It’s been been quite a while since I’ve performed live for a theatre audience — I’ve admittedly missed it over the past year or two and those feelings have magnified over the recent weeks as I’ve frequented the theatre quite a bit. Here was my recent analysis of theatre vs film from an artistic perspective: film is like the best steak you’ve ever had, but always available when in need; theatre is soul food — you don’t get it often, but you know you need it at least once out the year for survival (almost certainly on Thanksgiving). I admit, I’m a sucker for a good steak — but I feel like I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while — certainly none reminiscent of soul food. Alright, enough of the food talk, it’s time to digest some news from the rare theatre audition earlier today since I’ve taken the OneTakeJeff moniker.
So…earlier this afternoon I auditioned for an off-broadway play 3/Fifth’s written by James Scruggs. The 3LD Art & Technology Center in the financial district section of Manhattan was the host site for this audition. The play is said to be a radically interactive and immersive play in an intrinsic theatrical space and on its surface appears unlike any of its predecessors tackling issues regarding race and stereotypes of the twenty-first century. I enjoyed the audition process: every now and then, the theatre audition serves me well even as I continue my steadfast pursuit of making film acting a full-time working career; it helps me break tendencies I’ve inherently developed from endless film auditions. I also bumped into former actors I’ve worked with that I have not seen in years. That’s one thing that never gets old during this endless pursuit of acting: the acting family I’ve accrued over years with our constant nurturing of one another along our way to the top. All-in-all, the audition went well — and whether or not I get to the callback stage, it was great to get back into the fray with other thespians — from theatre’s past (like myself) and present.
Since I’ve focused primarily on my film career since the middle of 2014, the theatre auditions have been few and far between — I’ve actually averaged just over one theatre audition per year over the past three calendar years. Theatre will always have a special place in my heart whether I touch the stage in the imminent future or down the road — but I get the feeling I’ll touch the Broadway stage one day — until then, it’ll only be one take — for OneTakeJeff.
Jeffery Desalu
OneTakeJeff 