A/N: Hey guys! Oh my God, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry that I haven't been posting anything. I've just been extremely busy; school is taking up a lot of my time, and also I'm currently part of the cast of a show, and I'm stage crew for a different show, and I spent a week with no wifi. I'm sorry, but this chapter is going to seem lazy and uninspired. Also, I'm working on several other stories for my Wattpad ('hollymrp', if you want to check it out) that are time-consuming. So, yeah. I hope this chapter doesn't make y'all lose your faith in me. I still love you 3
Rehearsal Twelve; SFIT Performance; The Lion King
Two rehearsals had passed since what I liked to call the 'important rehearsal'. It had just gotten better from there.
Everything was starting to look and sound even more incredible than it used to, we were all getting used to our costumes, and nobody had fallen over for days (with the exception of the clumsy and awkward James, who somehow managed to fall over by just standing there). I hadn't been this happy in years, and I could tell that the positive vibe came from everyone, and everything they did. The whole stage and those who inhabited it for each rehearsal were swimming with optimism, and it was the best environment possible for a show as elaborate as this one. The entirety of the cast got along despite our differences, and we were more of a family than ever. In fact, I was noticing a few family roles being played.
Honey Lemon was the mother hen, taking care of everyone on set and keeping us calm when something went horribly wrong. Daniel and Fred were the "Weasley Twins" (christened by Calliope, a long-standing Harry Potter fan), mischievous and always making us laugh. Calliope was the bold, creative, and fun-loving daughter, always sketching, practicing, writing, or just singing for fun, and never failing to be an interesting addition to our cast (and my love life). Tadashi and I were the playful brothers, joking around with each other and everyone else, but sobering up when necessary. Gogo was the rebellious and tough older sister, bringing a stronger side to the group and always providing a sarcastic sense of humor. And Nick, ever present, was the quiet and old-fashioned father, speaking softly and intelligently, always seeming older than everyone else. I guess I didn't really mind him too much anymore.
"That was great, you guys!" Erica praised us when we finished a performance of 'Just Can't Wait To Be King' that I had thought to be particularly strong. "Let's do it again, but this time, with bigger facial expressions, and more energy."
We all nodded, moving quickly to our starting positions. I immediately thought of a phrase to keep in mind for the performance; when you think it's strong, make it stronger.
And, as I over-exaggerated my facial expressions as much as I could; whenever you think you're doing plenty, do more.
"Much better," Erica observed by the end of the number. "Hiro, you're doing especially well. I think I made the right decision with you."
I smiled and inclined my head at her praise.
"Alright, we'll block those two scenes we haven't blocked yet, then run the whole thing. Also, I forgot to tell you guys-" she paused for emphasis, "I shortened the rehearsal time by three weeks."
"WHAT!?" The exclamation came from everyone- some were shocked, some angry.
Erica smiled a little secretively, pulled her glasses halfway down her nose and pushed them back up again, and flicked a wayward strand of glossy hair over her shoulder. "You've been doing so well, there's really no reason for five more weeks of practice. I think we're just fine with two more. Really, it's a compliment."
Some people didn't seem to think so. "Now wait just a minute!" Daniel stepped forward, sticking a finger in Erica's face. "How are we supposed to be ready in two weeks? There's still two scenes we haven't blocked, a bunch of scenery we have to paint, and a lot of people who haven't totally memorized everything and look lost in the middle of one of the big dance numbers!"
"Daniel, please. Control your temper." Nick placed his hand on Daniel's raised arm, making him lower it to his side. "Those are all problems that are easily solved. We all must work doubly hard, but I have no doubt that we will be able to accomplish this, though it will be no easy feat."
"Nick's right," Fred threw in. "We've got this, guys! As long as we work hard-"
"And work together!" Honey interrupted.
"Yeah! Teamwork!" Callie thrust a fist into the air.
"-then we can do it! We can! WHO'S WITH ME!?" Fred put out his hand.
"I!" Wasabi immediately placed his hand on top of Fred's.
