Chicago
Connor stepped onto the stage and headed towards center, looking at the group of students assembled in the house. The man smirked to himself before pointing at a set of scripts on the edge of the stage, his eyes sweeping the crowd. He noticed a blonde sitting just center and his smirk grew wider.
“Miss, if you please” he asked her, moving towards the cage over the orchestra pit, stepping on the thick bar as he continued to speak. “Could you pass the scripts out to everyone?” Connor stood on the very edge of the wall and looked down at one of the students before him. “Did you guys get the audition sheets? Those would help me a lot more than guessing who each of you are.” The mousy haired boy pointed at a stack to the right of Connor’s foot, causing the man to look down.
“For those of you who don’t know, I am your new theater teacher. The school board would prefer it if you called me Mr. Parker-Phillips, however, I’m not my father, I’m just Connor, so call me Connor.” Connor shuffled through the papers as he spoke, glancing quickly at the dream characters each student had listed. Connor threw the sheets behind him before looking back at the group.
The man turned and headed back towards the stage, his footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. He turned and snapped his fingers. One of the students he enlisted slid the stage lights down, a single spotlight lighting Connor.
“I’ve got a motto, and that motto is - play square. Dead square. Now, when you came to me yesterday, I didn’t ask you was she guilty. I didn’t ask if she was innocent. I didn’t ask you if she was a drunk or a dope fiend. No. All I said was, “Have you got five thousand dollars?” And you said, yes. But, you haven’t got five thousand dollars, so I figure you’re a dirty liar” Connor paused, only for a beat, “But, I took her case, and I’ll keep it because I play square. Now look, Hart, I’m not a braggart. I don’ like to blow my own horn, but believe me, if Jesus Christ had lived in Chicago-and he had five thousand dollars and had come tome-things would have turned out differently.” He gave a bow, looking displeased over the lack of applause he had received for his monologue.
“That, children, was one of the monologues one of our leads will have to do. Those of you who don’t think you’re up to it, leave. Now.” Connor spoke sternly, eyeing the small group that left the auditorium quickly. “Gentlemen, if you’re not comfortable with singing, dancing or doing both at the same time, leave.” A slightly larger group left, muttering to themselves. “Same goes for you as well ladies.” When the last group of unworthy students left, Connor smiled and looked at the sheets of paper he had tossed onto the stage moments before.
“Those of you that are left, come up onto the stage, I want to look at you. Ladies to my left, gentlemen to my right” Connor watched as the students clambered onto the stage and eyed them slowly, giving them their parts in his head.
Time ticked by as Connor listened to them sing their sixteen bars of song and perform their monologues, scribbling down notes next to each audition sheet as to who was really suited for what part. Connor looked up at the stage from his chair, staring at the same three pieces of paper. “Johnny, Melissa and Gordon,” Connor put his papers to the side and waited for the three students he called to approach them. He assigned them their roles to rehearse and shooed them out of the auditorium. “The rest of you are free to ask me any questions or voice concerns if you have any. Talk amongst yourselves, just remember, the minute you walked in this building, your audition started.” Connor said, shuffling his papers back in some resemblance of order as a light chatter broke out around him.
[[ooc: tag yourselves as you come!]]
“Miss, if you please” he asked her, moving towards the cage over the orchestra pit, stepping on the thick bar as he continued to speak. “Could you pass the scripts out to everyone?” Connor stood on the very edge of the wall and looked down at one of the students before him. “Did you guys get the audition sheets? Those would help me a lot more than guessing who each of you are.” The mousy haired boy pointed at a stack to the right of Connor’s foot, causing the man to look down.
“For those of you who don’t know, I am your new theater teacher. The school board would prefer it if you called me Mr. Parker-Phillips, however, I’m not my father, I’m just Connor, so call me Connor.” Connor shuffled through the papers as he spoke, glancing quickly at the dream characters each student had listed. Connor threw the sheets behind him before looking back at the group.
The man turned and headed back towards the stage, his footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. He turned and snapped his fingers. One of the students he enlisted slid the stage lights down, a single spotlight lighting Connor.
“I’ve got a motto, and that motto is - play square. Dead square. Now, when you came to me yesterday, I didn’t ask you was she guilty. I didn’t ask if she was innocent. I didn’t ask you if she was a drunk or a dope fiend. No. All I said was, “Have you got five thousand dollars?” And you said, yes. But, you haven’t got five thousand dollars, so I figure you’re a dirty liar” Connor paused, only for a beat, “But, I took her case, and I’ll keep it because I play square. Now look, Hart, I’m not a braggart. I don’ like to blow my own horn, but believe me, if Jesus Christ had lived in Chicago-and he had five thousand dollars and had come tome-things would have turned out differently.” He gave a bow, looking displeased over the lack of applause he had received for his monologue.
“That, children, was one of the monologues one of our leads will have to do. Those of you who don’t think you’re up to it, leave. Now.” Connor spoke sternly, eyeing the small group that left the auditorium quickly. “Gentlemen, if you’re not comfortable with singing, dancing or doing both at the same time, leave.” A slightly larger group left, muttering to themselves. “Same goes for you as well ladies.” When the last group of unworthy students left, Connor smiled and looked at the sheets of paper he had tossed onto the stage moments before.
“Those of you that are left, come up onto the stage, I want to look at you. Ladies to my left, gentlemen to my right” Connor watched as the students clambered onto the stage and eyed them slowly, giving them their parts in his head.
Time ticked by as Connor listened to them sing their sixteen bars of song and perform their monologues, scribbling down notes next to each audition sheet as to who was really suited for what part. Connor looked up at the stage from his chair, staring at the same three pieces of paper. “Johnny, Melissa and Gordon,” Connor put his papers to the side and waited for the three students he called to approach them. He assigned them their roles to rehearse and shooed them out of the auditorium. “The rest of you are free to ask me any questions or voice concerns if you have any. Talk amongst yourselves, just remember, the minute you walked in this building, your audition started.” Connor said, shuffling his papers back in some resemblance of order as a light chatter broke out around him.
[[ooc: tag yourselves as you come!]]