by Scott Damon
Sitting in the audience and watching all of it develop provided the writers with a unique perspective, so they critiqued what they saw along the way and provided suggestions for how to improve the scenes. The costume designers suggested to Langley the actors begin rehearsing these combats in costume, allowing them to be sure they won’t fall apart, get torn, or disrupt things in any other way, to which Langley agreed.
The following night was the first time most of the cast rehearsed in costume. A lot of the students gawked and checked each other out, while some expressed admiration for the work of the costume design team.
What Langley was not prepared for was the increased tension between Jason and some of Tarak’s captors. Something seemed off. He asked Jason and the enemies group to stay after to see what he could learn. Fifteen people crowded in his office. Langley didn’t learn much, but he could tell something was going on.
After the others left, Langley overheard Calvin and Jason talking quietly outside his door.
Calvin said, “We should tell him what’s going on. He deserves to know.”
Jason agreed, “I know, but I don’t want to start even more trouble.”
“Then we’ll tell him that.”
Langley invited the two boys back into his office. “Guys, tell me what’s going on, please.”
Jason and Calvin described what had happened the previous Thursday.
Langley wasn’t sure how to proceed. “Jason, do you think they plan to continue harassing you?”
“I’m not sure. It’s more the unknown I’m worried about.”
“Yeah, I understand. Let me see if I can talk to everyone and get people working on the same page without mentioning the incident itself.”
The concern on Calvin’s face disappeared. “Yeah, that would be great if you can pull it off.” Jason nodded.
The next day, Langley pulled the same group into his office. It was crowded, but he told them it would be short. “Okay, everyone. Sometimes our past trips us up. We had our auditions and we know our roles going forward. There might be second-guessing and disappointments, but regardless, we have to let the past go. At this point, we share a common goal. We’re trying to put on the best show possible using the talents of everyone in this cast and all the people working backstage. In order to do this, we need us all working together and supporting each other to do the best they can in their individual roles. This is what’s known as an ensemble production. We either all succeed or we all fail, together. Any questions?”
Some students murmured “No, sir” and the group returned to the auditorium. Langley followed behind and was thrilled to notice Ted and Greg give Jason a slight pat on the back as they walked towards the stage. He wasn’t sure everything was resolved between them, but at least the tension dissipated to some extent. There were a few shrugs between pairs of students, signaling their confusion, but he wasn’t worried about them.
Over the following days, the combat scenes evolved and grew quite intricate. Jason showed some of the others moves that looked difficult but were easy to perform and appeared exciting from the perspective of the audience. Mark, Ted, and Greg even sought Jason’s help on stunts and started spending small amounts of their downtime with Jason and his friends.
Chapter 9 – Tarak is Captured
Other than the romance scenes, the one Jason was most nervous about was when Tarak is tortured for information. The script had some methods penciled in, but as with every scene, it was open to additions and revisions. Langley gathered the cast, crew, and writers in the auditorium to focus on this key component of the play. He told the assembled group it was one of the more sensitive topics, so he had waited until they had matured as a team before broaching it.
Getting to the point of Tarak being captured was already accomplished, flowing from the first fight scene. One writer previously suggested Tarak be bound with chains instead of the ropes they used initially, because it looked more difficult for the mighty jungle man to break free. Langley reviewed what was already in the script – baking in the hot sun, ice applied to his body, stretching, and crushing.
Mark asked, “Can we suggest other tortures for Tarak?”
Langley said, “I’m always open to script suggestions. We might be able to add one or two. Let’s get back to the scene so far…”
Mark interrupted him, “I think he should be chained to a tree and gut-punched.” Ted and Greg cheered that suggestion.
Langley cautioned, “That might work. We can only use things that are not too graphic, seem challenging, effective from the audience’s perspective, workable, and will not harm Jason.”
Jason listened to Langley’s instructions and the ideas that started to flow from the group. It felt strange to be discussed in those ways, like an out-of-body experience. It was him and yet it was not him. It was his body they were envisioning inflicting tortures upon.
Langley turned to the writers, “Try to capture these suggestions. We’ll see what we can incorporate.”
Jason sat silently, tapping his foot, as students offered other ideas – forced work, heavy lifting, and fighting a variety of animals, such as pythons, lions, crocodiles, or apes. Electricity, water, and sharp instruments might be used in various ways. Humans fighting Tarak and covering him in insects were part of other ideas.
The shy science prodigy, Neil, spoke up for the first time in the discussion. “If you want, I could rig up something made to look like lion claws that causes thin streams of fake blood to appear on Tarak’s chest and abs as the claws are raked across his flesh.”
