Just a bite-sized treat for all you musical fans.
Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical.
Theatre lights burned to life, shooting rays onto the front right corner of the stage. They were shortly extinguished and a pair of gloved hands adjusted their angle one by one guided by the director's voice beaconing from the lighting desk. Changing the colour filters where need be and achieving the desired effect took a full hour.
The entire cast had been asked to help out. Ryan descended the ladder removing his gloves in the process and hopped off to his spot in the dressing room for a sip of water. Technical rehearsals always required an afternoon, sometimes the evening after, but he was well-accustomed to the time-consuming procedure of pushing a theatre production from a stuffy rehearsal room onto stage. While his sister used the brief break to argue with a technician about spotlights, Ryan simply leaned back eyes shut and drew a deep breath of dusty backstage air. The familiar scent, a reliable amalgamation of old wood, make-up and sweat, summoned a light smile to his face. He would never get tired of it and he knew that.
They proceeded with the soundcheck. Initially, the music blasted out of the covert columns with the perceived force of a hurricane, startling the crew in proximity to the stage. Once all necessary volume alterations had been made, it was time to go through the individual scenes. Ryan glanced at his watch. 10:06 pm. This would be a while...
Act after act they were surprisingly expeditious. Performers walked up and down the narrow corridor checking props, discussing possible errors and left in twos and threes after raising the spirits of their remaining colleagues with jokes in character. Although Ryan's scene was scheduled before the interval, it was rehearsed last. He made his way through the corridor, past the white wall sprinkled with lipstick marks in various shades of red, and onto stage, assuming his position behind a heavy pitch-black curtain. The technicians' voices reached his ears. Two more minutes until they could continue. Ryan crouched waiting for the others to take their places and let his gaze wander.
Serendipity granted him not one, but several seconds. A streak of visibility to the front, just broad enough to hold one figure if it were to cease in that exact location. And she did. Long enough for him to hear the silence beneath all the words whirring around. Kelsi was engaged in the discussion raging onstage, nothing drawing her attention to his shadows. Time stopped, or rather, space cooperated as his eyes settled on her countenance. A moment of complete freedom. He was free to imbibe her details without danger of anybody including her (and himself) judging or seeking for hidden meaning while his gaze lingered indefinitely, his face expressionless. Simply observing. Unseen. Until providence deemed those seconds sufficient.
How queer it feels, being in the audience.
...
Hope it was worth your time. :)
