God, what a toolish title. But it's the only one I can come up with right now.
So, the directing thing, huh? It's going okay! Considering that I only barely have a grasp on what I'm doing, and there's SO MUCH STUFF to do and absolutely no time to do it in.
It occurred to me just a few minutes ago in the kitchen that I probably don't have what it takes to be a director. Because you have to fire in your gut, and metaphors of that nature. And I guess I do, a little bit, but I also HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING, and that freaks me out. All I know is that I do not want to fail. I do not want to look like a chump. So I am willing to fight and work and do crap until this all comes together, whatever that takes.
This is a vast difference from this morning, when I really wasn't sure I wanted to do this. I was very sleepy on the bus, which doesn't help, because the bus ride isn't that long. But I was idly wondering if there wasn't something I could do to get out of this. Like I was debating skipping a few classes and wondering if I could still pull off As. But then I thought, okay, if someone gave me the option to not do this, would I quit, or would I keep going? And I decided that I would keep going.
Today I looked at headshots. A whole fucking lot of headshots. And I talked to them. Which was entertaining, in the sense that I was in a room alone and talking to pictures like a crazy person. At one point I was a little sad by how quickly I plowed through some of them. I realized that that must happen to my headshot often, too. But some of the ladies were just too old. And some were honestly too pretty. Too dramatic. Too not what I was looking for. It was so much harder to find young looking boys and middle aged Hispanic men. So much harder. There were piles of young women, and really not that many men at all. Not by comparison.
I'd read things like "Can play 20-29" and say sympathetically, "Oh sweetie. No you can't." There were some people who went to Rutgers. I'm calling one. She was in a play opposite that guy I mentioned who's now on Guiding Light. I really debated whether or not I wanted her in the pile, because knowing what she looks like in person, I don't think she's entirely what I want. But I didn't want to include or exclude her based on her Rutgers association. So I'll call her, but probably not cast her? God! I've suddenly turned into a horrible person that people hate!
There's so much to do. I had to put in a request for audition space, and I don't know when I'm going to get it. And I need to know that before I call all these people. And I don't know how many of them are going to respond, so I don't know how much time I'm going to need. It's an ugly circle. And I have to schedule a meeting to discuss what I'm doing at the first rehearsal, and I have no idea when that will be. Soon, I guess. Because there is NO TIME.
Although while I was wading through headshots, so people came in to rehearse, and a guy asked what I was doing, and I told him my show was the first weekend of July, and he responded that that was more time than people usually get. Which I can't even think about.
There's no hand-holding here. I basically have to take care of a lot of shit that I don't even know how to take care of. I can ask all the questions that I want, but there's really no one helping me. And it's totally scary, because I do not want to fail. I want this to go well. So bad. How am I going to construct my set pieces? How am I going to run my auditions? When are we going to rehearse? How the hell is this all going to go down!
And my mother keeps snarking to me about how this theatre seems to be all "fly-by-night" and it's very aggravating that I get no support in this arena. If I don't say that everything is going "Great!" then I have to hear about something. And honestly? It's not going great. It's going scary and too fast and nerve wracking and confusing and ugly. But I'm so excited about it. My mother was in a pissy mood today anyway, though. Probably because I was out all day, because she is the world's most contradictory person.
I need to have someone with me at the auditions. Because it's sketchy to just be there by myself. But I don't think I have any friends who would do it with me. I need some to let people in at the door, so people don't have to keep buzzing. I need someone to hang around and look official and show people in and collect headshots. I could really use a lovely assistant like I had at my last audition. Hee.
I think assisting is a more appealing option to me. I've done that, and I can handle that. It's a lot to do, but somehow I feel like I'm more on top of everything when I have someone to report to. When I'm only making little decisions and tweaks instead of all the decisions. And that's sort of what acting is, in a way. It's being a part of the creative whole. And it's at the same time a very important part and not important at all. And I don't know if I would always feel this way. I have vaguely entertained the notion of directing, because I'm a control freak, and would love to poring over every detail of something that I love. But that would be later. When I know what I'm doing. When I'm in control. And I'm sure that would happen. I'm sure it can't always be this alien and scary.
At the same time I'm filled with emotion, I'm giggling at myself because I sound like such a lame cliche. Acting is doing. Art is life. Peace out.
Heeee.