by Casey Pilkenton
I moved to Chicago in June of last year to get a fresh start with the whole improv thing. I spent all of my waking hours searching for jobs or something to make me know that my decision to move to Chicago was a good one. A friend of mine was living in Vegas at the time and searching online for things in Chicago that may…motivate me, make me happy, get my mind off my worries, etc. He said to me, “What you need is a show to do.” Knowing my love for all things Sedaris, he came across the audition notice for ‘The Book of Liz’ at CIC and basically told me I was going to audition. I hadn’t gone to a real audition in over a year, but I dusted off the old rep book, pulled some fancies out of my closet, and set up an appointment for an audition.
The day I auditioned, I was really down in the dumps. The icing on the cake of my morning that sucked was that I couldn’t find the place and I called Troy (Vegas friend), and I told him, “Look. Great idea, but I can’t find the damn place I’m supposed to go and I’m skipping this audition. I won’t get it anyway.” Just as I told him this, my car drove past the audition location, and I sucked it up, found parking, and went in to “wow” them. So, I did my monologue and then this woman (I later found out that this woman was none other than Angie McMahon.) asked if I could do a cockney accent. I wasn’t expecting it. I told her that I could, but I was a bit scared I’d lied to her. I’d used that accent in a show before, and gotten no feedback (except my grandmother’s best friend telling me I sounded like “My Fair Lady” and “Mary Poppins”). I called Troy immediately afterward and told him about this question.
“That’s good. You want her to ask you that!”
I hadn’t read the script for ‘The Book of Liz’ yet. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Did you do it?”
“No. She just asked if I could…” So, then I sat and pondered…should I have answered in cockney?
In spite of all of my worry, I did get called back. I read once for Foxley, and then Angie starting sending some people home. And, even though she said, “Just because I’m sending you home, that does not mean you’re not being considered. I’ve just seen all I need to see,” I wasn’t convinced. I’d heard that speech many a time from many a director. But, I got to stay for one more round. I read once for Liz, which was a complete mind blower, and I never did read for Oxana (the character with the cockney accent). Then Angie sent me away. I thought that was the last I would ever see of her and this very jovial guy named Chris (Froseth) who walked out of the callbacks with me that night.
Days went by, and the longer time went on, the less of a chance I had. Or so I thought. I called home and told my mom, “It’s been awhile since the callback. I don’t think I’ll be hearing from them. I guess it’s for the best. I should focus on finding a job anyway. Besides, how ambitious of me to think I’d be cast in the first and only show I’ve auditioned for, right?” I got a call that night from the stage manager, Regan.
And she said that I was cast…as Liz.
WHAAT?!! “Uh…sure.” But that had to be a mistake. The lead? I’m no leading lady. How could this be? Sure enough, she was reading the list wrong, but it didn’t bother me at all. She apologized profusely and told me I was actually playing Foxley and understudying Oxana. I had a show. I was about to be doing something.
As my character was only in one scene with one character, Liz, I knew I wouldn’t be meeting the rest of the cast until well into August. That was until I got a phone call from Angie just two weeks before opening telling me that I was going to play Oxana, because we were losing the woman cast in the role, Suzanne, to the national tour. I was shocked. I was actually in Disney World at the time (Aww…dreams coming true, and all that), and Angie still hadn’t heard my cockney accent.
The first run of ‘The Book of Liz’ was a huge success for CIC. So huge, in fact, that we were told there would be remount in the new space in January. We lost a few, gained two, continued to sell out, and tacked on an extra four weeks, as we were still selling out like mad. For the remount, I’ve had the honor (and slight nervousness) of being the understudy for Liz in addition to my already upgraded role and that jovial guy from callbacks because my onstage hubby. I was so honored to even be cast in the beginning, and now I sit on pins and needles every weekend worried that Sarah may be ill and I’ll have to fill her shoes. So far (knock on wood), so good.
This past Sunday, March 2nd, would have marked the end of our run for the remount, and when I heard Sarah deliver the final lines of the show, I turned to Lina and asked, “Do you think you’ll cry in four weeks?”
I know that I will. I’m a crybaby. It’s one of those things I’m really good at doing. But, aside from that, CIC and ‘The Book of Liz’ have become like a second home and family to me. I am so proud to have been a part of a show that has brought CIC and Angie so much success. Once all is said and done, and ‘The Book’ has come to a close, I will have been doing this show, alongside the six other remaining cast members, for the better part of a year–my first year in a new city. It’s longer than I’ve ever worked on one project and really more than I could have asked for; Getting to play Oxana was an added bonus.
With the final show of ‘Liz’ peering around the corner, I just want the cast and crew to know how much I have loved working with and getting to know them since last summer and how excited I am about the next four weeks. I want to thank Angie for the opportunity and for putting a great taste in my mouth for Chicago theatre. You all have become a major part of my life (or at least my weekends), and it’s going to be very sad to leave all this behind. Let’s meet once every couple months and eat a cheeseball, yeah? Or drink some beers?
*Tear*
For the rest of my life I will always think of BOL and Casey whenever I see Mr. Peanut