Hello hello my lovelies! So much has changed since I last updated, wow, but I hope you all continue to enjoy this fic! Your support is overwhelming and I love it. I almost forgot this chapter, so if there are small errors or it seems a bit mediocre/rushed, I'm sorry about that.
A quick note: any jokes made in the beginning about the condition of the theater are taken from my own theater experience, because our drama club isn't funded and our theater is crap. The start of this chapter takes place a few days after the last chapter, and any other time changes are mentioned within.
To Maggie (Guest): Thank you so, so much! I hope you enjoy!
To Timetruthhurts (Guest): Thank you so much, your words mean the world to me, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!
Thanks for reading, and most of all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Rise or Spring Awakening in any way, apart from caring too much to be healthy, and am not making any profit off of this (apart from any love you decide to show!)
Episode 5: Speak Up (I Believe)
Maashous glances down at his phone. He's inside the Stanton High School theater- just because there isn't a drama department doesn't mean it's unused, and he still has to fix the theater's constantly-breaking lights. Currently, he and Andy Kranepool are working at the lights, testing them out and making sure everything is set for the softball meeting being held the next night. The group has been texting for hours, trying to figure out how to communicate with their directors their plan. They decided not to go talking about it out-right, in case either director could get into trouble for it, or lest the PTA finds out about their plan before they're able to enact it and shuts them down. Because of this, they haven't been able to talk to either Mr. Mazzucchelli or Ms. Wolfe during the school day, and it's already Wednesday. They have barely more than a week until the PTA meeting, and while they have a plan, they need to let their adults know what they're doing somehow.
Then Maashous glances at Mr. Kranepool, and realizes that he and Ms. Wolfe had gone on a date- and Maashous is pretty sure they're still together.
He texts the group chat when Mr. Kranepool's back is turned, and the response is immediately positive. Almost everyone thinks he and Ms. Wolfe are still dating, and it would a perfect way for them to communicate without trouble. They pick the usual place to meet with the directors, for the next night.
Maashous turns to Mr. Kranepool. He glances up just as one of the lights flickers out, and curses softly under his breath.
"Mr. Kranepool?" Maashous asks. The man turns over sharply.
"What?" he asks immediately. "Did I program something wrong? Is that why this thing won't work? I don't think I should have-"
"You're still… with Ms. Wolfe, right?"
Mr. Kranepool stares blankly at him, then blinks a few times. "Yes…" he says uncertainly, then freezes. "Wait, what's this about?"
"It's about the department closing," Maashous says nervously. "We, ah, the actors and crew I mean, we have a plan to get them to open it again, and we need to let Ms. Wolfe and Mr. Mazzu know."
"So you want me to talk to Tracey?" Mr. Kranepool says, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have her in class? Why can't you?"
"We don't want to the PTA to shut us down before we even try," Maashous explains. "Do you think you could pass a message for us?"
Mr. Kranepool sighs. "Write it down, kid, and then let's figure out what's wrong with this light."
Maashous grins.
After he and Mr. Kranepool have finished making sure all of the lights are working properly, Maashous heads out. He scrolls through the texts on the group chat and sends a quick message: Usual place. 7:00. Tomorrow. Directors will be there.
He gets an immediate reaction from at least six people and grins as he gets into his car. They're not going down without a fight.
It takes a lot for the students to get through school the next day. They exchange the usual smiles with Mr. Mazzucchelli and Ms. Wolfe, saying nothing about the meeting, though hopefully the directors have gotten the message. In the hallway, they high-five each other and grin, still not speaking a word.
Most of them start arriving ten or fifteen minutes early. They come in two's and three's, dragging tables together and claiming seats as their own. Lilette and Robbie are the first there- Lilette's shift ended at 6:30 and they had dinner together before starting to claim tables when Sasha and Michael arrived. By 6:55 the last of the students, Simon and Jeremy, have arrived, leaving them two seats at the head of the table for the directors. Mr. Mazzu gets there first with Gordy, who takes a seat next to Gwen. Ms. Wolfe arrives a few minutes later and sees Mr. Mazzu wave at her with a look of confusion on his face.
"What's going on?" she asks as she takes a seat. "Andy said Maashous wanted to talk with us- we didn't expect all of you to be here!"
"Well, see," Robbie starts. He pauses as someone comes to quickly take the order of those who haven't placed them yet. As soon as the waitress is gone, he continues. "We know how to get the theater program back."
"What?" Ms. Wolfe says sharply.
"We're going to talk to the PTA," Simon says. "At the meeting next week."
