It's a little early for Christmas...who cares!

So, for the past few days I have been walking around my house singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". For any readers out there that may know me...this may not be that crazy of a situation. I love Christmas. It's one of my favorite times of the year. Yeah, things can get crazy...traffic is always worse...and stores are for some reason always more crowded. But there is something about that time of year that always puts a smile on my face, especially the week of Christmas. Then, once Christmas is over...I want it to be spring because I have suddenly gotten over the ice and snow.

But, my love and adoration for all things Christmas is not the reason I found myself singing this beloved carol. You see, I had an audition today with the city of St. Charles for an upcoming production they are hosting titled "St. Charles Christmas Traditions".

The production (as I understand so far) is basically a winter wonderland for families to explore. There are carolers, characters from A Christmas Carol, and much more to discover. The second I saw the listing for this audition on stlauditions.com I knew that I had to be a part of it. But, sadly, I had missed the dates. So, I emailed the address provided on the listing and found out that luckily they were looking for more guys to audition. An audition was set up for earlier this evening and I drove to Old Town St. Charles.

The second my car hit the old brick roads of Main Street I truly knew how badly I wanted to work on this for the upcoming Christmas season. I wasn't exactly sure why, but as I drove by some of my favorite places (Trailhead, Lewis and Clark, etc.) I realized how great an opportunity and time it would be to work there during the holidays.

I walked into the Tourist's Center and waited for my turn to audition. The audition was a little non-traditional which I thought was really neat. We were given a story that we were to retell in our own words. Throughout the story we switched character types to match with what might be found in the production.

I loved this. For our audition we were asked...to create a piece. Right there. On the spot. Such an awesome opportunity to create something original! Falling into the different characters and making the piece my own I presented it to the two ladies behind the casting table. They seemed to enjoy it...which we will truly find out on Monday when we are contacted about casting.

The great thing about this audition was the fact that it was so comfortable. I walked into that space and felt so welcomed by all the faces that I saw. The other actors who were present were kind and funny. I found myself wanting to work with them, wanting to be able to do theatre with them. Even the people working in the building were very kind, offering chairs and giving greetings. It was a great experience.

I love being able to leave an audition with a smile on my face. That's also why I love Christmas. No matter where I go, I know that I will wind up having to deal with cranky shoppers and crazy traffic, but I constantly find myself smiling. Christmas music is in the air and kids seem to be happier. Santa Claus is at the mall and you get to wear scarves!!! It's all about the little things. "

To some this would be a small time audition, but for me it meant getting to be a part of creating a specific atmosphere for people. And that's something I really want to be a part of.