Cory, Joe, and the 'new' Keanan that they were still trying to figure out, were rushing to get to the backstage. As soon as they got there, they started to internalize the script.
Cory and Joe waved their hands and practiced their facial expressions, while Keanan took a peek at the people who were going to conduct their auditions.
It was a very old theatre, Keanan thought. The smell of mildew and wet feet were in the air. It was a sign that many activities were conducted here, a sign of success in the entertainment industry.
"What are you guys trying to pull off, hm?" Keanan whispered to himself as he observed the 'judges' of the audition.
On each side, the auditioners had weird-looking metal tubes of some sort, each with a different design: floral, pitch black with engravings, and the other was just too bright for anyone's taste. The three of them were drinking from it.
"Those are disturbingly large-looking tumblers," Keanan thought.
"Keanan, why are you looking at them? Don't they make you nervous?" Cory asked Keanan.
"First step on auditioning, kids. Always treat these people as the adversary," Keanan explained. "These guys, they don't know what's going to happen. They don't have a single clue what we are capable of. We are going to use the element of surprise."
Cory, who was still trying to figure out what happened to their friend Keanan, shook her head and took a deep breath. "I am not sure if you're trying to encourage us or trying to put more pressure."
"You sound like an NPC from COD, bro. It's not like we are going to war," Joe answered.
"Oh, yes we are!" Keanan exclaimed. "We have to go out there and blow their brains out! We can't be sheep like everyone else out here. We have to stand out!"
"Bro, I kinda like you're having some sort of existential crisis and you're trying new things, and I am a supporter of personal development, but hear me out on this," Joe continued. "This is not the perfect time to do something crazy. Those guys out there, they're the real thing."
"No they're not! We are the next best thing, Joe!" Keanan exclaimed. His voice started to disturb other people. "I mean just look at them!"
"Stop it already, Keanan!" Cory exclaimed. "You're just putting pressure on us and everyone in the room. Stop putting up a façade to conceal your real emotions. We both know, and Joe knows, that you have stage-fright! Stop acting in real life. Just act on stage!"
Keanan forgot to conceal his emotions again. It was ironic that Cory told him that he was putting up a façade during an audition, when he was actually true to his nature when it comes to directing and acting. He thought that if only Cory knew who really was, only if she knew about the reincarnation, she wouldn't have to feel that way.
Besides would ever believe a reincarnation story at this day and age, Keanan thought.
"You're right. I'm sorry," Keanan smiled nervously. "Maybe it's best to concentrate and practice on our own."
Cory and Joe continued to practice making faces and waving their hands in the air. Keanan was only reading the script and trying to internalize the emotion from it.
Even though it was somewhat incomplete to Keanan's eyes, he remembered Joe's take on the script. Maybe it was really an experimental piece and part of the audition was trying to decipher it and get a concrete scene that they can present on stage. Any young teenager would lose their minds especially with the time limit.
"Oliver Delgado." One of the auditioners called a name. "Keanan Riley is next. When you're ready, Oliver."
The times have changed, Keanan thought. But that doesn't mean he has to back down. He remembered auditions louder and simpler than this, not complicated and 'revolutionary. But then he remembered on one of his speeches: "The future of entertainment will be as volatile as the shifting clouds".
Maybe the internet from the 90s boomed and the entertainment landscape has changed drastically. Keanan thought that in order to be able to find answers and let alone survive in the future, he has to start finding answers in the internet and how it transformed the 90s.
"For now, let's see how far John Dalton's panache will go in this day and age," Keanan thought to himself. "But maybe I shouldn't overwork it. I should keep my skills in check. Cory and Joe are already suspecting the change in this boy's personality."
Keanan stood in a corner and closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply and breathed out slowly, feeling the air coming out of his lungs. He thought how amazing the kid's body was. It was full of energy and he had easier time breathing.
"Maybe I should tone it down a bit and mix in some of my skills and copy some previous performances." Keanan thought. "That should do it. I'll make sure to get the part without looking sounding like a thirty-year old veteran in a teenager's body."
In addition to the raging hormones, this must be the reason behind his frequent outbursts, Keanan thought. He would usually dismiss things that bother or irritate him, back in the day when he barely had exercise and his brain was constantly flooded with nicotine.
"I hate being a teenager," Keanan thought to himself as he tries to feel the air coursing in and out his lungs again. "But maybe I can use this to my advantage."
