OK...so that happened.
A little over two weeks ago, I went to UPTAs. That's not news, at this point. I got some good, promising callbacks (or so I can hope) and knew I had interest from the place that Heidi has been working at for the better part of this millennium, the Round Barn Theater. The Artistic Director, Jeremy, had talked to me about casting me in several shows and even had me come in to sing for him between Christmas and New Years. He kept ensuring me that an offer would be coming soon and when I didn't get one before UPTAs, I just figured it was because he needed an excuse to go down to Memphis for a long weekend. Whatever.
About a week ago (or so), I finally got an offer from the Round Barn. Not Jeremy, but the new Managing Director, Laurie (who sometimes will spell her own name wrong in business e-mails), who has all but usurped whatever power Jeremy used to have. She offered me 4 shows in a six-month contract from May to November at an insultingly low weekly pay rate. In an attempt to drag out the negotiating process, I asked questions and began pleading my case for a little more money in the hopes that another offer would come in and I could decide that way.
But within the process, I tried to clarify some scheduling conflicts I have in the upcoming year. Two weddings of some of the closest friends that I have. And she wrote back that not only was the pay offer fixed and non-negotiable, but if the contract is signed there are no exceptions to the "no extra days off" policy.
So what she wanted, in a nutshell, was to work me to death doing several shows in the middle of nowhere Indiana for six months at little pay with housing that didn't include television or internet access without two or three additional days off so that I could attend (and, for what it's worth, be a part of) the weddings of two of my dearest friends. I was offended. And insulted. I wanted to write back to her and tell her that she is dooming this theater to failure and all she's going to get to be in her shows are kids just out of college (or, as is the case sometimes, high school) who are going to treat the experience as an extended summer camp instead of a professional job. I wanted to tell her that she's nothing more than a stupid heartless bitch. I wanted to ask her how in the world somebody who hated the arts and artists and seemed to have nothing but utter contempt for all things artistic could work for so long and acheive such a lofty position in arts management. But I didn't. Because she knows Heidi and I are dating and Heidi still hasn't started her negotiations yet and it wouldn't be fair for me to stain that process essentially before it has started.
But this woman has made me so mad. What I've learned is that if I hated the arts, I could easily make a career in it. If I held complete disdain for artists and all things creative, I would be able to live fairly well and happily.
(---sigh---)
I wrote back to her and told her that I wouldn't be joining the Round Barn for the 2009 season and that asking me to not attend these two weddings was the ultimate offense. It's tame and it lacks, for want of a better term, balls...but it's all I had at the time. I'm still pretty upset about it. And maybe I'll post the whole e-mail string on this blog just for kicks. Get some feedback from you lovely people about what, if anything, I could have done differently.
And now all I can do is sit back and wonder what the hell I do next. I have two theaters that I'm desperately hoping will come through with an offer. But if that doesn't happen...I think I have to seriously reconsider what the hell I've done with my life for all these years. And then...I dunno...start another path?
This does NOT make me happy at all...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
UPTA no good
So last night about midnight, after 13 hours of driving, I arrived back at the apartment after my very long weekend in Memphis and the surrounding area. I was there, for the most part, to particpate in the UPTAs (which, I think, stands for the United Professional Theater Auditions). It's the chance for actors to go up on stage in front of around 100 producers from all over the country and wow them in 90 seconds or less. It's fun. By the time my audition number came around on Monday, a lot of the companies' reps were gone. Which is odd because if you're working, you have shows Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays and the only day to audition is Monday. So if you've got a gig, it's almost like you're being penalized.
Or something.
Anyway, I got four callbacks, three offers to slip my headshot and resume under the hotel room of the company rep for their files, and two requests that I attend the dance callback Monday evening. So I signed up for callbacks where appropriate and went to one and then hit the dance callback. I knew a bunch of people there watching these, so the pressure was kind of on. DM from Turkeyville was there, "Jeremy" from the place Heidi has worked with for years was there, and a lot of the people who were running and volunteering with the UPTAs were folks I knew well back when I lived in Memphis. The guy who runs the auditions every year even yelled "Tucker loves the dance" down at me as I was rehearsing the basic routine in the lobby-type area. But I think I pulled it off alright. I even got a few compliments after the fact. So good for me!
A couple of the callbacks were very interesting. The reps said all the right things...one even wondered where I'd been for the past ten years. She claimed to have been looking for my type every year she had been at the UPTAs and that I should come to her theater's season auditions in December because that's where the majority of their casting comes from. One guy actually told me that when he stops having fun in theater, he'll stop doing it. I've been saying that for YEARS!!! I had been to mass auditions like this before but this was the first time I ever really felt like it was the right decision and the right thing for me to be doing. I REALLY think that the 10 or 12 year "break" from these kinds of auditions has seasoned me enough to know what I'm looking for, know what I'm doing a bit more, and have the knowledge to ask the good questions and trust my gut a little bit.
After all the callbacks and dancing and running aroung the hotel in general, it was time for the most important part of the day...the hanging out at the hotel bar and talking people up a little more. Now, I've never been very good at "schmoozing" but this turned out alright. I got to talk to the aforementioned head of UPTAs, which was nice. I got to meet and talk to a friend of Heidi's who offered the both of us a chance to travel together a do a promotional kind of show for his Alaska cruise lines (or Alaska tourism...or...um...something...whatever, it's two months or so traveling with her and having fun). And I got to do a little catching up with folks I know (or knew) and finding out what they have all been up to.
