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“This role is really perfect for you, Sophie. I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t be proud just yet.” I laugh.
“You’re going to blow them away.”
I smile, because maybe, just maybe, I will.
***
On Tuesday morning, I take the subway to a studio on 44th. My script is tucked neatly into a folder in my bag, and I’ve pulled my hair up loosely and applied just a touch of makeup, trying to stay true to the innocent, naïve look required for Elaine.
My heart is beating much too fast already. Even though this specific audition is bigger and more important than the rest, I know I will feel that surge of energy when all eyes are on me. I’ll slip into the character, becoming someone else in a way that always seems to come naturally to me.
When I reach the front doors, I have to stop for a moment to let the sun hit my face and the chilly November breeze blow through my restrained hair.
This is it. This is my opportunity. The opportunity.
Something feels different about this one. I want it more than any of the others. I hold my shoulders back, force a confident expression onto my face, and walk through the doors without any more hesitation.
The receptionist at the front desk smiles when I enter. “Good morning. Here for an audition?”
“Yes.” I stand up taller.
“Name please?”
“Sophie Bellwood.”
She looks at a computer screen and nods. “Perfect, they’ve told me to send you in as soon as you arrive.” She points down the hall. “Third door on the left.”
I look at the clock on the wall. I arrived ten minutes early hoping for a chance to run lines in my head one last time. But if they’re ready for me now, I have to be ready for them too. So, I hold my folder tightly in my arms, thank the receptionist, and make my way to the door.
My fingers are numb with apprehension and my breath is growing increasingly shallow. I turn the handle and push the heavy door open slowly, letting the familiar rush of adrenaline fill me with an energy that will see me through this. A row of heads turns to see me when I walk in. The woman I recognize first is the casting director I met on my second audition.
“Ah Sophie, wonderful to see you again.” Her familiar face brings my pulse down a notch.
Next to her are four other individuals. I recognize the playwright as one of them. She created Elaine, and she will help choose who will portray her. It’s her opinion that might matter most.
Next is a woman I don’t recognize—probably a producer, and then my eyes land on George McAllister. The director. This is serious.
The last is a younger man fiddling with a camera pointed at an open space in the room. Auditioning on film is always a bit nerve-wracking, knowing that they can re-watch me over and over to study each and every part of my performance.
Pulse back up a notch.
I shake everyone’s hand politely, and when I reach George, it’s obvious he’s studying and assessing me intensely already. That’s when I know I’m not the only option. There is another, or maybe multiple other actresses, vying for the same role and trying to wow the same team in front of me.
“Good to meet you, Ms. Bellwood,” George says with an expression much too serious to calm my nerves.
I step back from them all. “Thank you for seeing me again. I’m very excited for the opportunity.”
He nods.
“We’re very excited about you too, Sophie. I assume you were provided the scenes we’ll be running today?” the casting director asks.
“Yes, I was, thank you.” I’m acutely aware that everyone’s eyes are on me.
“Perfect. Well, we had already established at your first audition that you understand the extent of the role, the requirements, and the expectations for the six weeks of rehearsal and then the three-month contracted run, subject to an optional renewal based on the show’s success. Do you have any questions before we begin?”
“No, no questions at this point. I’m just really grateful to be here,” I reply confidently.
