Zoni-Who? Zoni-Wha?

So there we were, driving down twisty roads Tuesday, back toward civilization after a lovely vacation at our no-cell-service cabin.  Of course, I checked my email on my phone as soon as I got a signal, as any good wired-in blogger/Facebook addict would do.  And there were all these messages saying congratulations, and sometimes even, “CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!”

My heart danced a little boogie.  I knew that the Zoni Award* nominations were announced Monday night, and I knew that I was submitted for consideration, but every time the thought, “maaaaybe…” began to creep in my head, I stomped it out and focused on choosing a potty seat instead.  But finally, there was the email from Desert Foothills Theatre’s producer, announcing the news that not only had I received a Best Actress in a Musical nomination for “The World Goes Round,” but the entire cast had also been nominated, and the director and sound designer as well!  So now I don’t have to stomp out secret hopes anymore, and can shout out loud (virtually):

Woo-hoo!

I can barely get my mind around it.  How did I go from here to a Zoni nomination in one year?  How is that possible?

I’ve been playing it pretty cool around all my family and friends since I found out, like, “Yeah, did I mention?  It’s pretty cool, I got nominated for this Zoni Award thing… yeah yeah, I’m pretty excited about it…yawwwn.”  Maybe I feel that at 35, I should really be mature about this whole thing, but what I really want to do is be Moo for just a few minutes.  I would run willy-nilly around the house, windmilling my arms, quacking like a duck, kicking, somersaulting off the furniture, and shouting at the top of my lungs.

Ahh, what the hell – nobody’s home but me and Moo.  You won’t tell, will you Moo?

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 

*The Zoni Awards are like Arizona’s version of the Tony Awards, giving out annual best-in-show awards to professional and community theaters in the Valley.

What’s Your Secret? Just Lucky I Guess

I GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!

Pant, pant, pant, pant.

I got the call as I was driving home.  Actually, I think I may have gotten the call as I was exiting the parking lot!  I was loitering outside for a while, chatting away, and when we noticed one of the auditioners come outside and open his phone, we realized it was time to skedaddle.  A few moments later, I had a voicemail.  Success! 

Yes, I cried a little.

So it’s official! I’m “Woman #3″ in “The World Goes ‘Round.”  It’s a very small show, just five actors singing the songs of Kander and Ebb, and people – I have a solo!  I think more than one!  Holy shit!

So yes, I’d say callbacks went pretty well.  We were a fairly small group, and everyone seemed very nice.  First we danced, led by – let’s call the director Mary after “Mary Poppins,” since she choreographed the movie.  I think I love her.  She led us through some simple steps, directing me to “do it like a singer, not a dancer.”  Then the music director, Fawna, put us in groups and had us sing three part harmonies, which was rather torturous, but I think we all felt that way.  Finally she had each of us sing a song from the show.  On the drive out, I sang along to the soundtrack, and there was only one song, “How Lucky Can You Get,” that I thought – oh jeez, I hope they don’t ask me to sing this song.

So of course, that’s the song I had to sing.  It’s an incredible song – made famous by Barbra Streisand in “Funny Lady” (thank God I didn’t remember that before the audition) – fun to act, and even more fun to sing if you can belt that one high note near the end (“What’s your secreeeeeet?”) - which I cannot.  But I did my best.

And I guess that was good enough!

So incredibly, I’m two for three.  (Never heard from the Sweeney Todd folks.)  How did I get here?  I’m so happy – and yet I can’t help think about all those years, those many, many years, when I was too afraid to audition.  How could such a silly fear have such a huge hold on my life?  What could I have accomplished?  I don’t want anything to change about my life – my Herbie, my Moo – and yet I can’t help but wonder what might have been… what if I could have found success on Broadway, and still somehow met Herbie and had Moo?  What if?

But whatever might have been, is not.  I have my family, I am so very lucky, and for the first time in such a very long time, I feel proud of myself.

A Query for all the Actors Out There…

Um, excuse me, what happens at a callback?

BECAUSE I GOT ONE!!

Weeeeeee!

Just as I was leaving my second audition, feeling a little blue (they were not so impressed, I think), I turned on my phone.  Voicemail!

(And this is the part where I hopped in a circle like a bunny in the middle of a parking lot.)

I got called back for “The World Goes ‘Round” at Desert Foothills Theater.  Oh joy!  Oh bliss!  Ohhhhh no!  What happens at a callback?  What do I do?  And am I supposed to call back my callback and tell them that, yes, I accept this callback and called back to tell you so?

Am I supposed to prepare another song?  Are they going to make me sing with other people and expect me to read music and sing harmony?  Oh dear!  Not so good at that, right off the bat.  Eep.  Eep.  Are we going to dance?  SHOULD I WEAR A LEOTARD?  WHAT ABOUT LEG WARMERS?!

Hop, hop, hop, hop, hoppity hop hop.