Dear Nurse Ansalong:
I'm a fan of RHPS but I feel hemmed in when it comes to particpating in the fun. I live in a small town, and the only shows are once a year at Halloween. Because I am attending an out-of-town college, and I work Saturday nights, I can't hope to audition for the show's live cast. I'd like to join a cast some time down the line - I'd really like to play Frank and have even been working on assembling a full set of costumes. But the once-a-year nature of the local shows is one problem. Another is that my family, though they don't too much mind my passion for the film, might be offended if I admitted I'd like to audition. I'm also a woman, and the cast doesn't go for cross-gendered parts - and I might even be too old soon, as I'm already approaching 22! Finally, I have no local friends, I don't drive, and can't hope to start my own cast. I've got a lot against me. Is there anything I can do to get a chance to play Frank? At the very least, how can I work on rehearsing the part (I figure it couldn't hurt) with no one to work with and no idea of staging?
-Heartfelt

Heartfelt, while you might not know the blocking, you should definately rehearse so that you'll have the character ready for when you do try out. Watch the film and keep track of what Frank's mannerisms and actions are. Also, watch for all of the little things that would make up the character, like facial expressions. You could also try rehearsing parts without any other performers. Try practicing songs like "Sweet Transvestite" by yourself so that you can get all of the characteristics of Frank's character in your performance. If you keep practicing, you should be ready to try out, no matter what kind of blocking the cast uses.

You can also use this character and performance knowledge to help you with auditioning with the local cast. You might need to do some quick learning for where you need to go on stage, but you'll already have a performance ready to show. This could also help you get in even if the cast doesn't like cross gender casting. If you can prove that you can play the part as good or better than the people already doing the part, then you should get in. Also, there really isn't an age limit for when you can do RHPS. There are many people performing right now that are much older than you. So get practicing so that, when you're not working on Saturday nights, you will be ready to get up there and show them what you can do.

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