Auditions?!?

[Widget]

So i just heard that there will be another round of auditions on April 30th... and i really would like to audition, but as im a faerie, and the lovely Miss Twig is on cast, it makes me a little nervous... Would it be acceptable to audition, or is that in bad taste? maybe im being a little too timid hehehe, and i do have a few talents to offer including: dance, mime, playing the didgeridoo, and being a general lovable goofball, my garb could use a little bit of work maybe.

so should i go for it? or wait a bit? advice, tips, anything would be appreciated!

[Nighthawk]

Well, I'm not on cast (just a playtron) but I can think of no reason why there can't be more than one faerie. I know my daughter would love to see some make fae folk. But as I said, I'm not on cast, so with my advice, you get exactly what you paid for! Opinion and BS.  Hope to see you there!

[Francisco Paula]

Besides Twig there is a green fairy on cast that i know of so i would say try out they use to have a couple more years ago.

[Norfolk]

Well, Widget, if you don't audition, you won't be selected.  My advise is to go for it.  What do you have to lose?

As for the audition itself, I have two pieces of advise:  (1) Get your garb in tip top shape before you do; Jim Paradise is a stickler for garb.  (2)  Find a way to make your act distinctive and not just another Twig wannabe. 

Good luck. 

[Widget]

Thank you all for the advice!

Garb is my biggest issue at the moment... well i think it is anyway (except the wings... the wings are awsome!) i can post some pics of my garb for a critique if anyone is interested. Ive ordered a couple things that havent arrived yet. my biggest issue is my shirt... grrrrrrrr

[Tanda]

My bit of garb advice:
Key pieces are appropriate headgear, drinking vessel and shoes. Those things you don't think about.

Shirts can be fudged. I've had shirts made, I've made them, and I've found them at Dress Barn, Old Navy, and Goodwill. Granted, most of my shirt was covered by my bodice, but all of them worked for different reasons, with my favorite being the Old Navy one. Cheap and washable!

Audition advice:
Do it! Wear your best put together garb, but don't worry about it if it isn't perfect. Garb does not make the performer (unless you happen to be the king or something  )  Do your bit to the best of your ability, make it unique and fun (and family friendly).

[Widget]

Thank you Tanda! I you all are really getting revved up to do this, im going to type up my actor's resume tonight!

[Nighthawk]

One small note on the garbing issue- if you're in need, this lady- http://www.delilahskeepe.com/ - is fantastic. I work with her almost exclusively. She's up to any custom project you need. I don't know if you need anything, but I try to give her as much exposure as I can.

[Widget]

Oh thank you Night hawk! Im seeing a lot of things that ive been looking for!

[Widget]

Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!

[Nighthawk]

Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!

I was kinda wondering that myself. I am heavily involved in living history, so we don't exactly have and hone characters. We teach about the politics, economics, religion, skills, etc, of our time period. I myself give demonstrations on leather working, and all the period tasks a leather worker would have had to perform, the real use for bracers, things along those lines. So I don't have a character per se, but it would be fun to be the Queens Highlander for a summer. I noticed last year that the Royal Party was missing their Highlander from years past...

[Widget]

Yeah im invisioning the audition involving a lot of improv

[CapnJack]

Hi Widget!  I got to this kinda' late it looks like, but I agree with what has been mentioned above!  You should definitely go for it!

Like they said, just because we have Twig doesn't mean we can't have other fairies.  It's not like she has a monopoly on the market or anything.  We've actually had multiple fairies for many years.  There's been Helia the Sun Fairy, Guinevere the White Fairy, Serendipity, Caliope, and a bunch of others whos names I can't quite recall.  That being said, I have heard that for a long time our faire was being somewhat overrun with auditions for fairy characters, and those in charge decreed they would not be hiring anymore.  Mind you, it was quite a while ago that I heard that, so the audition "landscape" may very well have changed since then.

But ultimately, you'll never know unless you try!

An important tip: think very hard about why your character would be someone people would come to the festival to see.  Try to really play up the parts of your character that people (ESPECIALLY CHILDREN) will just go nuts for.  If you really want to impress the audition panel (and yes, from what I understand, you'll probably be auditioning in front of a panel) the best thing to do is to show them that your character is something people are going to be talking about for weeks, months, or even years afterwards.  So consider carefully what YOU would want to see at the faire, and what kind of character you think that you, as a patron, would find the most fun, interesting, and memorable - and then consider carefully if you think that same character will be entertaining to others.


Beyond that, make sure your costume is as nice as it can look, but don't get too hung up about it.  If they like your character enough, the costume is something they may be willing to compromise on, or allow you to upgrade to their specifications.

[CapnJack]

Was also wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect at the audition, if you cant tell that cool hehehe i will just fly by the seat of my pants!

I was kinda wondering that myself. I am heavily involved in living history, so we don't exactly have and hone characters. We teach about the politics, economics, religion, skills, etc, of our time period. I myself give demonstrations on leather working, and all the period tasks a leather worker would have had to perform, the real use for bracers, things along those lines. So I don't have a character per se, but it would be fun to be the Queens Highlander for a summer. I noticed last year that the Royal Party was missing their Highlander from years past...

As far as this stuff goes, I say if you want to audition, once again, just go for it!
From what I understand (mind you, I never went through the formal audition process) you go into a room with a sort of panel made up of the Entertainment Director and a few other "big wigs" (usually seasoned performers and the like), and then... well, nuts, I'm actually not sure what then.  I think they probably tell you to give them an idea of what exactly it is you want to do there, then demonstrate your character in some way.  And Widget is probably right, I think there is a lot of improv involved.  But beyond that... yeah, not sure.

At any rate, I for one think it would be pretty cool to have someone on cast with a background in living history.  If you're looking to do a Highlander character, I think there's actually a lot of room for that right now.  It used to be that, just like the thing about fairies, we had nothing but Scotsmen flooding in.  That hardly seems to be the case anymore however.  Once again, I think if you can prove yourself to be memorable in some way (and in my opinion, having a knowledge of period crafts and lifestyle can greatly assist you in this) you may have a fighting chance.

[Widget]

Ok, so first off... OMG JACK!!!! your like one of my most FAVORITE cast members at the faire!!! *regains composure*

Thanks so much for your input! Ive been practicing with my sister out in the back yard, and as for memorable, if a male fae isnt i dunno what is!!! lol, i know that that isnt everything, just trying to get pumped up!

Had a garb issue today the vest i ordered came was delivered today and it was BLACK!!!! Not brown like i ordered... was quite miffed about that, totally threw off my concept a bit (but totally wokrs for some pirate garb ive been piecing together on the side) but i can work around it i think

I desided that im just gonna go for it, worst they can say is "no"