Chapter Text
Half an hour later Gina has looked over the scenes a few times and made notes on the sides of the pages to help her with her emotional place in the scenes. She glances around and most of the others are standing or walking up and down reading the lines to themselves. She nervously plays with the pages in her hands and breathes deeply in an attempt to calm her nerves.
Gina looks down at the scene on the top of her stack, Reasons to be Pretty, the scene is quite intense with a lot of swearing. It’s also really confusing and Gina’s stomach flips when she realises that she hadn’t worked enough on that particular one. Although, to be honest she hadn't been able to focus on any of her scenes because she kept getting distracted by EJ across the room. Gina sighs when she glances up at EJ for what she feels like the hundredth time.
She tries to focus back on her work. After a few minutes Natalie calls everyone’s attention and they gather in front of her again. Gina and Nini step up next to each other, giving each other encouraging smiles.
“Alright, I hope everyone has had some time to read through the scenes and make some choices,” Natalie says seriously looking around with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll start calling you in now, some of you may be called in more than once so that the directors can see how you read with a few others. First we have Nini and Jared.”
Gina squeezes Nini’s hand and wishes her luck. Nini smiles and goes up to Jared and they enter the studio together.
“Nervous?”
Gina startles and looks next to her and sees EJ smiling sweetly next to her.
“Uh yeah,” Gina blushes and looks down at her scenes.
“I was thinking, since we both have all three scenes did you maybe want to run the lines together?” EJ suggests with a sheepish smile.
Gina’s insides flutter and she smiles widely. “Yeah sure, that’d be great.”
“Awesome,” EJ smiles and looks down at his pages. “Which one do you wanna do first?”
“Could we maybe do Reasons to be Pretty, that one’s a little harder to get down,” Gina says shyly and rifles through her pages. “Like this, what do the slashes mean?”
EJ leans in closer to get a look at what Gina’s pointing at and she feels a tingle go up her arm as his side touches her. The hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she tries to focus on what she’s showing him.
“Oh you didn’t get the page that’s supposed to come with it, the slashes mean that the dialogue overlaps,” EJ says and shows her his pages. “Like see here, Greg’s line is ‘No, that’s not it / I didn’t say that’ and Steph’s line is ‘Don’t lie, you fucker! / Yes, you did!’. So the first half of Greg’s line is said alone, then the first half of Steph’s line is said with Greg’s second half. You see?”
Gina grimaces slightly in confusion and nods halfheartedly. EJ smiles at her pretence and says, “How about this, let’s practice it real slow and then once you get the hang of it we can go a little faster and add some character to it?”
“Ok,” Gina nods with a wide smile. “From the top?”
“Sure,” EJ smiles and again Gina’s insides do a somersault. “No, no, no, no, no, uh-uh, no!”
“Yes!”
“No, that’s not it. I didn’t...” EJ stops and looks at Gina expectantly.
“Oh shit, sorry, that’s where I’m meant to come in right?” Gina grimaces and scrunches her nose. “Sorry, can you go again?”
“It’s okay,” EJ smiles and chuckles lightly then waits a beat before going again. “No, that’s not it / I didn’t say that.”
“Don’t lie, you fucker! / Yes, you did!”
“Steph...”
“No, don’t, do not “Steph” me right now!”
“Come on Stephanie...”
“Do not do––”
“Cameron, you’re up,” Natalie says from across the room and Gina stops, looking up.
“It’s okay, we can keep going,” EJ smiles at her encouragingly. Gina blushes and nods.
The two continue to run the scene, Gina fumbling a few times here and there but EJ encouraging her every time. With butterflies fluttering in her stomach Gina’s not sure if EJ’s the cause of them or her nerves. By the time they reach the end of the scene Gina feels confident she will be able to get it right once she’s in the room.
“Thanks for your help,” Gina smiles at EJ and he flushes sheepishly.
“No problem,” he smiles shyly. “It helped me too. Running the scene.”
Gina smiles and nods as Nini exits the studio and walks towards them.
“Connor and April, you’re next,” Natalie says looking at her clipboard.
“How’d it go?” Gina asks Nini once she reaches them.
