Thank you for the reviews
This entire Chapter is Penny
Also full credit to INWHATUNIVERSE who wrote the whole chapter so a massive thank you to her
Penny took time to comb her hair perfectly. She made sure it was in a very stylish but well groomed pony tail. She put on a more conservative outfit because she had heard things about the casting director. He was very meticulous and the part she was reading for was also going to take place in a retro period where she would be in more conservative attire. She had borrowed a cute cardigan from Bernadette and bought herself a cute blouse for the audition to go under the cardigan. She found a longer, just below the knee, length skirt and some lower heels to wear. She added a scarf around her neck. She felt it went with the retro look. She made sure her makeup was simple, natural, yet brought out her big eyes and dewy complexion.
On the drive to the casting director's office, she repeated her lines over and over. She knew she had them down pat. She dried various methods and felt she would wait and listen to what he suggested was wanted before deciding which route to go with the scene. She felt prepared. The girls had given her a good pep talk before she left and Leonard had Skyped right before she left reassuring her that the part was hers. She felt confident, well as confident as one could be knowing that their whole career could depend on how well they did in the audition.
Penny arrived at Mr. Jackson's office. He was the casting director she was going to read for and hopefully be cast in the role for a new web series that was basically redoing Bewitched. It would be as if it took place in the 1960's era, but would have modern day technology and circumstances come into play. She was trying out for the role of Samantha.
"Hi, I'm Penny and I have a 9:00 AM meeting with Mr. Jackson" Penny announced to the woman behind the desk when she arrived. She put her hand out holding her resume.
"Keep it for Mr. Jackson. He won't take it if I have touched it. I should warn you, he is a bit of a man of routine and has OCD tendencies" the woman confided.
"Oh I have a whole group of friends like that. Trust me, there isn't much he could do that would surprise me' Penny smiled.
"Please take a seat over there. He is with another audition at the moment."
Penny took her seat and began looking around at the other women. She always liked to size up her competition. But the opening of the door and the rushing out of a girl crying as she ran caught Penny's attention. Then came the yelling voice...
'Miss Thompson, I told you that I will not accept anyone that has a squeaky voice, no piercings, no dingy teeth...remember that long list I gave you" Mr. Jackson, came out barking orders to his assistant. " What is wrong with these girls? They can't even enunciate well. How do they think the audience is going to understand them? I don't want any foreign accents, I don't want anyone who can't seem to use a comb through their hair, and what is with the whorish makeup on some of the girls?" pausing and looking around the room he pointed "Now send that one, that one and that one home immediately. There is not a day that I am still alive I would ever hire any of those three" he said, pointing to three of the girls who had come in to audition. Three more got up and left sheepishly afraid of the man. He looked over at Penny. "Hmph...well you may as well come back" he said eyeing her and waving her over to his office.
Penny got up and put her hand out "Hi, I'm Penny..." before she could continue he interrupted.
"Penny, what a perfect name. We can't really call her Samantha like in the original series without copyright infringements, but Penny, yes that is a good name for the character. Write that down, Miss Thompson and call the producers with the suggestion." He then turned and entered his office signaling a chair for Penny to sit in. He took the resume she was holding out for him to look at.
"Hmph...you don't have much experience" he glared. "What makes you think you are qualified?"
"I am the fresh face you are looking for. No one had really heard of Elizabeth Montgomery before she was cast in the role, and while no one has heard of me currently, they will remember me and your series before long. Now as far as qualifications? I have been attending Stella Adler since I was 18 years old. She feels I am ready for a good role. However, my agent was lazy and didn't get me any auditions. I recently fired her and decided to go on my own to try and get auditions and a new agent. I learned of your role and studied other shows from that era, including Bewitched, as well as more modern day versions of some of those shows or others equivalent. I know I am ready. " Penny even surprised herself with her confidence. She spoke clearly, concisely and logically. She smiled when she realized that the logic the boys had was rubbing off on her.
