The Final Act

Chapter Six: The Final Audition

Rory reported to the theatre bright and early the next morning for his call-back. He had spent a restless night, tossing and turning with lines running through his head. Sometimes he couldn't remember what was real and what was a role. He skipped shaving again this morning, wanting to prolong the look of yesterday, although now he was beginning to look a bit straggly. Maybe he would land the role and he could go home and clean up. If they liked the look, he could always go back to it for performances. But, he was getting WAY ahead of himself.

The theatre was dark once again and he paused to sit in one of the seats. It was strange to be on the other side of the curtain. His life was up on that stage in whatever role he was assuming. He often became so immersed in a role that he could imagine what an undercover cop must feel like living a false identity. That was the nature of the acting beast—you had to get out of yourself to be successful. It was all a charade while you were up there giving it your all.

He turned to see the beautiful blonde entering by the stage door. What a pro, he thought. And here he entered by the front of the theatre like a patron. He was beguiled by her golden curls and bright blue eyes the color of marbles. He had gotten lost in them yesterday and had to pull himself back from the brink of forgetting he was auditioning. Would they be paired up again today? They had magic and he wanted it back.

Angel strode across the stage like she owned it. When she was confident, she almost didn't recognize herself. There had been so many depressive episodes ever since she was 16 that when she felt well she reveled in the glow of contentment. She treasured these times of sanity, always wondering when she would fall off the brink into that black hole again. It was a totally unexplainable feeling. People were always so kind trying to snap her out of it, but it didn't work that way. When she was in her darkness, she couldn't will it away. It physically hurt. But, she was in the light now and ready for this next challenge.

She peered into the darkness of the unlit auditorium and saw him sitting there. He was back. She wondered if they would be playing the scene again today. He was so easy on the eyes it made it difficult to concentrate, but wasn't that the nature of acting? Wasn't it all about the world of pretense? Surely, she could pretend she wasn't at all intrigued by him. "Just say your lines," she told herself. "Sink into the part."

Rory averted her eyes when he saw her glance into the empty seats all around him. There was no one else there. It would be the two of them again, alone to create this "other" world they called acting. He rose from his red-cushioned seat and, taking a deep breath to get into character, he ran his lines through his head as he climbed onto the stage. The closeness to her was magical and they became so immersed in the part of young lovers that they didn't hear the director say "cut." As if on cue, they began to ad lib, extending the scene well beyond what was written. The chemistry between them was palpable. As his eyes met hers the room ceased to exist. Their voices softened as if whispering to each other, telling secrets only lovers would tell.

An incredibly loud clap reverberated through the space as the director sought to break the spell and get their attention. Their faces flushed with embarrassment as they realized they had crept into a different realm, a private one only big enough for two people. They instinctively knew they had gotten the roles as the director rambled on about rehearsal times and scripts. The magic was broken as they parted ways.

"What just happened in there," Angel thought as she fought to compose herself. She was a good actor, but something in there was beyond acting. The permission she would never grant herself—to feel—had been stripped away on that bare stage and it frightened her to her core. "She would not feel," she told herself. Those emotions were only allowed to surface as she immersed herself in a role. They were not part of her personal life and could never be. She had too much baggage to let anyone in. She fled the theatre, the director's instructions reaching her through a fog of confusion. She desperately needed to retreat into her private place. She went home and called her mom.