Spirit Magazine - October 2013 - (Page 74)

That was all before I stepped through the elevator doors into the Ripley-Grier Studios in Manhattan’s Garment District, and took in the buzz of a million dreamers looking for their big stage or screen break in one of twenty-some rooms on this floor alone. And before I found the door marked Listen to Your Mother Auditions and met the woman waiting to audition right before me—a lovely Asian woman. In a red turtleneck. We looked at each other, mirror images of surprise, then panic. Cue sweating. I’d excused myself to find the bathroom, and when it got too crowded in there to hide any longer, staggered like a drunken freshman back down the hall to wait on the bench next to my me is going to eat me alive. And then tweet about it. So it’s diverting blood flow to my heart and gut. My brain needs oxygen. Luckily, there’s plenty of oxygen here. I took a deep breath, relaxing my belly and puffing up with air, making myself take up space. I am here. I stopped floating away. With my next breath, I let the nerves go through me. Bring it on: the chills, the tingling, the dry mouth, the tight throat, all fight-or-flight reactions to feeling threatened, completely predictable. Let them come, let them go. I set my feet slightly apart and turned out, with one foot in front, to make a stable platform that prevents (or minimizes) trembling and, with Each of us holds the power to affect so many others when we get up to speak. As a blogger who helps people face their fears, it’s a skill I wanted to share with everyone. twin. A series of plaques hung on the wall, given by the United Stuntmen’s Association. I sighed. Wouldn’t life be great if we could call in a stuntman for all the really hard parts? The door to the audition room opened, making me jump a little. The other Asian lady was called inside, and I wished her good luck. I sat up straighter on the hard bench, pulling out my script to study. Let the games begin. S o how’d it go?” my girlfriend asked over the phone as soon as it was over. “Apart from almost fainting when the producer pointed her iPhone at me and said, ‘You don’t mind if we film you, do you?’ it was fine,” I replied. First, I’d taken in my surroundings. There was no mic. The space was small, but there was someone in another audition singing behind a curtain next to me. I’d have to project to be heard. There was no podium to hide behind or hang onto, just a few thin pages of script on a music stand. “Make believe you’re brave,” I whistled the lyrics from The King and I to myself and stood up straighter. I took in my feelings. Without my heavy coat and bag, I felt so light I might blow away. I told myself why: I’m light-headed because my lizard brain thinks the unsmiling producer in front of 74 spirit october 2013 your best foot forward, projects I’m glad to see you! to your audience. It also gives you something to think about other than running out the door. “It’s all just energy,” the poet Patrick Donnelly says about how to give an effective public reading. “Take any nervous energy you feel and turn it into energy for what you want to say.” Remembering why you’re in front of the audience makes how you look to them secondary. I thought of my two children, Gigi and Ruby, adopted five years apart from different regions in China, of how our becoming a family was a story of sadness and great joy to which I wanted somehow to give testimony. Their childhoods were going so fast, and I wanted one sublime piece of it to be on the record somewhere, forever. That’s why I was there. I smiled, acknowledging the two producers and the camera, thanking them for listening. Then I did my best. I saw one producer wipe away a well-timed tear. The other never looked up from the script she was reading. The camera gave no feedback at all. They said thank you, they would let me know. The outcome was out of my hands, and I wouldn’t learn what it was for weeks. “It was fun, actually. You should try out next year,” I said to my friend. From the sounds of her kids fighting World War III in the background, she had loads of material.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - October 2013

Spirit Magazine - October 2013
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Business
Be Here Now
Don’t Just Stand There
Your Adventure In San Jua
Promotional Series: Florida: Full of Surprises
Your Adventure In San Juan
Promotional Series: Focus on Women’s Health
Promotional Series: Focus on Franchises
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - October 2013