Casting results

Well, huh.

I came home at 1 a.m. to a voice mail offering me a spot as a cut dancer in A Chorus Line. Cool! This is fine by me because I know I'm not as good a dancer as the people who got cast as main characters (though I reserve the right to believe I'm a better singer and actor). So, knowing my limitations, I don't feel I was treated at all unfairly.

Plus — and this is what I'm really excited about — it will give me a chance to learn and grow. The dance audition was challenging and fun. So I'll be in the opening number and the finale, which will give me a chance to do more dancing on stage. Yay!

I just have to call the stage manager back tomorrow.

Auditioning practice

After the last show, I had sworn off auditioning for Lyric Theatre. In seven auditions, I had never even gotten offered a chorus/ensemble role (to the bafflement of more than just myself). I said I didn't want to waste my time on an unfair process.

My resolution didn't last long, and I auditioned tonight for their next show. And I feel good about it. I totally shifted my attitude. If I go into an audition wanting to be cast, I'm likely to be disappointed. If I go into an audition even wanting to be treated "fairly" or cast ahead of people who are less talented, I'm likely to have wasted my time. But what if my goal is to use them and take advantage of the audition? Maybe they'll never cast me. But if they're going to waste my time, I'm going to waste theirs. They're going to have to sit there and watch my audition.

More significantly, I decided to use the auditions as an opportunity to practice auditioning. I especially wanted to get more experience with learning choreography in a dance audition (as well as dealing with nerves while singing).

So I got exactly what I wanted. I did a good job. Maybe I'll even get cast. Probably I won't. But I got a nice opportunity to practice my auditioning.

The dancing was challenging for me, and I did mess up. But, boy, was it fun! I really do love dancing. I got a little bit of a workout, did a fun dance and worked on my auditioning skills. That's not a waste of time at all.

Reality-Show Perspective

I've been watching some performing-arts reality shows recently. I caught a few episodes of Step It Up and Dance. I watched the first episode of the Legally Blonde casting show (the title of which is too long for me to bother looking up or typing out). And I watched the audition episodes of So You Think You Can Dance.

On every show there is the professional. Been there, done that. They know what it is to work hard. They know what success feels like. And they also know what rejection feels like. So they're less likely to blow the reality-show rejection out of proportion.

And then there are the "passionate" amateurs. I put the word in quotes because they pretend a passion they probably don't really feel. They're melodramatic. Or maybe they're just young. Lord knows I've been there, too: devastated by a rejection and feeling things are over. But watching from an outside perspective, obviously, I'm not as emotionally involved as if I were competing.

I want to give these people a knock upside the head. If you really want to sing, being rejected from American Idol does not mean your singing dreams are over. So You Think You Can Dance is not the only way to make it as a dancer. It's not even the best way. If you give up after one rejection, either you're a fool or you didn't want it that much to begin with.

Instead of yelling at my TV, I file this wisdom away in my own brain. I've needed it before, and I'm sure I'll need it again. Keep trying. Pursue other venues and opportunities. No single rejection means the defeat of an entire career.

A 19-year-old on So You Think You Can Dance said she'd give up if she were rejected. The judges found the attitude troubling. She was probably just being overly emotional and not really so defeatist. Still, the point was powerful. If you give up so easily, maybe you don't deserve if after all — even if you're talented. If you give up so easily, it must not mean that much to you.

How much do my dreams mean to me?

I want to act (and sing) so much that I couldn't ever imagine stop dreaming it and trying for it. Maybe my goals will change form, becoming larger or smaller as circumstances dictate. But I will never stop working for what I want. I will never let rejections kill my dream.

Casting News

I got cast as Martha Jefferson in 1776.

Also, my husband got cast as Edward Rutledge, and a good friend got cast as the Courier.

Outgrowing Community Theatre?

Well, I'm cranky today ... for a number of reasons. And I'm not going to get into the major reasons. This is my theatre blog, though, so I will talk about my theatre-related crankiness. (Shocking that the thing I love so much can make me cranky!)

