Drama at Silver Spires (12 page)

It felt weird sitting alone in the front row watching everyone acting after I'd been so involved only the day before. All the actors had to stay backstage for the whole rehearsal because Miss Pritchard wanted the play to be precisely how it would be in the actual performances. Cara stumbled a few times, which wasn't any wonder when she'd not done it for ages, but I saw Savannah and Camilla rolling their eyes at one another when they probably thought no one was looking. They didn't seem to be putting as much as usual into their performances, and twice Miss Pritchard told them firmly to try to keep up their energy. Rebecca was fine all through the first act, but then Cara seemed to be really struggling to act like she used to in the second act, and that somehow affected Rebecca because she kept on forgetting her lines and seemed really nervous. So Miss Pritchard had to have a go at three of the four main people.

“I know this has been a long term,” she said in her I'm-trying-to-be-patient voice, “and you've worked incredibly hard to achieve all you've achieved with this play, but we're nearly there now so try to remember it's a showcase for the school and I'm not accepting anything less than your best performances on Friday and Saturday. Rebecca, there's no need to be nervous. Just relax, because you're absolutely fine. Maybe have a quick go over your lines tonight.”

Camilla suddenly came forward and said, “Yes but—” then stopped abruptly, as if she'd changed her mind.

“But what?” asked Miss Pritchard, not unkindly.

“It's okay.”

I saw Cara sucking her lips in, and noticed how pale her face was at that moment. Quite a few people exchanged looks though nobody spoke, but I wasn't sure what that was all about. Then Miss Pritchard told everyone to get a good night's sleep and people started drifting out quietly.

I went straight to find Mia because I was dying to find out how she'd got on. She'd been so nervous all through the day and I was really hoping she'd managed to shake it off for her actual exam.

It was when I was only about ten metres away from Hazeldean that someone called out my name and I turned round to see Cara, which gave me a big shock I can tell you. I organized my face so it was set in my hardest expression, because she was bound to say something nasty. Then I waited for her to get right up to me, because no way was I going to take a single step towards her. But as she got closer I realized she looked a bit pale.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she said quietly.

It was confusing me that she wasn't being mean. I didn't know how to react. “Wh…what?”

A part of me wondered whether this was all a very clever trick, and any minute now her friends might jump out from behind a tree and start sneering and saying cruel things about how I thought I'd got the part of Amy but now that wasn't quite true after all.

She looked down, then back up again. “I was wondering…whether…you'd like to act in both performances?”

I couldn't speak I was so gobsmacked. The great Cara Ravenscroft was actually offering me the chance to have the role of Amy all to myself. No. It had to be a joke. I stared at her, waiting for her mask to drop.

“Yeah right.”

“No, I mean it.” Her face looked paler than ever and her eyes were full of big worry. If this was an act then she was the best actress I'd ever come across.

I tried to sound businesslike. “Has your laryngitis come back?”

She shook her head. “It's just that…the others don't seem to be…acting so well now…” She looked as though she was going to cry and I suddenly knew for certain that this wasn't an act.

“I think it's like Miss Pritchard said…everyone's really tired…” I said carefully.

“No, it's not that. I saw Camilla and Savannah exchange a look and I was sure it was because they thought I wasn't as good as I used to be, and that made me even worse, and then I heard Camilla whispering to Savannah when we were all leaving the theatre. She was trying to persuade Savannah to say something to Miss Pritchard.”

“Well that doesn't prove anything.” I didn't really believe what I was saying, but Cara was in a terrible state and I felt genuinely sorry for her.

“The thing is, Georgie, Savannah
did
go and talk to Miss Pritchard but I couldn't hear what she said because she had her back to me and she was talking really quietly, but I heard Miss Pritchard's reply…”

I bit my lip.

“She said, ‘No, I'm sorry, Savannah, that would be completely unfair. You were perfectly happy with Cara before she was ill, so you just need to be professional about this and adapt to whichever one of them is playing the role.'” Cara's eyes filled with tears. “So you see, they really prefer it when you're playing Amy, and I don't want the play to be rubbish or everyone'll say it's my fault.”

My head was bursting with swirling lights. Savannah and Camilla preferred my acting to Cara's. Cara herself wanted me to take over the role completely. I'd totally proved myself now. I could actually play Amy on my own merits and not just as an understudy because of Cara being ill. All my friends and my family would be so proud of me. I could just picture their faces, especially my gran's. She'd probably be the proudest of all. But…the swirling lights slowed down and stopped as I looked at Cara's crumpled face. The problem was, I wouldn't be proud of my
self
. In fact I'd be disappointed in myself.

And in that moment I made a decision.

I put my arm round Cara and concentrated hard on the white lie I was about to tell. “Camilla and Savannah weren't happy when I first took over from you, you know, but then they…got used to me. And they've just got to get used to you again. I bet you anything they'll be fine in the technical rehearsal tomorrow. And I'll make a deal with you… If they're not fine, I'll take over. But I don't want to, because I watched you today and you were stunning.”

She turned to give me a hug but she was crying harder than ever. “I can't believe you're being nice when I've been so horrible to you.”

“We've both been horrible – and stupid!” I said.

She laughed through her tears and started to move away. “I'd better go.”

“See you at supper then, Cara.”

“Yeah…and thanks for making me feel better.”

Mia was in the mood for celebration when I got up to the dorm, because the exam was over and she thought she'd done well enough to at least pass.

“Just think, no more practising or horrid exams for ages!” she said, dancing about.

