The Table Read
Well, somehow it all worked out. I was able to leave school early and they had someone cover my class. I felt pretty guilty about it though. (Maybe it's the Catholic in me!) I just felt bad - selfish actually - about leaving the kids who I was supposed to be teaching that day so I can be at a table read - which I don't get paid for. By the way, I never knew that: we get "invited" to the table reads...it's not mandatory. Even though if we don't make it to the read, we could get fired and replaced. But if they make it "mandatory" - then they'd have to pay us. Hmmm...showing up or losing your job sounds pretty mandatory to me!
I walk into the room with a long table set out with name cards of everyone in the cast and the role they are playing. The director, producers and writers are also at our table with name cards - and the executives are sitting around the table like an audience. Talk about pressure! The ABC executives, the casting people who hired me, and the series regulars who get to do this job every week are all around and we sit down and get ready to read this week's episode out loud. I just kept thinking to myself - YES! I could totally do this every week. I NEED to do this! I want a show SO BAD! (But I know all things come in time.) :) SO we begin to read and the script is pretty funny in parts. I was kinda surprised that the actors were delivering the material as if they were in a 3 camera sitcom with an audience, not a single camera comedy (like Curb or Arrested Develoment). I know that might not make sense to some people, but there really is a difference in the acting.
By the time we got to the restaurant scene, I noticed they damn near cut my entire part out except for one generic line. I say generic because in my audition my character got to have some attitude about making the people wait for a table and this time around I say something generic like "There are several people ahead of you". And that's it. I had about 3 full lines before and now it's just this one.
But that's ok. Work is work is work, right?
I was talking to my manager about taking this role yesterday and WITH the three lines it seemed like a step back since I'm trying to concentrate on more guest star and series regular roles. But I decided to go ahead and take it because...One....its WORK and I'd rather be doing this than anything else, and Two, the more comedy on my resume the better.
I just have to be amazing when we shoot so that they decide to somehow incorporate the hostess from the restaurant into the storylines in the future! heehee
I walk into the room with a long table set out with name cards of everyone in the cast and the role they are playing. The director, producers and writers are also at our table with name cards - and the executives are sitting around the table like an audience. Talk about pressure! The ABC executives, the casting people who hired me, and the series regulars who get to do this job every week are all around and we sit down and get ready to read this week's episode out loud. I just kept thinking to myself - YES! I could totally do this every week. I NEED to do this! I want a show SO BAD! (But I know all things come in time.) :) SO we begin to read and the script is pretty funny in parts. I was kinda surprised that the actors were delivering the material as if they were in a 3 camera sitcom with an audience, not a single camera comedy (like Curb or Arrested Develoment). I know that might not make sense to some people, but there really is a difference in the acting.
By the time we got to the restaurant scene, I noticed they damn near cut my entire part out except for one generic line. I say generic because in my audition my character got to have some attitude about making the people wait for a table and this time around I say something generic like "There are several people ahead of you". And that's it. I had about 3 full lines before and now it's just this one.
But that's ok. Work is work is work, right?
I was talking to my manager about taking this role yesterday and WITH the three lines it seemed like a step back since I'm trying to concentrate on more guest star and series regular roles. But I decided to go ahead and take it because...One....its WORK and I'd rather be doing this than anything else, and Two, the more comedy on my resume the better.
I just have to be amazing when we shoot so that they decide to somehow incorporate the hostess from the restaurant into the storylines in the future! heehee
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