"I see. Well you certainly dressed appropriate for the era. Let's see what you've got." Mr. Jackson pushed aside one pile of papers and pulled out the sides to a scene for her to read. He had a copy and gave her a copy. "You have exactly five minutes to go over this scene and be prepared to read it to me. What we want here is that your character has just turned her husband's boss into a toad. The only way to turn him back is for him to be kissed by a real life Princess. In this scene you have transported yourself over to Europe with the frog. You are desperate to get a willing Princess to kiss the frog as your husband demanded you turn him back."
"I am familiar with the scene. I pulled down the sides before coming here and read them. Now she cannot use her magic to get the Princess to kiss the frog, is that correct?"
"Correct, she cannot use magic. She must convince using her own charm"
Penny smiled. She knew she could nail this. So she decided to go for it. She looked over the scene quickly to make sure none of the dialog had changed and once she realized it had not changed she said, "I am ready when you are. May I borrow perhaps your stapler to use as a prop as if he is the frog?"
"Absolutely not. I don't want any germs on that. Here you can use this" he said, and he handed her a folded piece of paper instead.
Penny took the paper and said "Of course, I don't blame you about the germs. I have hand sanitizer in my purse. Would you mind if I use it before we begin?"
"Clean, I like that. Yes, please do" Mr. Jackson was impressed. None of the actors or actresses that had ever read for him were willing to admit to having want to kill germs before they began to read. He liked that in Penny.
Penny reached in her bag and pulled out hand sanitizer and applied it, rubbing it well into her hands and wrists. "Would you like some?" she offered Mr. Jackson.
"I believe I would, yes, thank you" he said reaching his hands out to receive the lotion. She squeezed some into his hands and then recapped the bottle and put it back in her bag.
"Now, when you are ready, I am ready to begin" Penny sat down and neatly smoothed her skirt and cardigan. It did not go unnoticed by Mr. Jackson. Silently Penny thanked Sheldon for his OCD. She realized this man was a lot like Sheldon and having spent years as his neighbor she realized how to deal with the Mr. Jackson's of the world.
"You may begin. I will start." Mr. Jackson proceeded to describe the scene. "You better get him changed back before tonight or you will regret it" Darrin yelled.
"Everything will be just fine, sweetheart. We will be back before you can count to 5,000" Penny gave her line with perfection. She then snapped her fingers on one hand while holding the folded piece of paper (representing the frog) in the other. She pretended to be looking around her surroundings and then smiled. Turning to the frog she said "Mr. Tate, you are in luck. We are here in Buckingham Palace and there is Princess Eugenia. I am sure I can get her to oblige."
Penny continued with the scene, Mr. Jackson interleaving other character dialog. Once they had completed the scene, Mr. Jackson sat and stared at her for a few moments. Penny knew this game. Sheldon used it all the time on her so she just stared back at him, waiting for him to say something. She was determined to not let nerves overtake her. Her resolve only got stronger the longer he took.
"Well, I must admit, I am a very hard man to impress, but your acting coach is correct. You are ready for a role. You said you do not have representation at the moment?"
"No, but I plan to get an agent either today or this week" Penny replied as if this should not be a problem to attain.
"In order for me to offer you the role, you must have representation. Here are a couple of cards of some agents and managers I have had great success with and that I know are fair and good to their clients" Mr. Jackson handed Penny the cards.
Penny looked through them and then looked up. "If I get representation, does this mean I have the role?"
"Well you don't beat around the bush do you?"
"You are a busy man, why should I waste your time. I want the role and I want representation. It seems to me that if you are offering me a role, it would make it easier to get representation as they know I have a role already being offered. It saves both you and I trouble if we work together and place a call to land me the representation and then you and my new manager can work out all the details." Penny surprised herself again at her logic.
"I see. I find no fault with that approach. Shall we?" he said pointing to his phone? Penny nodded consent.
After a brief introduction and discussion, the deal was made that Penny would be represented by a new manager and that contracts would be sent over for negotiations to begin for her part. Penny also had a set appointment to meet with the manager to discuss her aspirations and goals, as well as to look for additional work beyond the role she had just won.
Thanks for reading
There will be another chapter up later today
