When I first moved to NYC, the idea of putting myself in front of so many casting directors was super exciting and ridiculously terrifying. I went to as many auditions as humanly possible. As I stood there in the room awkwardly singing my audition songs, wanting so badly to be cast and trying so hard to impress people, there was one thing that helped me to relax enough to actually let my true self come through, and start to book shows.
That one thing…
PRACTICE.
I don’t mean practicing as in rehearsing my songs alone in my apartment, or in my voice lessons. I mean actually getting up and…
SINGING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE.
Luckily, in NYC, there is almost always a piano bar style open mic night happening. My favorites was held at the famous jazz club, Birdland. It’s called Cast Party and it is a total blast. Every Monday Jim Caruso, who hosts the show, welcomes a headliner who is usually from a show that is running locally (either on Broadway or Off-Broadway or just a real fierce talent) and then opens the floor for NYC’s budding talent to take the stage. It is a great way to get some performance time under your belt and also a fab way to promote any projects on which you are currently working.
Since moving to California, I’ve encouraged my students to get out and find a similar event and realized… in ORANGE COUNTY, that is REALLY DIFFICULT! I was so annoyed, and bummed for my students who were super talented but just needed a place to work their stuff before bringing to an audition, competition or their own show. I wanted a place that was welcoming and yet still hip, a place that had a piano and an accompanist and a host who would help them to feel great about themselves. Oh! And, a supportive audience too. Where on earth could we find that??
So, I decided,
WHY NOT HOST THE DANG THING YOURSELF!?
It was like a the most sparkly light bulb exploded from my head! Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner!!! After discussing it with my husband, who was equally as jazzed about the idea, I got on the phone with my friends Erika C. Miller and Oahn Nguyen Co-Founders of The Chance Theater (www.chancetheater.com) I told them about my exploding sparkly light bulb idea and wondered if they would be interested in having an event like this at The Chance Theater. I have been such a crazy fan of The Chance Theater since seeing their award winning production of The Who’s Tommy which was remounted at SCFTA. They have recently moved into a much larger space with performance capabilities in their lobby, and they are always on the cutting edge theatrically. They have a large pool of talent that I’d love to see perform their own material and I’m sure their loyal audience base would love to see some of the actors they’d recognize as ensemble members shine in their own light.
After explaining my idea, Erika and Oanh were totally in! If you are a theater veteran you know…
THE THEATER MIGHT BE DARK ON MONDAY’S, BUT THE GHOST LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON!
So, it is with great excitement I invite you to our first GHOST LIGHT VOCAL JAM!
UPDATE!!!! OUR FIRST WAS AN AMAZING EVENT! WE SOLD OUT AND HAD TO MOVE INTO A BIGGER SPACE!
Our fifth GLVJ will be Dec. 30th! Same time, same link for tickets. Check out the videos from our first event – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG0uy34ZEoSaFwD9oGfbgzBrv4AiWWULi
AND – this month we are featuring the members of the cast of The Chance Theater’s She Loves Me, and Broadway Reput Jane Judge!
Come hear some of the best new voices in Southern California or share your talents at one of the hottest venues.
I’ll be posting more about how the evening will run and tips about giving your best performance at an open mic event like this one. BUT… you can get tickets now!
Here is the link,
GHOST LIGHT VOCAL JAM TICKETS
TUESDAY Dec. 30th
Doors open and Sign-ups begin at 7pm
Music starts at 7:30pm
$10 pre-sale
$15 at the door
The Chance Theater – E. 5522 La Palma, Anaheim, CA
No food or drink minimum.
If you plan to sing, please bring sheet music in your correct key. (Bring a back up song too… jic!)
If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section below so that everyone can benefit from the answers. See you there!
Omgosh so excited.cant wait….
Ditto! It’s going to be a blast!!