“Pretty good,” Nini smiles. “Miss Jenn asked that I stay for a bit, probably for me to read with some others.”
“Did they send in Cameron to read with you?” EJ asks as he indicates towards Cameron standing off to the side.
“Yeah, once Jared and I did the Tennessee Williams scene they called in Cam,” Nini nods. “The Shakespeare was a bit tough, but I think I got the hang of it.”
“I’m sure you did great Neens,” EJ says softly and puts an arm around Nini and gives her a squeeze. Gina feels her stomach burn with jealousy, so instead she focuses her attention on the pages in her hands.
“Thanks Eeej,” Nini smiles and turns to Gina. “Were you guys rehearsing?”
“Yeah, EJ was helping me with one of the scenes,” Gina nods and smiles at EJ. “A lot of the dialogue overlaps and it’s harder to understand when you’re just reading alone.”
“Reasons to be Pretty,” EJ says so that Nini knows which scene. “It really helped reading with Gina.”
Gina smiles shyly and bites her bottom lip. “Yeah, you really helped me too, thanks.”
“No problem,” EJ says smiling brightly.
Nini looks between the two and grins widely. “You guys wanna continue rehearsing the other scenes?”
“Oh...uh yeah sure,” Gina stutters out looking up at EJ cautiously. “I mean, if you want, I’m cool.”
“No, yeah totally,” EJ smiles lightly and pulls his arm from around Nini and gets his papers in order. “Let’s do it. Shakespeare?”
“Sure,” Gina smiles and gets her scene ready.
Nini helps the two run their scene and gives pointers here and there on what she’d received from in the room. When they move onto the Tennessee Williams scene Gina is a lot more comfortable with EJ. Her stomach still flutters nervously whenever he smiles at her and she keeps getting a chill up and down her spine. She figures her nerves from auditions are making her body do things she’s not used to.
“Thanks again for helping me,” Gina says to EJ once they’ve run the scenes through. She feels confident that she’ll be able to impress the directors.
“No problem, thanks for helping me too,” EJ smiles at her with a sheepish look.
“Gina and Jared,” Natalie calls from the studio door. Gina stares wide-eyed at Nini who squeezes her hand in support.
“Break a leg G, you’ve got this,” Nini says as Gina gets up.
“Thanks Nini,” Gina smiles nervously.
“Break a leg,” EJ says softly as he gets up to squeeze her arm encouragingly. Gina feels a tingle on her arm at his touch, she smiles at him and nods.
Upon entering the studio Gina again feels the nerves from her initial audition. Her scene partner, Jared, smiles at her and she returns a shaky smile.
“Don’t overthink it,” Jared says as they walk towards the directors. “It’ll be over before you know it.”
“Thanks,” Gina smiles as they reach the ‘x’ on the floor in front of the directors.
“Gina, Jared hello again,” Miss Jenn says with a smile. “So Jared you’re just reading Tennessee Williams correct?”
“Yes Miss Jenn.”
“Alright, so then Mr Roy who is the director will see you for that with Gina and after that you may go and Gina, you’ll stay in the room okay?” Miss Jenn says brightly and both Gina and Jared nod in understanding.
“Okay you two, we understand you had a short time to familiarise yourselves with the scenes but try to bring some emotion and some real feeling to it alright,” Zack Roy, the director and non-major acting teacher, says as he gets up and moves to the front of the table and leans against it. “Maggie and Brick are talking about Brick’s family and Maggie is feeling overwhelmed by them all. Remember Big Daddy is dying of cancer and his inheritance is up in the air. You may start when you’re ready.”
Gina turns to Jared and he gives her an encouraging smile and she nods and they start. Gina allows herself to get lost in the character and the story of Maggie and Brick as she engages with Jared. She ends the scene by walking off.
“Great, thank you!” Mr Roy says as he walks back around the table to sit down. “Jared you can leave and tell Natalie to send in the next person.”
Gina quietly says bye to Jared and turns back towards the directors to wait.
“You doing okay Gina?” Miss Jenn asks softly.
“Yes Miss Jenn, thanks,” Gina replies shyly. She hears footsteps come up behind her and when she turns her stomach flips.
