Recent experiences of auditioning, attending performances, and waiting for callbacks have the added effect of frustration to what used to be an enjoyable process.  Perhaps it is my personal distaste for an overabundance of social media sites and cold connections, but what disturbs me is it's influence upon a creative sphere. 

The need for virtual accessories for virtual connections in advancing a career is understandable in this age, however, behaving as if it were the only means of communicating can interfere with an artists need for sensitivity.  It sure has mine, if not just turned me off to wanting to engage at all.

After auditioning for a production, I was told specifically that we would be called regarding callbacks the next day.  I never recieved a call.  I assumed that I simply wasn't called back-until Monday morning.  There it was, an email indicating that I was indeed called back.  I had missed the callback.  I recieved no call and when I responded to the notification my regret for having missed it, emphasizing that I was told I'd recieve a call, I recieved no feedback.  I did recieve an email, a group email, that we who were recieving it, weren't cast-no kidding. 

So I put that incident quickly away and proceeded with other auditions.  Two more came my way through my casting agency-great!  One of the two had sent me an email asking if I were interested in auditioning and when I replied, the email address bounced back.  I had no phone number to call, but they had access to mine.  Finally, another email from the audition reached me indicating that they had been trying to get ahold of me to schedule me to come in and that this was their "last attempt" to contact me?  Last attempt?  As in no other resource for contacting me?  When I answered back saying I was interested, they proceeded to ask me to send in a viral video of me auditioning. 

My laptop has been damaged for three months and as everyone knows, performing artists are not the wealthiest bunch.  My phone, however, works perfectly but rarely do I recieve calls anymore about auditions, gigs, callbacks, or confirmations.  When the final audition that came to me asked me to send a video of me reading a script which contained, not a monologue, but scene with two other people, I only concluded that I was in contact with some very unprofessional groups or that we've not only become too relient on technology and lazy, lackluster of the very thing we as artists seek to promote; community, interaction, and experience.  As one who has casted productions, I could not grasp the idea of casting someone without hearing the music in their voice, viewing the dance of their swagger, the pigments of one's skin, the rising of emotion upon their person, and a handshake of introduction. 

I hope that, we as artists, never allow technology to overshadow a personal and live experience; that we don't come to fear our own natural senses and one another.