(If you are yet to read Everyday 1 please click HERE!)
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| SOURCE: delphinevb.chez.com |
Walking
briskly with an air of purpose and hope, he approached the building. ‘The
Center’ he nodded at the sign-post on the building and went in. After the bomb
blast and so much reflection on his relationship with Maria he felt weak, so
much he could not think straight. He laid awake all night in the dark and
pondered about his life. Then Wole called.
“Guy! I
don’t have much airtime but there is this audition to be held tomorrow! It's
for a movie…word has it that it would be shown in series on TV after it is
premiered. The audition is at the Centre, Kado. That big building near
chummies…where Amina did her birthday…Jide!?”
“I am
listening...”
“Okay,
I know job-hunting has been hard on you, I heard about this audition and I you
instantly came to mind. You are a great actor”
“That
was at school…on stage. We are talking about real sets and cameras here…”
“See,
just go..”
There
was a small pause like Wole had ended the call “Wole!”
“Jide!
MTN has just warned me, bye” and the call ended.
Jide
stared at his phone, audition? all he wanted was to work in an office and earn
a good salary. Money! That is what he needed.
So
today, He got up at 5am, got ready and made his way to ‘The Centre’. Wole did
not mention the time the audition was to start, but then he left that early
because he had only 800 naira on him…home and abroad. He had psyched himself up
from the time the call from Wole ended to this morning, to walk for the most
part of the journey to ‘The Centre’. Not like it was not a normal occurrence,
always in a bid to reduce cost of transportation.
He got
to the venue at 6.45 am and was directed to the hall where the audition is to
hold. He entered and stopped at his tracks. There were no less than about 300
people in the hall. Picking his steps, he walked further into the hall, found a seat and settled in. How
was he to get lucky amidst all these people here?
“Good
morning...” he greeted the lady by his side and noted she was reading a book.
“Good
morning” she didn’t look up.
“Please
how many roles are to be filled?” he looked round taking in the crowd.
“I hear
5, they held auditions before, but needed to do another to pick 5 more people”
“5? only?”
His apprehension was obvious
The
lady looked at him and smiled “don’t worry, just pray. We are not even so many
here. I went for an audition last week and we were over a thousand people! I
spent the whole day and when the 489th person was interviewed we were
asked to leave, because they had gotten the people they wanted and would select
from them, I was so mad! Yet, here I am today and early too.”
“I
should leave then” He muttered.
“Just
relax, we came early so hopefully we get to be tried.” She reached into her bag
and brought out another book “here, you like to read?” He stared at the book,
“Sons of Fortune by Jeffery Archer, nice read. Soak it in and pretend your are
in it…its part of acting” She winked.
“Thanks”.
No be book I con find! He sighed and
collected it. It was 7am at this time.
“307!”
“307!”
“Bros!
No be you be 307? Or make I go for you?” someone nudged Jide’s arm.
Jide
woke up looking alarmed. He remembered dozing off after the lady collected her
book, he actually did enjoy the book. She went in about an hour ago to be
auditioned and came out some minutes later, walking up to him and frowning she
snapped “my book!”, he swallowed the questions he had and quickly handed her
the book then she walked away. Two ladies sitting behind him burst out
laughing… “that one failed obviously!, no need to wait for selection!” one of
them snickered. It was about 5pm now, auditions started at around 9am. He
crossed his arms and took a deep breath, He thought one didn’t get to know if
he or she was selected or not, until they had all been auditioned and the
selection process concluded. So why were these ladies laughing? Ignorance.
“307!”
“I am
here!” He shouted and made his way forward.
After
about thirty minutes, he came out and let out a long breath. It was like he stopped
breathing from the time he went into panellists,
he was not sure what such group of people are called, this was not an
interview else, he would conveniently term them interviewers. He met the
producer, casting director, assistant director and the director of photography.
‘Ha!’ he sighed, they were mean. They made him act scenes from five different
scripts and he did two monologues. When the producer told him “Mr Jide, your
acts are quite impressive I must say! So let me tell you here, you wouldn’t
have to wait till selection… congratulations! See you on set...”
Jide instantly
felt high…Maria would be proud of
him. He had rehearsed all the things he would do if he turned out to successful
at this audition, but now that it happened, he just felt too overwhelmed to
show his joy. He went up to the attendants at the corner of the hall and gave them
further details of himself, while asking for other basic information. It was
like an exchange. After he was done with them, he turned to leave and then
remembered…
“Please
do you have an idea of how much would I be paid?” he asked one of the ladies
She
studied him for a while and sighed. “ about N30, 000 or so”
“For a
scene or for the whole…”he was confused
“For
all the scenes you would appear on, for about four weeks or five... You are one
of the newbies, You have no experience. You should see this as an opportunity
to sell yourself...like a sort of reference point. It is that or nothing. You
are lucky sef! you did not have to wait till selection to know if you would be
on the cast or not.” That said she picked up the bottle of water on the table
and took a gulp.
He
turned away from her “N30, 000 ke? For a four-week shoot?” Maria would definitely
leave him now.
TO BE CONTINUED
