It's A Competitive Industry

It is with out a doubt, that upon reading the title of this recent post, you thought to yourself "No Kidding...this is OLD NEWS!" Well,  what if I were to put forth to you, the idea, that there is no such thing as competition within the dance/theatre/television industry. Have I peaked your interest yet? I mean, after all, how can this be. Whenever we go to any type of audition there can be numerous people in for the initial screenings. Even when you get to the final callbacks, you may still be up against numerous people for that illustrious job that we're all chomping at the bit for. So how is it possible that in an industry such as this, that we would not be in competition with our colleagues. It's simple really, in my opinion, competition within the industry should be viewed as something within yourself. When it comes to work that is artistic at it's core, I truly don't believe competition really factors in.

A good friend of mine turned me on to this thought process years ago. I'll never forget what he said. First off let me preface his words to me by telling you that I, by nature, am extremely competitive. I used to consider everyone in the audition room my competition. Now I consider no one in the room my competition. Upon discussing an audition with him that I was up for, I was telling him who the other contenders for the same show were. I distinctly remember saying to him that I considered a handful of other dancers serious competition. He then said to me " You know, I don't believe in competition. We all have something unique to offer. You are who you are, and they are who they are. If the people in charge of hiring want what you have to offer, they're going to hire you. Nobody beats you out for a job, you book it because you're right for it. It's as simple as that."
 That was probably over fifteen years ago, and those words have stuck with me ever since.

Getting ready for the Flashmob

Now don't get me wrong, there are times when I forget that way of thinking myself. But at it's core, there is a lot of truth in that statement. Think about it. Whenever you hear of someone getting any kind of  job, it usually never comes up that they beat out their competition, but more to the fact that they had what the creative team wanted. Lets face it, sometimes the creative team doesn't know what they want. They may have an idea, but it may not become clear until it's presented to them in the audition room.

Now drawing from my own personal experience, let me share with you a couple of examples.
 I was recently hired to film a flash mob for a television series. When I went to rehearsal there were numerous people there. All different shapes, sizes, ethnicities...you name it. I looked around for anybody that had any similarities to myself. Other than the fact that there were other men there, there were none who shared what I had to offer as a whole. I was the only older, salt and pepper haired dancer guy in the bunch. I had a similar experience when I was hired to shoot a Best Buy commercial a couple years ago. I was told without hesitation that I was there "Dad type." I didn't see one other person at that audition who I considered to be like myself, in any regard.

On set shooting a Best Buy Commercial with Sean Cheesman

Many of you will remember when I was teaching all the audition material for The Wizard of Oz here in Toronto. Now it was taken for granted by most, that I was going to be in the show as their swing dance captain. To a degree, I even took it for granted that the likelihood of that happening was more than great. After all, it was the exact same creative team that I had worked with on The Sound of Music, I was now more than familiar with the dance material, and had proven myself more than capable. I was a shoe in right...wrong. It was decided before the creative team arrived in Toronto that they would not be using children as Munchkins. That instead, for logistical reasons, the ensemble would act as the Munchkins, there-for many dancers needed to be smaller in stature. They felt I was not right to cover any of the key characters and in the end I was too tall and didn't tumble. I received a lovely email from the choreographer outlining all of this. I was told that it was preferable that the swings be smaller so that they could swing both the shorter tracks and the taller tracks, and that atleast one had to tumble. It wasn't personal, I wasn't in competition with anyone else, it was just plain and simple logisitics. I couldn't offer what they needed. Don't get me wrong, that was a hard pill to swallow, but I totally understood.
(On a side note to that particular story, I was invited to the first dress rehearsal of the production and truly wondered after investing so much of myself in to that audition process, how I'd feel watching it. Would I be bitter, angry, jealous, all of the above...Well I'm happy to report that all I felt was happiness for everyone involved. I felt that the casting was appropriate and that everyone was wonderful. In fact, I agreed that I really didn't fit the three key characters who travel through Oz with Dorothy, as far as covering was concerned, and I really didn't see myself within that ensemble. I also was happy with the fact that I was a better person than what I had given myself credit. In some ways, I had evolved.)

Often times when you hear a director being interviewed regarding a particular actor being cast in a production they'll say "When they walked in to the room, there was really no one else for the part."
I remember a great story regarding Stephen Spielberg's casting of Oprah Winfrey in the Color Purple. He saw her hosting a talk show on television and said "That's my Sophia." It was simple as that. At that time Oprah had never even done a movie. In fact, I don't think she had ever acted. There are many stories out there such as this and I have no doubt, you've probably heard a few yourself.

So, when it comes to competition, maybe try to think of it as something within yourself. Something that drives you to be so much more than the last audition or job you did. Strive to be a better, more unique you, than you could ever imagine. That's when competition becomes something of value. At forty nine, almost fifty, I am still extremely competitive within myself. Sometimes I fail, but more often I triumph...usually as a result of my failures. Do your best to be happy for your colleagues in their triumphs also. This mind set will only lead to more good for you in the end. Remember...there's room for EVERYBODY!

Sincerely Stephen Findlay
A.K.A. The Oldest Male Chorus Dancer in Toronto

How Do We Keep Our Audition Skills Fresh?

