Audition, with Burek on the side

I had another audition today. I was good, pretty good considering how nervous I was. Yes, still. I'm not sure why, but I always am before any public performance... more-less.
First, I did my monologue, looking right at the director's eyes. I'm not sure if that's the way to do it, 'cause he can do something to throw me off my lines. He did smile couple of times. That's a good sign since my monologue is a bit funny.
Then, I had to read from the sides(the play.) I've never seen this play before. It's apparently by a well-known English playwright I've never heard off. English literature, except for Shakespeare, was not the strong point of the University of Nis. It was interesting, and I think I read well, considering I've never seen the lines before.
The call backs are next week, and hopefully, he'll call me back.
Afterwords, M. and I went to the Balkan restaurant, "Djerdan" for the first time.
It resembles a Balkan "kafana," an ethnic restaurant, and it has the full menu to prove it--burek, jogurt, sopska salata, baklava, tulumba--all traditional Serbian and Bosnian dishes. We weren't sure if the place is Serbian or Bosnian. Our waiter had Bosnian accent. Two waitresses, despite looking Slavic, were speaking obviously non-native English. Bosnian drawings are on the walls. And papers on the bar.
So my guess is-it's a Bosnian Serb's place. Not that it really matters.
Burek was good, sopska salad was not really sopska-most of it was mixed greens. It must be sopska a la New York.
Tulumba was excellent, but baklava was very disappointing. Hard, not soft and syrupy, as it supposed to be. But overall, it seems like an authentic place, where one can eat well for a reasonable price.
Next time, we'll go for burek and tulumbe. And jogurt. The one you drink.

Seurat, auditions

I had another audition today, this time in my league-a student film. It was fun, and the best one I had so far. The audition itself was in the same neighborhood as the previous ones, but in a professional looking studio, with autographed headshots of real, famous actors on the walls.
The "casting agent" was also a screenplay writer, but because he was young and only getting into the business( I presume,) he was nice, gave me time of the day and the atmosphere was much more relaxed that previously. I didn't do the monologue, but read the "sides," which is acting vocabulary for the parts of the script you read during an audition. So I read, we talked, I read again and than he said he'll get back to me. The shoot, if he ever calls me back, will be outside of New York. But that's o.k. It would be fun, and a good experience.
As it happens, everything happens at the same time. I got a phone call for another student film just hours later. This audition is on Monday, also for an interesting, a pretty big role in a NYFA film.
So, keep your fingers crossed. It's good experience and, boy, do I need it!
On my way back from the audition, M. and I stopped at packed MoMA, to see Seurat.
I highly recommend the exhibition! His late work is amazing! I was stunned by his drawings from the family of "At the concert European," where he's drawn nightclub singers and the atmosphere in French clubs from late XIX century, with such insight. He's a symbolist, with the heightened use of mysticism. His best work was just before he died, at the age of 31, from diphtheria. It's amazing how much he was able to achieve in such a short life. What a waste.
So go, see it, now!

Saint Sava Orthodox Church

I've met the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral's priest today. I met him in the church's office, just behind the church itself.
He was still busy even though I came exactly on time for our meeting. There were other four Serb-Americans there, speaking Serblish. I'd smiled, listening to them discussing some church business passionately. Kept thinking, Serbs have to be passionate about everything.
They spoke this hybrid of Serbian and English I heard before, from Serbs living in the States longer than in Serbia, and talking to other Serbs. I understand the challenge. You wanna speak Serbian to a Serb, but in the States,there's this compulsion to speak English. It's confusing. You know, you've being bombed with English every minute of every day. So you end up speaking both languages badly.And only the other fellow Serb-Americans can actually understand you. Literaly.
Anyway, after about 20 minutes of being a fly on the wall, the priest led me to another room, to have our conversation/interview.
He is a good interviewee, and seems to be a very honest and kind man. He was very open with all the answers. And gave me a thorough tour of the church's property.
I found out that the church finance itself only thorough donations.
He was proud of the fact that it's located in such a prominent place-across from Madison Square Park,and just around the corner of the Flatiron building. But, the location makes the maintenance expensive. And difficult and expensive parking makes it hard for some believers to come to the weekly service.
This church is, however, among the top ten to see in New York City.
It was renovated recently and it is quite beautiful. I was struck by the rose window, built from a very generous anonymous donation.
If you're ever in New York, and happen to be close to the Flatiron, see the church.
If it's closed, just go around it, and someone will open the door. That is very, very Serbian.