Sarah Scinto: "A Single Audition"

Editor's Note:

Sarah Scinto, a King's student in the "Writing for the Arts" course, describes her experiences at the second round of auditions for Bunnicula, held on September 2, 2011. The first audition for the play was held on August 28, the weekend Hurricane Irene also visited the Wilkes-Barre area so a second audition was arranged for those unable to attend the first.

A Single Audition

On a gorgeous Friday night, I got my first glimpse into the work of Arts YOUniverse. After asking a King’s security guard to point me in the right direction, I found my way to an old church and walked through the doorway to Arts YOUniverse. Still unsure of where I was going, I heard music and followed it, accidentally walking into a dress rehearsal for a musical revue. I knew I was in the wrong place, but I had to pause for at least a moment to watch. As I listened to the cast members, some as young as elementary school age, I was struck by how much Arts YOUniverse truly does. I had come looking for an audition, and stumbled into something entirely different. I was looking for a production in its very beginning stages, and found one preparing for its first performance.

I glanced at my watch and realized that I should probably find what I had come for. I found my way up a creaky staircase into a room full of art and echoes. A young boy stood in the center of the room, clutching a folded piece of paper. He was in the middle of an audition for Bunnicula, and I tried my best not to disturb him as I slipped into the room. His voice was small, but as he read through the monologue, the echo of the room granted him power. He worked through each line with gentle nudges from the director, and his not-so-small voice gained strength with every word. This boy did not know he had talent. He was discovering it with each line he read. Each echo reverberated off the walls and returned to encourage him to keep reading. Keep speaking. Keep discovering. I sat off to the side, wondering whether this boy realized what he could do. He was just playing, just learning about this thing called acting, and yet he was already on a journey to discover his talents and nurture them.

            None of this would have been possible without programs like Arts YOUniverse. Arts programs like this allow and encourage children to discover their talents and play with them. This is the story of a single audition, but I’m certain that Arts YOUniverse sees things like this happen daily. I left Arts YOUniverse and stepped out into a clear, cool night with a smile on my face, knowing that I had witnessed the start of something amazing.

   Sarah Scinto