The Boards, Sunday -- Last Call Auditions!

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

It was the last day of auditions for the Winter Showcase! Troy was hopeful that they'd get at least a few more people today, enough to fill out their cast list -- maybe with a little more variety? It seemed for the most part to be pretty heavily Christmas-themed, and he had been hoping for a few more people from other worlds, or at least cultures on Earth that didn't celebrate Christmas.

Because really, how often did one get to direct a show about winter celebrations from other worlds?

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

Still no pizza, but there was a table set with some sliced fruit, pitchers of water, and some tea, if anyone cared to partake.

[Aaaand this is it, folks! OCD on its way; come one, come all, any act you can imagine!]

Comments

Arrive/Mingle/Drink Tea

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Because there does seem to be mingling wherever Fandomites go! Less so tea, but today there was that, too.

Re: Arrive/Mingle/Drink Tea

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Miley was more than a little excited for her callback today. That was probably obvious from how she skipped into The Boards with a iced peppermint white chocolate mocha latte that was totally not a bribe and couldn't stop grinning.

What? She hadn't gotten the chance to sing for people in a while! It was an addiction, y'all. AN ADDICTION.

Re: Arrive/Mingle/Drink Tea

[trigons_child]

Raven had come from her library shift primarily to find and talk to Jono, though she paused to peek at the auditions. She'd already had the desire to participate before the class assignment, but she was sorely hampered by Azarath's lack of of a winter holiday. Or any holiday. Or winter, for that matter. She'd only experienced two Christmas since leaving her former home.

She had a song from her mother's world that she could offer, but she had no idea how to make any sort of production out of it.

Re: Arrive/Mingle/Drink Tea

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Miley said brightly, offering Raven a wave. "You here to audition? I am. I'm, like, totally excited, how about you?"

Miley had maybe had too many iced peppermint white chocolate mocha lattes this morning. Hey, if she was bringing Jono one, she figured she might as well enjoy one a couple herself!

Audition

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Any kind of act -- any at all, really -- would do! Singing, dancing, dramatic readings... Ventriloquism, performing monkeys, armpit orchestras. The directors have audition material for you if you need it, including songs and monologues; otherwise, have at!

Accompaniment for musical numbers will again be provided by Marshall, who is wishing there was pizza.

[And as apocalipped said last time: "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

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Hi!" Miley chirped, bouncing onto the stage. "Um, I'm Miley Stewart -- again -- and I'm going to be singing Let's Get Crazy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5177FOvnqKQ) by Hannah Montana!" Was that a teeny little wink she shot Jono? Why, yes. Yes it was.

Clapping her hands over her head and tapping one foot to set her rhythm, Miley leaned into the mic to nod at Marshall and asked, "You ready? Here we go!"

"Life is just a party, so come as you are
Dress it up or dress it down, don't forget your guitar
Just be courageous -- 'cause style's contagious
Everyone can rock out like a superstar!"

Then she grabbed the mic off the stand and made her way across the stage with it, dancing around and smiling hugely to show off an undeniable stage presence.

"Let's get crazy
Get up and dance
Take a swing, do your thing
If we're taking a chance
Let's get crazy
Yeah just kick up your heels
Don't miss out, time to shout
Always keepin' it real
Let's get crazy"

Stopping to point out individual audience members to punctuate each lyric, she went on:

"Our songs, our style
Our hair, our smile
Our laughs, our hearts
Our grace, our smarts"

And then back into the chorus sans accompaniment, tapping her foot the whole time and not missing a beat:

"Let's get crazy
Get up and dance
Take a swing, do your thing
If we're taking a chance
Let's get crazy
Yeah just kick up your heels
Don't miss out, time to shout
Always keepin' it real
Let's get crazy"

She was strolling back and forth across the stage as the accompaniment kicked back in for the end, and did a little skip to get back to the mic stand in time. She fixed the mic back in place and used her free hands to clap over her head, and kept her hips moving and her feet tapping and her whole body generally falling into the rhythm.

"Yeah, the fun's just begun
Come on, dance, everyone
Here's an invitation to every nation
Oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
Crazy
Take a swing, do your thing
If we're taking a chance

Let's get crazy
Yeah, just kick up your heels
Don't miss out, time to shout
Always keepin' it real
Let's get crazy!"

Once she was finished, Miley just beamed at the mic and caught her breath, trying to catch Jono's eye to see if he approved.

Re: Audition

[furnaceface]

"My, that was almost like the real thing," Jono murmured under his breath. Dryly. Oh, so, so dryly.

"You have an excellent sense of rhythm," he said, at length, "and a massive amount of energy on the stage. It's uncanny, really. Not terribly festive, but uncanny."

Yes. Yes, he was smirking a little at that last part. Bloody hell, Miley.

"What I'd like to do with you," he pressed on, "between now and the showcase, is sit down, and the two of us write something, perhaps. Or rework some traditional Christmas carol into something a little bit more upbeat. The world does not begin and end with Hannah Montana music, Sunshine. And it's Miley that I want to see up on that stage. If I wanted Hannah," if he went absolutely insane, "I would be calling up her agent and making a booking, not holding community auditions in a small-town theatre."

