The Boards, Wednesday - Auditions for the Winter Showcase!

[furnaceface]

Second verse... hopefully decidedly different from the first. Sunday had been the first attempt at auditioning people for the Winter Showcase, and that had gone about as well as was to be expected, considering the fact that most of the population of the island had been... five. Today, there had been a few callbacks, and Jono had gotten word of a pair of sadistic teachers who were making their students either audition here or perform something in class, and so he really had no idea what the turnout was going to be.

Either way, the sign was in the window again:

AUDITIONS
FANDOM ISLAND WINTER SHOWCASE
Give the rest of the island a taste of your winter traditions from home!

No pizza today, though. Jono figured that the residents on the island were probably self-sufficient enough to keep themselves fed today, if nothing else. There was a television set up in the lobby, though, playing highlights from Sunday's auditions, including but not necessarily limited to the three girls who had actually gone onstage, and Troy in a chicken suit.

You're welcome, Troy.

[Open! Come in and try out for the Showcase! And if your characters don't have any prepared material, no sweat. We'll throw something at them, if they need.]

Comments

Arrive/Mingle!

[furnaceface]

Marvel at how thoroughly Jono and Troy managed to clean the place up after the weekend.

Whine about the lack of pizza.

Nerve yourself up to actually getting up there to perform.

Set up your things!

... Or whatever else!

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[wheeler-360.livejournal.com]

Marshall was a little nervous as he arrived; he'd been practicing the last few days, but he still wasn't sure he was up for this.

(He totally was. Silly artist nerves.)

That said, he was leaning against the wall as he waited for things to get started, a cup of steaming hot chocolate from the Perk in hand.

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[i-am-the-rat.livejournal.com]

Hank wasn't nervous at all! All he had to do was audition, and he'd get in!

He really ought to think about getting a band together. Guitars needed drums, after all.

He plugged in his amp, made sure everything was working, and softly plucked out the first few bars of "Stairway to Heaven".

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[angelo_wings]

So, Rinoa hadn't meant to audition on Sunday. She really, really needed to be focusing on other things. Okay, one big other thing, but it was huge, and it was important.

But she got Jono's voicemail and she needed to drop off a gift basket she'd been making him and she hadn't even managed to say hi since he'd come back to the island, and that was all kinds of wrong. So she was going to pop down, drop off the basket, give him a few hugs, apologize for whatever chaos her weetiny self had wreaked, and flee again. Should be simple, right?

Now. Where was Jono? How hard was it to lose a six-foot-tall bluish gray guy, anyway?

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[furnaceface]

Ah, one of the familiar faces he'd been hoping to see here. Bearing... a thing. Huh. Jono eyed the basket curiously for a moment, and then shrugged and made his way over to greet her.

"Decided to come out to give it another go, luv?"

Would you break the heart of a six-foot-tall bluish grey guy who looked that hopeful, Rinoa? Would you?

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[angelo_wings]

Oh, way to pull on her heart strings! She would have to let him down easy.

"I brought you a gift," she said, instead, holding out the basket. "It's more of a basket. Like a welcome-back thing."

There was a theme to it. See if Jono could spot it! There was candy, and taffy, and jerky, and even a few packs of cigarettes -- Rinoa didn't like smoking, but Jono had said he smoked once, so hey, cigarettes. There were some smiley-face cookies Rinoa had ordered online. There were containers of floss, and toothbrushes, and several sticks of lip balm. Oh, yes, and there were edible panties, in what she hoped was Raven's size, and some bottles of warming massage lubricant stuff that tasted like fruit and got warm if you blew on it.

Very obscure theme!!!

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

Juliet tapped into the auditions in high-heeled boots and a fake fur stole -- it wasn't quite necessary for the weather, but it helped set the mood -- and sat studying the notes for her reading.

Unlike in her last auditions, her red lipstick was actually lipstick.

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[glacial_queen]

Well, she had to do this for class. She'd been thinking of singing a few Winsol carols, but considering it was Jono in charge of the auditions, he might fail her for not being growly enough. And with Rinoa and Marhsall both on the piano, Karla's second plan had fallen through--she didn't think the students would want to sit through three piano recitals.

So Karla was going to sit in the audience and try to think of what else she was good at. So far, the only answer she was coming up with was 'Craft.' Awesome. Maybe she could heal a few people onstage. That sounded like fun.

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[furnaceface]

"Came in looking to audition, did you, luv?"

Jono was giving Karla a wry smile as he wandered back to greet her.

"Or just to watch? I imagine the entertainment is going to be of a slightly higher calibre today than it was over the weekend."

