See Bill T. Jones discuss Abraham Lincoln & his work "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray"here:
My Audition with Bill T. Jones (August 2010):
It was the end of August 2010, and at the time I was working a full-time day job at an art company. I was performing shows at small venues around New York City, but I had had no "big breaks", and I was mainly engrossed in trying to gain more recognition around the city through my shows, honing my craft as a songwriter, and looking for that next step in my career. By this point, I had been very fortunate to get to meet and work with some great musicians in the music scene - people whom I had started performing with consistently at my shows and theirs. Two of those friends mentioned to me that there was an audition for a theatrical performance and that they thought I would be perfect for the male lead role. I literally laughed! I had taken one musical theater class in college and I didn't even know which direction was "Up Stage" & which was "Down Stage", but after some talks they told me I really should audition, if anything, to see the process of auditioning first hand.
So, they forwarded me the email they had received about the audition, and on that email were two songs attached that I would need to have learned. Now, here's the tricky part: I received that email on a Wednesday...and the audition was on Friday! So, I practically had two days to learn these two songs...which would have been okay, except they were both these long classical pieces that I would also possibly have to learn on guitar. My thoughts in general are, if you're gonna do something, do it the best you can, and if you're gonna fail, fail BIG! So, I put those two songs in my iPod and for the next 48 hours I listened on repeat, while praying for osmosis to take place. I needed those songs in my bones!
Friday arrived, and I asked to leave work early for some "blah blah blah" reason (we musicians have to be stealthy!), and I headed straight to the audition. When I arrived, there was a room filled with people who looked like they meant business - not many smiles at all. This was serious. They introduced themselves and told me that the director/choreographer, Bill T. Jones, was unable to make it to the auditions today, but that they'd be taping the auditions for his review since he ultimately would have the final say.
So, the first question I got was from the Production Manager of the show: "So, do you have the 5 songs prepared for the audition?" I froze and immediately panicked! I told her that I only received one email that had 2 songs attached, and they respond by saying that there were 2 emails, and the second email had the other 3 songs. After an awkward pause, they said that I should just sing the two songs that I know. In my mind, I'm thinking, "How well do I even know these two songs? I just got these two days ago!".
I sang as best as I could, and I looked around the room, and there were no signs of expressions of excitement or of disappointment - just blank stares. The two composers for the show and the current lead for the show then ask me to try to sightread one of the songs I hadn't received, which was also nerve-wracking since I hadn't sightread since my time at University! So, again, I did the best I could, and after I finished they told me "thank you for your time, and we will let you know if you have made the short list". In my mind, it was the classic, "Don't call us, we'll call you!'.
After I left the audition room with sweaty palms and a belly full of butterflies, I called one of my friends who told me to audition to tell her about the epic FAIL that just happened. She assured me that I probably did fine, and to not give up so easily because you just never know. While I was talking to her, I got an incoming call from an unknown number, so I took it, thinking, hopefully, it was the Production Manager calling to tell me I made the short list. Well, my intuition was right...sort of.
It was the Production Manager from the show. She said, "Hi Norman. Thank you for your audition. We recorded it as you know, and we let our director, Bill T. Jones, listen to it, and he said, "You're our guy!"" [pause] I was speechless. She then said, "Hello?? Are you still there?". I returned to reality, and responded, "Yes! I'm here!". She then said, "So, he says you're our guy. Would you like to accept the role?". Not taking into account that I could actually get the role, I realized that this was a big moment: if I said "YES", then I would need to quit my job immediately to go on tour with the company and once that tour was over, I would have to start the job search all over again - but I would have an amazing 3 week international tour under my belt, but if I said "NO", then I would be in the exact place I was in before the audition, and frankly I will have wasted my time and theirs so...
I said YES! As my dad always says, "Chance takers are profit makers". She said, "Great! Rehearsal begins on Sunday." I now had to learn about 13 songs, including parts on guitar and parts on an Irish lute instrument called a Bazuki, and in two weeks I would be on tour in Lyon, France opening the central show, our show, "Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray" for the Biennale de la Danse (the largest Dance Biennial in Europe) in front of about 2,000 audience members and international press.
That Monday, I put in my two weeks resignation, and I began rehearsal with the company. That first full rehearsal I finally met Bill T. Jones, and I immediately understood why he is so honored and recognized. It's simple: he's a genius!
http://www.newyorklivearts.org/about/bill-t-jones.php
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