Audition Day
I was blessed to have an amazing Freshman roommate at BYU. Heather Hodges (now Dewey). Not only was she a lot of fun, great to talk to, and incredibly good at whatever she did (and still does), she also believed in me. Sometimes a little too much.
The second semester of my Freshman year I had a big crush on my social dance TA. I thought he was dreamy (Now I prefer a red-headed manly chap). Not only was he a great dancer, he also was on the Young Ambassadors-BYU's touring singing and dancing team. I wished that I could figure out a way to see him at other times besides my dance class. One day, while I was telling Heather about my sorry plight, we ran into a friend of hers from back home.
"Guess what I just signed up for, Heather?!" She chirped. "The Young Ambassador audition!" After a brief chat and us wishing her success, we parted ways.
"Malinda! If SHE could do it, YOU totally could! You should try out!" Heather was very persuasive. Even though it went against my better judgment, I gave into the flattery (I'm a yellow) and soon embraced the idea. This was my ticket to spend more time with Tasi! We could tour the world together and he would fall madly in love with me!
All I needed were two songs to sing, a resume and a picture of myself. No problem. After I bought some sheet music, I moved onto the next two requirements. #1-My resume. I typed out all of the stage experience I could think of. "...Was an Oompa-loompa at age 12(They didn't need to know that I messed up my short solo at nearly every performance and made it so that the verses didn't make sense).... #2-Picture. Hm... I had recently took one with a couple guys in my ward that I thought was particularly flattering, so I cut my frumpy self out from between them and stapled the photo onto my flimsy resume. Done and done!
The morning of my big audition I put on my sharpest clothes and practiced my songs a time or two. Heather gave me another pep talk and sent me on my way.
As I signed in at the front desk, I heard what seemed to be an angel singing from the nearby audition room. I looked around and saw a room full of other Y.A. hopefuls with their well polished resumes and their professional black and white pictures. Yikes! For the first time it occurred to me that maybe I was a little out of my league. These people have been working towards this goal for years! Before I could run, they called my name. Doom filled my soul. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!
I nervously entered the dreaded room, stood on the designated line and started my songs. My first choice was "Whistle a happy tune" from The King and I(I was praying that they would mercifully stop me before I got the whistling part, as I couldn't actually whistle to save my life). It was a little shaky but it went pretty well all the same. Then the pianist started playing the music for my second song, "If I loved you" from Carousel. To my HORROR it was a whole octave higher than I had practiced! Foolishly I started singing anyway. "If I loved you, time and again I would try to say...." As the song continued, the notes got higher and higher until at last I shrieked, "If I loved you!" so loud and shrill that I am surprised the windows didn't break!
They politely reminded me to show up for the second half of the audition that night where I could again make a fool of myself, but this time by twirling around the dance floor. I left the building beet red and laughed all the way back to our dorm. There I told Heather about my failed attempt and that there was NO way that I was going to show up for the second half of the audition. I may have been a dreamer but I was not that much of an idiot!
Heather was appalled that I would quit halfway. "If you don't go you will wonder about it for the rest of your life!"
Well, it has been ten years now and I haven't wondered a day.
9 comments:
That is the best story. Good thing you didn't make it. You might not have met your manly chap. I had a roommate on young ambassadors. she never tried to get me to join, I have no idea why! I am so talented at singing. you should know you had to sit by me in Relief Society. jk I know I am horrible.
Ohhhh that story always makes me laugh heartily. Remember how you didn't even TELL ME about this attempt to be a singing/dancing phenom until YEARS later? I would have been offended about that but...it made sense. ;)
This story is a perfect example of why i love you so much! How did I never know about this?! You are hilarious! In all that time when I was stalking Alan Sackett, the thought never crossed my mind to audition for YA. I totally could have given you tips on how to "spend time" with Tasi...or stalk him..whichever. Ten years later, and Alan and I are actually still pretty good friends, (I'm actually friends with the whole Sackett family-yes-it's true they laugh at me and will never let me live down the details of my craziness back in the dorms, but apparently stalking had its benefits :)
This reminds me that I was once personally asked by the president of the Young Ambassadors to try out. I'll always wonder what might have been. Maybe if my roommate was more supportive.
You are a very good storyteller. And I love the idea of Flashback Fridays! I do miss being you're roommate. There are so many things that I'll see and say...Malinda. Tyler will know just what I'm talking about. What can I say, you're awesome!
P.S. seeker is actually Tyler's account...This is Bonnie.
This is the best story ever...you never told me this one.(:>) I love it!!! The way your wrote this was absolutely hilarious! I was seriously laughing out loud! Mostly because, hmm...as you know, I've done my share of crazy things to catch the eye of a crush. Malinda I just love you to pieces! You are the absolute best!
I dropped social dance the first week because I always had to wait until the circle of partners "shifted" until I was dancing with a guy. Despite my great beauty. I blames it on my height, but apparently that doesn't fly here.
bwahah...I love it so much. Malinda, you are one of the best story tellers ever. And I want to rebuttal Marshall's comment--he had a very supportive roommate! and Malinda if you had just waited a few years to audition till there was a different YA president there could have been a very different ending to your audition story--maybe you and Marshall could have even been in the group together! : )
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