Tony made his way to the schools decrepit theatre. What Sarah had said earlier was right about this place. The equipment and costumes were god only knows how long and the seats were the same as when the school was built 40 years ago. There wasn't a stage; instead they'd built themselves a sort of tiered platform against the wall with enough flat surface out front to act as a stage. The room was already packed full. You could tell who the hardcore theatre people were because they were sitting down front talking to Mr. Coulson about something.
"If we don't have the funds we can always do something Shakespeare: no royalty fees because he's dead. We have a copier just make copies of the script." A boy who was sitting next to Sarah said.
"You know I would love to do Shakespeare Daniel." Mr. Coulson said rubbing his eyes. "We just don't have enough people interested."
"What about Midsummer. You could double cast the mechanicals and the fairies. Bottom, and the lovers you won't be able too but what's finding 5 people. I mean us together is 8 already." Sarah thought out loud.
Tony was already hopelessly lost. We wondered over in front of the group and listened to them.
"Oh no, you know I always do lights. Lights and sleep that's my game. I love you guys but I'm not wearing tights for you." Another boy said standing up and motioning to the clearly broken lights overhead.
"Jessssseee! Please! You're not my best friend for nothing." Sarah whined. "Sorry kid you're on your own on this one." He said walking behind the built platform.
"I'm out too. This thing won't assistant direct and stage manage itself." A tall slender boy said leaning back in his chair.
"Me and Ariel will help you. If we make roles female leads we know that'll be solid." A short British accented girl said popping up from where she was sitting on the ground and motioning to a pale redheaded girl.
"Lucy's right. If we have strong leads that'll make the crappy minor roles seem less important. Travis isn't here until the second week but me and Justin'll help out." Daniel said sitting down on the floor.
"Soooo, Midsummer?" Sarah asked Mr. Coulson. "Yes, Midsummer." He said finally giving in.
"Alright circle up!" Mr. Coulson screamed throughout the auditorium. The whole room groaned but scrambled down onto the floor into a circle. "Anyone who's had this class before knows what's coming." Mr. Coulson said clapping his hands. People in the circle immediately switched spots. Tony ended up next to Sarah.
"What's going on?" He asked. "Name game." She replied without a second thought.
"It's important to know everyone in your theatre family." Mr. Coulson said walking around the inside of the circle. Several freshmen laughed and rolled their eyes. "Laugh all you want but trust is very important in this classroom. Just ask my magnificent eight. They've taken each semester of this class since their freshmen years." Mr. Coulson said pointing out each of the eight.
'SO that's what the theatre nerds call themselves.' Tony thought to himself.
"Without trust it would never work. When you act you put all you've got out there. You have to trust your family to appreciate every ounce of the passion, the sadness, the anger that you put into your craft." He finished.
"Okay name game. We'll start here with Justin." Mr. Coulson said pointing to the boy standing next to Tony. "It's simple. You say you're name. The next person says the name before them and then theirs. So on and so on adding the next person's name onto the list."
"Excuse me. You expect us to remember everyones name?" A small freshman asked.
"Of course. If you can't remember 30 names how will you ever remember a whole script." Mr. Coulson said laughing.
The game crept by slowly. People pausing and having to ask people 'what was your name again?' When it was finally over Mr. Coulson had them sit down in the circle.
"Alright now I'd like to know a little bit about you all, and this will help you to get to know your new family." So starting with Sarah explain why you're taking this class and what you like about it." Mr. Coulson said sitting in a chair off to the side.
"I've just always loved theatre. This is my seventh time taking this class next semester will be my eighth. It makes me feel like I belong somewhere, that I have a place that's just right for me." Sarah said smiling and passing it on to Tony.
"I took this class because I needed my arts credit. I fooled around until the very last minute and now I have to get that credit in. I didn't want to join JROTC, Art, Band, or Chorus. So this seemed to be the least painful option. I don't really care for theatre. It's alright it's just not my thing." Tony said before passing it on to the next person.
Once everyone in the circle had went Mr. Coulson walked back over.
"Me and my eight have just decided what we're doing for the fall play. The spring Musical is still undetermined." Mr. Coulson said passing out copies of old beaten up Midsummer Night's Dreams scripts.
"You do not have to try out, it is however participation grade of 50 percent of your final. If you don't do this you'll have to write a paper on Shakespeare. Mrs. Fountain can most likely help you if you choose that. Instead of taking senior English she has chosen to study Shakespeare and do several mini projects over the semester." Mr. Coulson said pointing out Sarah.
'That's why she doesn't have English. So being a theatre nerd does have its perks….' Tony thought to himself.
"Try outs will be this Friday during smart lunch. You can choose to do a cold read where I pick a random section and one of my eight will read with you, or prepare a monologue from anywhere in the script." Mr. Coulson said as he finished passing out the scripts.
"Okay break." The freshmen looked around confused at the word but when the eight started getting up and dispersing back into their seats everyone else followed.
