Forever the Fat Kid: How I Survived Dysfunction, Depression and Life in the Theater by Michael Boyd

Author:Michael Boyd [Boyd, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781426942426
Publisher: Trafford
Published: 2010-11-18T08:00:00+00:00

In 1980, I moved into my first apartment. It was in Jersey City, New Jersey, just across the river from Manhattan. I finally decided, at age twenty-three, to make a total commitment to my heart’s desire and began a full-steam-ahead journey to becoming a New York theater professional. I had pictures taken, put together a (rather skimpy) resume, and began reading the trade papers that listed all of the auditions slated for the upcoming week. Oh, the money I spent on “Back Stage” and “Show Business.” I would buy these trade papers every week on the day that they came out, go through them page by page, circling every audition that I even thought I might be right for. Looking back, this was really an incredible waste of time and money because no job of substance and/or importance came my way from answering a single one of those ads, or going to any audition advertised. Every important, well-paying, or impressive theater job that I landed came about through some kind of connection, because I happened to know somebody. This is not meant, in any way, to underestimate the value of these publications. They have been, and continue to be, an incredible resource for many working in this business. Actually, there was one job that came my way as a result of an ad in the trade papers. It was my first real New York directing credit and the experience was a memorable one–for all of the wrong reasons.

First of all, anyone who would seriously consider hiring me, an inexperienced college dropout with no professional theater credits, to direct a musical for them had to either be (a) desperate to get somebody to take the position, or (b) doing some serious drugs. I think both reasons came into play with this particular situation. The playwright was a black woman of indeterminate age who shall remain nameless. In retrospect, I’m sure that any other prospective directors that interviewed with her knew within minutes that this was a situation to steer clear of. Instincts told you, within minutes of meeting the woman, that this was a situation best to be avoided. Not that she was a bad person; she just didn’t exude an air of “having it all together.” But, this was my chance to put an honest-to-God New York credit on my resume and, for that, I was desperate. So, with a “nothing can be that bad” attitude, I accepted the offer to bring her work to the stage.

Regardless of the fact that this show, and everything about it, reeked of failure, there were some very talented people who committed to being a part of it. A number of the cast members went on to work professionally in the theater, and our musical director is a busy Broadway conductor these days. I’m sure that all of us who were involved still tell stories about that experience to this day. That show, and all of the adventures therein, could fill a book of its own.

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