The Audition

The days seemed unbearably long as she waited in eager anticipation for a call or a letter. Any day now she would hear the news—good news, she hoped. It had been a week and a half since the auditions. Surely the judges would be finished reviewing their notes and tapes by now. Her thoughts drifted back to the Sunday before last when she first stood on that empty stage. She had been ceaselessly preparing for that moment for months, practicing hours each day, singing, acting, making every attempt to practice perfectly. It was her strong belief that there was a fatal flaw in the “practice makes perfect” theory. Only perfect practice makes perfect because if you practice wrong, then you will repeat those mistakes when performing. Every day, she had the same routine: teach, practice, work on the next day’s lesson plans. It was monotonous, but it kept her focused and disciplined.
Then the day arrived. Even with all the auditions she had passed before this, her nerves were going crazy that morning. The only thing that had allowed her to sleep the night before was the knowledge that without sleep, she could not perform tot the best of her abilities. When she woke, she felt the nervous adrenaline rush as her heart gave a quick flutter. She had been in many good musicals in Atlanta. But this was bigger. It was huge in a way that only Broadway could be. This was “The Phantom of Opera!” She had dreamt of this since she was a little girl. She fell in love with the music at an early age and so, for her twelfth birthday, her parents had flown with her to New York City to see it on Broadway. It sealed her fate. From then on her life revolved around singing. After becoming a chorus teacher, she had moved to Atlanta and performed during every spare moment available. She still kept her eyes and ears on Broadway news, hopeful that she might one day get her wish. Then, about a year ago, rumors began circulating: they wanted to revive “The Phantom!” The second that the rumors were confirmed, she dropped everything and moved to New York to pursue her dream.
The audition had felt magical. It was as if somehow her voice had been transformed over night. As she hit each high note, she could both hear and feel the beautiful ring as the sound echoed through the auditorium. Her movements had passion in them, as though the pieces she sang were coming to life before her very eyes. She knew she had performed her best. The question was: Was her personal best the true best? She would soon know.
For now though, it was time for class to begin, time for her to try to pass her passion for singing on to her students, and time to hope that the awaited letter would be waiting for her this afternoon.