Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Sept 1, 2004 12:11:14 GMT -5
WED. SEP. 1/2004/13:12 E.S.T.
Earlier this Summer, I was approached by a Theatre company to be auditioned for a pair of 2-hander plays to be produced in repertory, 1 of which is quite unusual & dramatic, the other of which is conventionally funny.
Due to conflict with other commitments @ that time, including recording of an album which had been postponed several times already because of professional conflicts (& far more mundane personal reasons), I was forced to cancel my auditions, which I did via 2 separate Emails to different addresses, plus 2 separate telephone calls to 2 separate #’s, as well as in person, no less than 4h ahead of my scheduled audition time, @ the appointed venue.
Even after I had gone to such great lengths to communicate directly with the company myself, their response was to telephone my agent to ask *him* why I had cancelled the auditions!
This meant that the peace of mind I had secured for myself was sundered by an irate telephone call from him, demanding to know whether I had cancelled the auditions because I was uninterested in the plays, whether I knew what a great opportunity I had passed up, et cetera.
Once I returned from that leg of my recording commitment, I was contacted again by the Theatre company, who had not yet cast either male role, & who wanted to “arrange a meeting” with both directors, since they were still interested in having me auditioned for those roles, but I was not able to attend that meeting because it conflicted with a shoot date on the project I was working on @ that time, & 1 of the directors would not be available for any other time, as she was going away for several weeks, so I was told that the “meeting” would be re-scheduled once she had returned.
Last MON., I was contacted again by the Theatre company, who informed me of a given time (10:00 – 11:30) & place for the audition to take place, & would I mind reading opposite 3 different actresses?
Yesterday, I was contacted again by the Theatre company who informed me that not only had my audition time been changed to 10:30 – 12:00 E.S.T., but that the venue had been changed, & this time, only 1 of the plays was cited for the scenes I had to know.
This morning, I rang them to confirm that I had received both messages, but that I was confused about whether or not they had cast another bloke in the other role, since I had been given intel about the Comedy, rather than the Drama.
I was informed that the Drama had been dropped due to certain strictures arising from various Arts Council grants, & that I would be auditioned for the Comedy only, but still opposite 3 different actresses.
In 1997, I was denied permission by CANADIAN STAGE COMPANY™ to have my (first & only) understudy go on for even a *single* performance of ROMEO & JULIET™ in order to expedite filming of JOHN WOO’S ONCE A THIEF™, even though other castmembers were granted permission to go as far afield as Montreal to be auditioned for other plays & to work on films & TV series during rehearsal & during the run of ROMEO & JULIET™, making sure their own understudies got quite a workout.
In 1999, I was held in contempt of court by a Landlord-Tenant Tribunal because the Artistic Director of YOUNG PEOPLES’ THEATRE™, PIERRE TETRAULT, denied me permission to attend & threatened me with a Breach of Contract suit, this despite the fact that I had approached him about the Tribunal during the first week of rehearsal, resulting in eviction from my dwelling & the overnight destruction of my then-flawless credit rating when the contents of my bank account were turned over to BARNEY RIVER INVESTMENTS LIMITED™ by TORONTO-DOMINION BANK™, who informed me of their decision to comply with that judgement only *after* I had written several cheques against the sum that I had *thought* to be in my account @ that time, cheques which I would not have written had I known of my bank’s complicity in my financial ruination.
Adding insult to injury was the fact that other castmembers had understudies for their own roles, understudies who never once took the stage, & in whose rehearsals I was forced to participate, but that my own character was not understudied, even though PIERRE TETRAULT had known far in advance that my presence was required @ the Landlord-Tenant Tribunal.
These are the main business reasons I have not bent over backwards in pursuit of theatrical engagements since that time….
Earlier this Summer, I was approached by a Theatre company to be auditioned for a pair of 2-hander plays to be produced in repertory, 1 of which is quite unusual & dramatic, the other of which is conventionally funny.
Due to conflict with other commitments @ that time, including recording of an album which had been postponed several times already because of professional conflicts (& far more mundane personal reasons), I was forced to cancel my auditions, which I did via 2 separate Emails to different addresses, plus 2 separate telephone calls to 2 separate #’s, as well as in person, no less than 4h ahead of my scheduled audition time, @ the appointed venue.
Even after I had gone to such great lengths to communicate directly with the company myself, their response was to telephone my agent to ask *him* why I had cancelled the auditions!
This meant that the peace of mind I had secured for myself was sundered by an irate telephone call from him, demanding to know whether I had cancelled the auditions because I was uninterested in the plays, whether I knew what a great opportunity I had passed up, et cetera.
Once I returned from that leg of my recording commitment, I was contacted again by the Theatre company, who had not yet cast either male role, & who wanted to “arrange a meeting” with both directors, since they were still interested in having me auditioned for those roles, but I was not able to attend that meeting because it conflicted with a shoot date on the project I was working on @ that time, & 1 of the directors would not be available for any other time, as she was going away for several weeks, so I was told that the “meeting” would be re-scheduled once she had returned.
Last MON., I was contacted again by the Theatre company, who informed me of a given time (10:00 – 11:30) & place for the audition to take place, & would I mind reading opposite 3 different actresses?
Yesterday, I was contacted again by the Theatre company who informed me that not only had my audition time been changed to 10:30 – 12:00 E.S.T., but that the venue had been changed, & this time, only 1 of the plays was cited for the scenes I had to know.
This morning, I rang them to confirm that I had received both messages, but that I was confused about whether or not they had cast another bloke in the other role, since I had been given intel about the Comedy, rather than the Drama.
I was informed that the Drama had been dropped due to certain strictures arising from various Arts Council grants, & that I would be auditioned for the Comedy only, but still opposite 3 different actresses.
In 1997, I was denied permission by CANADIAN STAGE COMPANY™ to have my (first & only) understudy go on for even a *single* performance of ROMEO & JULIET™ in order to expedite filming of JOHN WOO’S ONCE A THIEF™, even though other castmembers were granted permission to go as far afield as Montreal to be auditioned for other plays & to work on films & TV series during rehearsal & during the run of ROMEO & JULIET™, making sure their own understudies got quite a workout.
In 1999, I was held in contempt of court by a Landlord-Tenant Tribunal because the Artistic Director of YOUNG PEOPLES’ THEATRE™, PIERRE TETRAULT, denied me permission to attend & threatened me with a Breach of Contract suit, this despite the fact that I had approached him about the Tribunal during the first week of rehearsal, resulting in eviction from my dwelling & the overnight destruction of my then-flawless credit rating when the contents of my bank account were turned over to BARNEY RIVER INVESTMENTS LIMITED™ by TORONTO-DOMINION BANK™, who informed me of their decision to comply with that judgement only *after* I had written several cheques against the sum that I had *thought* to be in my account @ that time, cheques which I would not have written had I known of my bank’s complicity in my financial ruination.
Adding insult to injury was the fact that other castmembers had understudies for their own roles, understudies who never once took the stage, & in whose rehearsals I was forced to participate, but that my own character was not understudied, even though PIERRE TETRAULT had known far in advance that my presence was required @ the Landlord-Tenant Tribunal.
These are the main business reasons I have not bent over backwards in pursuit of theatrical engagements since that time….