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The Boards, Wednesday Evening, Rehearsal

Jono had ~~handwavily~~ gotten in touch with everybody who had auditioned for the showcase to reaffirm that they had secured a place in the showcase, and that the first rehearsal was today, after workshops let out. He'd done a little running about to get proper refreshments this time (but was only mildly sorry about the do-it-yourself lemon water from Saturday), and to make certain that instruments and microphones were all properly set up today. Since the showcase itself was in less than two weeks' time, he figured they were going to have to hold their rehearsals alongside their tech runs.

Having their own facility made that easy, at least.

"Today," Jono said as people settled in, "we're going to leap headfirst into this, if possible. I hope that by now you've got some idea of what you want to perform, even if you don't necessarily have your act entirely hammered out just yet. Let me know if you need help putting the finishing touches on songs or monologues, and then let's see you give it a run-through so that we know it'll work." A beat. "Raven, come see me and I'll go over your piece with you, luv."

[Open!]

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There's proper lemon water out today, and tea if you prefer that.

And muffins. Jono had been well-trained during Petey Sci-Fi, he was not going to miss the muffins.

Juliet took a muffin but scowled at it, as if solving a very complicated calculus problem in her head.

She still wasn't happy with the wording on her monologue. Writing was hard.

If you were planning on throwing together a medley of songs to perform, or just one song, or if you were writing your own monologue of sorts, here is where you chime in to let Jonothon know how far along you are with that.

Jono has set out microphones and instruments. If you'd like any sort of props or further accompaniment to go along with your number, make certain to let Jono know here.

Edited 2012-06-20 11:44 (UTC)

Natalie was not going to be needing any props, nope. Accompaniment, however...

"I think percussion would be a nice touch."

And Lord, she'd actually given it some thought. She did that with most decisions.

"We can arrange for that," Jono replied, nodding a little. "Kenzi's on board with us for this show again, I'll talk to her about it. And, if for whatever reason she decides she can't, I'm certain I can learn one number on drums in time for the show."

... It couldn't possibly be that difficult. It wasn't heavy metal or anything, after all.

Natalie nodded. "I don't even think it needs a lot of it. Just... for emphasis, you know?"

Anyone even trying to stick any heavy metal like stylings in there was going to face her restrained wrath, yes.

"It really should stay rather understated, yes. After all, with that particular number, the focus should be on you, not the drums," Jonothon agreed. "I'll see to it that whoever ends up doing percussion for you doesn't try to overwhelm, luv, no need to worry about that."

Step up and let's see what you've got so far, shall we? There's a microphone and a piano, which is about as much as Jono has gathered people might need through auditions alone. If you let him know beforehand that you need something else, he'll do his best to dig it up for you, within reason.

He's at that mandatory point in the rehearsals where he's wondering what the hell he just got himself into.

... For most directors, this happens around crunch time, generally. The trouble with a showcase like this one is that it's already crunch time.

Raven was on the early side, but she'd stopped at the Perk to bring coffee (black) for Jono as promised. For herself, on the other hand, she had a decadent concoction called a Chocolate Cookie Crumble Frappuccino.

"Hello, Jono," she said, smiling as she held out his coffee to him. "Do you have a song for me?"

"I have been working on a little something," Jono replied, smiling a little as he accepted the coffee.

Delicious bitter bringer of life...

"Haven't had time to write a tune from scratch, mind. Do you mind if I took a song that's already out there and repurposed the lyrics some? It's nothing terribly bawdy, even if Karla did insist I write you something about those weeks with the pollen."

Jono hated those weeks with the pollen.

Raven almost choked on the sip she was taking of her sweet mocha goodness. "I should not be surprised to hear you say that," she said after sputtering a moment. "As I was teasing her about her propensity for mischief the other day."

To be fair the pollen had brought some fond memories, but when she'd first come to Fandom, untaught in shielding, it had been a nightmare. Several doors had paid the price.

"I would love to sing a song that is all yours one day," she said. "But I know that time is limited, so I am certain I will be happy with whatever you can come up with." Especially if it wasn't pollen-related.

Jono allowed himself a momentary grin at Raven's reaction, there. All the flustered Raven, and he didn't even have to write the song that Karla had suggested.

He'd take his moment of amusement, thank you.

"I'm glad you understand," he replied. "I don't suppose you're familiar with Dido's White Flag, are you?"

He'd tried to pick something that seemed... Raven-ish. He knew she listened to Enya and the like, and so...

"Oh, yes," Raven said, nodding enthusiastically. "I enjoy that song very much."

Of course she was, Jono. IT SPOKE TO HER.

"And if I were to tell you that I didn't tweak it too much, I just nudged it around a little to reflect people growing into themselves since finding a home here on the island?"

That was much less humiliating than sex pollen, wasn't it?

