[PackagedStories.net] The Audition by TheSweetCount
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Casting Notice:
Young wife/homemaker type for non-union
Must be under 5’2”, flexibility a must.
Multiple spots, $20,000 buy out.
Open call, bring photo/resume
134 King St. East. Saturday 9:30am
It almost seemed too good to be true. Michelle had come to the city
six months ago, hoping to follow her dream of becoming an actress. In those
six months, she’d lived in seedy apartments, worked crappy jobs, and had
door after door slammed in her face. She couldn’t get into the union; she
couldn’t even get an agent. It wasn’t that she wasn’t talented and she
certainly had the look.
At 24 years old she still had an innocent “girl
next door” quality about her with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes that
sparkled when she smiled. It’s just that there were a lot of other girls
out there with the same look. Several agencies had even had the nerve to
tell her they were looking for someone taller. “What’s wrong with being
5’1?” she wondered. “It’s not like I’m out of proportion or anything”.
That was certainly true. Though small of stature, her body had curves that
had made the boys back in Westacre drool every time she passed by. Her
breasts, though not huge, jutted out deliciously, each about the size of
one of her cupped hands (the perfect proportions, she’d read somewhere).
Her slender silky legs rose up to a bottom that could stop traffic.
“Under 5’2? It’s like this part was made for me,” she thought to herself.
She’d come by to check the casting bulletin board after work on Friday,
not expecting to find anything but she was desperate. Rent was due Monday
morning and unless she could prove to her landlord that she had money coming
in she’d be out on the street. She’d lost her last waitressing job after
she slapped the hands of one too many of the many prying hands which tried
to pinch her bottom every time she passed. With no job, and no money coming
Michelle knew she had to nail this audition.
Rising early Saturday, Michelle got ready for her audition. She put
on her best green and yellow sundress, flat white shoes, and spent some
time arranging her hair into something that seemed like a perky young wife
and homemaker. This was always the hardest part of these jobs, trying to
decide what the casting director would be looking for. When she was relaxing
at home in her apartment Michelle liked to dress in a comfortable old pair
of peach colored overalls and put her hair up in pigtails, her only throwback
to the tiny little farming town where she grew up. Checking the mirror
once again, she decided that this would pass. Her sundress was bright and
cheery, with a floral pattern and a length that came just to the knee.
“Not too frumpy, not too slutty, just right” she thought.
Arriving at the address she’d written down from the notice Michelle
was dismayed to see a line up all the way down the block of pretty young
women, most in sundresses not too different from her own. “Oh well. That’s
a cattle call for you”.
By 3:30, she’d made it into the door where there was a small table where
people signed in and chairs all around the room. Finally, at 5:15, she
heard her name called and went into the casting studio. A handsome blonde
man with a small reddish brown goatee sat behind a table covered with photos
and resumes.
“Hi, I’m Ken.” he said standing and offering his hand. “Please excuse
the vest. The heat’s not working in here and it gets a little cold after
eight hours in the studio.” He wore a navy blue fleece vest over his collared
cotton shirt. “I’m the director for this spot, Craig over here is my cameraman.”
He waved over to a tall, dark haired man who was peering into his camera
lens. Craig wore blue jeans and a black t-shirt that stretched tightly
over his muscular chest. “Hi” he said, looking up.
“So Michelle,” Ken said, glancing through her resume “Tell me a bit
about yourself”
“Well, I’ve trained in acting for many years back in my hometown and
I’ve been taking classes here in the city as well…”
“I see you don’t have an agent”
“Well, no, I’ve been working on that and, um, …”
“Hey, it’s okay. Lot’s of the people who’ve come through today don’t
have one. Who needs someone taking away your money anyway?” he said, smiling
at her.
“Do you have any friends or family in town?”
“No…not really. Why do you ask?”
“Sorry Michelle, I should have said. It’s just that when someone doesn’t
have an agent we like to have a backup number or way of getting in touch
with them in case there’s a change in the shooting date or something and
we can’t reach them at home.”
“Oh, well, no. Unfortunately there’s no one like that”
“Even back in your hometown? Friends, family?”
“We don’t stay in touch.”
“So no one even knows you’re here?”
Michelle shook her head.
“Hey, that’s okay Michelle. You look like the kind of girl who’s pretty
good about checking her voice mail. Alright, take a spot on the green mark
on the carpet there”
As Michelle was looking down to find her mark Ken looked over to Craig
and gave a barely perceptible little nod.
“Okay,” Ken continued, “what we’re looking for in this spot is a happy,
very organized young homemaker sharing some of her household organizing
tips. Keep it real, very charming and friendly. Guys should want to be
with you, women should want to be you. The product is ‘Clear Tote’ storage
bins. They’re a new company and they’re hoping to give the big boys like
Rubbermaid a run for their money. Any questions so far?”
Michelle looked back nervously. She was never sure if she should be
looking directly at Ken, or looking at the camera so he could see her face
clearly in the monitor in front of him.