Cory and Joe started to notice Keanan walking back and forth briskly, shaking his hands violently, then slaps his face over and over again. He shakes his head making weird noises with his lips and with his mouth. He jumps up and down while blabbering nonsense.
Everyone in the room was flabbergasted to see someone making stretches and warm ups before an audition. It was as if Keanan was going to run on the Olympics.
The actor on stage was about to finish his act. Keanan calmed down and closed his eyes and maintained his breathing pattern. He placed his arms on the side and started to feel the things around him: the smell of wet feet, the noise from other people, and the script he was trying to internalize.
Cory and Joe were surprised to see Keanan in a very relaxed state. At first, they were relieved that he calmed down, but the Keanan they knew still wouldn't do anything like this.
"Keanan Riley," one of the auditioners announced. "Cory Callahan is next."
Keanan walked to the center of the stage like he owned everything. Cory and Joe observed him. They thought that he was a bit different, as if he had undergone another personality change. They both sighed and shook their heads slowly; still processing the changes with their friend.
"When you're ready," one of the auditioners prompted Keanan.
There was a very long silence. Keanan glanced around without uttering a word. The auditioners didn't know that his act already began. He stepped forward then shook his head subtly. He clenched his jaw enough to show his cheeks move slightly. He calls this approach, "The Hitler".
Keanan took another step forward looking at the auditioners one by one with keen interest, like he was about to tell them a secret. Other actors usually start acting immediately, while he took control of the atmosphere and got the attention of the audience.
Finally, the first words escaped Keanan's mouth; words that were not even found in the script. A tear jerked from his right eye. It streamed gracefully down his cheekbone and finally to the edge of his chin. It was as if he was manipulating this tear. One of the auditioners raised a brow while the other smirked, nodding as she did.
"Do I need to know the end?" Keanan started. "I let death scare me, but never the horrors of knowing the end."
The auditioner in the middle, the one with the black tumbler with engravings, opened his mouth in astonishment. Keanan saw his reaction. It must be Ja Hanello, he thought. He was having fun making a mockery of the script that the man made.
"I am a man that works for the government and I know exactly what will happen today," Keanan continued. "They always have a plan for me. It has dictated my free will, my thoughts, and the way I see my life for twenty years."
Keanan continued his scene about the pains and turmoil of mundane life, that survivability was often confused with actual living, and that being content was not the same as being happy. It was a bit he used with auditions like these, or when he was called up on stage during slam poetry nights; a bit similar to most of the performances.
Everyone in the theatre already knew that Keanan was going to get the part even with just the tear alone. No other person can stand there in the middle of the stage and shed a tear. Only real actors can do that, he thought.
After Keanan ended his scene, the auditioners clapped their hands. He was disappointed that he didn't get a standing ovation. What he did was not easy, even for a veteran like him.
"Thank you, Keanan. If you get the part, we'll let you know." One of the auditioners said. Keanan thanked them still in character. He walked back slowly then headed towards the backstage in the same manner he did before. Cory and Joe had a smile so wide their white teeth glowed in the dim lit background.
"A tear? Seriously? Who's this guy?" Joe whispered excitingly, "I never thought you could do something like that?"
"That was amazing Keanan! Did you practice that for a long time? Which youtube channel did you learn that from?" Cory added.
"I should really try copying my idols from now on even if it's unhealthy," Joe continued.
Keanan, still in character, closed his eyes. Ignoring his friends' comments, he breathed in deeply then breathed out. You always end your scene backstage, he thought.
"You want more?" Keanan winked at them. Suddenly, Cory and Joe hugged him.
Keanan doesn't like being touched, but in a way he understood why it happened. The pressure in the theatre, their self-doubt, and the fact that they are still processing the changes in their friend's personality, all of these caused the arbitrary physical contact.
"Ok it's my turn. I know I won't be able to top your performance, Keanan, but I will still give it my all," Cory said.
"You don't have to best me. You do you and have fun out there," Keanan replied with a cynical look.
"Thanks. That's the first encouraging thing you told us today," Cory said.
Cory's name was called. She went on stage and performed with all her heart. Although it looked like any other performances, she did look like she was giving it her best. Same goes with Joe.
As Keanan looked at his friends' acting, he already took notes in his head. He was going to need people he can trust and that means helping them out with their aspirations.
Though he will have an easy time proving to the modern world that John Dalton was still relevant, it would make more sense to do it with people he can trust. He thought that it would be fun to closely nurture his little actors by his side while he keeps on nailing audition after audition.
Little by little, Keanan will be able to reach stardom.