Ask Amy: Rejected actor has bruised feelings

Dear Amy: I love everything about the theater. In 2020, I won a regional award for my appearance in "Guys and Dolls" (I was Sarah).

This was right before COVID hit. In 2021, I started to do the school plays at my high school. I got some decent roles, but none as big as the ones I got before.

At our school's show for "The Sound of Music" (I was Marta), a casting agent came to our play to cast people for an off-Broadway play. I thought no one got picked.

A few days later, one of my friends told me they picked seven kids from our production. I was devastated. I have been performing all my life and thought I was good at it.

I am a junior and am considering going to a college for theater. Should I change my plans?

Amy says: To respond, I'm turning to an expert, my friend Mo Rocca. Mo is a sought-after actor on television and had a leading role in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" on Broadway. (Check out his great podcast, "Mobituaries.") Here's Mo's answer to you:

You're only getting started. If your career is a musical, you're still in the overture. Heck, the horns are just warming up — and we, the audience, are excited for what's to come.

I'm tall and skinny and so I'm never going to be cast as a sumo wrestler. On the bright side, when I audition for Bert the chimneysweep in a production of "Mary Poppins," I know I'll have a leg up on any sumo wrestler who might go out for the role.

All of this is to say that if you've got talent, your day will come. You just gotta stick it out. (The great Angela Lansbury was almost 40 when she was in her first musical.)

To be clear, there will be disappointments along the way — most auditions don't work out — but try to use those experiences to make yourself a better actor. Now go out there and break a leg!

(And apologies to all the musical-loving sumo wrestlers out there. I meant no offense.)

Dear Amy: For a while now, I've had an issue where I start to explain something or ask a question, but the other person jumps in and gives me an answer that has nothing to do with my query.

This happens with store clerks, relatives, co-workers, etc. It feels like I spend so much time saying, "That wasn't my question ... !"

What do I have to do to get people to listen to me?

Amy says: If this happens regularly with a specific individual, then you might ask the other person why this dynamic persists. They might tell you something about your own behavior that you aren't aware of, for instance if your voice trails off at the end of a sentence, or if you "uptalk."

But because it is happening with multiple people, more likely this behavior is a reflection of how rude and impatient the rest of us have become. If/when you are interrupted, perhaps you also could interrupt to say, "You've interrupted me; could you please wait until I've finished?"