Author's Note: So, I have an audition tomorrow at four o' clock, and I'm dead nervous. I'm nervous cause, one, my friend chopped up my song, so I have to practice it differently, and two, because I'm scared the pianist will mess up. So I wrote this story in honor of my nervousness.
This story is exactly what I was going through. I wrote this while feeling that fear. And everything Maureen is saying is how I'm feeling.
Some of these conversations are the exact ones I had with my best friend Chelsea.
Audition
The year was 1994, and Maureen Johnson was getting ready to audition for a musical called Fiddler on the Roof. Maureen's audition was tomorrow, and she seemed very calm and prepared.
What most people didn't know was that Maureen was extremely nervous about her audition.
"Mark!" She called from the living room as she looked at her piano music.
Mark came rushing in. "What is it, Mo?" He asked as he walked over.
"Why did you scratch out my music? The song can't be Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, without the second verse."
Mark shook his head, "Those audition people don't like you singing the whole song. They get annoyed. But look, I gave you the best parts. The first verse and the last phrase." When Maureen didn't respond he sighed. "Look, you could sing the second verse till the end."
"But the second verse has different words."
"The accompaniment is the same though," Mark said calmly.
"But the words are different! I know the accompaniment is the same, but what if it isn't? What if while I'm singing the pianist starts playing, and it's different and I get messed up?" Maureen's heart was lurching in her chest at the fear of messing up. 'Stop being stupid Maureen,' she thought to herself. 'The song is the same.' No matter how much she told herself though, she couldn't convince herself. "Please Marky, I'm so scared. Help me." She said as she clung to him.
"Maureen it's okay." He assured her. "Please don't be scared."
"I can't help it! What if it is different?!"
Mark sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I'll go out and buy you the other book, so show you the accompaniment is the same. Okay?"
Maureen nodded weakly as she watched him leave. While he was gone she laid on the couch, curled in a ball trying to tell herself the accompaniment was the same.
Mark came back an hour or so later with another book.
They two huddled on the couch together and compared the music. "Look it's the same." Mark said gently.
Maureen smiled, "Thanks Marky, that really helped me."
The next day Maureen went to her audition, and was glad that Mark had showed her they were the same. She now had no worries, and she sang her song perfectly.
Now all she had to do was to wait and see if she made it in.