Several of our auditioners sent me emails thanking me for the personal emails I’d sent them thanking them for auditioning, but one that I got today really touched me.  A woman contacted me before auditions saying she was just starting out, taking a class and wondered if she should bother auditioning.  I told her to come out, that the only way to get experience auditioning was to do it.  We didn’t cast her, but I thanked her and encouraged her to continue to audition, and told her about my friend Todd’s project that was casting that weekend.  Well, she got cast and sent me an email thanking me for recommending it and for being so “kind and gracious”.  Said she’d get a group of friends together to come see our play too!  That just made me feel so nice and happy.  There must be some real assholes out there that my simple emails made such an impression.  I was inspired by Ken Webster at Hyde Park who hasn’t cast me, but always sends me a personal email thanking me for auditioning.  He also always says hi to me, by name, when I see him at shows at Hyde Park.  You draw more flies with sugar than with vinegar.  Also, I’m an actor 95% of the time, so I see it from the other side and I learn from all the mistakes directors I have make.  Anyway, this gave me a very happy Friday!