"You've been planning this?" Mr. Mazzu asks. He glances sharply at Gordy, who shrugs. "For how long?"
"Since the day after opening night," Jolene says proudly.
"We already have a plan of what we're going to do," Michael adds. "We just needed your blessing to go through with it."
"You planned it without us?" Ms. Wolfe asks, still a bit in shock that they all pulled themselves together to do this.
"We didn't want you to get in trouble," Lilette offers. "Too risky."
"You don't have to speak at the meeting, either," Maashous adds quickly. "We have that part covered. And. You know. Too risky."
"Right," Mr. Mazzu says, nodding along. "Well, if you're confident you might be able to do something for our department…" he trails off, glancing to Ms. Wolfe. She nods, beaming with pride.
"We'll be there to cheer you on," she says warmly to her students. "Sitting front and center."
"Provided you can get on the list of speakers at the meeting," Mr. Mazzu adds quietly. The students' eyes go wide- they hadn't thought of that part yet.
"Don't worry about it," Gwen says almost immediately, thinking as fast as she possibly can. "I'll get us on the list."
"You will?" Robbie asks, somewhat doubtfully.
"My father is the football coach," she says, and Robbie nods knowingly. "They're always on the list, funding something or another. We'll get on that list."
Gwen sets off an hour later, going for her father's apartment rather than her home. She's willing to do this for the theater. She'll make sacrifices for the things she loves, the people she loves, even if it means her unhappiness for a little while longer.
She knocks on the door to the apartment, even though she knows she could just walk right in. Her father answers almost immediately, and looks very surprised to see her.
"Hey, sweetie," he says. "How… how's it going?" She's tried to avoid all contact with him since the play, and for the most part she's succeeded.
"I'm just here for one thing," she says quickly. "We're fighting for the theater department. We're speaking at the PTA meeting. Only, we need to be on the speaking list."
"Okay?" her father asks, confused as to why she's telling him this.
"You always speak," she continues. "You're the coach. You have a lot of influence on the PTA."
"And?" he says, still not sure where she's going. Gwen takes a deep breath.
"Can you get us on the list?" she asks.
"What?" he asks sharply. "You want me to get you and your friends to speak for the PTA?"
"Yes," Gwen says. She continues before he can interrupt. "If you do this for me… I'll consider living with you. Half the time."
Her father stares blankly. She's still in the hallway, he's still just inside the apartment.
"Dad?" she asks quietly.
"I- yes," he says after another moment or two. "Yes, I can get you on the list."
The week passes quickly- the gang gets together a few times to rehearse over the weekend and during the next week, completely prepared to go before the PTA. They were approved simply because of Coach Strickland's influence, otherwise the PTA would have shot them down like flies. However, sitting in the audience, they completely didn't realize that the principal and superintendent were also in attendance at this meeting.
But they can do it. Many parents showed up to support their kids, and they can indeed see Mr. Mazzucchelli and Ms. Wolfe sitting front and center.
Several sports teams speak and leave, some of them with increased funding, some with no changes. The football team is approved another thousand dollars for new practice equipment, and then the students find themselves walking up onto the stage, much to the horror of the principal.
Simon steps up to the microphone. "Hello," he says quietly into it, clutching his hands behind his back. He makes eye contact with his mother in the audience, and she smiles at him. "We are what was known as the Stanton Drama Department. Recently we had a bit of a controversial show that upset a lot of people." He looks directly down at the PTA as he says this. "But it also helped a lot more people."
Behind him, the whole cast starts humming quietly- "I Believe," from their show. They figured it was good because if you don't know the context, it's a song of hope and acceptance- and because it was what they sang the night of the bonfire. It became their own song of rebellion then, and here they are rebelling again now.
"The theater program changed my life," Simon says. "In all my time at Stanton High School, it has made me feel loved and accepted in my community. It has allowed me to do what I love, and in a place that I've felt safe. It's allowed me to express myself and challenge myself in ways I didn't think possible. I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for Stanton's drama program. And now, you've taken that away."
The singing gets louder as Maashous steps forward.
"This program has literally been my life," he says. "For all my time here, I've never known anything else. The theater was my home for a long time, and it still is my home. I've never felt happier in a place then I do running the lights during a performance or a rehearsal. The drama department, the shows, the lights, they kept me going for a long time, but now that's gone."
Gwen stands forward next, watching her father.
