End of Audition Season Signaled by Traditional Headshot Bonfire in Central Park
The Great Lawn, Central Park:
As is customary, thousands of New York actors gathered in Central Park this weekend for the ceremonial “Burning of the Headshots” to mark the end of another audition season. With auditions slowing to a trickle, the event always proves a bittersweet one. Those who managed to nab summer contracts tossed their remaining headshots into the flames with shouts of joy and elation. Though the ravages of audition season were still visible in the bags under their eyes, relief seemed to permeate their bodies. The flames leapt high into the clear night sky, warming this innermost circle of actors, still bundled against the chilly mid-April air.
On the other side of the spectrum, actors who made it to the end of the season without booking work chucked their glossy photos into the conflagration with a mixture of anger and abandon. For them, this event provides a special form of catharsis. Chrissy Gartley, a recent New York transplant, was seen tearing her photos into tiny pieces in an especially violent manner before adding them to the bonfire.
“1000 dollar headshots my ass!” said Gartley with a slight twitch in her left eye. When through shredding 8x10s, she took a deep breath and added “I haven’t slept since January. My craft and my boyfriend has suffered. But I was ALWAYS in the first 100 on the list.” Sadly, neither Gartley’s commitment, nor the investment she made in her headshots paid off. Despite going to literally dozens of auditions, she has failed to impress a single casting director or artistic team. Gartley plans to spend the summer glaring at the children she nannies while refreshing backstage in case any theaters are casting last minute replacements.
