Page 6 of What I'm Looking For

“For both of us.” He shrugs. “And I gotta be honest, I don’t know if I’m ready to join the union.”

“I hear you. I’m not sure I have enough saved for the fees.”

“My mother would love it if I join—she’s a union woman herself—but I’m just not sure if there will be enough work for me. Not that many union roles pop up in Boston theatres for a young black guy, no matter how incredibly handsome and talented he might be.”

I choke theatrically. “Even when he’s as humble as you?”

He shoots me his most charming smile. “It’s hard to believe.”

Jessica trots over and plants herself at our feet. “Did you guys notice the blonde over there in the corner?” Her tone promises juicy gossip.

Randall scans the room. “The one sitting by herself near the exit sign?”

“That’s the one. Do you know who she is?”

I study the actress briefly, but I don’t want her to think we’re talking about her. Auditions are nerve-wracking enough without having half the room stare at you. “She looks familiar.”

“I doubt youknowknow her, but?…” She lengthens the last word and waits until she has our full attention. “You might’veseenher. Her name’s Isabelle York. She had a longtime role onAs the Earth Revolvesfor years, but then she quit.” Jessica waggles her brows. “For mysterious reasons.”

Before she can elaborate, the assistant stage manager sticks her head out of the theater door, her gaze sweeping the room until it lands on me. “Will? We need to talk to you for a sec.”

Jessica pokes my knee. “‘Truly, thou art damned like an ill-roasted egg, all on one side.’”

I shove her away. “‘I would sing my song without a burden: thou bringest me out of tune.’”

She rolls over, using the momentum of my push to spin up to her feet. “‘Do you not know I am a woman? When I think, I must speak.’”

Randall swats at her. “‘Cry holla to thy tongue.’”

I bow to him with a flourish. “‘Adieu, good Monsieur Melancholy.’”

Randall and Jessica answer in chorus, “‘Farewell, Signor Love.’”

Even though we’ve jumbled quotes from last season’sAs You Like Itall out of order, the wordplay has me smiling as I enter the theater to learn my fate.

Director Dave Walters waves me over. “We’ll make this quick, Will.” Though he’s in his early forties, Dave still looks and sounds like a surfer dude from California, belying his sharp intelligence. Tall and blond, he towers over the two women flanking him behind the long table. Our stage manager Janet is a familiar face, if a stern one. I can only assume the other is the director ofRomeo and Juliet. “We’re happy to offer you stage choreography forR and J, but before you read tonight, we wanted to make sure that you feel that you’ll be able to handle roles in both shows on top of that.”

A few days ago, when Dave got the call to direct out of town after he finishes putting upAll’s Wellhere, he asked if I’d be interested in taking over the fight choreography for the summer. I’ve trained with him and worked as his assistant, but I’ve never done a whole show by myself.

I lift my chin and the corners of my mouth follow. “Wow. That’s great news.”

The petite woman next to Dave stands and extends a hand to shake mine. “Mira Chakrabarti.” Her wide-set brown eyes hold mine with confidence. “I’ll be directingRomeo and Juliet.”

“Nice to meet you. I loved yourWaiting for Godotlast year.”

“Thank you for saying so. Dave here has a great deal of confidence in your choreography skills.”

Though I’ve never met Mira, her reputation precedes her. She made a big splash with her all-female production of the Beckett play, but I hope she’s not planning to do the same withRomeo and Juliet.

She clears her throat. “I do have concerns about anyone taking on Romeo on top of all the fight choreography.”

I nod as I take this in. My first instinct is to disagree, but I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot, and honestly, Mercutio would be a lot more fun to play anyway.

“It’s up to you, Mira. I’d like to read for Romeo, but I totally understand if you want to use me elsewhere.” I catch the stage manager’s eye. “Will we be able to start on the fights beforeAll’s Wellopens? So Dave can supervise a bit before he leaves town?”

Janet looks over the large calendar spread out in front of her. “I think we could make that work.”

I turn back to Mira. “Then yes. Please consider me for any roles in both shows.”

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