Video: Nerves didn't get the best of these kids
Their methods for making it through varied.
Some did a lot of hand-wringing. A few held hands with someone they knew. Others twisted the bottoms of their shirts as they spoke in quiet voices.
Sheridan Mapstone's way of getting through her audition for "The Lion King" was a small, stuffed dog peeking out of her right pocket. He didn't have a name, the Pittsford 7-year-old said, but she brought him for good luck.
It paid off. As Sheridan recited a poem, she rubbed her friend's ears, her voice growing stronger.
She was one of dozens of youngsters who tried out last weekend for a spot in one of Farmington's Cobblestone Arts Center's upcoming shows. The kids, ranging in age from 4 to 14, tried out for "The Lion King" and "The Sound of Music."
And all will get a part, Cobblestone executive director Lorene Benson told them.
The news didn't seem to register for some who were focused on getting out of the audition room and back to Mom and Dad. But one kid's ears perked up when Benson said the kids will soon get a letter telling them their part.
"When?" she anxiously asked.
To include everyone, Benson ends up casting nearly 100 parts. She wants the children to have a positive experience with the theater, hence the lack of competition. It's not unusual for some of her actors to have disabilities, too.
The cast members "take care of each other onstage," she said.
Some showed that kindness during auditions, mouthing a song's words for someone who stumbled. Others sang together, helping each other along, their voices blending as Benson and her colleagues beamed.
By the end of the "Lion King" audition, Benson had heard about six renditions of "I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
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<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />width="425" height="355" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SWlrC7xywWQrel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></object> "A lot of kids are singing it," Max Lawther of Pittsford remarked when his turn came. Benson asked if he wanted to sing without the music. Max, 8, declined. "I think (with) the music because I know it very well with the music," he told her. Indeed, his voice was the loudest and clearest of the day. As Max and his fellow future actors left the room, Benson shouted, "We'll see you in rehearsal!" "The Lion King" will be performed at 6 p.m. April 3 and 4, and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. April 5. "The Sound of Music" will be performed at 7 p.m. May 2 and 2 p.m. May 3. Both will be held at the Morgan School, 120 East Ave., East Rochester. Tickets are available at the door and cost $6. There may be audition spots left. Call (585) 398-0220 to find out. <em>Contact Colleen M. Farrell at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 265, or at cfarrell@mpnewspapers.com.