“How do I feel? Excited, and nervous.” These were the words of senior Safiya Muthaliff as she readied herself for auditions for the Paint Branch Productions fall production.

The tensions were high and the stakes were raised as more than fifteen other girls joined Muthaliff in Ms. Perkins’ room after school on September 18th. They were gathered to determine who would be able to partake in the fall show, Decision Height.

Decision Height is set in 1943-1944, World War II, and focuses on female Air Force pilots trying to fight their way to the top. The show is sure to be a good one, with all its colorful characters, such as Eddie Harknell, the snarky hotshot and Carol Henderson, the wide-eyed and youngest character; as well as many others.

Auditions started off with a pep talk from Ms. Perkins and Ms. Ryan, Perspectives’ Director and Technical Director. Once they left the room, everyone dissolved into their friend groups. Panic filled the air as the reality that not everyone would get cast really settled into each person’s mind. There was a symphony of chatter as everyone practiced and voiced their anxieties.

Senior and Perspectives board member Marygrace Ruebens had the idea to get energizers to lift the mood. Energizers are little games and vocal warm-ups that actors do before shows, such as the famous “baby shark” song. These bring everyone closer and release the tension, which was successful even amongst the new kids in the group.

It wasn’t long before everyone had performed monologues that were part of the audition process. Once that was done, the group gathered in the auditorium for callbacks. They did cold reads, which are when actors read pieces from the script and are assigned certain characters so the director can determine who the actor’s best fit is. Callbacks went as smoothly as could be expected, with everyone performing to their strongest ability and helping each other out in the process.

When asked how she felt about auditions, Ms. Perkins said, “I hate auditions. It’s the worst part of my job, because it’s super important and I break people’s hearts.”

As Ruebens stated, “I personally audition not for the show, but for my own personal growth.” Perspectives has always been a big family, and this show will be no different. As they do for each show, the group will all work together to make it the best show possible by giving  the audience their best performances.

Decision Height opens on November 9th.