When Opportunity Calls and Casting Knocks

I'm a street musician sometimes.  When the going gets tough, I play my viola outside.  I enjoy it and people are generous.  I've been writing about these adventures more in my music blog.

This week, I started to play my viola outside for the first time since February.  It's been going well. I think I've made about $17 over the two days I played.  I played Friday and Saturday.

This is from the show "Extras" that I started to watch in Sunday.  It is funny and everyone should watch it.

Saturday was an adventure.  Friday, my roommate told me that there was an open call for Asian Extras.  The movie in the process of production is "SAFE".  The auditions were held 11:00 am - 3:30 pm at Club Shampoo.  So, I switched my work schedule around so I could go.  The plan was more so to ask the Casting Agency for a job as an assistant or something than to be an extra.  Though being an extra could be fun too.

Friday night, I whipped up a resume, sent the resume to FedEx's Printing Service, and sent some pictures to Rite-Aid to print.  Saturday morning, As I walked to the Chinatown destination where Club Shampoo was, I picked up my pictures and then my resume.  Although, as it turned out, I couldn't print less that $1 worth of material so I also printed a 34-page interview with Donald Watson, the founder of the Veganism Movement.  I have been meaning to read this interview for a long time but I hate to read lots of pages on a computer screen.  Also, I figured if I had to wait around at the audition I would have the interview to read.

...though sometimes they are.

After picking my stuff up at FedEx, I walked to Chinatown and I came to the intersection where I imagined Club Shampoo would be.  At this point, I had walked for about an hour.  I walked around the buildings and alleyways for at least 20 minutes.  I asked people I saw if they knew where Club Shampoo was but many of them spoke very little English and they seemed to be hard workers, like people loading and unloading trucks of food.  Why would they know where a club was?

Finally, I found it.  There was a small line outside.  I was asked to fill out a small form.  The form asked for contact info, education background, and measurements.  I only knew my exact measurements because I once wanted to make myself an outfit that I saw Jane Russel wear in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  I aspired to make it for myself as a Halloween costume.  It never happened.  Maybe some day.  Anyway, the form even asked for my bra size and I considered writing, "None of your damn business!"  I wish I had actually.  In fact, I wish I had written that and added "Penis Size" to the guy's side of the form.  But alas, I wimped out.  So I filled out the sexist form, stapled my resume and picture on the front, and followed the small line inside.

The club was cool looking inside and there were two people waiting for us.  One woman and one man.  The woman was full of energy and just generally seemed happy.  She told us more about the movie.  It stars Jason Statham and is being directed by Boaz Yakin.  It is an action movie and is being shot in New York City and Philadelphia however, the scenes being shot in Philly take place in Russia and China.  Awesome.

This woman went on to say that shooting in Philly would be from the middle of October - December and we could be called at any point.  She told us that the club we were all in right now would be used for a disco scene.  And that was it.  She asked us to all give her our forms.  I waited till everyone else gave her theirs and then I gave her mine and asked if she needed any help with anything like coffee or paperwork.  She considered the idea with optimism and replied, "Maybe! Talk to him", and she pointed to the man standing behind her.  So I talked to the man.  I told him that I had a film degree from Temple University.  He asked for a resume and luckily I had printed three just in case.  He looked over my resume and told me that he would call if they needed any help.

I hope that they call.

This picture has nothing to do with what I have written...but it is cute.

After that adventure, I was thirsty.  I wandered until I found a little pizza shop.  I bought a drink and sat down.  I got out my freshly printed Donald Watson interview as the owner of the pizza place started a conversation with me.  We had both gone to Temple and found our education to be unhelpful when finding a job.  He left without a degree and went to tech school.  He said that he had just finished paying off his loans recently.  That must be a nice feeling!  I'm happy for him.  I mentioned my casting call adventure and he wished me luck.  I left with mission to find a good place to play my viola.

Jackpot!  There was some festival or fair thing going on in a closed off alley in Chinatown.  I got my instrument out and started to play.  I mostly play show tunes and classic rock.  My favorite thing to play is QUEEN's "Don't Stop Me Now", though I'm pretty sure no one recognizes it.  I recently figured out Build Me Up, Buttercup and I love playing it though I'm not good at it yet.  I realized something interesting when I figured it out.  The song starts with the chorus.  I can't think of any other song that does that.  I'm sure that there are but I don't know of any.  During my set I also attempted to figure out Disney songs on the spot since there were so many kids around.  I did a good job with "Under the Sea" but "A Whole New World" needs more work.  I think I made $8 during my 45 minutes at the Chinatown event.  As I walked on to head home and find another place to play, I stopped at a small Asian market.  I bought some kiwi and Bok Choy.  Yum!

Then, I walked to the Reading Terminal Market.  I played there for 30 minutes.  I made nothing.

So, I moved on to Rittenhouse Square.  I made a pit stop at Borders or Barnes and Nobles.  I always mix those two up.  In the store, I found a funny calendar of goofs written on professionally done cakes.  After looking around the store, I went outside and sat on a large window sill so I could read some of the Donald Watson interview.  I was amazed at how similar his answers were to what mine would have been and at the same time, he offered so much new wisdom.  I felt chills as I read his interview which he gave when he was 92 years-old.  As he said, "I've outlived all of my critics."   

While I played at Rittenhouse Square, aside from soaking up the beautiful weather that will soon disappear, I enjoyed an art fair that was going on.  I enjoyed it because the park was busy and there were more people to drop money in my case.  It was nice.  I don't remember how much I made but I remember being pleased.  By this time it was 4-something.  I left the house for the audition at 10 am.  Crazy.  But it was a good day.

When I got home, my hand felt big and tired from carrying my viola around all day.  I soothed this by eating kiwi and cooking up my bok choy.  So good!

Then, I walked to my old roommates new place.  It was really nice to see her again.  Catching up was wonderful and I got to cuddle with the cats a bit.  All in all, the day was good for the soul.