"Rehearsals, A Ficlet", by Gratiana Lovelace, June 19, 2014 (completed)

"Rehearsals, A Ficlet", by Gratiana Lovelace, June 19, 2014

“Rehearsals, A Ficlet” (PG-13), June 19, 2014 by Gratiana Lovelace 

(This story is an original  fan fiction ficlet by Gratiana Lovelace; all rights reserved; any resemblance to persons living, dead, undead, adulterous, falsely accused or not, is pure fiction and left up to the imagination of the reader.)

(I will use my dream cast of British actors Richard  Armitage as He, and Samantha Colley as She--purely for illustration purposes.)

                                  “Rehearsals, A Ficlet”:  Prologue

To think of a thing is to acknowledge its existence.  To see a thing is to want it. To want a thing--leads you into a lot of trouble, as the married John Proctor found out from his sexual dalliance with the much younger Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.   This play happens to be currently in production at The Old Vic in London, England.  This ficlet  [(1) story logo top right] is my completely fictional imaginings of how the line between actors portraying lust and want and need and desire and the actors feeling those emotions themselves, might create some delicious artistic tension on the set and during rehearsals.

                               “Rehearsals, A Ficlet” (PG-13)

On the second day of rehearsals for a new play involving lust, lies, and larceny, it is suggested privately to  the two lead actors (he and she) playing former lovers that--in a method acting sense--they might want to have the memory of at least kissing each other to bring a greater authenticity to their performances  involving repressed and forbidden love.

He impassively nods slightly at the suggestion of them kissing, only glancing at his costar across the room through the corner of his eye.  She had already been apprised of the suggestion and she seemingly retains a benign expression upon her face--but for the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth, and the unbidden pinkening of her cheeks.  He will have to remember these tells when they play poker together again on the coming weekend--a friendly card game being something that he enjoys from time to time with his acting colleagues.  They, neither he nor she, move to act upon this suggestion of kissing practice.  The suggestor tilts her head and raises a delicately arched eyebrow with a small smile and rehearsals continue.

These two actors--he and she--have a chemistry together, a heat, and an allure. Might the relationship of these two actors to each other add another dimension to the play each of them wonders in reflection?  How can it not?  The actor is old enough to be his colleague's father. Yet, he seems younger and more youthful than his 40 plus years--physically and in his light hearted spirit, despite the spate of seriously dramatic roles he tackles, like this one. And her strength as an actress--albeit at the start of what is sure to be an illustrious career--helps her exude a maturity beyond her early twenty something years.  Yet, the actor was previously conscious of feeling that he was too old by over a dozen years for his co-star love interest in another role--in terms of him seeming to be protective of her. That lady spoke glowingly about his generosity as a fellow actor.  His gentlemanly demeanor and professionalism are  universally praised by his acting colleagues and directors.

It is on the third day of rehearsals that he and his current lead actress find themselves on the brink of something with each of them having arrived early for rehearsals--by about two hours.  This accidental meeting was not planned on either of their parts.  He usually prefers to take time to concentrate upon his role and performance before other actors arrive for rehearsals.  She also prefers to find a quiet space to prepare for the onslaught of the company’s dynamic daily rehearsals that are exhausting both mentally and physically.