by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fiction
Rating: Mature Content
LINK TO PART ONE: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-shadow-in-sun.html
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Our theatre was actually a defunct church. It was a gothic-style stone structure--a monstrosity, really, but impressive in a vulgar sort of way. People referred to it as ‘The Cathedral,’ despite the fact that no bishop had ever sat here. In fact, the church had belonged to one of the Protestant denominations that doesn‘t acknowledge bishops.
No matter. The church was perfect for our purposes and the nickname suited our sense of grandeur.
We decided to hold the auditions in the reception hall. Sean, Sheila and I got there early so that we could clear out the tables and chairs in order to make space. We left a few chairs scattered about, and one table for a coffee pot and a sign-in sheet, but otherwise the room was bare.
I grabbed one of the chairs, turned it around and sat on it so that I could lean my elbows on the back of it. I glanced at the clock--people should be arriving any minute.
“Why don’t you two get started,” I said. “Sean, you take Richard’s part and Sheila you take Anne’s--start the seduction scene.”
Sean nodded and turned to Sheila with a wolfish grin. "I'll make you fall for me in earnest," he promised as he winked at her.
"Remember that Richard is no pretty boy," she reminded him as she reached out and playfully chucked his scruffy chin. "You can't use your usual tricks."
He bowed in acknowledgement as he picked up two scripts. He handed her one of them and then gave me a questioning look.
"Take it from Richard's words: Stay, you that bear the corse," I told him. "I'll read the gentlemen's lines."
Sean nodded and positioned himself so that he was ready to burst in on 'Anne' and the men escorting her father-in-law's corpse. Sheila, meanwhile, prepared to look at 'Richard' with regal contempt.
This was little more than a warm-up--we all knew that. Everyone would be reading multiple parts so that we could get a sense of the chemistry between the different actors.
Sean didn't bother playing out Richard's hunched back or lame leg. There would be time for that later--I was more concerned with his voice and his face at the moment.
He struck just the right note for Richard: his commands to the men were abrupt and pointed, but he spoke respectfully to Anne. At times he would let her hear the longing in his voice--and the repentance for his bloody past--but then he would tease her as he turned her words against her. He was drawing Anne to him with consummate skill and there could be little doubt of the outcome. It was a captivating performance.
I was less satisfied with Sheila. She was competent as Anne, but I thought her almost too regal for the part. Perhaps I should try her as Margaret...
The room was filling up now, as other actors tramped in. They started out laughing and talking, but quieted to whispers as they took in Sean and Sheila's performance. Sean knew how to hold a crowd.
I stopped him just before he could rip his shirt open and urge Anne to stab him with his sword. There was a round of applause for the performance and both he and Sheila took a bow. I smiled and looked around at the newcomers.
There was only one person I didn't recognize: a young man with a pronounced limp and slightly uneven shoulders stood uncertainly at the back of the room. He was leaning on a cane as he looked about for a chair, but they were all taken. Most folks were sitting on the floor, but I frowned as I realized that might be problem for him.
Fortunately Mario, one of our old hands, realized it as well. He casually vacated his own chair as he announced that he was going in search of a few more. Then he disappeared into the small storage room where we had stacked them. I breathed a sigh of relief.
But the stranger wasn't fooled. He stood there for a moment, as if debating whether he should accept the courtesy or struggle to the floor. At length I saw him shrug and take the chair.
So, this was Mrs. David's son. I had to force myself not to stare at him--he certainly had the look of Shakespeare's Richard III. But no, that wasn't fair. He was attractive, despite his mild deformities. I glanced at him again. If it weren't for a certain hardness in his hazel eyes, I'd have called him pretty.
Well, it was time to find out if he could act. I stood up and walked over to the table with the sign-in sheet. I took a moment to peruse the names as everyone began talking again.
His name was the last on the list: Jeremy David. I stared at it for a moment and then reached a decision. I wasn't going to feel sorry for him because of his handicaps. And I wasn't going to make this easy for him--I wanted to discover right away if he was worth my time or effort.
"Jeremy David?" I called out, turning around.
He raised his hand.
"You're up," I told him. "Start with Richard's opening soliloquy."
LINK TO PART FIVE: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-shadow-in-sun-part-five.html
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