Priscilla Auditions

Well this morning were the open auditions for the Chorus of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" the musical.

Getting up at 7:30am to shower/shave/eat and put on makeup for the 11am start was the first hurdle! That's hard after finishing the Stonewall show in the wee hours of the morning the night before! But I managed to roll out of bed into the shower and commence the usual "prep".

I was happy about the makeup job I did. While getting ready, I was singing my little heart out preparing the song "Last Dance" by Donna Summer for the audition. (We were asked to prepare a disco song to sing - not mime.)

Soon I was packing my bag, printing off my CV (in pink no less!) and then made a last minute decision to change my audition outfit.

Previously, my good friend Cleo Coupe had asked a few times if I was wearing one of my large coloured wigs. When saying no, she mentioned I would look "fine anyway"... Needless to say I took it as a bit of a hint... Considering she has been with the producers all week auditioning for one of the lead roles, I thought I could wear one of the coloured wigs I have to match my new audition outfit - Layered black and pink leotards and leg warmers.

I took along my original outfit and wig - with boy clothes, just in case I needed them.

Then, carrying all my things down the stairs in my apartment building, I stacked it and ended up against the wall on the landing! Fortunately nothing was hurt or broken. I took it as a good sign, the trips and falls have already happened today, so the audition won't have any! (Well that's the idea anyway.)

I popped in the car for the short drive to The Rocks. Of course the sight of a drag queen being driven through the city streets created some interesting traffic situations, but I managed to get to the audition on time and safely.

Once arriving at Bangarra Dance Studios, I was immediately whisked away into a "fake audition" for some TV cameras and photographers. Even though it had already started, I just stepped into the simple dance combo and picked it up in a split second.

After that, I got the chance to register and sit patiently awaiting my call. Journalists, photographers and TV crews however descended upon the Drags for the typical questions and photo shots. So much for the quiet focus I was hoping for before auditioning!

It was fun however to play to the media. Drag stars Verushka Darling, Portia Turbo, Freeda Corsett and myself were playing up big and loud! We had a hoot!

Finally the commercial TV station cameramen arrived, which meant we would now head into the audition. First up was to be the dance audition with Ross Coleman, then if you passed it, the singing audition..

To my surprise, we had the same incredibly simple routine as in the "fake audition". I wondered whether we were being taken seriously at all.. Surely they would be wanting to sort the good dancers from the bad, not choreograph stuff almost anyone could do..

(Previously the organisers had mentioned that, even though inviting professional drag queens to the audition was great for the publicity of the show and the documentary, they were also seriously interested in auditioning professional showgirls. The official words were that it was a "50/50" scenario. So the question still stands, why such a simple dance sequence?)

Anyway, so this dance audition was the easiest thing I've done in heels, ever! A beginners aerobic lesson was harder!

Step Step Step-ball-change, repeat back the other way
Step Turn Step-ball-change, repeat back the other way
Walk around yourself for 4 counts, Walk forward for 4 counts
Prepare Step Turn, repeat back the other way
Shimmy for 8 counts
Walk forward...

After one or two runs, Portia, Freeda and myself were placed in the centre, in front of the panel. All 7 (or 8?) of us then continued to run the routine.

After about 2 more run throughs miming the words to "I love the Nightlife" as well, the audition was over...

Well it was for me anyway...

The rest of the queens left Portia and Freeda to do their singing audition.

Portia was eliminated after that section, but Freeda prevailed and stayed the whole day. Fingers crossed she gets a part in the Chorus. She is very talented and it's no surprise she went far in the audition.

On the other hand, I'm very disappointed though.

I kept thinking - I have a University Degree (Bachelor of Arts) in Dance, how could I fail such a simple dance audition?

Needless to say, I was completely gob-smacked.

I started doing what every person who doesn't make it in an audition does - questions everything!

Was it my makeup? Should I have made it girlier? Should I have worn my original costume, rather than going for the "Flashdance/Audition" look? Would I have faired better as a boy dancer? (Many boy dancers made it through to the singing round.)

Upon reflection though, I shouldn't take it personally. After all, I was an incredibly different body shape and size to the other girls there. The likelihood is that because I'm short and skinny, I probably wouldn't blend in with the cast - which is a reality I'm reminded of every time work is on offer in the venues around town.

Maybe I'm just saying that to make myself feel better, but auditions can be c*nts, and I refuse to let this one make me feel bad...

If nothing else, I got some free publicity on TV, print and radio, and that is always great to have. Not to mention a new set of headshots for my Gallery. Plus now, I could even consider doing a live song or two in shows - I have at least one song now ready to go! "Last Dance" in G major..

With my hopes of performing in Priscilla dashed, I'll have to be content with selling tickets at work for it instead... That's gonna suck..

Oh well.. Back to the normal life again...