Tarzan Training Camp
So I go in to sing for the creative team for Tarzan and it goes really well. I mean it's early on Monday morning, it's my day off, I haven't had enough sleep, nor enough time to really prepare the material, and yet, I go in and rock out. They then asked me to take off my shirt and read the scenes. I figured that might happen. So, I did...and things went well.
So I leave the room, proud of my work and excited from having a good audition, and a casting assistant hands me a piece of paper that reads: TARZAN MOVEMENT CALLBACK...Be prepared to stay for several hours...Wear sweat pants, a long sleeve t-shirt, and sneakers.
A few hours later I find myself in 2 hrs. of ape training with 3 other potential Tarzans, 2 young tarzans, and about 20 other actor/dancers up for various roles. We're all gathered in a small theater on the West Side equipped with 2 story high scaffolding, numerous mountain climbing guides, helmets, gear, etc; and a padded stage. After learning some ape moves and creating/performing some modern dance routines of our own (we performed one by one for the team "dancing/aping-out" to some pretty sweet jungle music), we all stood in a line across the stage and answered questions from the team (by now Phil Collins had arrived).
After that, they released everyone but the the Tarzans and young Tarzans (I was sad to see the world former karate champion and a former olympic decathalete go). Then they brought us back in for flying instructions from the team who created De La Guarda. We watched a demonstration on flying from one side of the stage to the other (scaffolding to scaffolding) and then on leaping off the scaffolding free falling to the middle of the stage before being bungeed back into the air.
5 hours later it was over. I'm not kidding. I ended up flying last...there I was, shirt/socks/shoes off, harnessed 20 feet in the air, testing out my Tarzan yell while decimating the underside of my right arm with the nastiest rope-burn/raspberry I've ever seen and ripping off a few calusses. It was SO FUN!
2 Comments:
Hey there,
First time visitor -- really enjoying your stuff. I believe I saw you in Pimpernel in LA some years ago.
Great audition story! I'd read about the auditions but your account makes them sound even more interesting than I would have guessed.
How soon before you know something?
Trevor
Hey Aaron! What's up? My brother and I saw the performance of The Light in the Piazza last month September 17th on our 10-day vacation there to New York. Your performance was outstanding and so were the rest of the cast especially Kelli and Victoria. I truthfully have to say to you that I now loved The Light in the Piazza more than Miss Saigon for which I saw here in San Diego last year. I will see the musical once again next year in February '06 when I come for a visit. I sure hope and rooting for you in getting the part of Disney's Tarzan. More power to you and take care from sunny side California!
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