[Of course, I have the lyrics at home...]

"Then I would say that would seem to be a very fitting song for me to sing," Raven said. "It is something to which I can very much relate, which will be reflected in my performance."

Unlike sex pollen, which would have her bright red and stammering while she tried to sing.

[Hee, of course! *talks sloooowly until then*]

"It'd be fitting for a good many people, I figured," Jonothon agreed, nodding a little as he reached for a binder and started flipping through the assorted pages. A few loose sheets of scrap paper slipped a little, tabs written on them, and chords, and lyrics, a mess of this-and-that which was mostly the result of years of trying to pick up on certain songs and styles. "About how this place is as much about growing as it is about discovering who you've always been."

Raven moved closer and peered over his shoulder as he turned the pages. "I think it is an excellent choice for a topic," she said. "Particularly because at the welcome picnic, the heads of the new students will already be filled with the perils of living in Fandom. Gremlins, invasions, strange things falling from the sky...." Sex pollen. "They should know there is so much good to be found here as well."

"And they might be surprised by what they find out about themselves."

Jono flipped through a few more sheets, and then pulled out a piece of paper that had been sandwiched somewhere near the middle of the book, haphazard, and started to unfold it.

"I really ought to work on being better organized."

Sadly, some things never changed. Jono's bedroom might be tidier than it used to be, but he had to make up the difference somewhere.

"If you became better organized," Raven teased, not at all trying to peek at what the other pages in the binder held, "you would never be able to find anything. I have heard that some people thrive much better on a little chaos."

"A little chaos? Luv, if chaos is all I need in order to thrive, it's a wonder I haven't set dynamite to my things yet."

Miraculous, possibly.

Jonothon smoothed out the sheet and gave it a once-over to make certain that it was the right one, before hesitating and handing it over for Raven's inspection.

"I tried to wean the contractions out," he offered, because that was sort of a thing... to be proud of? Yes? "I don't know that it really needed a re-write, to be honest. The overall tone of the song stayed the same, while knocking the romantic aspect out of it a little and just making it... Well..."

He shoved the paper at her.

I know you think that your life has been chaos,
I grant you that.
But we all have been there, the secrets, the hiding,
And all we knew was that.

You do not need to tell what it is you run from
Or return to where you were

I will not hold myself back,
And I will hold my chin high and move forward,
I am the person who defines what I become,
I am whole and always will be.

You think your past is far too darkened
by shadows to see light again
And you caused nothing but trouble
I understand if you think nobody will bend
And if you live by the rule of your demons
then you might never get to mend

I will not hold myself back,
And I will hold my chin high and move forward,
I am the person who defines what I become,
I am whole and always will be.

And when you see
Which I know you will
That path you took
Was all uphill
You will move past
And you are strong
And you will know
You can move on....

I will not hold myself back,
And I will hold my chin high and move forward,
I am the person who defines what I become,
I am whole and always will be.

I will not hold myself back,
And I will hold my chin high and move forward,
I am the person who defines what I become,
I am whole and always will be.

I will not hold myself back,
And I will hold my chin high and move forward,
I am the person who defines what I become,
I am whole and always have been.

Raven read over the words, imagining the tune in her head. Her smile grew as she scanned the page.

"Oh, Jono," she said when she finished. "This is beautiful. I would be honored to sing it for your show."

"You... really?" Jono blinked down at the paper, and then offered Raven a little smile when he looked up again. "I... Again, I'm sorry I couldn't make time to write a tune from scratch for you as well..."

"Stop apologizing," Raven scolded gently. "You had little time and much to do since you are handling this show on your own. You may owe me a song at some later date when you have more time."

He didn't owe her, really, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying to coax one out of him.

"And, yes, this is wonderful," she said. "I love it."

Jonothon's answering smile was a little more relaxed at that.

"Well... in that case, when things do settle down some, I'll be sure to write you something."

Maybe even something that wasn't grunge!

"I will hold you to that," Raven said happily. And she would, because a song would be about the most precious thing he could give her.

"And in the meantime, I will try to do justice to these words," she added, running a finger over the paper.

"I look forward to hearing you sing it," Jonothon replied, flipping his binder closed and setting it to the side. "Have fun with it, Sunshine. Don't worry about doing it justice... It's yours."

Asking Raven not to worry and fret about her performance and pleasing the audience and him especially was like asking Fandom not to get invaded again. Wasn't going to happen.

But for now she wasn't going to worry about that, as she was still too giddy about the song. "I will have the words memorized by the next rehearsal," she promised.

Up now to account for timezones and so on! I'll be catching pings where I can from work today, so if I don't reply immediately, know that I will reply.

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The Boards, Wednesday Evening, Rehearsal

Arrive/Mingle!

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Finalize Your Material!

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Rehearse!

Talk to Jono!

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OOC!