Miss Saigon
Miss Saigon 25th anniversary.
It’s been almost 20 years since I auditioned for this amazing musical. Out of 5.000 auditors, I was chosen for the cast. It was an audition that took place 2 years before we started rehearsing. It was my first musical and I was very proud of myself. I worked hard for this.
Last Thursday was a reunion with many castmembers, and Tony Neef and Linda Wagemakers, who once again performed the duet “The Last Night” before the film was once shown at the Tuschinski Theater. The film was beautiful, great memories came back and it was an emotional evening with lots of fun.
I started as an amateur and they prepared me to become a professional. I learned to use my voice correctly, have the right attitude, physical as well as mental. How to distribute my energy during the show so I did not get exhausted halfway through the show. These were the basic rules to perform well.
These basic rules always work, also with presenting. These are teachable. I can help you and share my experience in this. Performance and presentation have many similarities. In my next posts I will go into this in more thoroughly.
What they could not teach me was to be authentic. That learning process came after I quit the musicals and went my own way. By myself. Without ensemble, without colleagues to support. It felt like I was in my naked. In a musical I was playing a role, during a solo performance you are yourself. I remained in a role for a long time when I performed, but over the years, I realized that I really touched my audience when I showed more of myself. It also gave me the space to be able to improvise and interact with the audience. It gave room for spontaneous humor and I had more fun myself.
Being authentic can also be taught, but that works best in 1 on 1 sessions. Then we explore how authentic and natural you come across on stage and how well you transfer the message. If you have to present more often, I’m sure you’re dealing with this.
Feel free to contact me.