suchanadventure.

Hm. What first, good news or bad?
Let's go with good.

I came home from school on Friday and my parents told me they had a surprise for me. They showed me a page from the classifieds section of the newspaper. Finally, an audition.

I didn't know what to expect. I've never actually been to an audition before, unless you count school plays, but I go to a small school. You can tell if someone's getting a part or not just by knowing what grade they're in and/or knowing what, if any, roles they've had in the past. This audition, I had no clue what to expect.

I started off calm. After all, I wasn't going to this audition jusst because I was dying for a show to be in. Don't get me wrong, I love being in shows and would be thrilled to get a part in ANYTHING, but my main goal is to get used to auditioning in general. Auditions will always be nerve-racking, I'm sure; but until like last year, I couldn't even sing in front of people. I've come a long way and I have no problem singing now, and so now that I've proven to myself that I can do this (I waited until after Urinetown for a reason!), it's time to get some experience and get to know what I'm going up against.

So we go to the building. Luckily (Well not luckily... conveniently? I'll explain soon), I had no school today, so I spent the day preparing. Originally I wanted to sing Home from Beauty and the Beast; it shows a good range, shows off the acting ability, I'm already familliar with it so I didn't have to learn a new song in three days, and I knew just where I could get the music. Then the wonderful Mara suggested I sing Follow Your Heart. After all, I've been working on it in my voice lessons every week getting ready for the recital in June. I didn't originally didn't want to sing it (hence "Home"), but after giving it some thought, it really was common sence. I wouldn't even have to burn the CD because my voice teacher had given me one to practice with.

So we go into the building. I had been calm all day, but with like 20 minutes before we left I started to get nervous. I the car I calmed myself down, but seeing the building I'd be auditioning it didn't help. It was an old looking brick building with a chain link fence. Creepy. The auditions were on the third floor, but there was no elevator, we we had to go up the steps, which were also a bit creepy. They were very narrow and enclosed. I get to the hallway where the audition took place, and the people are there are all talking because they knew each other. Because they did know each other. Because they had been in shows with these directors before. And I think, Oh God. I'm screwed.

I pushed off going in as long as I could, but eventually my dad made me go (thanks, dad. ;D).

The auditioners were super nice. They seemed happy that I was singing a Urinetown song. One of them put in the CD for me and I sang the first two verses. They said that I was really great. Genuinely, not like "Oh yeah, good job, thanks for coming, kthnxbai." One asked me who I took voice lessons with. She said that the lessons showed. I hadn't even written on the form thing they'd given me that I took lessons.

I left the room and some people smiles at me. Two people told me that I did a great job. As we were leaving, my dad told me that when I started singing, everyone in the hall stopped talking and listened, and two people gave him the thumbs up.

Now, I can't say anything about Broadway auditions or college auditions.

But... auditioning for community theatre?

Not. Scary. At. All.


In totally unrelated, but still good, news, we had to write a ballad for English class, and my teacher read them all aloud on Friday. That, however, is not the good news. It just about horrified me, actually. But after she read mine, she called it beautiful. And she is super strict. :3


Now, however, onto the bad news. On Thursday, Mr. Traina, a teacher in my school district's elementary school, was going to the doctor's office on his motorcycle, was involved in a crash, and died. His funeral was today, which is why there was no school.

I personally did not like him as a teacher, but I know a lot of people loved him. Many kids-expecially the 5th graders who were currently his students-took it very hard. Rest in peace, Mr. Traina. You will be missed.