"I!" Tadashi and I, displaying our creepy brotherly unison, each put in a hand of our own.
Everyone copied us, placing their hands in with cries of 'I!'
The final one to put in a hand was Erica. She gave us a smile as she said "I", looking prouder than ever of her cast.
So we got to work. We blocked those scenes, and everyone put in the most extreme effort possible without overacting. I knew, if we kept this up, if we all tried this hard every time we did anything on this stage, then we'd be able to have a spectacular show in two weeks time.
"Top of the show, people! Don't mess up!"
"Great pep talk, Erica," I heard Zara mutter sarcastically under her breath, smirking a little.
"I know, right?" James whispered as he raised his arms for the top of the number. Gogo climbed the steps to the top of the platform, looking to all the world like a god.
Her cry in the beginning, "NANTS INGONYAMA BAGITHI BABA!" was as strong and resonating as usual, ricocheting in my eardrums. Her second announcement was even stronger than the first, the third topping even that one. Gogo was putting in all of her effort, it was obvious. If we all expended that much effort, then this was going to be the best rehearsal yet.
"'I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!'" I could feel a powerful excitement rushing through my entire body, charged by the magic of theater. I was Young Simba. This was me, and I knew what I was doing. There was no way anything was going to stop me!
For the rest of the rehearsal, I didn't perform. I lived. Everything felt so natural, so meaningful, that there was no way it was an act. This play was stylized life happening, at least to me.
Every song, every scene ran flawlessly. I couldn't see everything, but what I could see was the best I had seen from this cast. Better than perfect. The whole show, this time, was unlike any other rehearsal so far. This time, we were creating a new universe on that stage. We were bringing the whole auditorium to life, filling it with sound and color, inviting an imaginary audience into our world of action and fun.
When curtain call rolled around, Erica was wiping tears from her eyes and applauding.
"That," she began, "is what theater is supposed to be like."
"How much do you wanna bet Erica shaves off another week of rehearsals?" Backstage, while de-costuming, Fred gave me a high five.
"I'll put in fifteen." Daniel clapped Fred on the shoulder.
We were all in very high spirits after the phenomenal rehearsal, traipsing around like we were drunk, all hugging or high-fiving.
Someone grabbed me from behind, their arms wrapping around my waist, laughing. I turned, eye-to-eye with Calliope. I kissed her, heat-of-the-moment, full on the mouth. My friends around me wolf-whistled or whooped, slapping me on the back or humming 'Here Comes the Bride' when our lips parted.
"Keep the PDA away from backstage, if you can help it." Gogo rolled her eyes, but I could see her concealed smile.
"Sorry." Callie grinned sheepishly. But she didn't let go of my hand until I whispered "I kind of have to change out of my costume."
"Oh! Yeah! Sorry!" Face pink, she found her own costume box and started unlacing her corset.
At home, I meant to go over my songs more with Tadashi, but I was waaaay too tired. I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.
Lion King lyrics and choreography and blocking mashed up with my conversations with Callie and Tadashi, with Erica's constant yelling, with the chatter from the cafe every morning, creating one massive melting pot of chaos and confusion. The unrest of working on a show was taxing on my mental state, it felt, and I was spiraling out of control. There was no way for me to help it, which was alright, because I loved it. I loved Lion King, and I loved being a part of a cast, and I loved working on a musical. The stress was not fun, but there was nothing to be done about that. You had to feel pain to feel joy. And that was how theatre was. Painful, joyful, tedious, and enjoyable, all at once. I loved it. I knew our cast had it in them to finish in our show in two weeks.
There was no doubt in my mind that we could do this.
A/N: So there you have it. I apologize again for not being around. This story is NOT on hiatus. If you guys have ever been in a school play or something and have had any funny experiences backstage or during rehearsals, I could really use your help! Also, has anyone else read The Miseducation of Cameron Post? I recently finished it, and I think it's awesome. Check it out if you want. I love you all, your rates and reviews mean so much to me :) Sorry again for not posting anything! Stay tuned!