Michelle Nolden Dancer turned Actor Currently on Saving Hope

So...if anyone has a definitive answer to the question I posed in the title of this latest entry, please pass it my way. I decided to write on this very subject as it seems that this very thing has come up time and time again. Most recently, I have talked to a few actors who are all wonderful at their jobs, but for one reason or another, have all experienced sub standard auditions recently. If you've been reading my blog, you'll know that I myself have had the same experience. Let's face it, we do not have the industry here in Canada that they do in the U.S.A. Not to say that our American neighbors in this industry do not have their slow periods also, but I'm pretty confident that when it comes to auditioning, Americans usually have the upper hand. Why, because they have more audition opportunities. This past weekend, while having coffee with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, she was asking about all my recent auditions. Her reply to me was "Wow, you've been really busy lately with all these auditions!" In which I then pointed out to her that, excluding callbacks, I had had two auditions, no more, no less. In fact, the last few months, I have had a total of three auditions. Now, given my age and specific talents, I do realize that auditions are not as forthcoming as they would be for a twenty or thirty something actor, but three auditions do not make for a busy period. I remember a little over a year ago I was invited to a Billy Elliott call in NYC. It was exciting, and honestly, this audition was great. It was a small group of men in this call and given that the audition was in and out all through the day, I remember quite clearly two actors juggling two other auditions that day and for them, this was no big deal. In fact for them, this seemed quite normal. My good friend Michelle Nolden who's currently on Saving Hope was telling me of the times she would be in Los Angelos auditioning during pilot season, where in she would have to juggle sometimes up to seven auditions a day. That definitely doesn't happen in Canada. It's a simple fact that we get better at things by doing. This is not a secret. It's been proven time and time again.

I remember all the way back to the casting sessions of Wizard of Oz in Toronto where I was resposible for teaching all the choreography. Now please keep in mind that given equity rules, the time allotted to dance and sing people is not a lot. Most from this audition were cut. I was stunned. Dancers that I knew to be wonderful, were not putting their best foot forward. I was asked by more than one agent why the cuts were so severe. Now, other than type, (which no one can control), It was simple, people were not "Popping" in the call. My agent asked me why I thought this was happening. My answer was this, "We don't audition enough in this country". Sadly, many of the younger dancers and musical theatre artists I know, are not able to work their audition chops enough for various reasons. Often times, it's just not in the theatre's budget to run long casting calls. Many of the calls are closed due to type, age, experience, you name it. Some places now will do a big call once every two to three years, get a roster of performers, and keep those said performers for a few seasons. This practice is not exclusive to musical theatre either. If you think it is, you're fooling yourself. Companies such as Soul Pepper use the same actors time and time again. Great for the working  artist, but not great for keeping our audition skills fresh. The irony of this is, more often than not, we're in our peak audition shape upon graduating from school. The reason's are simple, for many young artists, they have spent the last three years singing, dancing, and acting. Their vocal book is established, and they usually have a couple of appropriate monologues ready and at their disposal. It's once you leave school, where in the responsibility becomes your own, do we usually fall short.

Someone once said to me "It's our job to audition, and if we get the gig, that's a bonus." There's a lot of truth to that statement, no matter what country you work in. Regardless of the amount auditions available to us, it's still our responsibility to keep our skills fresh. Present company included. So how do we do this? I certainly don't have all the answers but I do have a few ideas. Now, I say this time and time again, if you're a dancer, don't become a one trick pony. Be the kind of dancer who can feel at ease in any style of dance call. How do you do this, its simple, take from more than one teacher. Don't just take hip hop, or just take contemporary, be well versed in all of it...including tap. I've seen so many dancers crash and burn at dance calls lately because they don't posses even the most basic tap skills....and I do mean basic. I was at those said calls, and believe me, none of it was rocket science. Studying just one style of dance, with one teacher is the equivalent of just eating pizza everyday. It may be good, you may love it, but after a while, it's the same thing over and over again. I also believe as dancers that we need to treat our class time, much like we would any audition. There's a famous saying that goes "Dance Like No One Is Watching." I love that saying, however, I tell my students "Dance Like Everyone Is Watching!"It's that mind set that will make you pop. Every combination is a performance opportunity.

When it comes to singing calls, for many of us, we are at our most vulnerable as we are so exposed. We need to find more opportunities to sing for each other. An actor I spoke to most recently had come up with an idea of getting an audition night together with industry people where we just go, pay a small amount for the room and the accompanist, and sing for each other. This is a great idea. Ideally it would be great to run something like this weekly or even bi weekly if we could. Maybe this is something we should all explore. I know there is a night such as this that's currently running once a month, called Jill's Livingroom. It's a great event and allows you to get up and do your material with a great accompanist, in a supportive environment. I highly recommend this night. (You can find the group on Facebook.) There are also repertoire nights available with many great vocal teachers such as Alan Reid and Elain Overholt. All of these are great options.
Now I know all of this comes at a cost. Figure out where you fit, what's important to you, and go from there. We're all unique artists with unique gifts. It's up to us to keep our talents in check. But please, if you're going to go to musical theatre calls do know this...Trying to take a crash course in singing or any kind of dancing will not get you the job. I know this sounds harsh, but it's true. On very rare occassion, actors who's resumes carry a lot of weight may be given leniency if they are being looked at for something specific, but know this, they've paid their dues and their resume's speak volumes, and at the end of the day, if they don't have the goods, they won't be cast either.

So...there are just a few of my ideas on this subject. If anyone has any other ideas, please be forthcoming with them. We all need to support each other. Remember this "There's Room for Everybody!

Sincerely Stephen Findlay

A.K.A. The Oldest Male Chorus Dancer in Toronto