A Lady in the Wilderness

I had an audition this past weekend for a play. I was hoping to be considered for a wide range of roles: female roles, male roles, female disguised as male roles. I was trying to come up with inspiration for my outfit and kept coming back to the word chameleon.

So, naturally, I wore camo.

Here's how it all shook out:

THE EVENT: An audition! My first while fully committed to the experiment.

THE BROKEN RULE: Keep audition-wear neutral and non-distracting.

THE OUTFIT: Man, real talk, I felt pretty snazzy in this outfit. My inability to pose for photos really doesn't do it justice. I wore my favorite black dress (that I found on sale for $12!), black tights, those Supergas from the last post (I did try and clean them up...) and a camo jacket. I really like combining opposites in outfits- masculine with feminine, hard and soft, etc. and I was feeling jazzed that the play in question (Shakespeare's Twelfth Night) was practically inviting me to mix it up. I will concede that, yes, I did take the masculine/feminine idea pretty literally... but still. I had fun hopping around like a soldier ready for a cocktail party.

This post could also be entitled, "Tequila Does Nothing to Improve My Posing Skills" or "Troll Pose Realness".

"Is this how you pose?" "No? Ok, what about now???"

THE EXPERIENCE: When I'm nervous before an audition, I drink water. A LOT OF WATER. In this case, I downed a whole can of La Croix on my drive to the audition and when I arrived I was in great need of a restroom. The bathroom at this theater is a shared facility and the director had to go find the door code for me... so, perhaps not my best first impression. However, post-full-bladder, the outfit in the audition room worked well! I felt presentable (I was wearing a dress), I was able to move easily and without much noise (the hi-tops) and I wasn't cold and was ready to blend into whatever character I might be considered for (the camo)! I enjoyed it so much that afterwards I convinced Christian to go out for Mexican food. Sunday is Feast Day, after all. (More on Feast Day later!)

THE CONCLUSION: In the past, when I've wanted to be considered for a multitude of roles, or for a male role or just wanted to look nice but not too nice, I would have worn black cropped slacks and a chambray top. Totally presentable, but a bit of a snooze. This outfit had a lot more personality. It gave me more energy as I walked into the audition room and confidence to perform a monologue that I don't always feel 100% about. I can't say what the director thought, (after the must-pee-now debacle, I certainly wasn't going to ask her what she thought of my outfit) but I felt great - so great that I am actually looking forward to dressing for more auditions, and that's a big statement. Onwards and upwards, friends! Let's break some more rules!