So It Goes [open]

[benjamintplunkett]

The second day of auditions was in full swing, Ben had researched and debated with various compositions and songs and still couldn't decide on which show to do. Even his daughter was frustrated with it, although, she was firmly in the Beauty and the Beast camp. It really came down to numbers, when he thought about it. Sadly, none of the auditionees yesterday were leading material, but they would make a phenomenal chorus. Ben was happy about that. He flipped through the sign-up sheet to see what he would have to deal with today.

He chuckled spying Claude's name. Of course Claude would audition; he'd been in every show. A few new names surprised the director as he sat down with his coffee in the theatre.

Nevertheless, Ben would hope for the best today; maybe he could grasp a better idea of his possibilities. Pulling out a pen and his notebook, he got comfortable in his chair and waited for the students to come in. Ben has a list of possible options scribbled down, it’s not that much but at least it’s a start. He’d unlocked the tech booth, so he assumed that Oliver would bide his time up there for the duration of the auditions today. Ben was frustrated that he didn’t get the time to talk with Dax; it’d probably be better once he’d decided on a show though.

Ben turned to see Claude enter the theatre and bound up onto the stage. Always energetic, Claude was. Knowing him, he’d probably audition with something out of the box. The director smiles, recalling the boy’s rendition of Manchester, England from HAIR during his sophomore year; Ben was lucky with Claude’s talent. He was all about singing and acting, with a voice well-trained that sung in a bright hue. His range was impressive, as was his dedication to the craft. “Hey Claude,” he called from his seat, “What are you auditioning with this time?”[/color] Ben only asked because he was genuinely curious, that kid had a million tricks up his sleeve.

Mentally cataloging different musicals, the director jotted down a few more to the list, desperately hoping something would stick. He was so concentrated on his task, that Ben scarcely heard the doors open again. Turning his head, the director was frazzled by the new appearance; he’d never seen this girl before is his life. She must be new, yeah that was it. Well, he thought, best go make a good impression then, and got up from his seat to introduce himself.

Word Count: 420
To: It's open, so anyone really.
Notes: I'm hoping for more characters to get involved and audition, I need people!

[camillemrochester]

Camille regretted her decision of signing up for the school musical currently. She was worrying, pacing outside of the theatre calculating the ways to get herself out of this predicament. It was not that Camille was unprepared, she was more than prepared. And with that thought, Camille screwed her courage to the sticking point and walked into the theatre. One person was already there, he was tall and thoroughly engaged in well, whatever it was that he was doing on stage. She was immediately on guard, and glanced around for all immediate exits.

That was before another man; the director most likely, approached her. She nodded politely, “Yes, I’m Camille Rochester pleasure to meet you.” The girl found herself surprisingly at ease now, the director; Mr. Plunkett was a nice man. The only variable was the boy still on stage, oh; apparently he was cart-wheeling now. Lovely. Camille made herself comfortable on the first row of seats, pressing out the pleats in her lavender sun dress. Silently, she went through the tempo and lyrics of her song, picking up the sheet music from her bag.

She knew this song by heart, it was one of her favorites; the first song she’s ever sung in front of an audience. Camille smiled at the memory, it was a concert at her school and she was as nervous as she could’ve possibly been. But once she made that first step on to the stage, Camille never looked back. At first glance, people take in her stature and small size and assume she’s a soprano. Which is so very false, her range is impressive, but Camille has always been an alto I or soprano II. Nothing more, and nothing less. The girl quickly brushed back her hair, searching for fly-aways and hoped that she looked presentable. The wind had been blowing something awful outside, and she’d just come in from a walk.

More students flooded in the auditorium, taking seats here or there. It was clear that the boy on stage would be going first. He was now talking lowly to the accompanist, gesticulating and demonstrating with his hands. Camille smiled, she always found people who talked with their hands endearing for some reason. He guard was partially up, she wasn’t so comfortable as to let her walls come down just yet. Everyone quieted down when it was clear that the auditions were to begin. The boy onstage, turned to face the audience, glanced at Camille and winked. She had to restrain herself from leaving just then, pursing her lips, she raised a brow as if to say, “Are you done now?”

Word count: 438
To: Anyone
Notes: None.

[claudiusavincent]

“Hey teach!” Claude shouted back as he stepped onstage, he chuckled at Plunkett’s question, “Well, if I tell you that, there’s no surprise!” He had no intentions of giving away anything, he was here to impress. Granted, he already knew that he would be cast, most everyone would, that was just how Plunkett worked. He had to admit that he missed RHS while he was abroad, and he couldn’t shake the fact that he’d missed out on some great productions while he was gone. But Claude couldn’t change that now. He noticed the microphone and stand already set up and ran his hand along the cool metal. There was something about the mike stand, it was retro and evoked a vintage feel. Like one should be crooning into it, rather than just singing. Claude was in a good humor today, everything fell back into place for him; it was almost like he never left. Yes, a few things did change in his absence, but there was nothing he could really do about that either.

Claude decided to limber up before his audition, which resulted in a lot of stretching – yoga style. He rolled his shoulders a couple of times and took a deep breath. Claude knew he had to outdo his last audition, which even he had to admit was going to be difficult. Plunkett already knew of Claude’s preference for songs from HAIR. He desperately wanted to surprise the man, and had the suspicion that he inevitably would. While in France he’d trained with an amazing voice teacher, and after months of practice and hard work, Claude had a vocal range that he could be proud of. For Manchester, Claude had to sing half the song in a British accent; but for this one it was all him. In a way he felt better about this song selection than he had with the last one.

He heard the door open, and glancing up from his downward dog position, he smiled. A girl walked in, she was wearing a light purple dress and she looked lovely. Determined to keep stretching, Claude focused on the floor beneath him. He was such a sucker for pretty girls, and it didn’t hurt that they were intrigued by him as well. Standing up, he saw Plunkett eagerly greeting the girl; the man was excited, there was nothing he loved more than fresh meat. Claude suddenly felt like he had too much energy and saw fit to do a few cart-wheels to calm himself down. He tried to focus on his song, the chords, progression, words, and timing of it all. The accompanist walked in and sat at the piano, scrambling up Claude propelled himself over there and told him what key he needed and the tempo. Placing the sheet music in front of the man, he walked up to the mike stand. Once there, Claude winked at the girl in a dress, she did not seem too pleased about that. The theatre had filled up considerably and he waited for everyone to calm down.

“Good afternoon everyone, I’m Claude Vincent and I will be regaling you all with my rendition of Donna from HAIR.” Claude cleared his throat, “Oh, and I’d also like to dedicate this to the lovely lady in the purple dress.” Turning to her, he smiled, “Please say your name is Donna.” He nodded to the pianist and began, “Once upon a looking for Donna-time, There was a sixteen year old virgin, Oh Donna oh oh Donna oh oh oh, Looking for my Donna.” Claude could see Plunkett visibly balk in his seat, but he paid no mind. He genuinely enjoyed this song, it was upbeat and a blast to perform. “I've been to India and saw the yogi light, In South America the Indian smoke glows bright, I'm reincarnated and so are we all, And in this lifetime we'll rise, Before we fall.”

Claude knew he was killing this audition, the other students were thoroughly enjoying it while Plunkett was sufficiently in awe and uncomfortable. Ah, sweet success! Now, if only that girl would cheer up. Claude was determined to schmooze his way into her graces; it would only be a matter of time.

Word Count: 691
To: Anyone
Notes: None.