Grace held her hands and they did a cute little dance together. “And no more gym competitions or netball matches!”

Jess and I were laughing like mad. “You're supposed to love all your sport and music, you two! What's going on?”

Mia flopped onto the bed. “Yes, I do love it really.”

“It's just nice when the pressure's off,” agreed Grace.

“How did your scales go?” I asked Mia.

“Good, I think. So you see all that testing you did paid off!”

When we'd talked about the rest of her exam she asked how the rehearsal had gone and I told her what had just happened with Cara. The others all tuned in and everyone gasped when I said Cara had been crying and I'd had to reassure her about her performance.

“It must have taken real guts for her to come and talk to you like that,” said Naomi thoughtfully when I'd finished the story.

“Yeah, and she must have been hurting like mad inside,” added Mia. “When you told her you thought she was stunning this afternoon, did you really believe that?”

“Erm…well she was nearly as good as she's always been.”

Naomi put her arm round me. “I'm really proud of you for giving her back her confidence when she's been so horrible to you.”

Then Mia opened her eyes wide. “
And
you could have done both performances, but you're sticking to sharing the role! That's why
I'm
proud of you!”

“Yes, good old Georgie!” said Katy. “That was really…grown-up.”

“Well, thank you,” I said jokingly, “but actually I can only manage short bursts of acting grown-up, and right now I need to be my usual immature self, so who's up for a game of Twister?”

Mia laughed and chucked the Twister mat on the floor. “Good! I'd hate it if you turned sensible the whole time because I'd miss the crazy old Georgie too much!”

After supper there was just one more sensible thing I had to do that day. I caught up with Camilla and Savannah coming out of the dining hall but didn't talk about Cara till we were outside.

“She's really lost her confidence,” I said, “because she thinks you prefer
my
interpretation. But it was
her
performance that inspired me to be able to do the role, so I think we ought to support her, don't you?”

“But you're better than she is!” said Savannah. “I can't act half so well myself when Cara's playing Amy, and that's bringing the standard of the play down.”

“Savvy's right. You should be doing both nights, you know,” said Camilla shaking her head and looking worried.

I didn't tell her that that was what Cara thought too. “Look, it was her first time acting for ages and she must have been really anxious about how she was doing, and then when everyone seemed so flat and Miss Pritchard said what she said, if I'd been Cara at that moment I would have felt absolutely awful. It was no wonder that she kept stumbling.”

Camilla looked down and Savannah heaved a big sigh but neither of them said anything so I carried on in a quiet voice, not really knowing if I was doing any good.

“If you could only…kind of…reassure…her… then her acting would automatically get back to how it was before.”

After a few seconds Camilla looked up, and then suddenly broke into a giggle. “I don't know about you, Savvy, but I feel as though we're being told off by a Year Seven!”

Savannah smiled. “Don't worry, Georgie, we get the message. We'll try to make her feel more confident at the technical, okay?”

I felt like dancing back to Hazeldean, calling out, “Mission accomplished!” at the top of my voice. But that would have been too crazy even for me, so I just strolled back at my usual lazy pace feeling happy that at last everything was as it should be. Well, okay I was late for prep and I hadn't a clue how to do it, but hey, what's new?

It was seven twenty-two on Saturday night. Eight minutes till the curtain was due to go up. I was standing in the wings feeling the most nervous I'd ever felt in my life. I knew Mum and Grandma and Roxanne were somewhere out there. They knew I'd got a main part but they were going to get the shock of their lives when they saw just how big the part was. But it would be a nice shock, hopefully.

I tried to clear my mind of all thoughts of everything except the actual play, because that's what Miss Pritchard had told us to do. Savannah, Camilla, Rebecca and a couple of others were all waiting in the wings too, but none of us were talking because we were focusing hard on getting into role, letting ourselves slide into our characters so we truly felt as though we
were
those people. I was finding it quite hard because my mind wouldn't stop going over the events of the last two days.

The technical rehearsal had taken place during school time so I hadn't been able to watch it, but Cara and I had agreed to meet in the courtyard afterwards, and she'd come rushing up, given me another of her big hugs and said she felt much happier because it looked like Savannah and Camilla had got used to having her back in the role of Amy after all, as they'd acted brilliantly and said “Well done!” to her at the end.

The dress rehearsal had been brilliant because the play totally came to life with everyone in their costumes. The excitement leading up to the first Friday evening performance had been crazy and I'd sat in the audience with all my friends and felt nervous for the actors, especially Cara. But I didn't have to worry. It was a big success with tons of clapping at the end, followed by Ms. Carmichael making a speech to thank everyone for coming, and thanking Miss Pritchard and all the actors for their hard work. So, of course, the applause grew even louder after that and Cara actually winked at me from the stage.

And now it was about to happen all over again and I was the one who was brand new to it all, standing behind the curtain with my make-up on, and listening to the audience's excited chatter.

“Break a leg, everyone!” said Miss Pritchard, appearing in the wings before she had to rush off to watch us from the front row. Then she blew a kiss into the air, which made us all smile the tiniest of nervous smiles, and a minute later the curtain went up and the show began.

I don't think any two hours in my life have ever gone as fast as those two hours, which is so totally unfair because I wanted them to go on for ever and ever, it was so utterly exhilarating, to use a word that Savannah taught me. In the interval we all talked at the tops of our voices in the green room behind the stage, while Savannah had a make-up change because she had to look deathly pale for the second part. Then the few of us who were on at the beginning of the second half went back to the wings and got into role again.