“EJ come come, join us,” Miss Jenn jumps up and comes around the table. “Alright, so you two have all three scenes correct?”
Gina and EJ smile at each other and nod. “Yes, Miss Jenn.”
“Alrighty then, I’ll have you read for me first, then you can read Reasons for Miss Lila and then end with Tennessee,” Miss Jean says as she leans on the table as Mr Roy just did. “So Twelfth Night; romance, disguises, unrequited love and mistaken identity, it’s all there. This scene between Duke Orsino and Viola is quite ironic, Viola is in love with Orsino, and Orsino is in love with Olivia and also thinks Viola is a man, Cesario, his servant. Orsino is unwittingly giving Cesario, Viola, advice on love not knowing she’s in love with him. So remember your characters emotions, feelings and obstacles for this scene. When you’re ready, take it away.”
EJ turns to Gina and she smiles nervously at him, which he returns. He goes off to the side and takes a chair and brings it back and sets it on the ‘x’ and sits down. Gina understanding his setup of the scene goes off to the side and stands quietly with her head down.
“Come hither, boy: if ever thou shalt love,
In the sweet pangs of it remember me;
For such as I am all true lovers are,
Unstaid and skittish in all motions else,
Save in the constant image of the creature
That is beloved. How dost thou like this tune?” EJ says leaning back into the seat, one hand behind his head as the other holds his script, and he looks over at Gina.
“It gives a very echo to the seat
Where Love is throned,” Gina says stepping forward, remembering to stay in character as a woman pretending to be a man. EJ smirks at her in character and laughs.
“Thou dost speak masterly:
My life upon't, young though thou art, thine eye
Hath stay'd upon some favour that it loves:
Hath it not, boy?” EJ gets up and walks a few paces away from Gina before turning around to face her.
“A little, by your favour,” bowing lowly in character, Gina smiles up at EJ.
“What kind of woman is't?” EJ tilts his head to the side and crosses his one arm over his chest as he looks at Gina questioningly.
“Of your complexion,” she replies with a blush and looks away.
“She is not worth thee, then. What years, i' faith?” EJ moves closer to Gina and she takes a small step back.
“About your years, my lord,” Gina looks down and her blush deepens. She can’t believe how close this scene is to her current feelings. EJ laughs and shakes his head pulling Gina back into the scene.
“Too old by heaven: let still the woman take
An elder than herself: so wears she to him,
So sways she level in her husband's heart:
For, boy, however we do praise ourselves,
Our fancies are more giddy and unfirm,
More longing, wavering, sooner lost and worn,
Than women's are,” EJ puts a hand on Gina’s shoulder to show camaraderie. Gina looks at his hand on her shoulder as she feels the sensation shoot up her neck and down her back. She looks up at him and smiles.
“I think it well, my lord,” she bows down again and EJ’s hand drops from her shoulder.
When Gina comes up from her bow she looks up into EJ’s eyes again and she feels her stomach flutter. EJ smiles at her widely. Their moment is broken when Miss Jean claps her hands.
“Wonderful, bravo!” Miss Jenn says excitedly. “You two really got into character there.”
EJ shares a look with Gina and they both blush.
“Miss Lila, you wanna talk to them about Reasons?” Miss Jenn turns to the other directors and Miss Lila stands.
“Alright, EJ, Gina, this scene is quite intense and long, so I just want to see about 2 pages of it, I’ll have you do the end, start from the top of page 15 and end at the top of page 17 when Steph leaves,” Miss Lila says looking at her script in her hands. “Remember the slashes mean overlapping the lines, so please listen each other, I understand you have scripts in hand, but please try to engage. Also, you’ve just had a rollercoaster of a fight, so those emotions are definitely still there. When you’re ready you may begin.”
Gina and EJ prepare themselves to start the scene. Gina thinks of her character’s feelings, of finding out her boyfriend had called her ugly and him denying the fact. She closes her eyes for a moment and thinks of Jack’s words to her when he broke up with her; that he never thought she was his soulmate and how he was just passing time with her. She feels hot tears start to form and she opens her eyes, she looks over at EJ and he’s looking at her. His face is void of any emotion as he stares at her. She gives him a slight nod to indicate she’s ready and he says his line.
“Fine!”