A/N: I do not own Phantom nor, in fact, do I own the people: they are based on real-life people but names have been changed. We did something like this in my theatre class, but this would be if we actually did it for an audience...it was a different play before. Enjoy!
The crowds of fellow students jostled by Libby and Dara as they walked down the hallway from lunch.
"Do you think I could ask Mama D if I could be her assistant for the show?" Libby asked. All the theatre kids affectionatly referred to Miss Daniels as Mama D, since it was well known to them that her family lived across the country and so, as a result, she thought of them as an adopted family.
"And what about me?" Dara asked back, slightly affronted. The two girls knew nearly everything about the show, book, and story. It was just common knowledge.
"How about both of us?" Libby shrugged.
"We'd pretty much kill everyone, though. You and I both know we want this show to be perfect. The rest of the cast and crew would go through Hell."
They stopped in their tracks.
"Let's DO IT." Libby exclaimed. They ran to Mama D's office only to find her on her way to their class.
"Miss Daniels, Libby and I had an idea..." Dara started.
"Well," Libby picked up, "we were sort of kinda maybe wondering if we could be your assistant directors..."
Miss Daniels thought for a moment, then said, "As long as no blood is spilled, and if there is, it's cleaned up before I see it, then I'm sure that would be fine." An excited squeal ran up from the two girls as they screamed a thank you and ran off to the auditorium.
"Guys, guys, guys!" they shouted, running in to find their friends. "Guess what? We're assistant directors now! For Phantom!"
"Shit." Brian swore under his breath.
"I think we're gonna die by the end, but the show'll be great." Alan added.
"Why does everyone keep saying that!?" Dara asked, clearly exhasperated.
"Because it's true." Linda laughed.
"Hey, hey! Maybe she'd let me be an assistant too! I could do costume design!"
"Um...no, sorry Sadie, I think I know a bit more about the costumes than you do." Libby said hesitantly.
"Oh, but I have so many new ideas! I could modernize them-"
"NO. This is not supposed to be 'modernized'. It is mid-to-late 1800s and it is staying that way!" Dara explained, irritated. Out of Linda, Libby, and her, she was the most assertive over things, where as Libby tried to hide her irritation (unless provoked, of course, by means of things like Phantom...or anything Sadie did in general), and Linda, who was just positively and inexplicably nice.
"Oh, well maybe-"
"Sadie. What they are trying to say is no. You dress like a grandmother." Brian told her. Alan tried to hide his laughter as the hefty girl let out an over-dramatic ghasp.
"OK. Before this gets any worse, Dara, Brian, I need to speak to you." Libby said, grabbing the two by the elbows and pulling them behind the old cabinet the school used in their production of "Blood Wedding".
"Alright," she sighed, "this is a bit embarassing, and not very serious, but I feel embarassed saying it out there, and Alan and Linda aren't much help in this. See, I know 'Think of Me' is specifically a soprano song, but whenever I try and do soprano it fails, I'm talking EPICALLY. If I want a shot at this, I might have to sing a few octaves lower..."
"So do it." Brian shrugged.
"It's not that simple. See, this song was meant soprano, and it would be quite a detriment of she sang it lower. Like, it wouldn't be phantom-ish, or it just might not work for 'Think of Me'." Dara explained.
"Exactly!" Libby exclaimed.
"Look, if it's better for you to sing alto, then do it. You don't want to suck, do you?" Here, sing it soprano. Head voice. Now." Brian commanded. Libby did, but Brian's grimace did nothing to encourage her.
"Well...that was-"
"-Suckish?" Brian offered.
"Yeah, don't bother to cushion your blows or anything." Libby told him, affronted.
"Hey, if I do you'll never learn. Sing alto. It might be a bonus that you sound different from everyone else."
"Okay, if you say so."
"HEY. I hope conversing in the wing is part of your skit, guys!" they heard Miss Daniels call.
"Damn-squirrels." Dara muttered as the three walked back to join the rest of the group.
"The bell's goiong to ring any-" almost on que with Brian's words, the bell chimed for Algebra.
"Nice save, see you guys tomorrow, remember- auditions after school tomorrow. Dara, Libby, I'll give you late passes, I need to talk to you guys."
"Linda, Brian, Alan- Starbucks after school! Be there!" Libby shouted as a collective 'okay' was issued from them, "You too." she turned to Dara.
"Yes?" she asked politley when they reached Miss Daniels.
"Okay, so did you guys see the paper hanging outside of my office?"
"The audition sheet for the show? Yeah." Libby answered. Her excitement was building, as it always did for the subject of Phantom. She adjusted her khaki skirt around her knees, waiting for the teacher to continue.
"Well, we got more of a turnout then we expected, a sheet filled with I'd say around twenty or twenty-five names. I'd like you girls to take it and take a look at it, you'll be helping me run auditions, you know the show better than me. I get the final say but you write possibilities for the roles, except yourselves. I'll do that. Here is the list and here are your passes. Go, I'll see you tomorrow."
With that, the girls left the auditorium, each taking a copy of the list with them.
"What are we so pensive about today?" Alan asked Libby, as she played with the straw of her caramel frappucino for the last few minutes.
"The list, right?" Dara asked knowingly. Libby nodded. How could she think of anything else?
"I haven't looked at it yet, I don't want questions raised." Libby answered.
"Same." she replied.
"What list?" Linda asked. The three others immediatly got interested and perked up as Dara pulled the sheet of names out of her backpack.
"It's the list for who's auditioning for the show." Libby explained.
"Hey, let me see!" Brian said, making a grab for it, but Dara, being taller, kept it out of his reach.
"No, no, no! Top secret hush-hush buisness!" she exclaimed. He immediatly jumped on her, pinning her down, and Linda joined in. Pretty soon, it was a tangled mass of limbs flailing and tickling each other. Oh, the joys of being theatre kids! Libby thought how it was a miracle the employees hadn't kicked them out yet. Still, it wasn't very populated for an after school day.
"LOOK OUT! LOOK WHO'S COMING!" Alan shouted over dramatically. When the rest looked up, it was indeed, not overdramatic at all- Sadie was walking down the street, as the glass wall so well showed.
"M-maybe she's not coming here." Linda offered, but "The Time Warp" issuing from Libby's phone said otherwise. It said "Sadie Calling".
"For the record, I LOVE you for your ringtone." Dara mentioned as Libby opened it.
"Sadie! Hiiiiii!" she answered with false warmth.
"Libby! I overheard you telling the others to meet you at Starbucks after school, and I decided to show up too! I have a ride home and everything, my mom's picking me up at six from there."
Without a word, she hung up and to the rest of them said, "She's coming! Hit the deck!"and jumped onto the floor. The others followed suit.
"Hey, why are you on the floor?" Sadie asked, prodding Libby with her foot.
"SHIT!" Alan swore, getting up.
"What's the matter?" Sadie asked.
"Nothing, nothing...hi, Sadie." Linda covered.
"Hey what's that?" Sadie asked, picking up the list that lay forgotten on the table along with their coffees and teas.
"NO, don't touch it, it's only for me and Dara!" Libby souted frantically. Sadie dropped it in surprise, a horrified look on her face.
"Shoot, guys!" Brian exclaimed in surprise, though Libby didn't fail to catch the gleam in his eyes. "We have to run to an emergency club meeting!"
"Oh yeah!"
"We almost missed it!"
"Good memory!"
And with collective 'Sorry Sadie's and "'Maybe next time's they ran out, leaving the large girl behind, shouting after them,
"Well, okay! I'll just get my mom to pick me up now then! I'll tell you next time I'm free!"