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Amanda arrived at the first cast meeting about 20 minutes early. She was happy she’d gotten there early enough to talk to Sonny, who she had had her eye on since auditions and the theater program informational meeting. She still had yet to have a substantial conversation with him; all she’d done was say hello or make small talk about her class load or the dining hall menu. But now they would be working with each other in The Sound of Music, with him playing Captain von Trapp and her being cast as Baroness Schraeder, the role she was not expecting to get. She thought she had bombed her audition and would end up playing one of the nuns alongside Olivia, who was cast as the Reverend Mother.
But given that last year she had been in the ensemble of South Pacific, she was happy with a supporting but still notable role. And as a bonus, she could work with her crush.
“Hi Amanda!” She was greeted by Carly, who was playing Maria. Amanda often envied Carly’s singing voice and overall genuine kindness and confidence, as she was more introverted and didn’t consider herself to have the strongest voice. However, she was in chamber choir to improve her singing, and she liked having time to practice in a smaller, less stressful setting.
“Oh, hey Carly. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. My psychology class was canceled so I’ve been here for a little while. I already picked up my script and started reading through it. Here, you can have this one. I was holding onto it for whoever came after me.”
“Thanks. That’s nice of you.
“Hey, random question, but is Sonny here yet? I’ve been trying to talk to him ever since the informational meeting.”
“You and everyone! Isn’t he the sweetest? He was telling me he helped run a theater camp for kids over the summer. We’re so lucky that we’re both his love interests…onstage and in character, of course. I have a boyfriend, so don’t you have to worry about me offstage. Anyway, Sonny was here but went to get some coffee. He should be back soon.”
“The fact that he loves kids gives me even more reason to like him,” Amanda said. “I mean…I haven’t talked to him much yet. But he seems so personable and helpful to everyone.”
Carly nodded in agreement. “You should talk to him! I’ll be your wingwoman. Unless you already have one.”
“Yeah, my roommate and best friend Olivia. She and I met at one of our freshman orientation programs and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I’m sure you saw her on the cast list as the Reverend Mother. She had a class before this, so she should be here soon.”
The doors to the auditorium opened, and Sonny and Olivia walked in.
“Looks like Amanda got here in the meantime,” Sonny told Olivia. He nodded hello to Amanda, and she could feel her heart swell and her face flush.
“Oh, hi. Sorry, it’s kind of hot in here.” Amanda said. She grabbed her script and fanned herself with it.
“No need to apologize. I had a lecture in here this morning and it was the same way.” He picked up his own script and sat down.
Olivia and Carly both looked in Amanda’s direction and tried not to giggle. Olivia, being Amanda’s best friend, had already noticed her eyeing Sonny but not having the nerve to talk to him.
“I think this is one of the first roles I’ve had where I have to be a romantic interest for two women,” he said to Amanda and Carly. “How are you both feeling?”
“I wish the wedding scene were longer than a minute or so,” Carly laughed. “I have to put the dress on only to have to change again as soon as we walk down the ‘aisle’. We’ll have to get some pictures in costume so I can milk it longer. My biggest concern, though, is how I’ll play the struggling nun who ran away hoping to avoid her feelings but can’t now that they’re right in front of her. The romantic scenes are the easy part for me, the conflict not as much. I get a lot of criticism on that from directors. They love how confident I am as an actress, but that I almost sound too sure of myself when my characters are torn.”
“I think Captain has it easier on that front for sure,” Sonny replied. “He’s pretty sure he loves Maria, but yet he’s engaged to the Baroness and wants to be loyal to her. But she can tell Maria is the woman he belongs with. So, Amanda, you get rejected but also know he’s making the correct choice. How do you feel about your role?”
“I honestly didn’t expect to land it.” Amanda shook her head. “I’m a little nervous about having a bigger part than I did last year.”
“Hey, don’t talk like that. You should be happy about a good audition and moving up in the cast. I heard you were in the ensemble in South Pacific, right? You’re getting there. You’re here because you deserve to be. I don’t get the lead every time, but I consider every part a good chance to get experience and sharpen my craft.”
Carly was right. Sonny did care about his co-stars and was easy to get along with.
“So I’ll ask you again,” he continued. “How do you feel about your role?”
“Well, Baroness Schraeder may be European, but I’m from Atlanta, and she reminds me of high-society Southern women. So I’m hoping to channel some of my knowledge of that into the role even though she’s not from the South herself. But anyway, I made chamber choir this year, too, so I’m going to keep singing outside the theater to get more performing experience.”
“That’s the spirit. And listen. Even though I end up with Maria at the end, I’ll encourage you a little: I know nobody likes the Baroness, but this is only a show. You may be playing a villain who wants to send the von Trapp kids to boarding school, but you’re my scene partner so I will defend you to the death. I’ll give you suggestions to make our scenes better and go over lines as often as you need, just like I would for Carly. I don’t want you to feel like we’re not equals. You can still own the part and nail it.”
Amanda smiled, and she was starting to believe in her abilities more. She was even more excited now to get started on table reads and rehearsals.
“You’re not blushing because it’s hot in here,” Olivia whispered when Sonny turned to Carly to start discussing their parts. “You’re in love. I mean, you could barely speak after his last sentence.”
“I do really like him. We may not end up together onstage, but there’s definitely real-life potential. What do you think?”
“Sure, why not? You really need a guy who’s going to support you and be a friend…and a good boyfriend, of course. I’d say keep trying to talk to him and see if he might be interested too. If you want to work on your confidence, this is just another way to do it.”
When the meeting got started, Amanda made sure she sat close to Sonny, and she gave him another smile. He smiled back, and she felt butterflies all over again. Her first priority was learning her part but getting his number—and maybe a date—wasn’t too far behind.