by AMY ANDERSON
This week I did something that scared me a little bit: I auditioned for a musical! Now, you may be asking, “But Amy, don’t you have a degree in music with a voice principal?” Yes. As a matter of fact, I do. But here’s the reader’s digest version of my story as a singer. I sang my heart out in college and never felt quite right as a classically trained singer. It seemed that everyone had a bigger voice—a better voice—than me. I loved singing, but I decided at some point that I wasn’t good enough to be a “real” singer.
That was way back in the 90s, and life changes over time. Singing has always been a big part of my life, as some of my happiest childhood memories involve singing. I wanted Aubrey to have that gift as well, so we sing together all the time. We sing in the car, at the dinner table, in the shower— we just love to sing. However, for many years, I did not give myself the respect I deserved as a trained singer.
It has always been a dream of mine to have a role in a musical theater production. I’ve done theater and performed as a musician and actor, but I haven’t done a musical theater show since fifth grade when I was part of my brother’s high school production of South Pacific. Personally, I think I only got the part because I could sing on pitch and the school needed an Asian kid for a play staged in suburban Minnesota.
The reality of musical theater is that there just aren’t many roles for Asian Americans or roles that are open for all ethnicities. As an actor of color, you’re competing in a large pool for a role that is traditionally cast as Caucasian.
This week, an opportunity came up to audition for an East West Players production of The Who’s Tommy. All signs pointed to me auditioning for the role of Mrs. Walker: I’m the right age, the character’s voice is in my range and the play is set for an Asian American cast. Not to mention, Aubrey’s show would be on hiatus by the time rehearsals start. I got excited, and then I got scared.
It had been so long since I auditioned for a musical theater production, and the show’s rock style wasn’t in my comfort zone. In college, I mainly sung arias and lieder. I still wanted to audition, even though I was freaking out about it. This is the part of acting—of life, really—where you can talk yourself out of the next best thing, or you can do what Nike says and JUST DO IT.
I spent a good day weighing the pros and cons and decided to go for it. I quickly prepared an appropriate song, scheduled a session with my vocal coach and off I went to my audition.
Since I don’t keep any regular childcare, I brought Aubrey with me, and she was eager to sit in during my audition. I perform better for an audience anyway. Aubrey’s still too young to watch my stand-up, so I’m always grateful for opportunities when I can show her the realities of life as a working actor and how passion has to fuel one’s career, not money or fame.
It also felt calming to have Aubrey with me in the casting room. My audition went great and actually better than I expected because I had developed a cough the day before. I was worried about belting my high, sustained notes without my voice cracking, but the adrenaline gave a nice assist, and I really gave it my all. Afterwards, I asked Aubrey how she thought I did. She said I was good and she really wanted me to get the part. She’s a fairly tough critic, so I took it as a nice compliment.
That was three days ago, and I haven’t heard anything. At this point, I’m guessing that I didn’t get a callback. While I’m disappointed, I’m not upset. The important thing is that I’m so glad I did it, and I can’t wait to do more musical auditions now. I got my voice back, and it feels really great.
Modern Family is only a couple weeks away from wrapping production on season 6 which means I will be much busier working on my own career. I have a new writing project in the hopper, and I hope to be acting and singing a lot more. So my next entry, in a couple weeks will likely be my last Hollywood Mamalogues post. I’ll tell you a little more about what happens during our big hiatus!
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Photo courtesy of Joanna Degeneres
Amy Anderson is a Korean American adoptee, comedian and actress. She created and hosted the first Asian American standup showcase “ChopSchtick Comedy” at the Hollywood Improv. She has appeared on Comedy Central, VH1, AZN, and the Game Show Network. Her daughter Aubrey Anderson-Emmons plays the role of Lily on the Emmy-winning show Modern Family.
Read the previous Hollywood Mamalogue here.
