The Final Act

Chapter Three: Rory

"I've got to land this," Rory said to himself as he went over his lines in his bedroom. He was going through a dry spell and needed this gig to get himself back into the groove. This should be an easy role to land, he thought as he skimmed the script. It was the story of two people who accidently meet in a book store and begin a romance that mimics one in a book they are both reading. "Should be fun," he continued as he went into the bathroom. He wouldn't shave for this role—it seemed to fit the character, a laid-back millennial with his own publishing firm. The role smacked of him. He hoped he would click with whomever landed the female role opposite him, making the acting seamless.

Rory had begun acting in high school with his first role in Our Town as the stage manager. It tested his limits as a novice, but he made a name for himself in the school and was talked about in town. He was on to something. He never felt more energized than when he was pretending to be someone else. He was an outgoing individual, popular among his classmates and a natural on the stage. But, no one made a living as an actor unless they hit it big, so he had other plans to become an engineer to make "real money." He would quench his craving for acting with community theatre.

But community theatre only whet his appetite for more. As more and more roles became available he was hooked. When he finally got his big break, he turned to off-Broadway roles, hoping to be noticed. He quit his day job and turned all his energy and passion into role playing as he called it. He was handsome and had talent, but was it enough to propel him into stardom?

When he saw the ads for auditions for The Book Lovers, he knew he had to read for the role. He loved romantic comedy and this would give him the opportunity to stretch his wings into a new arena, away from the serious roles he had become used to playing. He did one more read of his part and grabbed a cab to the theatre, having given up a car several months ago.

The theatre was dark when he arrived, the seats like hollow shells waiting for bodies to warm them. He loved the darkened expanse of space, the darkness he would look out on when he was under the blinding lights of the stage. But, today, those seats would remain vacant except for the director who would determine his fate. He walked up onto the dimly lit stage, ready to assume his other self, ready for judgment. It seemed an interminable amount of time until he heard someone come in and the lights brightened on the stage devoid of any set. This wasn't about a backdrop; this was about him alone. He turned to see a body moving toward him, the casting director he assumed, and introduced himself. He was told to wait until everyone arrived to begin. Others filtered in, more than he would have liked to see, more competition, and he steeled his nerves.

He was to play a scene with an actress to see if there was any chemistry. His first scene was a bust and the director moved on to another set of actors. After what seemed like an eternity, he was called back to read the scene opposite another of the young women. He looked up to see a vision of heaven right in front of him. He became unglued, not sure if he could even remember his lines. She had caught him completely off guard. The only way he could compose himself was to pretend he was talking to the mirror once again. He couldn't afford the distraction.

At day's end, he was asked to return the following day for additional try outs. First round accomplished. He walked out of the dim theatre into the blazing heat of mid-day. Feeling fairly confident in his performance, he walked a bit, thinking about the vision of loveliness he had read with. There was definitely a connection, theatrically speaking, and he felt they could work well together. But, he had to get the part first. He wondered if she had gotten a call back also. It would be a long and sleepless night.