I stomp stage left and swing my feather boa dramatically around my neck, glancing back at my onstage husband, Ronald, giving him a look that could kill.

“All this time, Ronald. How could you?”

He approaches but I turn away, sticking my nose defiantly up in the air.

“Helen, I-“

Before he gets his sentence out, I spin around and slap him across the face. The audience gasps. The slap is a bit ha...

In real life, television sets always seemed cardboard and crepe paper. Edison Slate sat ramrod straight, the picture of calm. Inside she roiled. Again and again, Eddie went over her lines. Jorn had had her practicing her interview answers until two a.m. Her boyfriend/partner/mentor had her up again at six to mediate and self actualize.

A PA with a messy brown bun was hooking a small microphone to...

(This story is not about the audition, it’s the play)

I had done this before, but for some reason I had stage fright! I peeked through the big velvet curtains to see what I think is around 100- no.. 200 people. It was time, I quietly stepped into the center of the stage where the spotlight shined. My skin glistened under the spotlight. But suddenly while I was about to speak, my memory went blank...

Clammy hands sweat as they fumbled, pulling on fingers wringing the anxiety from my body. I feel a drop from my forehead, a tear of nerves trailing down my brow and across the bridge of my nose.

A reminder of the bright lights and piercing gaze of the casting director. Their eyes are void of emotion- of the tell.

Did they notice? Did they see me fumble, my pause just a moment too long, the los...

Stammer

Hammer

Laughter

Giggle

Forgot my lines

Right in the middle.

Tessa🦋...

“Floris, they’re ready for you.”

I nodded and took a deep breath, my lines running circles in my head as I walked out to the stage.

10

I stepped up to the microphone and gave a smile to the judges.

“Hello, I am Floris Jansen and I am auditioning for Prior Walters.”

“Alright, we’re ready when you are.”

9

I took a deep breath and when I went to speak nothing came out. My thoughts had stopped r...

𝘖𝘬. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

I stood on top of the metal platform while a few people sat in the first row, legs crossed and eyes looking intently. It was already bad enough that they were staring but also had pens in hand ready...

In the midst of a long and bitter war, a man named Ethan and a woman named Lila find themselves leading two opposing armies. Their hatred for each other runs deep, fueled by the conflicts that have torn their lands apart. Each battle they fought further intensified their animosity, making it seem impossible for anything but hatred to exist between them.

One day, during a momentary ceasefire, a ch...

In the distant village of Jianghu, there lived a renowned martial arts master named Le Shen. He was known for his unparalleled skills and wisdom, but a mysterious darkness plagued him. Unbeknownst to the villagers, Le Shen was possessed by a powerful demon that resided within him.

The demon's presence granted Le Shen extraordinary abilities, but it also came with a cost. As the demon's influence ...

"Next!"

Breathe. You've got this. You can do this. Just don't look too closely at their faces when you're performing. You can get this part.

I keep repeating the same sweet nothings to myself, while I make my way to the audition room, but I know myself. I know that I'm going to fuck this up, just like I always do.

I get to the small stage that has been placed in the front of the room, take a de...