Introducing Lynda Waters–who will be playing the role of Matron “Mama” Morton in our upcoming production of Chicago! Her blog for the run of Chicago will be titled “Mama Always Knows Best,” so look forward to more blog posts from her coming soon!
——————————————

As I prepared myself for my audition, I was so scared.

Auditions are the worst part of being an actor. I fretted over what song to sing, what to wear, what time to arrive, how hard the choreography would be and how well I would be able to sing. I chose “When You’re Good to Mama” which I assumed Andrew and the production team must have heard over and over during the process. To my surprise, I was the first one to sing it!  I was so nervous that I had to start over and was sure I had blown my chance to play one of my dream roles. When Andrew phoned to ask me to come to call backs, I was thrilled!

Then the fear set in again.

How many people would I be up against? Would we have a chance to read against other actors? Again, I was incredibly nervous. I loved that Andrew had each of us sing the song twice. He gave direction for the second attempt and I loved that. I felt fairly confident that I had done well, but now the endless waiting to see if I was cast began.  When I received my call on Thursday night, I was ecstatic!  I did it!

It was a bit intimidating going to the first rehearsal. I only knew two people in the cast and no one on the production team. I liked that we were able hear each person speak. The read through was a bit bumpy and hearing the original Broadway cast was not really what I had expected. I enjoyed that everyone was supportive of one another and believe we have a fantastic cast, crew, and production staff. When Andrew announced he wanted us to be off book as much as we possibly could by our next rehearsal on January 4th, I freaked out!

My daughter is coming home for over a week and I want to spend every second I have with her. I am sad that her brothers won’t be able to make it home this year and I have presents to wrap, shopping to do, the house to clean, clothes to wash, the litter to change, friends to see, parties to attend and my boyfriend to comfort and support while he directs a show that a cast member had to drop out of just three weeks before opening!  In addition to my daughter, my sister and her husband will spend the 24th and 25th with us.

I will work hard on my lines and lyrics and be as prepared as I can be on January 4th! I like to record my cues and lines in addition to my music and listen to it whenever I have to go somewhere in the car. I forbid myself from listening to the radio or a CD during my preparation for my role.

More on the holidays later!  I usually manage to have at least one kitchen disaster a week!