"You know me," she says. "I was the lead in all the shows before this one. Then Mr. Mazzu came along, and he… changed things. He changed things for the better. Some people say that when people try to change things, others will call it disruption. And yeah, Mr. Mazzu went against the norm. He went against everything that the drama department used to be. And now it's better. And now it's gone."
Gordy walks up quickly.
"I'm new to all of this," he says. "I worked on the last show as my volunteering. And I loved it. I loved this. I loved, love, this little family up here. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I was given an opportunity in the theater, and I loved it. But other kids won't be able to. You've taken that chance from them." He looks like he wants to say more, but makes eye contact with his father and steps back, letting Michael take the floor next.
"This was the place where we felt accepted, where we felt loved, where we were able to be ourselves and not worry about the judgement of anyone else," he tells the PTA. "You were in high school once, you remember how it goes- I'm sure you had some way to relieve all that tension, all that weight of stress and school and life. This was that release for a lot of kids- all of us up here, in fact. It helped us get through the tough times. It helped us feel loved. Are you really going to keep that from us?"
He steps back as Robbie and Lilette step forward. The singing gets even louder- they're singing on repeat, letting everyone that wanted to get a word in get a word in. Others just wanted to stay in the background and make a more subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless.
"Hi," Lilette says. "You might recognize us as the stars of the department's last show."
"The one you shut us down for," Robbie adds. "Just in case you'd forgotten." There are laughs from the parents of the drama students.
"We're both drama newcomers," Lilette says. "For both of us, this was our first show. And we absolutely loved it."
"Football is what I'm good at," Robbie says, watching Coach Strickland. "It's what I want to be doing. But theater is my passion, and I want to be doing that, too."
"I've made more than friends here," Lilette adds. "I've found a family. And unfortunately, you've taken that away from us."
"By shutting us down, you've tried to tear our family apart," Robbie says. "Unfortunately for you, we will not be so easily defeated."
"We're prepared to do whatever it takes for our theater," Lilette says. "And that includes standing in front of you, singing one of the songs from the controversial musical that gained a petition and a closure of the drama department for good."
"In what world is that fair?" Robbie asks them rhetorically. "In what world do you hurt the futures of high school students in this district forever?"
"The next Ben Platt, Lin Manuel Miranda, or Phillipa Soo may be at this school right now," Lilette says. "And they won't get a chance to shine, because this theater was shut down."
"We had a chance to meet our family, to find our passions, to live our lives the way they should be lived, all through this drama department," Robbie says. "The next years of students won't be so lucky if you don't allow us to reopen the department."
"So we're just up here asking you- will you allow us a chance to prove to you that this program helps more than it hurts?" Lilette says. "Because, really, if you don't like a show- don't come to it."
"It's really that easy!" Robbie adds, to more laughs from the drama parents.
In the audience, the principal turns to the superintendent. The singing comes to a crescendo, louder and louder, waiting for them to make their decision.
"I will make them get off of that stage right now," the principal hisses. "And this time we'll be sure they're never on a stage again."
The students watch anxiously. They could all hear what the principal whispered, though the doubt the rest of the audience could. The superintendent watches their faces. They look hopeful, encouraged... they really feel that they're making a difference. And they are- they are. This theater has indeed changed their lives, he can see it in how they sing, how they stand, in front of a room full of adults that have shut them down time and time again. The principal is watching him expectantly, waiting for him to agree, but the students are watching him, too- waiting for him to, hopefully, disagree.
The superintendent waves the principal down. He glances along the row at the PTA, who all look… impressed, almost, at the bravery of these students that are speaking and singing.
"You know what," the superintendent says loudly. "I will give you a chance to prove it. Prove to me, to your principal, to the PTA, that the theater really has done good in the community, that the drama department is supported by the people. Then we'll talk about opening it back up. You're very brave, with all of your promises- so carry through with them. If you garner enough support, maybe we can find some limited funding for a Stanton drama department."
The singing fades out as the students beam.
"Thank you," Lilette says, and the audience bursts into applause, those from the directors the loudest of all.
"We stand a chance!" Jolene screams in the parking lot twenty minutes later. "This calls for a celebration! The usual place!"
"I'm so proud of you all!" Ms. Wolfe yells, for once not caring that her colleagues are all walking to their cars around her. The cast beams.
They're going to get their department back.
Next time, on Rise Again: "What are you playing?" "The song 'Therapy'... have you heard it?" - "I think we should try this." - "I decided what to do. About the baby." - "I said I didn't need you, and… I was wrong." - "You are unfit to go to church with us! You're a stain on this family, a sin, do you hear me?" - "You feel something?" "I feel a lot of things."