Auditions? Success! Sleep? Epic Fail.

I remember my little sister (who has been a professional actor almost since she was born) waiting to hear the results of auditions. The idea that, in theatre and film, if you *don't* get the role, the casting director simply won't call you has always seemed callus, harsh and just rude. And today (or is it still yesterday?), I still feel that way. Even after seven hours on my feet and six thousand words written (so far!) in responses to actors, and it being 4am -- well over 24 hours since I've slept.

I would love to tell all of you that I am simply this dedicated to "Ghost Sniffers." And, I suppose, looking back over these blogs, I am this dedicated -- as this isn't the first time (nor will it be the last) that I've sacrificed sleep for the sniff. But tonight this is more about my sister. Because just because she's taller than me now (she was always skinnier and prettier but the taller took some time!) she will always be my little sister, my only sister, and I *hated* watching her wait for a yes... or not hearing any thing for a no.

Twenty-nine actors came and auditioned for Season 1 of "Ghost Sniffers." Fifteen of them were also singers and they sang a range of songs from Joni Mitchell to "Popular" from Wicked. The roles of Bianca and Eve were incredibly popular with fierce competition but almost every role had multiple actors vying for the spot. Every hour or so, I gave this speech:

"Thank you for coming out to audition for 'Ghost Sniffers.' Everyone will hear from me personally before midnight tonight -- yes or no. And I'll tell you why either way. A little about us: We're a comedy and a drama all squished into one. We post on the web for free, then on DVD, and will be in theaters in March then every three months after that. Our show is inclusive. The show's secret little heart is that, just like if someone loses their hearing, their sight gets better to compensate, these kiddos with medical conditions like Type 1 or autism, maybe those conditions snap on something inside them, giving them a super power like morphing into animals or being able to sniff out ghosts. We work with SAG actors with forty years of acting experience. We work with people who have never acted before 'Ghost Sniffers.' You'll work with actors who play characters with conditions they might have in real life. There is no staring on my set. They is no whispering, pointing or laughing. You will be treated with utmost respect by all the other actors -- no matter their age or experience level. There are only three things you can do right now that will guarantee I won't cast you: Be mean. Be arrogant. Be a diva. If you can't hit a note, or don't know your lines, I can work with you. If you think bullying and teasing and pointing and laughing at someone are okay, even a little bit, then I can't work with you. If you seem to think that I owe you something because you have a big resume, I can't work with you. I work with people. Not resumes. For your audition, you'll step behind the blue curtain and we'll have a conversation. Pretty much that's it. There are some sides for you to read, but mostly, I just want to talk to you about yourself, your character choices, and why you're here today."

And, as a result of honesty -- from all of the "Ghost Sniffers" team and from all of the actors -- we had an amazing day. Every role in Season 1 is cast and I wound up creating four roles specifically for actors who auditioned and inspired me. But guess what?

Do you remember when I said it was 4am? It's now 4:30am and I'm still contacting actors. I sent everything a very quick message just before midnight. I was still reviewing the audition recordings after we'd lost power (wind and rain have replaced the snow) off and on over the evening. But I promised everyone the same thing (just slightly altered). I will not sleep until everyone has an answer. And that's a promise I can keep.

Jennifer