The other day, I had an audition for Heineken beer at Telsey + Company… and I learned something NEW!

After you sign in (write your name, union status, etc) you look over your copy#–the text you will be speaking in the audition#–and when your name is called, you enter the spooky room of audition doom (or the audition party, however you’re feeling on that particular day). Now, sometimes, the auditioners have included a handy dandy cue card so that you can work without sides, and sometimes they have not. You never know which is taking place, so I’ve always erred on the side of preparation (I bring my sheets of paper into the room with me).

Well today, I did my usual prep and upon entering the room, the casting director called me out on having the copy in my hands (there was a cue card set up this time around). Apparently, this is a pet peeve of hers, as actors frequently leave their paper sheets in the room (creating a mess, and causing havoc in the waiting area as over the course of the day, the available copies of the audition dwindle). And this is not a minor pet peeve, I’m talking she has a major issue with actors bringing their copy in with them. I had no idea! She gave me the third degree, and the other actors in the room gave me sympathy glances out of the corners of their eyes, shrinking away from me a bit as though I had a bad cough and mucus coming out of my tear ducts.

I did a fine job in the audition (although my cool factor had just been effectively negated), but I did not get a callback. I’m fairly certain it’s because I pissed of the casting director. For being prepared for anything. Nice.

So, a word of caution: when auditioning at Telsey, leave your copy be-Heine you in the waiting area. Or, ask the other actors if there is a cue card. If the answer is yes, go in with naked hands.

It’s a busy week for me: a new scene for my scene study class (Tuesday and Friday), three commercial auditions, an audition for a play (requiring a new monologue), and an agency meeting. AND I saw my friend Kyle go on as the new Matthew in Altar Boyz. Burning the candle at both ends, and somewhere in the middle too…