With coverage of the upcoming Oscars seemingly everywhere, it may appear that winning awards is the most difficult job in show biz.
But for anyone who has tried to work on stage, TV or movies, you know that auditioning is the real work. It is the only thing the actor can control, and they must be performance-level, regardless of the room, audience or questions still rolling around in their head. Of course, it is at the same time totally outside of their control because of all the unknown factors that go into the final casting decision.
I was reminded of this yesterday while watching the documentary “Every Little Step” on Starz OnDemand. It tells the story of the casting of the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line” on Broadway, while giving insights into the original cast, workshop and production some 30 years earlier.
You sweat right along side the dancers as they go through the initial cattle call and months of callbacks after callbacks. Most nervewrecking is the final callback — where the roles are down to two people — and seeing that final cut made.
Maybe they should give an award for Best Audition. Goodness knows a lot of good actors — and performances — never get past that claustrophic little room.
