Playtime's Begun

[inthebones]

Who: Hapless students
What: Mandatory torture sessions auditions
When: On a Saturday unreasonably early in the morning
Where: The High School Auditorium

Oh, dear.

She had never realized quite how much fun it was to indulge herself in these power trips.  It was quite unbecoming, really, but at some point, dealing with alternate universe nonsense and endless cries of but I'm actually 5000 years old and I don't need to be in school had exacted their toll.  It seemed Miss Traitor's habit of cackling maniacally after assigning 50 page proofs on the existence of logic hadn't been due to mild senility after all.  One day, these students would outgrow their studies (excepting the 5000 year olds) and realize how much trouble and effort it took to derive these truly diabolical schemes concocted for the sole purpose of making every moment of their waking lives miserable.  They'd appreciate it.  Eventually.  Perhaps some would even grow up to be teachers themselves to pass on the thrill of the hunt to the next generation.

..............

The preceding, of course, was exactly what each and every one of the horrified students entering class Friday morning thought as they beheld the following neatly taped announcement. 

MANDATORY SCHOOL PLAY AUDITIONS
TOMORROW MORNING
SIGN-UP BELOW FOR TIME SLOTS AND CHARACTER PARTS FOR WHICH YOU ARE INTERESTED

followed by a neat listing of the names of every student in school, simply as an indication that yes, she would know if you didn't show up.

Truly they were dealing with a mastermind.

((Auditions:
Please post to the appropriate character's topic.  You are welcome to audition with another student simultaneously for different parts in a group if you wish!  In that case, just post to one of the characters' topics.
You are also welcome to have several people auditioning for the same part combating each other in one thread.  Maybe literally.
Any other teacher in the school is welcome to respond to an audition with their own input on the subject. 
This is really just for fun.  You can still be involved in the play if you don't audition.  The exception to this is for the characters of Romeo and Juliet, which will be chosen from among the auditions.  Please note that all parts are non-gender-specific.

Thank you!))

Comments

[commentboxtroll]

[As if. You couldn't fill half a classroom with students that 'enthusiastic' about this.]

That's too bad. I suppose I'll have to forfeit my claim on that part and go home now.

[inthebones]

Come now, Caesar. You've come so far already; you wouldn't want to walk so far in the snow merely to waste your efforts.

[commentboxtroll]

I know, I know, to walk away empty-handed would be heartbreaking, but if Romeo is such a sought after part, it's clearly more noble for me to make that trek back through the snow without putting my own bid in.

[inthebones]

Now look at that. Your acting's quite obviously top of the class. I'll have to insist you remain and finish your audition.

[commentboxtroll]

You're too kind. [Way too kind. Stop it. :|] But it looks like I must refuse all the same...

[inthebones]

Bearing in mind that these are mandatory, I simply can't allow you to miss out on the opportunity that your fellow students have had.

If you don't care to try for Juliet, you can recite whatever you'd like for whichever part you'd like.

[commentboxtroll]

[...but choosing a new part would mean going through the rest of the script. With a sigh, he concedes.]

Fine.

[Excuse him a moment as he stares at the part of the play he already as the script open to before checking the pages ahead and behind it for something less...]

Did people actually talk like this? Ever? What an embarrassment.

[But he's stalling. He'll get on with this now, reciting it with the utmost lack of enthusiasm.]

Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract tonight:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be...

And despite saying all of that now, I'll forget about any of it the second you propose,
We'll run off on some wild scheme anyway come tomorrow.

[The script needed improving.]

This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
Which is a metaphor for blossoming romance or something,
In case you're too dense to get that.
Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest
Come to thy heart. Now go away and let me sleep;
Or we'll get caught.
Which would be a great mercy anytime now...

[inthebones]

Heavens. It's almost as if you picked those ending lines on purpose.

I suppose we'll have to see about fitting you for an appropriately sized dress...

[commentboxtroll]

Yes, it almost is. I wonder what it could mean.

[If Susan's hoping to panic him, she isn't about to get that satisfaction.]

I hear there's a very talkative pony who can you help with that problem, Miss S.

[inthebones]

Rarity, wasn't it? I'm acquainted with the people in her house. She'd be up to the task, I'm sure.

Now. As for your performance itself... I'm afraid it could use quite a lot of polish. We'd have to do several extra rehearsals.

[commentboxtroll]

...wonderful. [And maybe he can convince Nina to trash any such dress. Hmm.] Several extra rehearsals? That's unfortunate. I can't say I have the time for a commitment like that.

You really will have to pick someone else!

[inthebones]

Oh, Caesar. You do make things difficult. And after all the trouble I went to making sure our conversation at the start of the school year could be realized.

[commentboxtroll]

Ha. I knew it. This is nothing more than petty vengeance.

[inthebones]

[Susan sits up a little bit and smiles.]

As a matter of fact, that happens to be merely be a minor perk in this whole production. You're free to believe me as you wish, but I think I've enjoyed myself enough already up to this point.

[commentboxtroll]

Huh, so you can smile. [He'd be worried if the worst thing that could happen right now hadn't already happened.] It's a good thing you've enjoyed this part, at least, because you do realize what you did when you made the auditions mandatory, right?

[inthebones]

Subjected myself to hours of the worst acting I've ever seen in my life accompanied by death glares the whole while, I think.

[commentboxtroll]

I'm sure you'll prefer the glares from the students with real live personalities after wading through every single teenage drone who just had to get in on this.

[inthebones]

Oh, those.

Oddly enough, I had the astonishing foresight to circumvent them beforehand.

[commentboxtroll]

Really? And how did you manage that?

[inthebones]

As these things go, that's for me to know and you not to ask about.

[Being able to make people forget things had never come in handier.]

[commentboxtroll]

I see. Then I guess all that effort I put into passing those audition posters out to so many of them right before coming to the auditorium was a huge waste of my time.

[inthebones]

Hm.

[Susan snaps her fingers once. ...Nothing particularly interesting happens.]

Very thoughtful of you. I must have some baseline by which to measure these performances, after all.

[commentboxtroll]

[His prank just backfired, didn't it?]

What was that about?

[inthebones]

Oh.

Nothing.

Do ignore the confused drones milling about your yard when you get home.

[He will find nothing of the sort, but she can have her moment of fun.]