Behind the Scenes

Daniel smiled to himself. He was rather impressed by the crowd his fliers
produced. He gazed at the variety of people the audition announcements
generated. There were the usual Drama club people right up front pouring over
their scripts. The new comers and those not as well versed in rehearsal
etiquette hung in the back. Some of them forced smiles when his eyes settled on
them. They looked like caged animals being put through hoops in a circus. He
chuckled lightly; there was nothing he loved more than running a show. There
was some unnatural energy it produced in him. Like a man possessed he flew
through every task just so he could devote his entire being to the play at
hand.

Daniel pulled himself to his full height and brushed some invisible lint off
of his sweater before addressing the assembled students. "All right, quiet
down and we will get this thing started. I hope all of you have filled out the
form you received at the door and returned them to me. I’m glad to see some new
faces in addition to my returning fans." His last remark elicited a groan
from the first two rows of people.

A curly haired brunette pulled herself away from her script long enough to
catcall and yell, "It’s because we enjoy looking at your ass so
much!" This prompted many hollers and calls from other returning actors
and actresses.

"Chloëclass=GramE> , I was hoping that I could get through at least the first
five minutes without comments from you," Daniel replied with a grin. He
thought back to the day he’d met the petite girl with chestnut curls. She
seemed quiet, shy, and introspective; he now knew much better. Sure she had her
moments but in
the right atmosphere Chloë was downright dangerous.

"Now we all know why we are here. Acting is an art form and you have
all decided to take a shot at it. I know some of you will be disappointed as
there are not enough parts to go around. I do hope that a lack of a place for
you in this production will not discourage you from auditioning for our next
one. With that said lets get on with it. As you all know this is a murder
mystery. We will be reading a variety of parts today. Detective class=SpellE>Matthis is a great detective with an uncanny ability to
piece clues together. Monsieur DeLouis is a rich man
with a large country estate. Life is going well for him until he is found
murdered in his study. Needless to say we will not be auditioning specifically
for him," with this Daniel paused to look around the room. He had already
lost the attention of a few of the "newbies."

Go figure, if they’re bored already I can imagine what rehearsal would
do.

"Madame DeLouis is your typical aristocratic
female. She is spoiled and loves to be pampered. Her daughter, Clarice, is just
like her. Her brother, Jean, appears to be the typical spoiled playboy.
However, he resents his prominent position in society and his father’s strong
hold on his life. He is in love with the voluptuous maid Madeleine but his
father refuses to allow their marriage. Madeleine is the only character in this
play with a French accent. With that said I hope you will be able to read the
parts better." At the end of this speech Daniel checked out people’s
reactions. The experienced performers were flipping through their scripts
looking for each of the parts he had just described while most of the new ones
either watched him intently or gazed around the room in boredom.

"All right let’s get the first people up here. When I call your name
come up and read the part I tell you to. I may stop you in the middle of
something to switch parts around. Some people may not be called up as often;
don’t hyperventilate on me I know what you guys can do. I need to hear from
some of those I’ve never worked with so I can assess their capabilities. With
that said can I get Sarah and James up here?"