The applause before the entrance

An original narrative about an invented theatrical rehearsal.

Jon was waiting for his entrance when the recorded applause began. He straightened his jacket automatically. Beyond the flat, painted doorway, the stage was empty. The applause belonged to a sound check, not to an audience, but his shoulders had responded before he remembered that.

The technician stopped the recording and played it again at a lower level. This time, Jon listened to its shape. A few hands began alone, then a broad rush filled the room. Near the end, individual claps separated again, arriving late and unevenly.

He asked for a different cue. The script required him to enter a room where he was not welcome, and this warm reception kept making his first step too buoyant. The technician replaced the applause with the sound of chairs shifting. Jon let his jacket fall open. When he came through the doorway, he looked as though he expected to be asked why he had come.

How does the writer show that sound changes Jon's performance?