I auditioned yesterday for 1776. Only two women's roles in the whole show. It's far away, but I think it would be a relatively fun show to do. And Adam and Jeff auditioned, so I could possibly do a show with my husband and a friend, which would be nice. I think I did a good job, and I'm not desperate to be cast in this show — so on the whole, I feel pretty comfortable. But ... I feel discontent. Am I becoming complacent? Am I getting into that rut I've feared of only auditioning for community theatre shows and not reaching beyond? I worry that I'm being egotistical or deluded when I think "I am so much better than this! I deserve more than just hoping to be cast in community theatre!" But I don't think I am either cocky or insane. I think I've kind of outgrown standard community theatre.

And it's not because of talent. There are a lot of very talented people in community theatre (and some moderately and some not-so talented people).

It's because of how seriously I take it. Here's the current situation that has been happening recently. The cast has a rehearsal to learn the dance. They get it down pretty well. Then a week or so later, we do that same number. They've all forgotten the dance. So the choreographer has to teach it again. They get it down. Then at the next rehearsal, the dance is forgotten again. The choreographer teaches the steps yet again. Meanwhile, I stand there patiently and politely (because I'm not in this dance, though I'm onstage singing).

Last night, after learning the same dance for the third or fourth time, we moved on to a dance (that I am in) that we had done only once before. Some of us were practicing the dance while we were on break, and they said, "Ooh, Kristin's got it!" I said, "Well, I practiced it." They looked at me as though I'd grown an extra head. Seriously, I don't have some kind of magical talent unavailable to the rest of the cast. I go through my dance steps a couple times a week. Simple. It doesn't take that long. So I work on my stuff, and then find myself among people who haven't thought about the dance since the last rehearsal and then wonder why they've forgotten it. At 9:27 the choreographer said, "Let's go through this a couple more times." A cast member said, "It's 9:30. Rehearsal is over." If you're so desperate to leave, why are you there?

I love theatre so much. I care about doing as good a job as I can. So I put work into learning my lines and my dancing and my music and being professional and attentive during rehearsal. I long to be with other people who take it as seriously as I do and who care as much as I do.

The Fairest Rejection

Several months ago, I had responded to a call for resumes/headshots for a summer production of Man of La Mancha (for a local professional theatre company that occasionally hires Equity actors in addition to non-Equity actors). My voice teacher said, "Oh, they'll definitely at least see you (for an audition)." But I never got called in for an audition.

Yesterday, I decided to see who will be playing Aldonza. It's Emily Skinner. I guess if you have a Tony nominee, you don't need to see local actresses for the role! Ha!

Ogunquit Playhouse auditions

I suppose today would count as my first audition for professional musical theatre. So regardless of the outcome and how I did, I am thrilled. I got my first one under my belt. I'm getting out there and actually giving it a try. My plan is to start auditioning and build to a point where I'm auditioning more and more frequently (and thus justifying a possible move).

They requested 32 bars of an uptempo song. The season is Fiddler on the Roof, High School Musical, My Fair Lady, The Producers and Les Miserables, so the request seemed a little odd. But I picked out 32 bars in consultation with my voice teacher. We settled on the last 32 bars of "Here I Am" from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

I typically get nervous in a vocal audition. More specifically, my nerves are unpredictable. I can feel nervous before and fine while auditioning or fine before and nervous once I start singing. The audition went something like this:

Ah, the way to be to me is French (Okay.)
The way they c'est la vie is French (Hey, I'm feeling pretty good!)
So here I am... (What the hell is the piano player doing?!?!?!) Beaumont sur Mer
A big two weeks on the Riviera (Where am I? I have no idea what's going on with this song.)
If I'm only dreaming please don't wake me. (Tempo is back. Now what are those notes he's playing?!)
Let the summer sun and breezes take me (Oh, god, this is bad. Please get me through this.)
Excuse me if I seem jejeune. (I feel totally thrown off and nervous. I started out so confident.)
I promise I'll find my marbles soon. (They can see how totally uncomfortable I am.)
But everywhere I look (Accompanist, what are you doing?!)
It's like a scene from a book. (I don't think that's right...)
Open the book and here I am. (Was I off tempo there or was he?)

And that was less than 16 bars! They asked me to start again. The second time wasn't really any better. But it was a valiant and desperate attempt on my part to plow through the song and ignore the piano. Rather than the accompaniment, the guy was playing bass chords. "Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong." (The piano player was causing problems for everyone, and the audition team knew it.)

They did not ask me to sing another song. (Too bad. I would have loved to have done a legit piece.) They did, however, ask me to read. So, I take that as a sign that my audition was fairly successful all things considered.

