“What’s your favorite part of the process?” Ethan had asked her toward the end of their coffee meeting a few days prior. They’d already gone over all the logistics of how he wanted the rehearsals run and how she would notify him of union-required breaks, and laid out the rehearsal calendar, among other agenda items.
She took only a moment to think on her answer. “For me, it’s always been about off-book day, where the scripts are tossed away, and the actors face each other fully. That magical connection from one character to another is established for the first time and…I don’t know. You can feel it in the room.” She shook her head and lifted her shoulders. “I just don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.”
“That’s a pro answer. That earns you big points.” Ethan ran his hand through his sandy blond hair. He had it short on the sides but longer on top, which allowed the curl to take hold. She had him pegged in his late forties. Maybe the type who’d been married a couple of times, but who really knew? “You’re somebody who gets it, then, Lauren.”
“You say that now,” she said, playfully.
“Ever done any acting?” he asked, casually. “You have that look about you. You look like an actress.”
She had no idea what that meant but answered honestly. “Back in the day, sure. I auditioned full-time for a year, ate ramen, and pounded the pavement.”
“And what happened?”
She shrugged, feeling the pang all over again. “The time limit I gave myself before moving on finally arrived. My acting career hadn’t gone anywhere, and I’m a realist.”
“Ouch. You just gave up? How is that possible?” he asked, with a challenging smile.
“I don’t think of it as giving up. I evaluated the situation and made the best call. I’m type A. What can I say?” She shrugged.
“Do you miss it?”
God, did she ever. “Once in a while,” she said, downplaying the reality. “But I found my calling in a stage manager’s booth one night and never looked back. It’s a better fit for me anyway. My refrigerator is in alphabetical order.”
“Fuck me.”
“Yeah. I’m a bit much when it comes to processes and procedures. They get my fur up.”
“I guess that’s good for me, right?”
“You just hit the lottery. I keep it all together, so you don’t have to,” Lauren said, with a proud grin.
“A former actress turned stage manager on crack. What the hell will they think of next?”
“You ready to do this thing?” She gathered her belongings as he did the same.
“More than you know. See you soon.”
“I’ll be there. Early.”
“I had a feeling.” Ethan smiled, picked up a second coffee to go, and headed out. She had a feeling this professional relationship was going to be a valuable one. If this was the guy Wilks wanted to keep happy, she didn’t think it was going to be too terribly difficult.
Well, until one of their two lead actresses was late for the first damn day of rehearsal. Really? The drama had started already? Lauren surveyed the long table she’d assembled for the first read-through and the polite, smiling faces gathered around it, all with scripts in front of them, ready to go. So where in the world was Carly Daniel? She checked her watch. It was five past. Nothing to panic about yet, but it wasn’t ideal. She exchanged a look with Ethan to see what he wanted to do. He mouthed back, Let’s give her another five. Lauren nodded and listened to the polite getting-to-know-you conversations happening all around her. She said hello to an actor she’d worked with before. At twelve minutes past, she did what any good stage manager would do—she excused herself and placed a call to Carly’s cell phone, which rolled to voicemail.
“Hi, Carly. This is Lauren Prescott, stage manager for Starry Nights. Checking in on your estimated time of arrival, as we’re now at thirteen past our go time. Please check in with me when you receive this voicemail, so I know when to expect you. See you soon.”
She clicked off the call and headed back to her seat where she looked to Ethan, who was seated to her left. “Why don’t we get started and Ms. Daniel can join us when she arrives,” Lauren said quietly to Ethan.
While it was ultimately Ethan’s call, it was Lauren’s job to make suggestions that would keep rehearsal running in a timely manner, and putting any more of their allotted time on hold for a late actress was not in the production’s best interest. Ethan nodded his agreement and opened rehearsal. He introduced himself and allowed the cast of eight, well, seven in its current state, to introduce themselves. When they got around the table to Evelyn Tate, the other lead actress in the play, the door to the rehearsal room opened with a noticeable bang and none other than Carly Daniel appeared. She wore distressed jeans, heels, a V-neck white T-shirt with a short floral kimono top hanging open, all accentuated with a long silver necklace. She was gorgeous, a vision straight out of a magazine. Her blond hair fell several inches past her shoulders, and she had large sunglasses perched on her head. In her right hand, she carried an oversized iced coffee, halfway consumed. Everyone swiveled in awe. While it wasn’t Lauren’s first choice to pause the introductions for a late arrival, it seemed Carly had the entire room’s attention regardless, which meant Lauren needed to pivot from her plan of plowing forward.
She turned to the table. “Ladies, and gentleman, Carly Daniel. Thank you for joining—” But Lauren didn’t get to finish her sentence because the cast burst into happy applause, and Carly did a makeshift curtsy, extending the iced coffee outward as she lowered her body.
