Laughter in the 90th Percentile

Whenever I see directors/producers scribbling notes while I'm performing, I would give anything to know what they say. Whether it is good or bad. If they think I have a nice voice but too little support, that could help. If they think I shouldn't be in the business, that will also help. Funny how those people who are best in a position to help us develop our skills are also in that one position where it a taboo to ask for feedback of any kind. This all comes to mind because yesterday was my season audition for the Sierra Repertory Theatre in California. I sang my two contrasting songs (one of which was "Forest for the Trees"), and then delivered an abbreviated Iago monologue. I felt prepared going into the audition, and then I felt confident during the audition. But as I walked out of the room and waited for the elevetor to take me back to the street, I knew that I hadn't done my absolute best. Yes, it was a good audition. But it should have been a great audition, and I wasn't quite sure why I didn't feel that it was. I ultimately placed myself in the 90th percentile. Of all the actors they were seeing yesterday, I was confident that I was in the top 10 percent of them all. But I wasn't in the top 2 percent, and that's the percentile that gets cast before they leave the room. As I get older and older and work harder and harder, I need to make sure that I put myself into that top group.