Charlotte is a first year at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Little does she know that inside these old walls not only her love for acting will grow.
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"Stop"
The scream rings ins my ears and I freeze on the spot. I look over to Tom, he shakes his head, disappointment in his face.
"No, no, no" he says, standing up and rushing to the front.
"Paul as much as I admire your positivity, but you clearly haven't spent one minute getting to know your character so far. I recommend you go home and make your homework. Properly this time" he spins around.
"And Charlotte, you are so much better than this" he waves his hands around.
I turn pale. My whole body shaking.
Taking in my reaction his expression softens.
"It is past 10pm. Let's call it a day and we will make a fresh start tomorrow" he says calmly and heads back to the table in the back. The others grabbing their bags and storming out of the room.
Trying to fit my ridiculous amount of stuff back into my bag, I notice that the room is deserted.
"Charlotte?"
"Yes " I turn around, a scared look on my face.
"Listen, I am sorry. I didn't want to intimidate you. It's just ... It's so frustrating seeing someone with so much talent settle for mediocracy" my eyes widen.
Did he just say that? Who is he referring to? Me? Before saying something out of a completely wrong context I look around. The room is empty.
"Yes, I am talking about you, Charlotte" he says with a smile. Shaking his head.
"Of course in acting you are dealing with imaginary circumstances. And yes, its joy comes from expanding your curiosity to dig around in other characters. So up to this point you excelled at this task. You have analyzed the qualities of Violas behavior in great depth"
He walks over, sitting down on the table beside me.
"But the thing is, you hide behind her. You pretend to be her, when I am sure there are so many wonderful qualities of your own you could put into the performance. I think you underestimate how dull your character gets and how easily the audience detects falsehood" he looks up, raising his eyebrows.
"Honesty is a gift. You have to be honest with yourself, your character and the audience. Letting yourself shine through your character is what makes it alive and real" shifting closer, he carefully takes my hand. I stop breathing.
"By being honest you encourage intimacy. And intimacy is where it's at in all things. But especially if you want to stand out and touch a whole audience with your performance" his blue eyes piercing through me.
"Tell me one honest thing about you. Something so wild and crazy you would not tell another soul"
The answer is so obvious in my head, it just shoots out. "I can't stop thinking about you".
His eyes widen, tightening the grip on my hand. He inhales, closing his eyes.
"Likewise, Miss Williams, likewise" he whispers.
As much as his revelation means to me, with the middle part reality punched me straight in the face. Miss Williams. Reversing right back onto formal ground. Sometimes life really is a bitch.
But he is right, I mean this is ridiculous whatever it is supposed to be. This is exactly the sort of crazy shit, that people lose the plot about. I need to get out of here. I need to get away.
"Well, thank you Tom for your honesty and your expertise. It's very much appreciated and I will certainly work on this" the words can't leave my mouth quick enough, to get out of the door. "I am sorry, I need to go. I need to be somewhere. See you tomorrow".
And with that I turn around, grab my bag and rush into the hallway. Leaving him, before he gets a chance to reply.