The applause seemed to encourage her, and she beamed as if greeting her adoring public. “Hi, everyone. I’m Carly, and I’m so thrilled to be here, to meet each one of you and make this the best experience possible.” Most of the room beamed right back at her, honored to be in her sunshiney presence, and nodded in welcoming agreement. All but one, that was. Evelyn Tate sat tight-lipped and sour, as if waiting for the moment to pass.
The little late ball of sunshine that was Carly Daniel was going to be a force to wrangle. Lauren could already tell. People clearly adored and responded to Carly, and she was used to that kind of lavish attention. In a production like this one, where ensemble work was so important, Carly might not blend. Something to take note of. Plus, Lauren had done her research since taking the job. The headlines hadn’t been forgiving. “Carly Daniel Delays Production,” “Studio and Director Argue Over the Costly Decision of Daniel,” and her personal favorite, “Carly Daniel Billed 10K in Hotel Room Party Fiasco.” What in the world had gone on in that hotel room that had cost ten thousand dollars? One could only guess, as the article didn’t say. Lauren had let her imagination run wild, cringing at each possible scenario.
Carly, who was more beautiful than should have been allowed, turned to Ethan and Lauren with a hand over her heart. “I am so sorry I’m a few late. Crazy morning for me.”
“No problem,” Ethan said. “You’re here now and we can roll.”
Lauren forced a smile. If Carly knew she was running late for rehearsal, why had she clearly made a coffee stop? Those ice cubes were fresh. Instead of belaboring that point in her brain, she shook it off. At this early a juncture, she decided not to go there. Lauren would give Carly the same benefit of the doubt she gave everyone, and she at least had the courtesy to apologize with a smile. Maybe it had all been a fluke. A miscommunication of their start time.
“Am I here?” Carly asked, pointing at an empty chair next to Evelyn, the one actor at the table who still looked like she tasted something unpleasant. That said something, and Lauren mentally clocked the disdain.
“Yes, that’s you,” Lauren said. Carly slipped into her chair and waved at Kirby Bonner, the young actress seated across from Carly, who was clearly starstruck. Carly put out a friendly vibe, at least. “We were in the midst of introductions when you arrived.”
“Oh. Sorry,” Carly whispered loudly and bowed her head as if to make herself invisible. The room laughed. Lauren didn’t.
&n
bsp; “Evelyn, please continue,” Lauren said, holding out her hand with an encouraging smile.
“I was wrapping up anyway,” Evelyn said. “I’m thrilled to be working with Ethan, as I have nothing but the highest respect for his work, and look forward to a great run with all of you.” She held up the script. “I think this play is an important one. It’s about the love between two women, and we need to see more of that in live theater. If we do this thing right, it’s going to touch a lot of people.”
That comment resonated with Lauren. She’d read the play upward of ten times at this point and adored it. It was the story of Ashley and Mandy, who experienced a sliding doors moment. Down one path, they found themselves stranded together overnight at an airport when their flight was canceled. They argued, got to know each other, stargazed until the wee hours of the morning, and eventually, over time in the coming weeks, fell deeply in love. The other path, played out in act 2, had Mandy making the flight, and Ashley missing it. Their lives took separate, more tumultuous turns. In the end, they passed each other in a grocery store and took a long searching look back, feeling something unspoken tugging at them. The final scene had them abandoning their carts and taking a step toward the other, ending the play on the question, is fate real? It was a hopeful ending, especially having seen how fantastic the two were together in act 1, once they got past their differences.
Lauren broke out in goose bumps each time she read it. She couldn’t wait for Ethan to work his magic, along with Evelyn and Carly, of course. Carly, who would play Ashley, a blond knockout, and Evelyn, who would play Mandy, a redheaded everygirl, made a great physical pairing when she saw them seated next to each other, a perfect looking couple. Once the first read-through began, Lauren clicked the stopwatch and sat back to listen in eager anticipation of hearing the play come to life. It was good, but at the same time, she felt like something wasn’t quite…there.
Probably just because this was the first time they’d heard the words, out loud. Together. The character of Ashley was a driven, focused hedge fund manager. In the read, Carly tackled those characteristics with gusto. Evelyn played the character of Mandy, a kindergarten teacher who understood the value of stopping to smell the roses and appreciating the little things. Lauren missed the lighthearted portions of Evelyn’s reading. Carly’s Ashley was real, raw, and identifiable. But Evelyn brought an edge to Mandy that kept her from feeling relatable. While it wasn’t at all Lauren’s job to worry about those kinds of things, she loved the play so much that she’d taken a silent interest. She thought about how she would have delivered those lines, identifying moments of comedy for Mandy that were entirely missed or glossed over in the read. Luckily, she had a feeling Ethan would be working on eliminating some of Evelyn’s bite in the coming weeks. He’d been furiously scribbling notes as they’d read, stealing glances at the two of them. The six other members of the cast had tracks in which they would play all the other roles in the show. Some would take on as many as seven different characters before the journey was done. This was going to be a ride.
On their first official break, Carly stopped by Lauren’s chair. “You’re Lauren, right? From the voicemail.”