“Just one question. The ad mentioned ‘flexibility is a must’. Do you
mean schedule flexibility, being available whenever you need or…”
“No, we’re actually looking more for physical flexibility. Craig, grab
her one of the boxes.” Craig pulled a clear plastic box from a pile that
were stacked in the corner. Walking over to Michelle, he placed it on the
floor near her feet and opened the lid. The box looked to be about 30 inches
long, 15 inches wide, and about a foot deep. The sides and bottom were
clear and the top was made of thick green plastic. There were a number
of holes punched into the lid, which was attached to the clear sides with
three sturdy looking plastic hinges. On the front of the box were two large
latches that could be clamped down to lock the lid in place.
“Clear tote is trying to promote a lot of the features of their new
line. The sides of their totes are actually made of a special low-grade
lexan, the same stuff that they use in bulletproof windows. They’re incredibly
strong. They even innovated a new ventilation system in the lid so clothes
and linens don’t smell musty after being stored for a long time.”
“I’m not sure what you want for the audition,” Michelle stammered. She
hated this part. She always started to get nervous and panicky when she
had to talk to people in an audition.
“It’s okay. Let me explain. We’ll be shooting a lot of spots where you’d
be a spokesperson and explain all the great things that the Clear Tote
can do. The big thing we need you to be able to do is our little hook that
we’re going to use at the end of all the spots. We want you to say ‘Clear
Tote is so roomy, there’s even space for me!’ then you actually climb inside
the box and close the lid so our last image is a close up of the box with
your smiling face inside. We want to be sure you can act and fit in the
box at the same time.”
“Wow. Sounds like a fun spot. I’m not sure I’ll fit, though. I mean,
I’m small but…”
“Don’t worry, we’ve had bigger girls than you in there today. The key
is just lie on your back or your side and tuck your knees into your chest”
“Okay….” She murmured uncertainly. “There’s no chance that I’m going
to get stuck, is there?”
Ken laughed. “Nope. The plastic on that lid is actually pretty flexible.
If you feel like you’re stuck just push up with your legs and it’ll pop
right open. There’s no chance of getting stuck in there by accident. Okay,
let’s try one. Just give me the line ‘there’s even space for me’ then climb
inside. This spot actually ends with your husband picking up the box and
carrying it inside but since we haven’t cast him yet we’ll just get Craig
to do it. Ready? Look right at the camera. Are we rolling Craig?”
“Rolling.”
“Action!”
Taking a deep breath, Michelle looked right at the camera lens and put
on her friendliest most beaming smile. “Clear tote is so roomy, there’s
even space for me!”
Still smiling at the camera, she moved to the end of the box she sat
down inside, then lay down on her back. Giving one last playful kick of
her legs, she lay down on her side and folded her legs up into her chest
so they tucked perfectly into the box. Reaching up with her free hand,
she pulled the lid of the box down on herself. Peering through the clear
side of the box she kept a smile on her face as she kept looking up at
the camera.
She saw footsteps approach and heard an ominous CLACK, CLACK
as the lid was latched shut. Suddenly she felt the box swoop off the ground
as Craig lifted her into the air. It was actually kind of exciting, being
handled like a piece of luggage. She saw a door opened and was surprised
to realize that he’d carried her outside into the alley behind the building.
They approached a small cargo truck that was parked in the alley and he
propped the box containing her on the back bumper for a moment as he rolled
up the back door. With a grunt, he slid her into the back of the truck
then climbed up and placed her on one of the shelves that lined the interior.
To her horror, she saw many more boxes on the shelves, each with a small
curled up actress inside. Craig jumped back out of the truck and rolled
down the door again, locking it with a sturdy brass padlock.
Inside the truck, Michelle tried pressing up with her legs on the lid
but the plastic did not even bend. She kicked at the sides in vain but
there was no give. She was trapped in this sturdy plastic prison until
someone chose to release her.
Back in the studio Ken turned to Craig
“How many is that?”
“Twenty four”
“It’s all too easy. These girls do half our job for us. Let’s call it
a day, it’s time to find a new town”
While Craig packed up their gear and loaded it into the back of the
truck, Ken went out into the waiting room where many more petite, young
actresses sat waiting.
“Ladies, thank you all so much for coming in. I’m afraid the role has
been cast. If you’d like to leave your resumes and photos on the table
we’ll certainly keep you in mind for any upcoming projects.”
A murmur of
disappointment swept through the room then the girls began to file out,
dropping their photos on the table as they left. Once the room was clear,
Ken scooped up the photos then locked up the studio they had rented for
the weekend and climbed into the passenger seat of the truck. Waving the
photos at Craig he beamed, “Looks like we’ve got some more prospects for
next time.”
As they drove past the city limits Ken wondered where their
next “Audition” would be. From the back, he heard the plaintive mewing
of the captive girls. This had been a good stop. Their employer would be
pleased.
20.09.03
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