Closed Mouths Don't Get Cast

A little while ago I was called by my agency in NYC for an audition for an insurance video. There were few details in the email except that it was for an insurance agency and to wear comfortable clothing/fitness gear. It was also a high pay rate so I read the details that I did get in my email, confirmed that I'd be attending the call, took off the next day of work, got my bus ticket and headed to NYC the next day.
When I got to the call, there were actors and models in the hallways in sports gear, sweats, gym shorts, running sneakers etc...Nothing out of the ordinary...

As I zoned my ear into the sound coming from the audition room to get an idea of what was going on in there I could hear the faint sound of what seemed to be an exercise machine. The auditor soon confirmed that there was in fact an exercise machine of some kind in the audition room. YEP. Oh...great...Maybe we just have to pose next to it....? Doubtful..No big deal. I've been on a treadmill, eliptical before..whatevs! Easy.
How wrong was I. When I got in the room they did want me to RUN on the treadmill (not walk or jog at a low speed) I'm talking full on RUNNING at like number 7-8 when I'm used to doing like a 3 lol maybe 3.5 on a good day. 7-8 RUNNING on a treadmill is for uber fit people that go to the gym regularly, participate in marathons and triathlons and go on juice cleanses twice month-basically super humans. I am NOT one of those people.

So as the woman began the treadmill my level of confidence only diminished as she increased the levels to maximum speed and I struggled to keep up. I embarrassingly stopped the treadmill as we could both see this wasn't going well. By the end of it all, I was more relieved to have stopped myself than to have continued on and shaved my embarrassment to a minimum. Before I left the room, one of the auditors felt the need to ask me why my agent had even sent me there in the first place. My variation of this question was- why hadn't I asked for more specific audition information in the first place?

Needless to say I left there feeling very foolish. But lesson learned, right?

Nope.

Most recently I had an audition for a play in Boston that required us to prepare a short movement piece and a couple bars of a song.

So I prepared the scene sides, dance choreography and song. OK I'm ready to go. And just to be sure I emailed them to ask how long the movement piece needed to be so that mine wouldn't be too long or too short.

The day of the audition I was in good spirits and everything was going great. I read different slides and was pleased with the work I was doing. After my second read I was asked to wait in the lobby. A couple minutes later someone came out to tell me that I was free to go. But wait! They hadn't seen my movement piece or song! I thought in a split second to ask but thought twice and before I knew it they were back in the audition room with someone else. So I figured the moment was gone and if they wanted to see it then they would have asked, right? Right?

I convinced myself of this but in all honesty I keep thinking that I should have asked if they wanted to see it. It probably wasn't going to make or break my audition if they felt me out of place for asking (which was my concern). I was thinking oh well maybe it's rude, or breaking some casting rule if I ask if they want to see anything more when obviously they've seen enough. Needless to say I didn't get a part which (I imagine) is the only reason why I'm still thinking about it. I spoke to a friend that had helped me with the choreography and she assured me that next time it probably won't kill me to ask.

What the hell am I so afraid of anyway? Either they'll say no or yes. They'll like what I do or they won't and I will or will not get the part. Pretty simple. But you know how us actors/ like to self-sabotage. I felt like my hard work and preparation for this audition had gone to waste only to be let down by my own over-thinking.

Well, next time I hope I know better. Take the risk or well...then what's the point in going to the audition in the first place?

Closed mouths don't get cast...