Lauren stood and offered her hand. “Yes, I’ll be the PSM for the production. Nice to officially meet you.” She was caught off guard by the vibrancy of blue in Carly’s wide Disney princess–like eyes once they were up close for the first time.
“Likewise.” Carly quirked an eyebrow. “PSM? Sorry, you may have to help me out with the theater lingo. I’m still stuck in camera speak. I have very little experience with stage work.” She closed her eyes. “That’s not even true. I have zero experience.”
Aha. She was that green when it came to live theater. “Not a problem. Stands for production stage manager. Think of me as head stage manager, and Trip is my number two.” She pointed at Trip, who poured himself a cup of coffee. “I’ll be organizing and helping Ethan implement a rehearsal strategy. I’ll also be in charge of maintaining the show once he moves on after rehearsal. I also do a myriad of other things. For example, if you ever need help with your lines, let me know. We can set up a session.”
“You have a lot going on.”
“I do, but I’m no stranger to the job.”
Carly pointed at her and smiled, exposing how her whole face lit up when she did. “Above all other stage managers. Got it. Anyway, sorry for that late entrance. I’ll try and be better.” She held up a finger. “Scratch that. I will be.”
Lauren liked those words a lot, because they were not off to a great start. At the same time, she wasn’t sure Carly understood the importance. “Well, that’s good to hear. I know Ethan is thrilled to have you on board.”
Carly nodded. “I’m grateful to be here. Trust me. I needed this.” Lauren took a moment because Carly’s beauty had not been exaggerated. She could see why Hollywood put up with her wilder ways for so long. Not to mention the fact that she was also crazy talented. A one-two punch that couldn’t be argued. “You okay?” Carly asked.
“Me?” Lauren shook herself out of it, embarrassed and attempting to recover. “Very much so. Yeah. Why?”
“You seemed to lose your focus.”
“Oh no. Just always thinking two steps ahead. Another part of being a stage manager.” It was the lamest answer, but she couldn’t very well tell Carly that she was stunned silent by how pretty she was. Not really the message she wanted to send in the moment to a colleague in her workplace.
“Anything I can do to help?” Carly also had a really nice tan going that made her skin look incredibly smooth. Likely very soft. Okay, what the hell was she doing? Lauren didn’t recognize herself or her own ridiculous behavior. She never crushed. And she still wasn’t, damn it. That’s not what this was.
“No. We only have seven minutes left on that break.”
“Good call.” She touched Lauren on the wrist as she passed, which caught Lauren off guard. She stared at Carly’s hand, briefly on her arm. “I’ll let you enjoy it then. Really nice to meet you.” Then Carly Daniel and what was left of her irresponsible iced coffee glided through the room, speaking with the other members of the cast, laughing with them, and remaining a palpable presence.
She was a force, that was for sure. Lauren just hadn’t yet categorized what kind: good, evil, or somewhere in between. Regardless, the temperature in the space had changed noticeably when Carly arrived, and Lauren had a feeling that working on Starry Nights was going to be a handful. Nothing she was wasn’t up for, however. She’d better buckle up.
* * *
Good God. That stage manager, Lauren, didn’t mess around. That’s what Carly had come to understand in just the few days she’d known her. When she’d arrived for their third rehearsal six minutes late, only six minutes, Lauren had pulled her aside and felt the need to point that out, too. How important were six minutes in the scheme of life? That was actually a great step in the right direction. Why had Lauren not noticed that? The progress. The day before she’d been twelve.
“We need to talk about your tardiness,” Lauren had said calmly to Carly during a quiet moment the day after that. “This is the third time in three days. It’s eating into our rehearsal time, and I need you to make more of an effort to be here before we begin. Shoot for fifteen minutes early, maybe? And if there’s anything I can do to help the process, please tell me. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Are you offering to wake me up in the morning, Lauren?” She’d said it playfully, because let’s be honest, Lauren was really cute, a little too serious, and Carly was a harmless flirt. The comment fell flat. Ouch. Not that kind of environment, apparently. A shame, too. Lauren was probably very straight, and likely taken. She was a looker with all that thick brown hair paired with a really pretty pair of green eyes, or were they hazel? No, definitely green.
Lauren blinked patiently. “If that’s what you need, I will happily be your wake-up call. I’m serious about making sure we’re able to begin on time each day.”
“Got it, coach. I’ll work on punching the clock more to your liking, so you don’t have to worry about me so much. I mean, unless you want to.”
Lauren smiled. If the coach nickname had rubbed her wrong, Carly never would have known. Lauren-the-organized-beauty was a puzzle, never giving away too much of what she was feeling. It made Carly want to find out and unwrap that mystery one piece at a time. There was a real girl underneath all of the business, and maybe one day, she’d get to meet her.
An hour later and here Carly sat, waiting for notes from Ethan Moore on what was turning out to be a more complicated character than she’d ever anticipated.
To the Moon and Back Page 4