Re: Audition

[trigons_child]

Raven was nervous enough singing in front of people, but she'd gained a little more confidence when she'd been in the Glee club. Still, she tried to pretend it was just Jono listening to her; that made it easier.

"Hello," she said shyly. "I am Raven, and my home, Azarath, celebrated no winter holiday. But my mother was of Earth, and I found this song I liked from there, and I will sing that now. I found it appropriate because I have learned since coming here that Christmas and Yule and other winter holidays are about friendship and love."

Her song was definitely slower than Miley's. And much less bouncier.

The lake is frozen over
The trees are white with snow
And all around
Reminders of you
Are everywhere I go

It's late and morning's in no hurry
But sleep won't set me free
I lie awake and try to recall
How your body felt beside me
When silence gets too hard to handle
And the night too long

And this is how I see you
In the snow on Christmas morning
Love and happiness surround you
As you throw your arms up to the sky
I keep this moment by and by

Oh I miss you now, my love
Merry Christmas, merry Christmas,
Merry Christmas, my love

Sense of joy fills the air
And I daydream and I stare
Up at the tree and I see
Your star up there

And this is how I see you
In the snow on Christmas morning
Love and happiness surround you
As you throw your arms up to the sky
I keep this moment by and by

She was blushing by the time she'd finished, but she hadn't stumbled over any of the words and had kept on key.

Re: Audition

[furnaceface]

Oh. Oh, wow. Jono was happy he'd coerced Raven into getting up and singing, now. He knew she had a good singing voice, he'd heard her plenty of times at Glee Club, years and years ago. And when she applied it to a song like this...

There was nothing the matter with letting the director's girlfriend into the show if they really weren't planning on turning anyone else down in the first place.

"That was beautiful, Sunshine," he shared, smiling and pulling himself to his feet. "You really do have a gorgeous singing voice."

Re: Audition

[walkswithcoyote]

[Stolen shamelessly from Blood Bound, with a few changes to make it fit.]

Mercy took the stage with a sigh, then looked down at the directors and spoke wih careful politeness despite her words. "Let me just be clear. I don't really have any interest in being in this, but my professors are making us audition so that's why I'm here to sing."

Marshall looked at her expectantly, waiting for her music.

"I appreciate the gesture," she told him carefully, "but it'll go better if I sing a capella." She could play piano herself - but that very poorly. She was just lucky that the piano lessons had included voice lessons too.

When she'd looked around for inspiration she'd rejected a number of ideas as fast as they'd come to mind. Most of them wouldn't impress anyone - not that her voice was going to impress anyone anyway. She had pitch and volume, but no real talent.

Which made the choice of song very important. She needed a power song because her voice wasn't prety and soft. Something that sounded good a cappella. And then she knew what she was going to sing.

She took a deep breath, properly supported with her diaphragm and began singing. "O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining..."

She'd heard that song sung softly, until the magic of that first Christmas seemed to hang in the air. She wished she could sing it that way. Instead, she belted it out, because that's what her voice did best.

She closed her eyes to the audience and let the simple belief in the words run through her like a prayer until she got to "Fall on your knees." Then she opened her eyes, imagined her teachers were there, and glared at them as she sang the rest of the song to them.

When the last note died away, she took a step back and nodded. A little thin on the highest notes, but not bad. It hadn't been any worse than singing at the Friday night performances in front of Bran at Aspen Springs.

Re: Audition

[furnaceface]

Jono... cleared his throat a little, actually somewhat amused at the glowering and the carrying on and such. Her delivery wasn't exactly festive, but the song had been delivered well enough, for the most part. He could see some promise there, if he could get her to stop looking like she would rather be chewing off her own leg than trapped onstage.

"Not a fan of performing onstage, I'll gather?" He offered her a wry sort of smile. "I must say, I liked what I heard, and we could probably find a song for you that would fit a little better in your vocal range, but if you don't want to be here, luv, I'm hardly going to force you."

This was the theatre, after all, not a musical chain gang.

Re: Audition

[life_inshadow]

With her taste in music, the song Tara picked was perhaps inevitable. She clasped her hands behind her back as she approached the microphone, visibly nervous and looking everywhere but at the directors.

It's coming on Christmas, she began, very softly and so off her game that she came in ahead of the accompaniment and botched it entirely. She swallowed hard, shut her eyes. Pretended she was singing to just one person. Waited the slightest second so she'd hit the beat.

They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

Her arms went out there, almost involuntarily. Skating. Her voice was a sweet soprano with a country edge, not professional quality but close to it now that the nervous hesitation was fading.

But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
Oh I wish I had a river I could skate away on

She was doing better now, though her eyes stayed shut. She was singing to her mom, to Kennedy, maybe to Raven or Karla. Certainly not to any more public audience, because if she thought about that she was going to panic.

