Gideon the Street Urchin: On Broadway

The Open Call

Hi, it's Gideon. Before the story starts, I just want to let you know I'll be popping in and out when necessary. If you're not a hardcore fan of the musical, keeping up with all the actors and characters will probably be hard. So, here's the cast list for you to use as reference:

PETER: Tim Bowers
EDWARD: Bowie Kingston
BUDDY: Chip Taylor
ANDREW: Mike Vander (replaced by Romeo Forman)
MEL: Gideon Tucker/ Cooper Daxton
KIRK: Eldritch Winston
PIXIE: Jessica Zanelli
GENEVIEVE: Annie Carpenter
MARLEY: Ava McMahon
MURPHY: Terri Miller
SAVANNAH: Aaliyah Webb/Mila Kay Jones
BETHANY: Mila Kay Jones/ Aaliyah Webb
ELLEN: Hannah Chesterfield
NELSON: Jack Bergen
MIRIAM: Kaylah Todd
TEEN ENSEMBLE: Jack Bergen, Eldritch Winston, Chloe Collins (NICOLE), Kaylah Todd (CHARLOTTE), Quinton Mitchell (MAN)

Hope that helps! That's all for now! Enjoy the story!

Gideon Tucker clutched his resume, headshot, and rep book close to his chest. He took a deep breath as the audition manager called out his number. Every single boy between the ages of 10 and 15 was corralled in this tiny hallway in a tall skyscraper. Gideon took one last look outside the window and saw the line stretching down the block. The man called his number a second time. Mrs. Tucker pushed him to the door.

"Gideon, listen to me," she looked him dead in the eye. "Whatever happens in there, know I am proud of you. This is your first audition. Don't put so much pressure on yourself." Gideon nodded. He smiled then reached for the doorknob. The sign said STREET URCHINS: THE MUSICAL. Gideon let himself in.

The first thing he noticed was the long table of people against one wall. They didn't look too mean. The woman in the middle couldn't have been older than his mother. She wore big turtle shell glasses, a pearl necklace, and a cherry red blazer. Her silver hair was up in a twist. The other people weren't nearly as polished. Gideon's eyes darted to the corner where a man sat at a piano. He had dark skin and wore a nice plaid shirt. The piano looked like it would collapse any second. The room had plenty of sunlight in it. The walls were a pale cream color so as not to distract from the performer.

"Hello," the woman with the glasses said. Gideon's attention snapped to her.

"Hi," he squeaked then cleared his throat.

"May I see your headshot and resume?" she asked. Gideon briskly handed them over. His resume wasn't even a full sheet long. The headshot was taken in his living room about a week before. The woman passed the papers down the row of people. She took an extra-long look at the photo of the boy with dark brown hair, a round face, and dark blue eyes.

"Your name is Gideon Tucker?" one of the men at the table asked. Gideon said yes.

"Is your mother Julia Tucker?" the woman with the glasses asked. Again, Gideon said yes.

"You may give your music to Mr. Patrick," she instructed. Gideon walked over to the piano and politely handed the sheets to him. He took one step back, but Mr. Patrick stopped him.

"What tempo, Mr. Tucker?" he asked. Gideon blushed. He didn't know what to say. Mr. Patrick took notice. So, he said, "Can you snap it out for me?" Gideon could snap it out. He snapped a nice steady beat which Mr. Patrick picked up on quickly. Gideon took his place in the middle of the room.

"Whenever you're ready, please tell us your name, age, height, and what song you will be singing," the woman with glasses said. Gideon closed his eyes to clear his buzzing mind.

"My name is Gideon Tucker. I am nine years old, I am 4 feet, 2 inches. And will be singing 'Nail Polish and Succulents' from Expression Yesterday." Gideon nodded to Mr. Patrick. The plucky song began. He drew in his first breath.