... He wasn't counting Hank.

Re: Arrive/Mingle!

[glacial_queen]

"In fact, I happen to have a class assignment that says I have to audition," Karla told him cheekily, ignoring the fact that she would have probably auditioned anyway. These people were dreadfully ignorant of how much better Winsol was than Christmas. "I'm trying to figure out what my performance should be."

Audition!

[furnaceface]

Audition format is easy enough! The Winter Showcase is looking to include examples of all forms of winter traditions, from all cultures, including carolling, dancing, dramatic readings, whatever. If you don't have something prepared to show off, just let the directors know, and they'll give you something to read, or suggest a song to sing! Keyboard accompaniment for your musical numbers will be provided today by Marshall, who was strongarmed into participating for the week.

Please, be descriptive with your auditions! Go nuts, we're not afraid of a few walls-of-text, if it comes to it, or a dramatic retelling with all of your lyrics. The more you give us to work with, the better an idea we'll have as to your character's level of talent!

Re: Audition!

[i-am-the-rat.livejournal.com]

Hank had a bass guitar, which he could kind of play, and a book of guitar tabs for beginners. His singing voice was thin and reedy, and tended to crack a lot even though he'd theoretically made it through puberty already. The guitar's sound was too deep for the music he was playing, and it was badly tuned anyway.

All of which made for a very... interesting rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock".

Re: Audition!

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

"Interesting," was the word for it. Troy was maybe idly sketching his first anvil of the day onto the page by the time Hank was three notes in.

"That was great," Troy said, faking as much enthusiasm as he could -- and, after this one guy he'd dated, that was a lot -- for Hank's performance. "Have you been playing long?"

Re: Audition!

[i-am-the-rat.livejournal.com]

"I know, right?!?!?!" Hank agreed. "I've got a really unique sound, dontcha think? Would you believe I've only been playing for, like, a year?!?!"

Re: Audition!

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

Juliet glanced the directors over as she took the stage. She was less inclined to accept the part-Smurf explanation now, but staring was bad manners. As for the other guy ... well, he was just cute. "Hi, I'm Juliet Darling. A slightly taller Juliet Darling. And I'm here to give a dramatic reading."

Re: Audition!

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Juliet," Troy said. "What are you planning to read today?"

Really, it was just better all around that everyone was a taller than previously.

Re: Audition!

[twintuitionist.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's a song," Juliet said. "Really, I mean. But I'm not such a great singer, so I'm just going to recite the lyrics -- like it was a poem. It's by George Michael."

Yep.

"Last Christmas," Juliet began, a bit breathlessly, "I gave you my heart. The very next day, you gave it away. This year -- to save me from tears" -- and she really did sound on the verge of tears there -- "I'll give it to someone special."

She drew a breath. "Once bitten and twice shy, I keep my distance. But you still catch my eye." She stepped forward, as if lecturing the imaginary lover, and lowered her voice. "Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well,
it's been a year. It doesn't surprise me."

Her tone became resigned.

"I wrapped it up and sent it with a note saying 'I love you!' I meant it. Now I know what a fool I've been. But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again."

She sighed, emoting just that little bit too much, and glanced at her notes before finishing the ... song. Poem. Thing.

"A crowded room. Friends with tired eyes. I'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice. My god!" -- even she knew she hit that too hard -- "I thought you were someone to rely on. Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on."

Juliet stepped back again there, hanging her head.

"A face on a lover with a fire in his heart. A girl under cover but you tore me apart." she raised her head, looking Troy in the eyes for the capper. "Now I've found a real love you'll never fool me again!"

And there she grinned and curtseyed. "I can read something else if you want."

Re: Audition!

[glacial_queen]

Karla had given it some thought and decided to tell a Christmas story for her audition. She'd go with a Christmas one for now, rather than one about Winsol, because it would be easier than sorting through all of the Winsol legends and finding one that would be suitable and approachable. Her Christmas repertoire was much smaller, so finding a Christmas story was a much faster proposition.

She climbed the stairs to the stage and smiled at both Jono and Troy, then composed her face into a calm, neutral expression. "I'm here to tell the story of the Little Match Girl."

She took a deep breath and then began, voice augmented just slightly by Craft so it would carry to the back of the auditorium without her having to speak loudly and ruin the story.

"Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening--the last evening of the year." Around Karla, both on stage and in the seats, it grew dark and a chill breeze floated past. It didn't stay long, just enough to ruffle hair and remind people of times of cold. Little white flecks began falling from the ceiling, melting before they touched anyone, but enough to cover the floor around the seats in white. "In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast. One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it; he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself. So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blue from cold. She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of them in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a single farthing.

