stage fright

She was far more confident than she'd ever been, as she strode onto the stage. The lights dazzled and blinded her, and she stood there, stunned- like a deer trapped in a truck's headlights. Her pulse began to quicken, her heart raced. then stopped, then went off full speed ahead. A member of the audience coughed, and then she heard some of them shuffling impatiently in their seat. She squinted into the blackness, trying to find some sort of hope in the shape of a person, smiling attentatively at her. She was, by now, extremely conscious of the bright lights directed at her frame, the eyes she couldn't see that were watching her. She had began to sweat a little, slightly profusely, her body feeling cold, and hot. She tried to lick her parched lips, and tasted a little blood. She swallowed nervously, but her dry throat was cut. All of a sudden the lights flashed stronger, and she put her hands up in front of her face in defence. "Come on.." moaned some members of the audience. The impatient shuffling sounds were now louder, now harsher.
She stepped up to the microphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Herringbone College's Fifth Musical Production, A Midsummer Night's Dream"