All-in-all, I left there after a looooooooong day feeling pretty good about how it all went. I will be doing a little more research on a couple of these places to see if it looks like something I would want to be a part of if, in fact, an offer comes through but I feel good about the time and energy I spent on everything. We'll see what happens.
Other than that, I got to introduce Heidi to one of my favorite places...Memphis. She had never been so I took her to Graceland, Sun Studios, Beale Street (specifically Silky O'Sullivans and the Rum Boogie Cafe). We ate at Huey's and Corky's BBQ and Brother Junipers. We hung out with some college friends and she got introduced to a bunch more old Memphis friends while she hung out with us at the UPTA hotel. And because we felt like a change of pace after Monday, we decided to go down to the Tunica, MS on Tuesday and hang with my friend "Tommy J" and do a little gambling at the Horseshoe Casino. You should have seen Heidi's eyes light up when we entered the casino! Blinking lights and ringing bells and loud music...she fell in love with it instantly. And "Tommy J" hooked us up with a cool hotel room at the Horseshoe hotel. Awesome!!!!
So after I spent 13 hours driving through AWFUL windy and rainy weather yesterday, I collapsed into my own bed last night. This morning I returned the rental car and now I'm just trying to clear my head from the whirlwind past 5 days. I have lots of those annoying follow-up postcards to write and send out and some research to do on some of these places and maybe even some headshots to send out to the places that didn't call me back but look interesting to work for and even some e-mails to send to those people I saw this weekend and got to catch up with to thank them for their time and tell them how good it was to see them again. Oh...and I have to be off-book for "Mop Top Festival" tonight so there's that as well. Lots to do.
One thing I definitely will NOT be doing today is dancing. Had enough of that junk on Monday...
Or something.
Anyway, I got four callbacks, three offers to slip my headshot and resume under the hotel room of the company rep for their files, and two requests that I attend the dance callback Monday evening. So I signed up for callbacks where appropriate and went to one and then hit the dance callback. I knew a bunch of people there watching these, so the pressure was kind of on. DM from Turkeyville was there, "Jeremy" from the place Heidi has worked with for years was there, and a lot of the people who were running and volunteering with the UPTAs were folks I knew well back when I lived in Memphis. The guy who runs the auditions every year even yelled "Tucker loves the dance" down at me as I was rehearsing the basic routine in the lobby-type area. But I think I pulled it off alright. I even got a few compliments after the fact. So good for me!
A couple of the callbacks were very interesting. The reps said all the right things...one even wondered where I'd been for the past ten years. She claimed to have been looking for my type every year she had been at the UPTAs and that I should come to her theater's season auditions in December because that's where the majority of their casting comes from. One guy actually told me that when he stops having fun in theater, he'll stop doing it. I've been saying that for YEARS!!! I had been to mass auditions like this before but this was the first time I ever really felt like it was the right decision and the right thing for me to be doing. I REALLY think that the 10 or 12 year "break" from these kinds of auditions has seasoned me enough to know what I'm looking for, know what I'm doing a bit more, and have the knowledge to ask the good questions and trust my gut a little bit.
After all the callbacks and dancing and running aroung the hotel in general, it was time for the most important part of the day...the hanging out at the hotel bar and talking people up a little more. Now, I've never been very good at "schmoozing" but this turned out alright. I got to talk to the aforementioned head of UPTAs, which was nice. I got to meet and talk to a friend of Heidi's who offered the both of us a chance to travel together a do a promotional kind of show for his Alaska cruise lines (or Alaska tourism...or...um...something...whatever, it's two months or so traveling with her and having fun). And I got to do a little catching up with folks I know (or knew) and finding out what they have all been up to.
All-in-all, I left there after a looooooooong day feeling pretty good about how it all went. I will be doing a little more research on a couple of these places to see if it looks like something I would want to be a part of if, in fact, an offer comes through but I feel good about the time and energy I spent on everything. We'll see what happens.
Other than that, I got to introduce Heidi to one of my favorite places...Memphis. She had never been so I took her to Graceland, Sun Studios, Beale Street (specifically Silky O'Sullivans and the Rum Boogie Cafe). We ate at Huey's and Corky's BBQ and Brother Junipers. We hung out with some college friends and she got introduced to a bunch more old Memphis friends while she hung out with us at the UPTA hotel. And because we felt like a change of pace after Monday, we decided to go down to the Tunica, MS on Tuesday and hang with my friend "Tommy J" and do a little gambling at the Horseshoe Casino. You should have seen Heidi's eyes light up when we entered the casino! Blinking lights and ringing bells and loud music...she fell in love with it instantly. And "Tommy J" hooked us up with a cool hotel room at the Horseshoe hotel. Awesome!!!!
So after I spent 13 hours driving through AWFUL windy and rainy weather yesterday, I collapsed into my own bed last night. This morning I returned the rental car and now I'm just trying to clear my head from the whirlwind past 5 days. I have lots of those annoying follow-up postcards to write and send out and some research to do on some of these places and maybe even some headshots to send out to the places that didn't call me back but look interesting to work for and even some e-mails to send to those people I saw this weekend and got to catch up with to thank them for their time and tell them how good it was to see them again. Oh...and I have to be off-book for "Mop Top Festival" tonight so there's that as well. Lots to do.
One thing I definitely will NOT be doing today is dancing. Had enough of that junk on Monday...
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