White

For the past year and a half, I have been dying to audition for a play. I am not a drama major, but it does not mean I have no interest. Everytime I try to audition, one thing or another holds me back. During my first semester, I did not think it was wise to audition seeing as I did not know the dynamics of the university yet. I tried to join various clubs to meet people, but never went out to the meetings. During my second semester, I did actually audition. It was for the Vagina Monologues and I really wanted extra credit for Drama class. I got into the production. Even though I had a very small part, I cherished it. It was the part of the 6-year old girl. We performed one night because it was for a fund-raisier. I was happy that I did something like that.  I did not try out for anything in the summer. The first semester of my second year, I did not audition, but I did an applied study where I went form school to school as a Storyteller. Now it is my second semester of second year.

I am very intimidated by the Drama students. I can pin-point a few students I am particularly scared of. Not only are they fantastic, but seeing them makes me not even want to try.

This last night, I auditioned for a play. I am very proud I did because it was an actual production. This would be my first one ever in university. The reason why I never attempted really was because I didn't think there was any room for an Asian character. It isn't offensive to me though because the majority of people auditioning were white people. I auditioned for a play called Arcadia by Tom Stoppard. It is set in England between 1809-1889 and 1989. The fact that it is set in England during the 1800s means those parts would be elimenated for me. 1989... I don't know. It is the director's take on it.

Now only is my ethnicity holding me back, but the fact that I have not been in an actually production in two years. Should I have waited so long? Should I not even pursue it?

My audition piece was "about a girl in love with a man". I told the director exactly that. He made a point of telling me many story lines fall under that, but with my eccentric ways, I notified him of the twist that I have not yet told him. It is about a girl in love with a man. If you analyze that correctly, a girl is any age under 18. A man is any age over 18. It is about a relationship between a 15 year old girl and a man who is her mother's age. Oh yes, and she got pregnant and he left her. 

My problem with choosing monologues is that my shock value for my pieces override my actual performance. 

I did this audition, along with my other Asian friend, to show the university that Asian girls don't just KAWAII it up and be bitches, but they can do daring things like audition for a white play and step out of their boundaries. I recognized so many of the names of the others who auditioned. I decided to do this audition the night before the audition itself. 

I think the director waas a little ataken when he saw my last name was Chan. My ethnicity was a major topic for discussion, but not in ways contributing to the play. I was asked to do accents such as British and Chinese. Typing it out here makes it seem racist, but it was different in the auditioning stage. 

The experience was the key point of why I did this audition. Because it is done and I didn't fail, I have to say that I loved it. I think that it is worth while to do it again even though it is a white play.