I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

And so on, all the way to the very last wish to skate away. Tara didn't move much, as she sang. She pretty much stayed in place, adjusting her posture the tiniest bit on certain lyrics, her voice clear and sure even if it was the slightest bit weak on the highest notes.

When she was done, she finally opened her eyes.

"So, uh ... that's me," she said, as if she fully expected to be told she sucked.

[OOC: Clip of Amber singing is here, for an idea of her voice.]

Re: Audition

[furnaceface]

"That... is you."

Jono's jaw was not hanging open. Much. Honest.

Okay. It was a bit.

"Tara, Sunshine, I don't know if anybody's told you, but your voice is gorgeous."

Just throwing that out there.

Re: Audition

[didntchewgrass.livejournal.com]

Elphaba looked a little uncomfortable, partially because this was entirely not her idea at all, but mainly because she was still dealing with the terrible letter she'd received yesterday. She was a little shaky as she got up on stage with a large bag in her arms, but she paused for a moment to compose herself.

"We don't have anything like Christmas in Oz," Elphaba said. "The closest we have is Lurlinemas, a winter festival celebrating the fairy queen of old. I don't have a song prepared, but I do have these."

She stopped to set down the bag, and then with careful concentration, she magically levitated four paper lanterns out of the bag, and then with a bit of a flourish with one hand sparked the flames to light each paper lantern, projecting shadows around Elphaba in shapes of fairies and other traditional Lurlinemas figures and shapes.

After a few moments of letting them float, she set them down gently on the edge of the stage.

"Thank you," she said.

Re: Audition

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

You'll have to give Troy a moment, Elphaba; he's a little busy being starry-eyed at that to respond.

"Uh," he started, very intelligently, "that's kind of awesome. You said it's a festival about a fairy queen?" Troy looked at the lanterns again, smiling softly. "How long can you levitate those? And can you do anything while you're doing it, or does it take all your concentration?"

Re: Audition

[wasthecuteone]

"Hi," Petra said as she stepped up to the microphone, her best pageant smile plastered on her face. Her teeth were very white. "I'm Petra West, and I'll be singing Silent Night." It was actually a last-minute change in plan--O Holy Night was her Christmas standby, but someone had already sung that and she didn't want to risk upstaging Mercy.

Especially considering Petra was, you know, an actual recording artist, even if that had been five years and a lifetime ago.

She took a breath and began singing a capella:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Petra's voice was a steady, strong, slightly husky contralto, and she sang the song with the gentleness she thought it called for, but with great confidence. And then she was done and stood in three-quarters profile, hands clasped behind her back, smile back on her face, and waited for the verdict.

Re: Audition

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Yeah, okay, at this point Troy could recognise "trained," and Petra definitely was trained, and trained well.

"I think that'll be enough." He made a couple of quick notes, then asked, smiling, "Did you have any questions for us?"

[Potential SP -- I'm awake right now, but could crash at any time. ^^;; But I'm available pretty much all day tomorrow, from early afternoon Eastern on.]

Talk to the Directors

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

When they make with the pinging! Comments, queries, threats, bribes, abuse?

I make no promises for the effectiveness of threats, but bribes could potentially be welcomed. ... No, probably not.

Re: Talk to the Directors :: Troy

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Who had his notebook out again, ready and waiting to... take notes! Because what else were you going to do with a notebook?

[As said below, I'll be AFK until about 5PM Eastern, but I'll pick up pings then!]

Re: Talk to the Directors :: Troy

[trigons_child]

After promising Jono dinner, Raven wandered over to Troy.

"Hello, Troy," she said pleasantly. "I am going to get takeout for dinner for Jono and myself from Il Pollo. May I bring you something back as well?"

Re: Talk to the Directors

[furnaceface]

Jono had coffee.

This was both a fairly recent development, and entirely not a surprise at all.

In fact, he was going to let Troy take all the notes, because, so help him, he needed both hands for the coffee, in case there were any unsolicited hugs flying in his direction this time around.

Re: Talk to the Directors

[trigons_child]

"Hello, Jono," Raven said, giving him a warm smile. "I have a surprise for you."

Everything was still back in her room, but she could teleport it all to his apartment later.

Re: Talk to the Directors

[life_inshadow]

Tara was there mostly because she hadn't said hi to Jono since that first day, but she watched the auditions for a few moments before she went up to him. It made her wonder if she should maybe think about auditioning herself; she'd never sung in front of people in her right mind, but she sort of wanted to. Someday.

"Hey," she said, dropping into a seat near him a little tentatively. "How's it going? With the ... singers and stuff."

OOC

[oncourtandstage.livejournal.com]

Seriously, open for anything and everything your character might want to do! Anything and everything.

And we are open if your character wants to get involved in ways other than performing! Just let us know. :D

I'll be leaving for work in about half an hour, unable to ping, until about 5PM Eastern, but apocalipped should be around throughout the day, and I'll be available this evening!

Re: OOC

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

..........I cannot believe I just listened to that song enough times to learn the lyrics. What is wrong with me?