worlds pass by | dear evan hansen

Chapter 6

A few days after Kasey contacted the Dear Evan Hansen casting agents, they called her back.

"This is Kasey."

"Hi, Kasey, this is Sophie from DEH. We just wanted to call and set up a time that works for your audition for the show, preferably in the next couple weeks."

Kasey immediately straightened. "Sure. What times work for you?"

"Does Saturday in two weeks fit your schedule? You'd come in around ten and then leave sometime in the afternoon. I know you have shows. The audition shouldn't be extremely strenuous."

"That sounds good," Kasey replied after checking to make sure she had nothing written in her calendar. "What should I prepare?"

"You should come with one of your customary audition pieces, one that demonstrates your technique, intonation and range. You should also memorize the selected dialogue excerpts from the show, which you will read with the current cast. Additionally, we ask that you also come with 'Requiem' prepared to sing to the producers and the casting agents," Sophie said. "Everything else will be done in the room."

"Alright, I'll be sure to do that," Kasey said. "So, two weeks, Saturday, the 21st, does that sound right?"

"At ten o'clock."

"Yes."

"We'll see you then, Kasey. Good luck."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next few weeks were insane for Kasey. 

They were auditioning for her replacement, too, which was a tighter schedule than she wished it was. Part of her thought that Kristen and the other producers should have started the process earlier.

All of the girls that were auditioning were spectacular singers. Kasey had a hard time believing she'd beat them all in the first auditions- they were that good. 

Ultimately, the girl who struck a chord with Kasey was someone who had a drastically different background than Kasey. Her name was Madelyn. She was American (probably the most noticeable difference) but had majored in business, not theatre, in college. 

But her interpretation was stunning. 

The day before Kasey's Dear Evan Hansen was when the company officially chose Madelyn as Anna.

And, after comparing the Elsa auditionees to Madelyn's performance as Anna, they chose Elizabeth Grey to replace Jess- who was a current Frozen ensemble member and understudy.

It hadn't even really been a competition for Elsa, at that point, because Elizabeth was unbelievable in the role. Kasey knew that because Elizabeth told the producers she was auditioning, most of the initial casting had done in a blind set-up, and the names were only revealed to the judges when the Elsa auditionees started reading with Madelyn.

After the craziness of the casting decisions, Kasey had only a few hours of sleep before she went down to the Music Box Theatre to audition for DEH.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was definitely strange to be auditioning for a show while she was still playing a role, and even more stressful because she knew she'd been specifically chosen to audition. 

She'd chosen to wear something not too formal- leggings, with a light sweater and her light grey Toms. Something Zoe Murphy would wear. Not necessarily during the show, but something close to Zoe's style. 

Kasey walked into the audition room, where the casting directors including Sophie), Benj Pasek, Steven Levenson, Justin Paul, and Michael Greif sat, along with the cast. Laura Dreyfuss gave a little wave. 

"This is Kasey Winslow," Sophie declared. "So, Kasey, to start off, we're going to have you sing your self-chosen song, just so we get an idea of range and style."

Kasey had chosen 'Home' from Beauty and the Beast. It was one of the songs she'd sung in college, which had ultimately allowed her to transfer to Juilliard. It was still one of her favorites.

Once she'd finished, the room was silent for a few beats.

"That was beautiful, Kasey, thank you. We're going to ask you to sing 'Requiem' with Jennifer and Michael, if you can."

The piano began. 

Kasey wasn't as nervous as she thought she would be- the only pressure was the pressure she was putting on herself. It wasn't like Hamilton, where she knew she had to memorize long dance choreography on the spot.

Why should I play this game of pretend?

Remembering through a secondhand sorrow?

Such a great son and wonderful friend

Oh, don't the tears just pour...

The song went well- there was a little line where her voice caught-

Why should I go and fall apart for you?

But otherwise, Kasey was extremely pleased with how 'Requiem' had gone. Ever since she'd heard the cast album, that song had spoken to her the most. 

"Thank you for that," Justin said when the song had ended. "You can go back out into the hallway, we're still seeing a few people before we cut down the group more. We'll let you know if you're staying for the next round."

"Thank you for your time," Kasey said, nodding to them before walking out of the audition room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like an eternity, sitting out in the hallway, hearing the faint melodies of the other audition songs through the door. 

No one in the hallway tried to make conversation. Kasey clasped her hands together and sighed. 

Finally, the door opened.

"Thank you all for patiently waiting. We have decided that we will keep three of you for the final round of auditions. For the rest of you, please remember how much we appreciated and valued your auditions. There is no guarantee. It is possible that this will not be the last time we see each other," Steven Levenson announced.

"Without further ado, we ask that the following people remain here for one last test: Penelope Handel, Olive Sutherland, and Kasey Winslow."