stage, which is about what I have been getting the last two years . . . but this time, it's six minutes out of ten minutes! This short play was my "breakthrough" into a clique of community theatre groups that had constantly rejected me. People came up to me and told me that I was the high point of the whole show. In my mind, I was thinking "See what you all kept turning away?"
Finally now, back at a theatre company that has consistently given me chances in the past . . . and here I am with a real-live honest-to-goodness major role!
So, I've been feeling pretty good about acting. My "New Years Resolution", even though when I made it I strongly suspected that it would mean giving up acting completely, was a good idea.
Now, this doesn't mean that the world has changed. Taking small parts led to nothing, really. It most certainly did not lead to me "proving myself" and "working my way up". That's all nonsense. What did did, however, was fill up my schedule with a bunch of roles that were just not worthy of my time and energy. Fine: that part was addressed by my "New Years Resolution". But, let's not forget what I believe to be the big reason why I have so much trouble getting cast: my brown skin. That's still there.
A couple of years ago, I auditioned for "Deathtrap" at a local community theatre company. I went in with one other person: the two of us had arranged to audition early because of conflicts. The director did not read our resumes. He took one look at the other guy and one look at me. He said he wanted the other guy to read for the lead, and he wanted me to read for a bit part. I've heard people come up with many reasons for why he might have made this determination. Maybe he didn't know me and he wanted someone that he knew could handle the demanding role? Maybe, but he didn't know the other guy either. The only answer that holds is that, even though the play doesn't state ethnicity and doesn't depend on it in any way, he decided that the lead character was white. End of story. People have said to me, by the way, that I should have told him I would like to read for the lead. By the fact that he didn't want me to read for the lead, he had already made up his mind that I wasn't right for that part. If I did read for that part, how likely is it that he would have said "oh my goodness, what was I thinking?" It would just be a waste of time.
This was only one experience, but it was such a bad experience for me that I didn't go back to that theatre company. I received e-mail audition announcements, and sometimes they looked good, but like hell if I was going to go back. This company was on my "shit list". Early this year, I saw a production there that was set in the 18th or 19th century. Much to my surprise, they had cast an african american in it! It was a small part, true, but it was a tiny hint of color-blind casting (I'll hesitate to actually call it color-blind casting, until I see an african american put in a major role). I realized that it was wrong to condemn an entire theatre company for one director, and I would have to come back some time.
During rehearsal for the short play festival, a woman that was performing with me mentioned that she was directing a play at this same theatre company, and she had a part in mind for me. I read the play, and I was impressed: I told her that I would be at the audition. Now, I'm not going to say that this is a definite. First, this is that same theatre company. Second, I had auditioned for this woman before, at a different theatre company. She told me that I auditioned well, but she didn't give me a part. All the parts in the play were either too old or too young, she said. I had assumed it was because the play was set in Scotland, and I'm a wee bit too brown. The thing that upset me about this was that I received the "sorry" e-mail 3 1/2 hours after the audition. I would like to think that I'm good enough that turning me away would be a difficult decision. Oh well. I guess not.
That audition is in November. This theatre company was having an audition prior to that, for something called "A Perfect Ganesh". A couple of people at the short play festival were very interested in that, and were bugging me to audition too. So I did, last week. Yes, a play set in India. And . . . I was still turned away! The play had two male characters. One was the god, Ganesh. This character is, apparently, masked, so it could be played by any ethnicity. Most of the time, "it could be played by any ethnicity", by the way, translates to "white" . . . but surely not this case, with a Hindu god? The other character is just called "man". "Man" is different for each scene, and everything from the age to the ethnicity varied.
This time, the director called me to deliver the bad news. He told me that I was the big surprise of the audition, that I was very good. Okay . . . so why didn't I get a part? To be perfectly blunt, I wasn't impressed with the other men that auditioned. Yes, all the other men that auditioned were white, but I don't think this is a case of race. It also wasn't age. Ganesh could be any age. "Man" varied in age, but I felt that he needed to be played by a younger actor . . . unfortunately, I think I was the youngest one there. Like I said, I don't think it was race or age. My theory here is that he had precast the parts. I would wager that he wasn't expecting any men to show up.
Unfortunately, like I said, I wasn't impressed with the others that auditioned. Only one other person auditioned for the part of Ganesh, so I assume he's the one that got the part. He couldn't even pronounce the name! And, like I had said, I think the other men were too old for the part of "Man". This does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling about how this show will turn out!
Yes, an Indian auditioned for a play set in India, and they STILL cast white people!
Normally, after two rejections like this, I would write off this theatre company. "So long." But I did promise that I would come to the audition in November. If I get the part, great . . . it looks like an interesting play and a challenging role. Either way, I probably won't bother with this theatre company afterwards. Unless someone explicitely asks me. I guess.
