When I was much younger (I'm thinking 2nd or 3rd grade), I tried out for a school play. I had never sung a note in my life. My teacher then, Mrs. Samuelson, let me try out to be nice and it turned out I apparently had quite the voice. It was your stock young kid voice with way too much vibrato and no understanding of how to blend in with a chorus, but nonetheless, she gave me a big part and I sang and I sang and I sang and I sang for years after that. Lots of plays followed, with some very real parts in high school performing at the Boston Conservatory of Music and a professional show where I almost got equity standing. The cool thing about the BCM shows was that I was in high school, surrounded by an almost completely female cast of college women who were desperate for a guy who was straight. In short, a good time to be me.
Later I had callback audition in NYC for The Secret Garden, and heard words I had never been told before: "Nice job Lucas, but you're just too tall for this part. Exsqueeze me? I guess I should mention that I used to be really short. In a way that made people look twice. So I had a lot of parts to try out for and choose from because I was old enough to know how to work, and looked like I was 13ish until I turned 18. But after I heard those words, I pretty much gave up the stuff. I have no idea why it was that moment. I don't recall being especially crushed, but for whatever reason that seems to be the time where I stopped performing. Aside from a year and a half in Theatresports at college, I haven't done much since.
But that is to change. I think I miss it enough to go back. I want to start doing this stuff again. My resume is a blank slate (other than open mics at Dremo's), so I have nowhere to go but up. So here's my plan. I stop doing a half-ass job on my demo, and actually put some effort into it (this will require getting my hands back on the computer that doesn't openly weep when turning it on) and finish the thing. Then look at auditions for silly Arlington community theater or something like that. I see no reason not to do this.