She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing!

The flakes of snow covered her long fair hair, which fell in beautiful curls around her neck; but of that, of course, she never once now thought. From all the windows the candles were gleaming, and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose, for you know it was Christmas Eve; yes, of that she thought."

A ghostly image little girl peeped out from the right wing of the stage; a girl with long blonde hair arranged in fat sausage curls around her too-thin face and eyes like sapphires, large and blue. Friends of Karla's would likely recognize a younger version of Jaenelle. After glancing about, the little girl slowly walked forward, matches tucked into the pockets of her threadbare apron, a small handful bunched in her bare hands, hunched forward in the cold wind, fingers and toes and nose and cheeks bright red.

As Karla spoke, other little girls, all identical to the first, began appearing, offering matches to the empty seats. Some had shoes, some did not, some looked hopeful as they offered matches to the air, some looked downtrodden and fearful as time passed and still the matches did not sell. Karla paused for a moment, to give people time to notice the little girls and then they began to fade away, leaving only the little girl on the stage, who was still wandering by and silently offering matches. She came forward to offer one to Karla, and when Karla shook her head, the little girl's shoulders slumped and she slowly walked away towards--

"In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks were stopped up with straw and rags."

Re: Audition!

[glacial_queen]

"Her little hands were almost numbed with cold. Oh! a match might afford her a world of comfort, if she only dared take a single one out of the bundle, draw it against the wall, and warm her fingers by it. She drew one out. 'Light!' how it blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle, as she held her hands over it: it was a wonderful light. It seemed really to the little maiden as though she were sitting before a large iron stove, with burnished brass feet and a brass ornament at top. The fire burned with such blessed influence; it warmed so delightfully. The little girl had already stretched out her feet to warm them too; but--the small flame went out, the stove vanished: she had only the remains of the burnt-out match in her hand."

And now there was a bright little stove in front of the girl on stage, who also stretched her bare feet out and wiggled her toes. The stove was a squat little thing, cherry-red from the fire within and the little girl smiled. She was breathtaking when she smiled--and heart-breaking when the smile vanished as the stove did, leaving her behind with only a burnt matchstick in her hands.

Then she faded away as well, as did the houses and the snow, and left only Karla looking a little sheepish. "That's all I managed to prepare," she said, holding the remains of a tangled web in her hands. "I kind of got the idea when I was already here. During the recital, I'm thinking of telling a Winsol story and I'd have it all illustrated with illusions."

Re: Audition!

[furnaceface]

Jono... Needed a moment. His eyes were kind of wide- they'd gone red in spite of his best efforts, as he lost himself in Karla's storytelling, and in the imagery to go with it. If the girl resembled Jaenelle, he didn't seem to notice. He'd met her all of once, in passing, at Agio. He'd had bigger concerns than Jaenelle at the time.

"Bloody hell," he murmured, before pulling himself to his feet. "Trust me, Karla, that's all you need."

For the audition, at least. For the actual show, he was going to demand an ending to the story. Whatever story she happened to tell. Jono knew how this one ended, at least. It was actually a little bit of a relief that she hadn't made it to the end.

"That was beautiful, luv."

Talk to the Directors!

[furnaceface]

When they ping in!

Divas.

Re: Talk to the Directors!

[furnaceface]

Jono, sitting front-row-centre, didn't actually look like he'd spent the past day wrangling tiny children, today! And he was holding his coffee without fear, this time.

... With a lid, though. He'd burned his hand enough times on Sunday that he wasn't about to take for granted the idea that big kids didn't hug as much as little ones.

Re: Talk to the Directors!

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Troy stared at the screen. "... I'd hoped I'd imagined the chicken suit," he said, sighing. "But at least it was adorable?"

Re: Talk to the Directors!

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Troy was likewise sitting up front, notebook ready for anything he thought needed to be written down. He'd always found hand-writing notes like this much more effective than typing them -- much more freedom to scribble, and draw arrows, and doodle himself dropping anvils on auditioners heads.

Not that he did much of that, but occasionally one felt the need.

OOC!

[furnaceface]

There will be one more audition date, this coming weekend, on Sunday. Because we care!

We'll accept any kind of act, seriously. Have your character get up and dance, perform mime, perform Jingle Bells entirely with armpit noises, whatever. Heck, if you'd like to get your character involved in other ways, we'd be happy to have them bring in traditional winter food, or help decorate. This is your character's chance to let all the little winter quirks from their canon shine!