So, in my quest to pursue an acting career and to learn from my experiences, here's what I got from today:

• I went to my first audition for professional musical theatre. Yay!
• I have more control over my (often uncontrollable) nerves than I do over things like the competency of the piano player.
• Just go with the flow.
• Simple is probably best when it comes to audition songs. And sticking with my gut instinct on what type of song to sing (legit) is also probably a good idea.
• You can't prepare for everything. Some things (like the accompaniment issue today) are just going to blind-side me. I'll have to figure out a way to adapt more quickly. Until then, my best bet is just to not freak out and beat myself up over it.
• I just need to audition more, so I can get better at it.

The end. :)

A Learning Experience

Yesterday I auditioned at the NETC auditions.

What is the value of an experience? Is its value measured only by its outcome? I think not. I learned a lot, and that alone was valuable. Notes from the weekend:

• I was under-prepared. My monologues were memorized, and I think I performed them well. But it would have gone better if my memorization were more solid and if I'd delved deeper into the monologues.
  
• I had time called on me. I was just a short sentence away from finishing, but I had to stop. That was embarrassing, but I was confident in the knowledge that I couldn't have been the first (or last) person who had that happen. I should have done a better job of timing out the monologues.
  
• I got pretty nervous, and my mouth was dry. I think the reason for my nervousness had nothing to do with desire for a certain outcome and everything to do with the newness and bigness of the situation. I still need to learn how to handle my nerves and be more confident.
  
• Everyone seemed the same in a way. The average age was young. There were a lot of college students there. But I would include myself in that sameness. There were a ton of thin, pretty, brunette white girls who could play 20s. There were some minorities and different ages or body types, but not a lot.
  
• There were a lot of serious performers there who had auditioned to get into their serious prestigious acting programs and some of whom had professional gigs under their belts. I tried my best to not feel insignificant or intimidated. (And I think I did that pretty well.)
  
• There were some good regional theatres there auditioning for their seasons — but they were, for the most part, in the musical theatre audition room.
  
• Some of the ones in the acting-only room were auditioning for people to join their $100/week elementary-school tour of Jack and the Beanstalk. (That's not a specific example and is a bit of hyperbole.) It's not really that I'd look down on a gig like that. I wouldn't. (Hey, I'm coming from community theatre.) But I couldn't afford to take a gig like that, even if it were offered. College students have a definite advantage here because they're more likely to be able to actually take some of these offers.
  
• I got called back by two theatres. Both were educational-type tours. And they both seemed interesting. I don't know whether I could afford to take them. But I don't need to worry about that until and unless I am actually offered a job.
  

Making Sure to Take the Next Step

It's been a while since I've updated this blog — and to a certain extent, I've been slacking in terms of my real world acting-career progress as well. I was very sick for a week ... blah, blah, blah. It gets so easy to make excuses.

So I find myself in March. It's been six months since I lost my job. It's been two and a half months since the new year began. What do I have to show for it? Some auditions that resulted in rejections. An audition (for Annie) that resulted in my getting the part (Grace) I wanted. Continuing with my voice lessons and dance class. I'm making progress in those areas. But am I making enough progress? It's hard to judge. I don't want to beat myself up over a pursuit that can be abusive enough as it is. I don't want to get complacent, either, and think that a moderate effort is enough.

VATTA auditions (Vermont combined auditions for maybe 20 theatre, film and commercial producers) were March 1. I was registered. And then I ended up getting sick. I couldn't prepare for the auditions, and on the day of, I was still too sick to perform.

This weekend is the NETC auditions. I applied (with the required fee) and waited to see if I would receive an audition slot. I didn't get one for musical theatre (what I really wanted), but I did get one for acting-only. Maybe this was meant to be. I'll audition ... and who knows?

I want a professional acting career — and one of the biggest steps toward that goal is to actually audition for professional theatre (instead of just community theatre). I'm taking my first major step (other than a Vermont Stage audition) into this world!

A Great Audition

The hardest thing for me — and for many performers — is to conjure up a sense of confidence while feeling vulnerable and needy. Desperation — to be cast ... to have a validation of talent ... to not face rejection yet again — can turn me into a quivering, warbling mess.

I auditioned tonight for Godspell. I want to get in. I think I'm good enough. I want that validation, and I don't want to be rejected. ... But aside from those feelings, which I can never completely dismiss, my audition was about two things: 1) having fun and 2) believing in my talent regardless of the specific outcome.

