All the Lights on You

“Are you nervous, why are you nervous?”

Christine turned to Ryan forcing her to stop the pacing across the small backstage area, “Of course I’m nervous Ryan. It’s an audition.”

He smiled letting her be pulled into his embrace for a hug and letting her rest her head against his chest, “You do know that you’re guaranteed this spot in the play right? My father already agreed that we’d like to see you play the part.”

She pulled back slightly to look up at him and let his hands rest at the small of her back holding her close, “I know, but I still have to prove that I can do it.”

“Of course you can.” He leaned down to peck her lips, “This role was made for you.”

She looked away from him smiling weakly, “I never thought I would have a chance to perform a lead on this stage.”

“Now you do. Don’t waste it.”

Amanda came back off the stage and saw the two and smiled from ear to ear letting out an exasperated sigh, “Thank god that is over. If I had to go on another minute I would have gone blank.”

Ryan released Christine and Christine started to play with her hands nervously. She could handle performances but the tryouts before it all was what made her nervous, she was being judge at the one thing she loved and constantly being picked apart in the short three minute audition. Not to mention this was her first audition for a leading role. Sure, there had been plenty of chances and the talent was there but she never risked it. Not until now when Ryan and Amanda had forced her into agreeing to try.

She had this role, she knew it like the back of her hand and in her favor Ryan’s own dad was bringing this all together and wanted her to take this leading role. Ryan’s job was to get here and make sure she didn’t chicken out and well, Amanda was the one that could give a decent pep talk. Amanda had spent a few years acting this theater before the stage collapse and had many offers to move to a bigger stage with more money but for some reason she stayed here fighting for this small theater.

Amanda reached for Christine’s hands holding them steady, “Come on now. It’s not that bad. You have this audition in the bag, your talent is flawless.”

Christine smiled looking at Amanda noticing the drawn on eyebrows and dark eye makeup that seemed to bring out this dark beauty in Amanda out, “I don’t know Palmer, I’m so nervous.”

Amanda’s tone became serious, “Breathe and smile. Brian would be pissed if he saw you like this.”

Brian Viglione was another old performer that came back to the theater to give it another go. He was a close friend of Amanda and the two seemed to come hand in hand with one another. Brian worked with most of the make up and costume design with Amanda and always have this fashion sense in him to know how to make one look good. He had a fascination with Christine. Always wanting to doll her up and make her into something that she never could create in her own time and she had no problem letting him experiment with her. She always felt a bit of a confidence with Brian’s help. He could make any situation fun and always could get a laugh out of her. She’d kill to have Brian here with her now. He of course auditioned earlier today and had left for his own life outside of this acting here because of his inner urge to get tasks done as quickly as possible. She envied Brian for that.

Regardless she had to make an impression today and she knew she could do this. She ended up nodding at the two and making her way onto the stage. She soon saw Ryan’s dad with his two other fellow workers that were planning on helping make this play a success in the front row of the audience smiling up at her. She smiled sweetly and tried to calm her racing heartbeat, she knew it was just them but the pressure of judgment was there.

George, Ryan’s father, let out a greeting, “Ah, Christine, you made it. I’m glad, how are you today?”

She let out a light giggle, “I’m alright. How are you gentlemen today?”

The men answered and soon followed Christine was asked what piece she was planning on using to audition with. Shakespeare had been her favorite growing up almost like a safety blanket that it was natural for her to make a selection from his works. She had chosen a scene from Much Ado About Nothing for every ago hoping that her love for Benedick’s character would make her audition smoother.

George looked up at her, “Now, I believe I’m reading lines as Don Pedro for you in your audition?”

Christine could feel the heat from the stage lights already on her, “Yes, there are a couple lines, I can work around them if need be.”

“No, I was just glad you submitted the scene with your application. Very smart of you.” She could see him shift a few papers in his lap before looking up at her with a smile, “When you’re ready.”

She bowed slightly and worked her way into her character, “That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she brought me up. I likewise give her most humble thanks, but that I will have a recheat winded in my forehead, or hang my bugle in an invisible baldrick. All women shall pardon me.”

She could barely see the three sets of eyes watching her as she let the lines fall out of her while moving across stage, surprised at how they seemed to flow out of her smoothly. She had been right at picking a piece that she loved. She felt this wave of confidence in her that she didn’t feel before and she loved it. This is why she loved being on stage, she could pull of being someone else in front of a decent sized audience and she craved it. She loved acting more then anything and this small theater had been a dream come true for her.

Now the idea of being a leading role? That was breathtaking. She never believed that she could be on this stage playing a leading role where she had seen Brendon Urie perform here. That was the craziest idea yet, here she was. She still secretly wished she could have met Brendon before the collapse and his death. That would have been another dream come true but at least she could do was help make this building survive.

Though, she still laughed at the rumors that Brendon had been a ghost haunting the theatre. She thought it was kind of ridiculous but she put up with it. Every town had there folklore and she accepted that but she wondered if some was overboard.

She continued gracefully with little errors and as soon as she had hit the end something had caught the corner of her eye. Something had walked past one of the stage lights bumping it causing the light to bounce slightly. She frowned wondering who would be on the catwalk at this time but try to brush it off. She figured her nerves were to blame; it was the only logical reason since the catwalk was always locked and there was no need to test any of the lights today.

She turned her attention towards the men and bowed lightly not honestly hearing them talk. She nodded in agreement to their plans and walked off stage still puzzled by the light incident. She couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around a logical idea other than someone had been up there.

Ryan’s voice greeted her, “How did it go?”

“Alright.” Her eyebrows furred in confusion, “Who has keys to the catwalk besides your dad?”

Ryan looked at her peculiarly, “I do, why?”

“Was anyone up there? I swear I saw someone mess with the lights.”

Ryan shook his head, “No, no one is here but us and the three out there.”

She sighed, still confused. She knew that the light couldn’t just move on its own like that unless someone had bumped into it. Someone had been there and she wasn’t going to settle that her nerves had gotten the best of her.

“Can we go check?”

Ryan shook his head and she was sure he was contemplating that she was crazy, “What? No. We have to go meet Spencer anyways. No one was there. It probably was just the building settling or something. Now come on.”
She frowned but decided to agree with Ryan. There wasn’t a real need to go look. She didn’t actually see anyone up there on the catwalk. Now, if she had seen someone then she’d rush to drag Ryan over. She sighed, finally letting the idea of her nerves playing games with her. It was the logically answer.

“You’re right. No one would be up there.”