Romeo and Juliet
I gathered up my courage, after the musical people were actually mixing cliques now I had a chance to do what I had wanted to do all my life. Normally I sat with the brains- I wasn't actually that smart I just liked to read a lot so I was in their clique. It was awkward for me because I was the one that wasn't a straight A student. But since Troy and Gabriella had the courage to shatter the unspoken barriers that once ran the students I had a chance to be who I wanted to be.
"Travis and Auralia!" that was me, it was my turn to audition. This wasn't for a musical, thank God ((I can't sing very well)) it was just a play. Well, not just a play- it was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, though it was a bit mainstream for my liking- it was better a play than no play. I took a deep breath before getting out of my seat and walking up onto the stage. I was going to audition with some guy, Travis was his name- I didn't know him very well in fact I was in a theater with a bunch of people I didn't know very well and I was rather frightened. We had to do the balcony scene, I just hoped I wouldn't mess it up. We didn't start at the beginning of the scene oddly enough; we started somewhere around the middle. Travis started,
"I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be baptized; hence forth I never will be Romeo." It was my turn; I was scared but said,
"What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel?" It started with my voice being weak but then around thus bescreened it turned stronger and I poured as much feeling into it as I could. I tried to think about Juliet and her position and feelings and poured it into those words and all the words I said and for a short while I had become Juliet or at least my idea of Juliet. I finally got off stage; people were clapping- though they did that for everyone even if they sucked so it didn't mean anything. I would know tomorrow though when the callbacks were listed. The day after that the parts were listed.
"Ryan and Sharpay!" Ryan and Sharpay got onto stage with their usual confidence though their acting wasn't as great as their singing they still usually got good or lead roles in the play. I admire their confidence, to know that you're good at something like that. They said the same words Travis and I said only they had more finesse. It's quite amazing to watch actors like that. The auditions were closed after a few more people went. Sharpay came up to me at the end of the auditions with her fashionable brother tagging along behind her,
"You were good." She said it kinda stiffly but she was being nicer then she had ever been before, the ice queen was melting and the real Sharpay was starting to show.
"Thanks, though you two were incredible."
"Thanks." She smiled at me and then walked off. It was a rather awkward situation though the ice queen hadn't talked to many people unless she was forced to. The next day I passed by the bulletin boards and headed to my locker to put my books away. I desperately wanted to know if I got a callback but I was scared. I then forced myself to the board and checked for my name. It was there! I was so ecstatic I almost squeaked with happiness but stopped myself before I made a fool of myself. Sharpay and Ryan's names were on there as well, of course. I went to the callbacks after school and I was still scared but somewhat less, I had at least gotten this far. This time we were doing a party scene at the beginning of the play.
"Wilson and Auralia!" I climbed up onto the stage for the second time in two days.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this; my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." I admit it was awkward but we didn't have to actually kiss, Romeo and Juliet only had to kiss during the dress rehearsal and the actual play. I tried to push from my mind that it was Wilson, I pretended it was Romeo and I was the real Juliet, this was my way of acting. I took a deep breath and said my lines,
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." It was even an even shorter amount of lines then before. Only this time she sent people up there more than once, with different partners- waiting for one of the pairs to click. I watched Sharpay and Ryan do the scene together- that must be even more awkward, to pretend to be in love with your own twin though they did well, they made me believe they were actually in love with each other. They ended their scene and Ms. Darvus called up Wilson and another girl, they did a scene that was well but not as good as Sharpay's and Ryan's. Then another pair got called up, and then Ms. Darvus called,
"Ryan and Auralia!" I had to do the scene again, this time with Ryan. I climbed onto the stage again and pushed everything from my mind but this, I had to focus though it was a bit dull to do the same scene two times. I turned Ryan into Romeo inside my mind and me into Juliet. I think the scene between Ryan and I was better then that of Wilson and I, it seemed to go a bit smoother- had more reality to it. Oddly enough, because I'm not attracted to Ryan ((although he is kinda cute…)) but somehow it clicked. Ms. Darvus ended the auditions after that and I left. The next day I went to the bulletin board and saw that I was Juliet, odd I don't think I'm that good but I smiled ecstatically. Gabriella came up behind me to look at what I was looking at, she saw I was Juliet,
"Wow! I didn't even know you had auditioned! You must be good!" She smiled at me, "Look, Ryan is Romeo…weird for you two to be a couple in a play- he's usually paired with his sister, she's the nurse." I looked at it again, and saw what she said was true, weird but whatever- I pretended for the audition I can pretend for the play. Right after she had said that Sharpay and Ryan came up, we moved so they could read it. I had expected the ice queen's wrath but instead Sharpay said,
"Congratulations."
"Thanks." I replied remembering for her this was a contest
"I just hope you won't steal my second place for the next musical." She smiled in an imposing sort of way.
"Don't worry I can't sing very well…" She smiled a more genuine smile this time. I gathered a bit more courage and then turned to Ryan and said,
"So I guess we'll be working together in the future." I held my hand out for him to shake. His hair was a blondeish brown, I always imagined Romeo to have dark brown hair but Ryan was still good-looking enough to be Romeo. At least I wasn't paired up with a bad looking guy, please excuse my vanity- I have to kiss the guy eventually. He shook my hand and looked into my eyes as if he were searching for something, I held his gaze though he broke it off quickly. He and Sharpay turned and walked away with their usual flair- though this time it didn't look so harsh and imposing just confident. The rest of the day was sort of a haze for me, no matter how I tried to focus I just couldn't. When I finally got home I did my homework, ate dinner then went straight to bed though I couldn't get to sleep. I was too excited; I was Juliet in the play! The next day, Saturday, we had rehearsals- Ms. Darvus just wanted to do a read through of the entire play. I was nervous, I might mess something up and my role was important so it would matter if I messed up. It was fun but I was so nervous I messed up something lines a bit but Ms. Darvus didn't seem worried about that but I was. The sensation of acting though was great; it was unlike anything else- better than I could ever dream. After rehearsals Mrs. Darvus asked me to talk with her,
"Don't worry dear, your much to anxious- calm down. Sometimes I feel it's helpful to take a deep breath before going onto the stage. You'll do great so don't worry." With that she walked away. I was left in the theater alone but I didn't want to go home yet so I took another look at my script. I got back on stage and started saying my lines.
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmer's kiss." Then a familiar voice said,
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
A/n: The quotes that are from Romeo and Juliet are not mine they are Lord Shakespeare's.