A Little Trouble Will Do

Chapter Two

Dakota's POV:
***
Classes flew by today. It was the same as Middle School, and High School. Just introductions, and how we have to work hard. I had to many classes to count. Majoring in Screenplay Writing and Minoring in theater was way more work than I thought. Especially when all I could think about all day was auditions. I bit my nails till the tips were burning; I was so nervous. Finally, they came. I knew I had absolutely no chance at the part I was going for. I was a Freshman, only Minoring in theater and I wanted to be the lead, Maria in The Sound of Music. But I thought I'd give it a shot. Auditions were being held inside the theater which was at the end of a long corridor. There was a bench outside, were two other girls were sitting, obviously reading lines. I approached and sat down next to them when one of them looked at me.
"Hi." She said nicely.
"Hello." I said back, taking out my sheet music. It wasn't long until the whole hallway filled with girls, all borrowing each other's papers to look at lines, and other such things to prepare before they walked in. There were around fifty of us, and I made small talk with a Soprano who was going for Mother Superior. When she asked me who I was going for, she just nodded her head breathing heavily and uttered: "Good luck..."
Finally, the door opened and a horde of little girls between ages six and ten came rushing out. Once all had left the threshold, a man with a gray beard and tiny glasses poked his head out. "You better be worried, those girls are good." He joked, as the hall was filled with laughs. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Those are the younger girls auditioning for Grettle and Marta. Obviously I would take the role Grettle but directing is hard enough." He said, as we all laughed again, most of us shakily as our nerves really started to kick in. "Alright." The man continued once everything quieted down. "I am going to call you in each individually, and you will sing, and read some lines. The callback list will be out tomorrow tonight, and callbacks will be Wendesday. The cast list will be out Thursday so our first rehearsal can be Friday. Now uh..." He looked down at the clipboard gripped in his hands. "First we will have Dakota Fox."
Shoot! Why was I first? My luck was already bad. I raised my hand as the room went quiet and the man gave a nod. "Come in." He said, holding the door open for me. I quickly walked in.
The theater was huge! It had the usual theme of scarlet curtains and chairs, and the stage was enormous. There were two isles, the left one of which I was slowly walking down, and the right one. There was a balcony and finally, two booth-like platforms between the lower set of seats and the balcony.
"Stage!" He said as I heard the door slam closed behind him. "Stand on the stage." As I approached I noticed two other people sitting in the front row, and an accompanist tucked in the corner of the stage as well. I scurried up the isle and took the stairs up to the stage. My legs were shaking. This was it. I stood there and introduced myself to the man and the two women who were in the front row with him. As I finished my introduction I noticed him glance down at my resume and other important audition papers.
"So I notice your going for Maria. Bold." He said simply. I nodded.
"Why not." I said. The female on his left gave a polite laugh and I smiled back in thanks.
I walked over to my accompanist, gave him the sheet music and tempo and began. After I sang I just stood there a moment until finally the man said:
"After your line reading, would you mind singing The Sound of Music. My stomach turned.
"As in the song Maria sings in the beginning?" I asked. He nodded. I hesitantly nodded back.
"Excellent." He simply replied. I took out the sheet with the lines between Brigitta and Maria when Birgitta admits she know Maria likes the Captain. We started the scene, and I tried my hardest not to laugh as the older woman on the right read Birgitta's part. After we finished the woman smiled and said: "Nicely done." As I promptly thanked her.
"Okay, do you know the lyrics to Maria's opening song." Asked the man. I nodded. "Of corse."
"We will take it from the begging then."
"Until..."
"Until I tell you to stop."
The accompanist flipped through his book and then began to play as I sang:

The hills are alive
With the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears...