Lesley Livingston - Wondrous Strange

The first book in the Wondrous Strange series, 2008

Rehearsals @ Avalon Grande on 52nd

Mon-Thurs- 10:00 AM

Sat- 11:00 AM

Kelleys Script-

Please Return (This means YOU, Bob!)

UNDERSTUDY

A MIDSUMMERNIGHTSDREAM~BYWILLIAMSHAKESPEARE

~DRAMATIS PERSONAE~

THE FAIRIES

OBERON- King of Fairies: Oberon quarrels with his Queen, Titania, over the matter of a changeling child in her care, whom the King wishes to make his page and servant.

TITANIA- Queen of Fairies; she is the guardian of a mortal child-a changeling-whom she refuses to surrender to Oberon. This argument between the two fairy monarchs has caused much upheaval in the natural world, causing the seasons to alter.

PUCK- Sometimes called Robin Goodfellow: this mischievous fairy is Oberons chief henchman. Puck turns Bottom, a rough-mannered workman of Athens, into a ass-headed monstrosity and-at Oberons malicious bidding-slips Titania a love potion, which causes the Queen to fall in love with the temporarily freakish Bottom.

Puck is also responsible for creating chaos amongst the Athenian lovers when he accidentally administers the same love potion to the wrong suitor.

also

PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARDSEED, and others, fairy attendants on Queen Titania.

THE ATHENIANS

THESEUS- Duke of Athens: betrothed to the mighty Amazon Queen, Hippolyta.

HIPPOLYTA- Queen of the Amazons: betrothed to the mighty war duke, Theseus.

LYSANDER- beloved of Hermia.

HERMIA- Beloved of Lysander.

HELENA- in love with Demetrius.

DEMETRIUS- in love with Hermia: but later falls in love with Helena (thanks to Pucks meddling).

EGEUS- father of Hermia: wants to force Hermia to wed Demetrius.

PHILOSTRATE- Master of the Revels.

THE RUDE MECHANICALS

rough craftsmen of Athens,

in the forest rehearsing the play Pyramus and Thisbe to present to

Theseus and Hippolyta at their Wedding Revels.

NICK BOTTOM- performing the role of Pyramus in Pyramus and Thisbe: Bottom is a blithely egotistical fellow, who simply has no idea that his head has been transformed into that of an ass!

also PETER QUINCE, FRANCIS FLUTE, ROBIN STARVELING, TOM SNOUT, SNUG, craftsmen all, who find themselves terrorized in the forest by prankster fairies and an ass-headed monster!

Opening Night Nov 1st!!

KELLEYS NOTES

Puck- too much glitter Check w/Mindi

Mustardseed- shorten skirt

Demetrius-find sandals

Nick Bottom-Fix ear on Ass Head

Lord, what fools these mortals be!

October 31

Pucks tortured words rang in Kelleys ears as she lifted her head, struggling against the darkness that threatened to descend upon her. She stared in horror as the Central Park Carousel shuddered in the cloud-shattered moonlight. Though no one was there to operate the machinery, the platform lurched into motion and the painted horses began to bob up and down. The gilt and jeweled trappings of saddles and bridles glimmered, winking at Kelley like hundreds of wicked, malevolent eyes.

In the sky above the merry-go-round, amid clouds bruised purple and black by the violent winds, a figure appeared, hovering in the air astride a fiery roan horse. Kelley felt the hot sting of tears on her cheeks as she looked up and met the eyes of the Rider. He stared down at her-cold, pitiless, with no hint of recognition in his beautiful, haunted face.

Beneath him, driven to madness by the presence of the Rider on his back, the Roan Horse screamed defiance. Bucking and rearing, it lashed out with hooves of flame.

The carousel began to turn.

In the distance, Kelley heard the sound of the hunting hounds.

The Rider drew his sword, the blade flaring like a firebrand. Kelleys breath strangled in her throat as the carousel began to spin faster and faster.

Smoky, glittering figures coalesced out of the air to ride the painted mounts. Bloodthirsty and red-eyed, brandishing swords of flame, their joy was a terrible thing to behold. Beneath them the wooden horses transformed, snorting furiously and stamping hooves on the spinning carousel platform.

Then they burst forth. Legs churning, they galloped madly into the night, climbing an unseen path into the heart of the roiling storm.

After centuries spent imprisoned, locked in the chains of uneasy, enchanted sleep, the Wild Hunt was awake.

It was Samhain. Tonight they would ride out. Tonight they would kill. Nothing in the world could stop the Faerie war band-not with the Rider and the Roan Horse at their head

I am feared in field and town.

Goblin, lead them up and down.

What do you mean, promoted? Kelley Winslow felt her pulse quicken.

It was the fifth week of rehearsals for the Avalon Grandes production of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. Never mind that the Avalon Players-a third-tier repertory company so far off Broadway it might as well have been in Hoboken-had only hired Kelley as an understudy, which really meant glorified stagehand. It was her first real job as an actress after a disastrous stint in theater school, and, at only seventeen, Kelley had been grateful for the rsum builder. But today, three steps into the theater, Mindi the stage manager had waylaid her.

Kelley was carrying a box of props shed gone to fetch from the company van parked outside, and she had a pair of fairy wings strapped to her shoulders-the only way she could carry them without crushing the wire frames. Mindi? she asked again. What do you mean?

I mean, dont bother taking off the wings, kid. Mindi took the box of props from her hands. Our darling Diva deWinter just busted her ankle. She is out of commission, and that means you, little understudy, will be stepping into the lead role of Titania, the fairy queen, for the run of this show.

Kelley was speechless. Shed dreamed of this-although however many times shed sat through rehearsals, watching Barbara deWinter overact and undercharm her way through her scenes, shed never wished anything bad upon her. But Kelley guiltily felt a rising sense of glee. This is it. This is my big break!

Hey! Mindi gave her a friendly shove. Enough daydreaming. We open in ten days and Quentin is-well, to put it mildly, our esteemed director is now freaking out. So I suggest you go slip into a rehearsal skirt and haul your understudy butt onstage so that the Mighty Q can run you through your scenes. Good luck.

My scenes. My scenes

Thoughts in a whirl, Kelley almost ran down the actor playing Puck as he swung himself gracefully off the set scaffolding, singing Am I blue? Funny, because he was actually green, a pale iridescent shade head to toe-hair, skin, eyes-right down to his leafy tunic. Kelley had been told by one of the other actors that his name was Bob but that he was something of an extreme Method actor and had demanded he be referred to only by his character name while in costume and makeup-on threat of quitting the production otherwise.