The auditorium was filled with people, but the sea of faces did not intimidate me. I had decided to appear in a musical with my local community theater group, and there was no going back now. I reminded myself that I had gotten here through hard work, and I refused to doubt my abilities. Besides, the director and her staff had held auditions, and after I had read the heroine’s part and sung a song, they had chosen me for the role even though I was untrained. My skills as an actor would now be judged publicly, but I felt ready to rise to the challenge.