The audition I have remembered for 20 years

60 seconds of unforgettable theater

One of my most moving theater experiences happened in a brightly lit gym-turned-acting studio, with a 30-foot curtain to the left giving us just an intimate slice of the basketball court. The actors entered unceremoniously through a double-door to our right, while the director, his assistant, the head of costumes and I sat on the first row of moveable bleachers with a folding table in front of us.

My brain has pruned most memories from my pre-parenthood life, leaving only about 5 minutes of footage stored in my head - and a full fifth of that is devoted to this one audition. I can call up the name of the actor at a second's notice in any moment for the past 20 years — James Ijames.

He doesn't pronounce it like a declarative statement, i.e. Bond. James Bond. James. I James. When I say it out loud, I pronounce it like he does: James Īmz. In my head, I say "James; I James" (with Bond-like emphasis).

If you follow theater or remember names on the marquee, you might know the man behind that m…