I stepped onto the stage. My hands were sweating; soaked, even, and my heartbeat was so loud that I swear you could hear it from all the way outside. I told myself to breathe. I had reached the middle of the stage and I stood on the blue X. The director had my résumé gripped in his hand.
This was my first audition and I was more nervous than I had ever been in my life. Even if this was just a school production and I was only auditioning for ensemble. My friend, who had been in many shows, told me not to expect to get anything better than ensemble, if I even got in.
"Jenna, what will you be singing?" The director asked.
Shoot, what was I singing?! Calm down, calm down. My mind raced, but I heard myself speak.
"I'm singing Once Upon A Dream." I had been advised to pick a song from the musical that I was auditioning for. I nodded at the pianist and she started to play my intro. The moment I opened my mouth to sing the first line the everything faded.
There was a soft whoosh, and I found myself standing in the middle of what looked like a lab. Actually, it looked exactly like how I had pictured Henry Jekyll's lab. I tried to ask what was going on, but my senses seemed to be on autopilot.
That was when I realized that I was still singing the song. Across the room was a man who looked exactly how I had pictured Jekyll. I tried to look into his eyes, but after a moment he looked away.
As I sang, I forgot about myself, I forgot who I really was.
Tears began to run down my cheeks. My heart literally ached. I felt more emotions than I ever had in my whole life. I felt forgotten and abandoned, yet I couldn't give up. There was still hope, there was love, there was always hope.
As I held out the last note the lab faded. There was another soft whoosh and I was back in the theater.
"Thank you Jenna, that will be all." The director said as I stumbled off-stage. The next person was called in, a boy named Evan. I got a quick glance at him as I was walking out, and somehow, he looked very familiar.
"How did you do?" My friend asked me. She was the same friend who had told me to only audition for ensemble.
"I don't know," I managed to say. What had just happened? I needed to lie down.
"Oh, well, that's ok, I mean, it was your first audition." I really didn't want to listen to her right now.
"How did you do?" I asked her.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I nailed it."
"What were you auditioning for?"
"Emma," she replied.
Two days later I received a call from the director.
I was playing Emma.
Thank you to Scarlet Plame for helping me edit!