It was helpful that I was auditioning for a welcoming theatre company, not a cliquey one. And the production team is specifically looking for people who can work well as a group and be free from ego. I also was there with one of my best friends, which helped me have more fun.

They invited people to sing songs from the show other than the specific audition piece at the end of the night. So I sang a song I wanted to sing. I messed it up (because it was my first time singing it other than with the CD and the counting was tough), but I didn't stress out about it. And then I blew the roof off with the high A that ends the song!

Remember that high G that I used to be worried about? This is a full step higher. And I hit it in full, strong voice with no problem. My voice lessons have paid off. (And my voice teacher says I regularly sing to a C or C# and vocalize to an F above high C. So G's and A's should be nothing to worry about.)

I'll find out Friday or Saturday whether I got in. I'm crossing my fingers. And I hope that this audition sets the stage for a great audition for Annie on Saturday.

Action: Submitting?

This notion of submitting is new to me. In community theatre, they hold open auditions. You just show up and audition. Occasionally, you might need to sign up for a time slot in advance.

So, I've sent out several submissions — photos and resumes, essentially. If I clear that first hurdle, then I'll get invited to audition.

• StrawHat Auditions (large, "combined" auditions for non-Equity performers for summer stock, regional theatre, etc.)


• NETC Auditions (same as above)


• A professional (Equity and non-Equity) Vermont production of Man of La Mancha


• A SAG Indie film shooting in Illinois this summer

We'll see if any of these things develop further!

Moving On

So, I got the expected rejection call yesterday. That brings with it the usual mix of emotions and confusion. "They're a bunch of idiots who don't recognize talent and only cast the same old people." (True.) Or: "If I can't even get cast in community theatre, how can I hope to make it professionally?" (Less true, based on the truth of the previous statement. Still, I can't always stop the insecure part of my brain from thinking it.)

I made up my mind never to audition for this company again. This has two advantages. First, I immediately feel my sanity return. No more getting my hopes up or thinking things might be different when they never are. What a relief to never waste my time or emotion on them again. Second, I finally felt emboldened to use a line I've long wanted to use. When they said they were "unable" to offer me a part, I said "Unable? I'm sorry. I thought the production team had control over casting." The woman who called said, "They do." I said, "But you just said you were 'unable' to cast me. You know, you reject me; that's fine. But I'd appreciate it if you had the balls to stand behind your decision." Haha! I'm not big on burning bridges, but that one felt so right. (And for the record, the lead went to the producer's daughter. Quelle suprise.)

Now I pick myself up and move on. And here's the hard part: How? Do I really? I've said I'm going to "aggressively pursue" an acting career in 2008. So far, action on that has been auditioning for a community theatre show and having my headshots taken (still unedited). Not good. I ask myself: What's standing in my way? What's preventing me from moving deliberately, aggressively and promptly? Why do I drag my feet? Is it laziness and fear? Or is there something else stopping me? I can't think of what that something else would be. Laziness and fear are enough. They are insidious and can eat away at all of my good intentions.

So... I'm not going to beat myself up over not having done "enough" in the first two weeks of 2008. I can't change the past. All I can do is change my future behaviors. My vow: I refuse to let laziness or fear destroy my dreams!

Feeling like a Fool

I feel like a fool. First of all, for being naive enough to think that this time things would be different and that this time the audition process would be fair. Second of all, for being so emotional and upset.

I was crying quite a bit. But I've recovered somewhat. I'm angry, but I'm also ready to move on. And what is it they say about success being the best revenge?

I've had it with the cliques and the stupidity. I'm through with trying to get into such a ridiculous organization. All they are is big. They're not good. They don't cast based on talent.

I know it all sounds a little bit like sour grapes. But I'm through. I deserve respect even if I don't get cast. So for my own sanity, I've got to call it quits with getting my hopes up that this organization, which always disrespects me, will suddenly treat me with respect.

A friend has repeatedly offered this advice: "If you don't trust them to reject you, don't trust them to direct you." Meaning if by rejecting you they would show an appalling lack of recognition for talent, they're not the kind of people you want to have directing you anyway. I'm beginning to see how wise that advice is. I had previously said I'd accept any role. And I would have had no problem with playing a small role. What I would have a problem with is playing background to someone who is distinctly less talented than I am. They probably won't even offer me a chorus role. If they do, I don't think I would want to take it.