"I don't have many rules. You will not sleep- and Jesse Ford this is directed toward you." Mr. Coulson said pointing at the boy who was already laying down halfway up the aisles of seats.
"There is no food, none. Plain water is all you can have in here. I see you with food or anything that is not water including but not limited to candy and gum you will clean the whole theatre." Mr. Coulson said snatching a bag of chips out of someones hand.
"We try to keep the props and costumes sheds clean and organized. Anyone who I have disciplinary problems out of will clean them." He said sitting in a chair in front of the group.
"We respect each other; we do not make fun of each other. No phones, no electronics, no music players. And lastly no one touches my show tunes radio station." Mr. Coulson said pointing to an unplugged radio in the corner. "And if anyone asks if you've seen Mr. Rice's radio: you have not." Mr. Coulson said jokingly.
"We try to have fun. We play a lot of theatre games. Some are optional some are not; all are counted as participation grades. Sit on your butt and do not be surprised if you fail. We only do one or two assignments. Monologues later and then script writing at the very end of the semester. Upper levels next semester will do story telling as well though. Alright my eight start a game." Mr. Coulson said turning the stage over to the eight.
Tony sat the first couple rounds of what the nerdy eight had described to them as zap- a game where you act out a scene using big motions until someone called zap and took someones place.
A game called That's Right Bob caught his eye though. The object of the game was to sell something, anything replying to your co-player as Bob saying 'that's right Bob.'
Tony volunteered to play the next round without even looking at who he was playing with. It ended up being Sarah. "Alright you're selling a toaster. Plain ordinary everyday toaster. Up for the challenge in that Sari?" Jesse asked from where he was sitting in the front row.
"Oh more than ready." Sarah replied putting on her best salesperson face.
"Welcome back to the Bob and Bob shopping channel, today were selling you this magnificent toaster." Sarah said pantomiming the toaster.
"That's right Bob but this just isn't any toaster. This is a toaster that shoots laser beams." Tony said taking the pantomimed toaster.
Sarah's smile faltered and she paused for a moment. "That's right Bob, actual lasers. They get your toast just exactly right." She said glaring at Tony.
"Oh that's right Bob, but this toaster also has a self-buttering mechanism on the inside of the toaster. Don't want to butter your toast yourself? Now it's no problem." Tony said popping down the button on the make believe toaster.
The rest of the class was dying of laughter.
Sarah rolled her eyes before continuing. "That's right Bob and this toaster can be yours today. There's only one left so we've jacked up the price to the rest of the happiness in your lifetime." Sarah said earning some laughs herself.
"That's right Bob. We'll just suck all of the happiness out of you. You won't even be able to enjoy this brand new toaster you bought. That means you won't be able to enjoy the superhero jelly included with this purchase only." Tony said pantomiming a jar. The rest of the class was just loving this.
"That's right Bob. I suppose you won't be…" Sarah started but Tony cut her off.
"That's right Bob. I mean who would enjoy being a superhero anyway. With all the powers and all the money, and your basically a flying chick magnet." Tony said winking.
"That's right Bob. Well that's all the time we have for today. Watch us next time on the Bob and Bob shopping channel." Sarah said she dropped her smile and started to walk away.
"That's right Bob, but wait don't turn you're TV off yet we've got this special only time offer. The stick that's up Bob's butt." Tony said. The class was roaring with laughter now. Sarah stomped off to her seat.
"Well done for your first time playing Tony." Mr. Coulson said patting Tony on the shoulder. The bell was fixing to ring for school to end and everyone was packing up their stuff. "You know I kind of like that. I may end up trying out on Friday." Tony said heading to the door. "You okay Fountain? You seemed to have lost your touch that round." Mr. Coulson said to Sarah as she passed him on her way to pick her stuff up.
When the bell rand she rushed out and Tony followed her.
"I can't believe you!" She snapped at him. People in the hallway immediately turned and watched.
"What did I do!" He asked. He thought he had done well. He followed her as she rushed down the hall.
"You upstaged me. You're not even interested in theatre and you UPSTAGED ME!" She yelled.
"I'm sorry okay. I didn't know it meant that much to you." Tony apologized. People were staring. He didn't want this. He didn't want them thinking that this was his flavor of the week exploding on him. He liked her but only as a friend, he didn't want to ruin the new found friendship over this.
"Well it does. People like you think they can just walk into that room and steal my thunder. The thunder I've worked four years to gain." Sarah said her voice cracking. Tony didn't want her to cry. He couldn't deal with crying.
"People like me? I don't understand." Tony said following her down yet another hallway. She stopped in front of the main door and poked him in the chest.
"People like you. To every single person in this school you're….you're god. You are their idol they worship you." Sarah said, that's when the crying started. "Don't you understand? That's what it's like for me when I'm on that stage. It's me their all looking at. I'm important. I'm not invisible for once in my worthless existence. Theatre is the only thing I have. You, you have everything else. Can't you leave me with just this one thing?" Sarah asked before walking away.
"What was that about?" Steve asked walking up to Tony.
…