Callbacks!

Callbacks. You've proven yourself once, proven that your chops are up to snuff to be cast. But, what the director still needs to know is: If you're cast...what role will you be portraying?

Today I found myself trying to find the answer to that question for 17 people. It's a difficult process, much more difficult than I expected it to be. You see these actors who present great, first rate auditions and you think "Yes. They are perfect for this role." So, you bring them to the callback and have them read and...your mind is changed. Or, in a more positive example. You see these actors who barely squeak by, but then you put a copy of the script in their hands and they bring something to life that you never would have expected to see.

For me, one of the greatest assets of the callback is the adjustment. I loved when a director would have us run a scene, then give us a couple of notes to think about, and then have us run it again. That time with the director was always special to me because it meant the director was combining you as an actor with the character that you were portraying. And even if you weren't cast in that part for a few moments you had some one-on-one time the director. You earned the opportunity to show them something. And you also got some advice from another theatre professional.

Today, for the first time, I was the one giving the adjustment and it was an awesome moment. Talking with these actors and helping them, giving them guidance without outright telling them what you were looking for. And the best part of it all is the look of understanding. That eureka moment when you see that they realize exactly what you were talking about but they have discovered in in their own way. Then they walk on that stage, read it again, and you see a world of difference. You see an actor working for something that they believe in on an individual basis.

Then you see that look on their face as they walk off from the scene. It's that look that reads...it worked. That's what it's all about and that's what makes me think I want to be an educator. To see the look of success on someone's face is such a rewarding experience. To know that something, even if tiny, helped them in finding the right path is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

That's the amazing thing about students. You try and teach them, and then in return they inspire you. It's an awesome exchange.