Pursuing my dream

This feels right.

I'm starting to take some small steps toward what I know I want, and it feels good. There's a clarity of purpose. It all seems to make sense. There's a joy in the idea of pursuing my dream, as crazy and improbable as that dream may be. I had a funny breakthrough the other day. I was thinking about how scary the thought of moving to New York and really trying for it would be. And then I laughed out loud. Of course it's scary! It's supposed to be scary. There would probably be something wrong with me if it weren't scary.

For now my goal is to focus on the spring auditions: StrawHat, NETC and VATTA. So, I'll definitely prepare an audition that I can use VATTA (the Vermont auditions, which are open). And, I hope I'll be able to also use it at StrawHat and/or NETC. Those are the non-union professional auditions (for summer-stock and regional theatres) that you have to apply to audition for.

Compliment and rejection

So, last night after the show, a guy came up to Kevin and asked to be introduced to me. He was a prominent voice teacher in the area, and he said I sounded terrific and that every word I sang was clear. Yay! :)

... And then I got rejected from West Side Story, of course. Yet again, I didn't even get into the chorus. *grumps*

Audition thoughts

I didn't get cast in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. And, personally, I thought I was better than the girl who did get cast. But she was good, so the decision was still safely in the realm of subjectivity. Sometimes, though, talent is not subjective. There are clearly people who are good and people who are not good. And I've been rejected from shows where someone who could not sing and could not act was cast. Those are the ones that I can never quite get over because I can't even begin to understand them. And I'm still kind of bitter and resentful (because I was treated unfairly). So, with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, I'm a bit grumbly, and I still think I was better, but I recognize that the girl cast was good, so it's just a simple matter of opinion (not insanity).

Last night I auditioned for West Side Story. It went ... okay. Not great because I'm sick — so I didn't sound as good as I could have and I wasn't energized and fully in it. I also messed up the dance audition (which I had done fine up until that point). Oh, well.

Right now I'm mostly focused on trying to be at my best for Urinetown performances, so I'm not really very stressed about auditions. And I keep reminding myself that I'll end up where I need to be, in the situation that's right for me.

A lot of Urinetown folks were at auditions, and that was fun. We root for each other, and we care about each other. So, it made me feel warm and fuzzy that one of the kids thought I would make a great Anita, even if my audition wasn't superb and even if I don't get cast. And he had a phenomenal reading, which was so exciting to see.

It's fun to see other people doing well, especially if they're people you know and like.

Emotional Roller-Coaster

The past few days have been a bit crazy emotionally.

Tuesday night I auditioned for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. That audition went pretty well. It was tough to switch gears from being so deep into playing Hope to then have to play Southern-accented Maggie the Cat. There was another girl there who was quite good — though I thought I was better. And apparently there were other people who were good on Monday night. I really want the role of Maggie. I'm trying to decide whether I'd accept Mae, and I'm leaning toward no. We'll see how that one turns out.

After being out late eating post-audition sushi, I had to go home ... and memorize a Shakespearean monologue for an audition at 10 the next morning! Yes, I'm a procrastinator, but I would have preferred not to have had to do this at the last minute. Unfortunately, I had no time to memorize it earlier. Fortunately, I am extremely speedy at memorizing lines, so I memorized the monologue (Emilia from Act IV, Scene 3 of Othello) in about half an hour.

So I got up on Wednesday morning and went to audition for Vermont Stage Company and a director who is notoriously snobby about acting/casting. (I don't say that to be disparaging. It's just that if he doesn't think he can find the talent he's looking for in the local area, he'll go to New York to cast shows.) My goal going in was just to showcase myself well and not embarrass myself. Hey, I'm not very experienced with Shakespeare, and my monologue was under-prepared. I just wanted to not jeopardize any possible future auditions for him (by causing him to think, "Oh, here comes that girl who isn't good.")

I did the monologue. Then he said, he wanted me to do the monologue again and that he was going to give me "adjustment." So he told me to play it stronger. I did the monologue again. I could tell he seemed pleased during one point, and then he said, "Yeah!"

Success! Who knows whether I'll get in, and I won't hear for a while anyway. They're doing King Lear in the spring. But I think I did well and didn't embarrass myself. :)

Then between my giddy post-audition mood and the fact that it was opening night, I was bouncing around the house all day. I had no appetite and was feeling totally distracted.

