first published March 27, 2009
Okay, so everybody knows I auditioned for Pirates of Penzance and didn't get in, early this year [2009]. But because of that audition, several really neat things have happened to me. I met a few people there, like Dan McGeachy, and saw some friendly faces there that I knew through other people, like Bob Roberts. But I also ended up connecting to three other people because of that audition that I'm really happy about.
At the audition, I saw that one of the other auditionees was David Bayer. Now, David and I have known each other for coming-up-on 17 years now. Unlike me, he did get cast, and when I went to see the show, we found each other and caught up a little. David was always one of those people I really liked hanging out with - he's entertaining, intelligent, and just comfortable to be around. He even was friends with me back when I was really rotten and going through some awful stuff in life. So now I've reconnected with him again, and that made me really happy.
When I auditioned, I mentioned that one of the first plays I ever did was Pirates, back at USN nearly 20 years ago, directed by Gus Gillette. Lo and behold, he was doing the fight choreography at this production! I didn't manage to catch him at the theatre, but I did find him on Facebook, and that made me pretty happy too. Acting in Pirates under him was one of the few things at USN that I did and felt really good about. I'm sure that without that experience, I wouldn't have the theatre-filled life that I have now.
So today, thanks to perusing Gus's friends list, I've connected with someone else - Nina Watkins. Except she's not Watkins anymore. That's fine, I'm not Grice anymore. Nina was my choir teacher all through Middle School, and I have to say she was probably my favorite teacher of all time. She certainly had a huge impact on me, as she taught me a lot about singing, which I've passed onto my daughter. But my big 'Nina story' is that she probably gave me the best compliment I've ever received in my life, and she doesn't even know it (but she's about to).
Back at USN, I was really NOT a popular kid. My family wasn't as well-off as the rest, and I was always pretty nerdy. I just didn't have many friends, and wasn't very happy there. But I was a good student, and I enjoyed my classes. So one day I'm outside Nina's classroom, waiting because I can hear that she's talking to someone else. And I hear her say, "You know who's really got a nice voice? That Martha Grice." I was floating for the rest of the day on that compliment, knowing she didn't even know I was nearby to hear it. And okay, so it's still tickling me.
So yeah, I've connected with three people I really wanted to connect to, all because of that one audition. Isn't it just amazing? One more reason to go audition any chance you get.
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One of my bucket-list roles to play someday is Ruth in Pirates of Penzance.
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