The State of My Career in 2015
This is a little statistical bonus blog to go along with the rest of my Year in Review that can be found here: https://medium.com/@mackgord
The content of this could be deemed somewhat sensitive and is often a bit of a closed door when it comes to public discussion. I hope that my transparency is taken the right way, as candor and honest reflection rather than bragging or whining.
Throughout 2015, I kept track of several details of my career on a pure numbers basis. It helps me to assess, at the end, the trajectory, challenges, and triumphs of my career as a theatre artist. I’ll list these auditions by category, date, venue, production, and finally, the status of that audition; did I get the job (‘booked’), get called back, or was I passed on (note, general auditions are not applicable to any of these outcomes). Here goes:
AUDITIONS — THEATRE
March 20 — Chemainus Theatre Festival — Jeeves in Bloom: Passed
April 11 — Project X Theatre — Robin Hood/Shakespeare Show: Booked
April 21—Blackbird Theatre — The Rivals: Passed
May 4 — Green Thumb Theatre — General: N/A
August 17— Bard on the Beach — Othello: Passed
September 10— PI Theatre — Invisible Hand: Passed
November 12— Carousel Theatre — Go Dog Go (video submission): Passed
December 15 — Carousel Theatre — Jungle Book: Passed
December 21 — Chemainus Theatre Festival — Harvey (vid sub.): Booked
This year was much better than last year as far as opportunities to audition goes, though I’m still rabid for more chances to get in front of directors and show my work. There are so many politics/intangibles that go into the selection of actors but the only time I ever feel really discouraged is when I don’t even get a chance. 2015 began and ended with Chemainus and opposite outcomes. I’m really excited to head back there in April. Ultimately, I had 8 roles on the line in 2015 and I booked 2 of them, which is a percentage I’m happy with but a consistency that leaves me cold.
AUDITIONS — Film/TV/Commercial
January 24 — AAA Commercial Audition — Passed
January 29 — Subaru Car Commercial — Passed
February 2 — Albert (Motion Capture) — Passed
February 16 — Tales From the Darkside (vid. sub.) — Passed
March 19 — Radio Hype— Called Back (March 25)
April 6 — Garage Sale Mystery— April 6 — Garage Sale Mysteries — Passed
April 9 — Cedar Creek — Passed
April 28 — Cedar Creek — Passed
May 5— The Ties that Bind — Passed
Sept 11 — Lifetime Series — Passed
Sept 21 — The Bridge — Passed
Despite not booking anything in Film and TV through auditioning, I still managed to do a bit of work in the field through smaller independent options. Film and TV work is hard. It’s a lot more competitive and I often find myself less certain of how to be in the room. The answer is always to be your own engaging self but that’s easier to say than to do. Either way, I think I’m getting better at it and look forward to the opportunities I get in 2016.
Now for the much more cheery accounting of the work I actually did and a small rundown of what each project was.
THEATRE
February 11 — Staircase Theatre — Love Letters (reading)
This was a really fun little reading that Kaitlin and I did for Maryanne Renzetti’s company. The script calls to be read rather than memorized and it tells the story of two lovers’ correspondence over the years.
February 20 — Arts Club Theatre — The Foreigner
We did The Foreigner last year with Pacific Theatre and the Arts Club picked up the contract to send us out on their Lower Mainland tour. It was great fun to do the shows for such large audiences.
March 17 — Gateway Theatre — Gross Misconduct (reading)
Meghan Gardiner’s new play Gross Misconduct received a reading at Gateway’s Scene First intiative for new plays. It’s a provocative play that really challenged the audience’s ideas about what a character they like is capable of.
March 18 — Pull Festival IV
I was one of the director’s for 2015’s Pull Festival, putting up short plays by BC’s emerging playwrights. My plays were about a couple on a blind date who were trying to negotiate the proposition of cannibalism; and a distopic sci-fi chase scene involving a literal pandora’s box.
April 13 — Peter n’ Chris Sketch
This sketch was initially considered for College Humor but is currently living somewhere in limbo on Peter’s computer.
May 8 — Mojio Commercial
May 18 — Science World On the Road — Prince George
I got a part time job this year doing road shows with Science World, bringing fun demonstrations to elementary and middle schools around British Columbia (outside of Vancouver).
June 3 — My True Story (web series)
This was the first of three sessions to film this really interesting web series I’m working on (as an actor). More to come on this in 2016.
June 7th — Science World On the Road — Kamloops
Another trip with Science World, during this one we got to attend a school that had originally been axed for closing by the school district but instead decide to go ‘off the grid,’ installing a wood burning stove and minihydro power converters to take their annual budget from over 100 grand/year to absolutely nothing (aside from the roughly 16k install and current maintenance).
July 16 — Project X Theatre — Robin Hood
I went to Kamloops in late June to start working on Project X’s Summer production of Robin Hood. I was playing the title roll so how could that not be the coolest?
September 11 — Level-Headed Friends Productions — Shake the Sheets!
This is a play I wrote myself that Kaitlin and I produced for Vancouver’s Fringe Festival. It was a rousing success with an almost sold out run, the cover of the Westender and (mostly) great reviews.
October 9 — Pacific Theatre — Smoke on the Mountain
The polar opposite of Shake the Sheets! I played a well-meaning Southern Baptist preacher who was hosting a family of travelling blue grass musicians in his rickety chapel.
October 16th — Science World Murder Mystery
I wrote the script for Science World’s annual murder mystery, an eight cast member multi-media even for 1200 audience members. I was acting in Smoke on the Mountain at the time and never got to see the finished product.
October 22 — Filter Commercial
A commercial for an app that filters your text messages. I had to ring a little bell.
November 7— Twenty-Something Theatre — Small Change (reading)
As a part of Twenty-Something’s initiative for emerging writer’s, one of my oldest finished plays got a chance to be heard by a small audience. I must say it was awkward and strange to see words I wrote so long ago spoken aloud. It was a cool and valuable opportunity nonetheless.
November 15th — Peter n’ Chris — Peter n’ Chris and the Hungry Heart Motel
I went along with the guys to run their tech and drive their rental car as they toured Kelowna middle and high schools. It was so fun.
In addition to these larger projects, my patchwork paycheque was also made up of simulation work for institutions such as the Justice Institute of BC and UBC Medical. I worked 8 times for the Justice Institute and 7 small contracts as a standardized patient.
I was busy in 2015 but not as busy as I like to be. Amongst this work was also time-spent on writing projects that have yet to see the light of day. In this industry you spend most of your time opening a house full of doors and hoping that one of those doors actually leads into a room rather than back outside. I’m hopeful for 2016.
END OF YEAR MISCELLANY
I had three haircuts in February, May and October.
I also had three colds, with two of them spanning much longer periods of time than I’m used to:
January 5 — January 24
February 27 — March 4
November 9 — December 4 (with some small pockets of good health)
That’s it for me. See ya next year!