The first performance I was kind of displeased with. There were some errors (not mine), problems with the monitor not working (which affected some of my songs) ... and just generally I don't think I did as well as I would have liked. So I was rather disappointed.

Then yesterday I tried to take it easy ... because I think I'm getting sick. (Several people in our cast are sick.) My throat hurt, and I didn't feel great vocally. But overall the show felt much better! Crazy. Friends and cast-mates told me I sounded good, even though I felt like I was struggling vocally.

So now I'm at work, feeling exhausted (and blue) and unwell. (My throat really hurts.) And my goal for the next two days is just to get through the performances in one piece, without killing my voice or getting more ill.

Last night, Cladwell (aka Patient Zero) gave me a shot of a concoction he was using for his voice: vinegar, water, cayenne pepper, lemon and honey. And it tasted like it, too! But I think it helped.

Eek!

I saw an audition notice in the paper for Vermont Stage Company. Since the audition appointments are taking place during Saturday's Urinetown rehearsal, there wasn't any way I could attend.

But, wait! As much as it would be emotionally easier to say I couldn't do it, that does not fit in with my new philosophy of aggressively pursuing what I want. So I sent an e-mail asking whether there would be any other audition times. The director e-mailed back and said I should call him to set up another time. This is the point where I get all weirdly nervous until I pluck up the courage to call. (Why did I need courage? I'd already made the initial contact, and he'd already indicated his willingness to schedule a different time.)

So, then it turns out that in addition to Inspecting Carol, for which they'll have sides to be read from, they're casting King Lear. He requested a monologue and to give me time to prepare something, I have an audition scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, which I have taken off of work because it's Urinetown's opening night.

Eek! I have to prepare a (short, 1-minute) Shakespearean monologue in just a few days! Amidst all the Urinetown rehearsals! And auditions for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! ... And have I mentioned that I'm pretty damn inexperienced in Shakespeare, having done only Conrade in Much Ado About Nothing? Eek! Well, it's a good thing that I'm a quick study and good at memorizing lines!

It's daunting, but I need to remind myself that I have nothing to lose. That's why I've decided to go through with auditioning, even though it's scary.

Roaaarrr! Go me!

Several months ago, when I was at a really low point, I went out to Chinese food. (That, in itself, is unusual because I almost never eat Chinese food.) When the fortune cookies came out, I just knew that my fortune was somehow going to be very appropriate. And the fortune turned out to be "If you can't accept losing, you can't win." Wow.

That's kind of guided my actions recently, and I think it was my aggressive pursuit of whatever opportunities I could grasp at that got me Urinetown. Of course, philosophies are delightful things when they work out in our favor. The challenge for me will be to keep that attitude when Urinetown ends and I'm facing more auditions and more rejections.

Audition Documentary

I really, really want to see this documentary: Casting About.

I was a big fan of Bravo's The It Factor (and was one of probably 10 people who watched it). This seems like that — only more.

There's something at once depressing and comforting about watching the auditioning process.

It's scary to watch just how many talented people get nowhere. But it's also reassuring; it reminds us that talent does not equal success (and that success doesn't always indicate talent). And it shows me that a) there are people out there who are a lot worse than I am and b) there are people out there who are a lot better than I am.

Reaching for your dreams, pursuing something you love ... It's beautiful. And sometimes tragically so. But it's still kind of inspiring.

Joy!

I got cast as Hope in Urinetown!

Finally, I get to do a musical — after four and a half years! (And the last musical I did was female chorus in Damn Yankees, which practically doesn't count.)

Of course, now I'm feeling slightly paranoid. Did I dream it? Or maybe I misheard. It doesn't help that the call was straight out of a cell-phone commercial:

Producer: We'd like to offer you the role of Hope.
Me: Oh, thank you!
Producer: ... Hello?
Me: Can you hear me? Hello?
Phone: *is dead*
Me: Ack! Oh my god! *dials rapidly to call the guy back*

After I called him back he repeated the offer, since he hadn't heard my response. So maybe I didn't dream it.

I have yet to figure out what will be happening with regard to the ren faire. I feel kind of guilty about that — but not too guilty. After all, I need to do what's right for me.

And I am so excited! :D