The casting notice simply read, “Feature Film. Female lead. No taller than 5’5″. Brown hair with a nice smile. Cute. Recent college grad age. Looking for up and coming actresses.”
700 women replied with their head shots and resumes. Australian actress Bryony Grace was one of them. Little did she realize that she would be auditioning for the most important role of her life.
The “producer” was none other than her boyfriend, actor/writer KC Holiday, who planned his marriage proposal on the stage of an empty theater, surrounded by other actors posing as part of the film crew.
In her best American accent, Bry performed flawlessly from the script, “When Sparks Fly,” written by Eric Shorley (aka KC Holiday). After her first take, she was directed to read another scene, and as she reached for the script, the theater lights went dark.
The black-out was the tech guy’s cue to light Bry with a single spot. Alone onstage, glowing in that bright pool of light, she began reading the love story of KC and Bry. With KC listening in the wings (and tweeting “Nervous Wreck”), Bry read about “sweatpants, baby elephants, duckies and Paris”…funny stories or dreams that they had shared. As she did so, the symbols of those things magically lit up behind her and led to the final symbol, a map of Australia.
KC took center stage and led a tearful Bryony upstage to that map with the words, “I wanted to propose to you in Australia so you’d be OK with getting married in America.” Taking a knee, he held up the little velvet box and opened it to reveal a vintage inspired filigreed ring…a one-of-a-kind design for his one-of-a-kind Aussie.
The performance brought the house down as the stage crew, formerly crouched backstage, now offered a standing ovation. Bravo, KC! The bad news is, Bry, there is no movie. The good news is, Bry, you got the part!
A big thank you goes out to all the vendors, family and friends who contributed their talents and efforts for this magical day. Video footage by ProView Video, Marriage Proposal Planning and Design by The Yes Girls, Dave for assisting with tech and lighting at DePietro Performance Center in Santa Ana, CA, Engagement Ring by Rock For Her.
Love,