Backstage Drama

Getting Closer

Chapter 7

Alice's POV

Getting Closer

I hated some of the new things we had to have pushed on us for the professional stage. Like I hate the new stage layout, I hate how we can't run through the audience anymore and we have to run down stairs under the stage. And I really hate how we have to ballroom dance. Everything else I'll learn to love, but Ballroom?! No way. Because the members of the ensemble that we lost were Ballroom Dancers, all of us have to step in for them, so now we all have to learn the ballroom dance. I can dance, yes, but I can't do Ballroom to save my life. I'm a hip-hop dancer for god's sake! Besides, I don't see why we all have to do it. Maybe 5 couples, 6 couples max, would be needed for understudies, but oh no, Katie is forcing all of us to learn it!

Anyway, in the dance classes we've been getting to learn new choreography for the show, I've been partnered with Ryan. Our choreographer, Katie, said that we had to be paired with people around the same height or taller than the girls, which I guess makes sense but still, Ryan can't ballroom dance any better than I can. So during dance class that day, instead of focusing on the moves, we were trying really hard not to step on each others feet.

By the end of dance class, my feet were aching all over (And not just because Ryan stood on my toes a million times). It was because of the shoes We had to wear shoes that had a 3 inch heel, and for someone who can barely walk in heels to begin with, let alone dance, this was a big change for me. Lucky Ryan and I are the last understudy ballroom dancers so we only have to go on if worst comes to worst.

"Hey, Al," he said, "Nice work today," he smiled. I could feel my face getting hot. Ryan is the bad boy of the cast. He wears a lot of black, listens to screamo and has the tumblr to match, but deep down he's like a teddy bear and has a heart of gold.

Heather came over to me nudging my arm, "Ooo, Ally's in luvre!" She teased.

I slapped her, "Shut up!" I said, knowing that my face was currently a deep red.

"So, are you going to walk with him to the hotel?" She said, stuffing the rest of her dance stuff in her back pack.

I shook my head. Ryan often walked by himself. And even then, he has his headphones in and he would just tune out to the world. I liked that about him. I wish I could tune out to the world sometimes, but there's always something interesting going on in this world and I never want to miss a single second of it.

Anyway, it was now less than four days (Monday being our first day of previews, and this will be the first and only Monday that we have to perform) until the previews started and I was so scared. Previews are basically like a normal run of a show, just without some fine tuning so by the end of the previews run, the show was well put together, clean and neat. Over the last few weeks we have been rehearsing, learning and stressing out to the very little time we had until we had to show this to a paying audience. Honestly, I was thanking the world that at least everyone already knew all the lines and notes. That was one thing we could relax about. However, we had to learn so much new blocking, learn new dances and work out how to move in our bulky costumes.

I really like our costumes back at the school production. Red and gold swirl fabric, red silk pants (which, just for the record, were so comfy) and a simple skirt for the second act. In this show, the normal costume is the same (thank god) but the skirt is the most annoying thing in the world. It has three layers and we have to wear it without petticoats so the skirts keep falling flat, rather than puffing out like they want them to. And our shoes are chorus shoes, which aren't so bad, but I hate shoes with buckles for some reason so they just annoy me. A lot. It's also a lot harder to keep track of our costumes backstage because they all look the same. Myself, Heather, Hayley and Sara are sharing a dressing room, so we have eight Anna costumes back there for Heather and Hayley (two Act I dresses for each of the girls, and two Act II dresses for each actress), two Angel costumes (for Sara, she's understudiyng the Angel) plus two golden sashes for me (I'm understudying Lady Thaing, who is the lead wife) plus our ensemble clothes. So our dressing room rack is pretty packed. It was so nice to have a break from the backstage of the theatre today. But not a break from our lovely, heavy, bulky skirt.

Later that night, after I was stressing about the opening of the show, I finally decided I need to have a break and take a walk. I still haven't explored the hotel yet, so maybe I'll check out some of the things they have here. I took my sketch pad with me. Maybe I'll find something to draw while I'm down there. I told Hayley I was going and all she said back to me was "Okay, don't do drugs out on the streets."

"Thanks," I said, leaving the room.

I stored through all the thoughts in my head, I guess nothing is really as bad as I make it out to be. The costumes are amazing and it all looks good by now. This show was almost perfect by now.

Once I got out of the lift, I saw Dene sitting on the couch, scribbling away at his notebook. God he loves that thing. I guess he's writing new blocking for us (I swear though, if it changes one more time...)

"Ah, Alice, what are you doing down here?" he asked me, damn, now I have to talk to him. I like Dene, don't get me wrong, but I just needed to relax and forget about the show for a while. And talking to the director is possibly not the best way to do it.

"Hi Dene," I said, sitting on the couch opposite him. "What's going on?"

"A lot, you looked more stressed than me. The professional world is hard, isn't it?" He said, looking up from what seemed to be the programme for the show. Why would he be making notes on that? "They've made mistakes in this, I just need to fix them before we make a mass printing," He explained, as if reading my mind. He handed me the programme to read. I opened it and saw all the brightly coloured photos from yesterday's rehearsal. I didn't even know there was a photographer there. The photos were amazing, I couldn't believe the shows was starting in less than a week. I also saw everyone's headshot and mini bio. It was perfect, except for a few spelling mistakes. I loved the part where Dene in the directors notes said 'I was stuck working with these kids for 5 months and now they are my kids. I've almost got the same amount as the King in the show'

"And you know all the previews have now sold out?" Dene said, making conversation.

"No pressure there right?" I said.

"Just relax, I have faith in this show, it'll be great."

After a little more chatting, Dene and I decided to go back up to the rooms. It turns out that Dene found out that we've got the whole floor to ourselves which is good because it's easier to keep an eye on the cast.

"SHOT! SHOT! SHOT!" a muffled voice came from room 1014, Jack and Lucas' room. What's going on? Dene was clearly thinking the same thing. He got out his phone and looked at the code to get into the room.

Everything was in slow motion after Dene put in the code and opened the door. It was kind of a blur slow motion too. Inside was Jack and Lucas, a half empty bottle of vodka from a minibar and two shot glasses, ready for another run of shots to down.

Dene went a bright angry red. "WHAT IS ALL THIS MESS?!"

Oh god.

(Credit to darkeyes23 for this chapter idea! I love you!)