People responded positively to the idea. Langley said, “Hmmmmm…interesting. Writers, feel free to work that into the scene if it makes sense. And I’m sure Neil or others could craft other mechanisms if we need them, so don’t let technology or logistics get in your way. Although we’re not going to bring any animals in here, there might be other ways to achieve a similar effect.”
It was the first time Jason felt Langley had let things spin out of control. Langley tried to cut off discussion several times, and finally said, “Thanks, everyone! I’m sure we have plenty to work with. I’ll have the writers work through these suggestions and come up with a credible sequence without turning off the audience. The goal is to get Tarak to provide information about the location of diamonds, not destroy him. Let’s move on.”
That night, Jason had some odd dreams. Maybe the discussion was too much for him to sit through. It was an unusual discussion and planted new thoughts into his head and psyche.
* * *
Early Friday, Jason saw an email from Langley giving all the actors a night off so he could work with the writers to better solidify the script. They had received so much input they needed time to sift through it all and form it into a coherent story.
Jason appreciated this opportunity for an extended workout in the school’s gym. He did many gymnastic routines, lifted weights for a while, and even swam a little. Calvin had gone running and met him in the pool to overlap with some of his time. The two ended up talking for a long time.
Jason made it home in time for a late dinner with his family. Because of his busy schedule, he didn’t often eat with them anymore, but they were all happy for this opportunity. They discussed school, sports, the play, and what all the others were up to. He missed his mom’s cooking in its fresh form, instead of having to reheat it long after the others ate.
Following dinner, Jason, wearing his loincloth, played video games with Derek. After an hour of playing, Derek told him a few of his friends were coming over. Jason offered to put on more clothes, but Derek stopped him. “Actually, don’t get all weird, but they want to meet Tarak.”
Jason laughed a little. “It’s fine. I’m not sure what they’re expecting. It’s the same kids I’ve always seen you with, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Randy, Evan, a few others. I’m not sure you’ve ever met Alex.”
“No, never heard of him. Whatever.” The boys played more until they heard a knock on the
door.
When Derek opened the door, six boys and two girls entered, more than even he was expecting. Derek yelled to his brother, “Tarak. Your fans are here.”
Jason walked into the foyer and talked to the kids he knew a little and learned the names of the others. They all went into the den to talk. The kids were interested in hearing about the play’s storyline, so Jason gave them the high-level overview. He only hinted at the previous afternoon’s discussion of torture.
Alex was anxious and asked, “Will we be able to see this play? You don’t have to be 18 to see it, do you?”
Derek and other kids waited for an answer. Jason assured them, “No, no, you’ll be able to see it.” He resolved to let Langley know that younger kids were concerned and recommend they keep the play wholesome enough to let everyone in.
They asked Jason to model his costume, so he stood and spun around for them to obtain a good look. A couple kids wanted to know how it felt wearing it. Jason said, “At this point, it’s very comfortable. It’s a soft material. That’s why I’m wearing it around the house, to get used to it.”
The group had many questions about Victoria, as well. A few knew who she was, but most did not. “She’s a junior, a little shorter than me, with brown hair and eyes, and has a decent figure. She’s very athletic and I’ve been impressed with the stunts she’s doing.”
Alex asked, “What’s her costume like?”
“It’s basically a bikini with a jungle pattern to it.” Jason didn’t look at girls the way most of the boys did, so he hoped he satisfied their curiosity.
Evan said, “Is she in the play as much as you?”
“No, a whole lot of the play is Tarak fighting with an enemy tribe. Victoria is his girl, but she’s not involved in the fight scenes and all that.”
When the group ran out of questions, Jason said he would leave them alone and he went upstairs to read. Derek and his friends hung around, talking, playing games, and rehashing the gossip at their school. After his friends left, Derek peeked his head into Jason’s room and said, “Thanks for putting up with them.”
“No problem, kid.”
“Maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world to have Tarak for a brother.”
Jason smiled at him and he left.
Chapter 10 – First Romance
Similar to Langley’s reluctance to enter into the discussion about the torture scene, Jason remained nervous about the romantic scenes. He was fairly certain he could act his way through them and do a good job, but until they worked through them, the unknowns still scared him.
Julia McCutcheon and Jason shared the same English and Math classes, so they weren’t strangers before the play. They had a healthy respect for each other’s abilities in those classes and even competed in friendly ways at times. Julia typically outshined Jason in English, but it surprised everyone when the teacher effusively praised one of Jason’s poems during a poetry unit. In math, they were neck and neck right below the top tier kids. At times, they would offer an insight into or solve a problem that had escaped the more talented math students.
The two talked more once they were cast for the play. Julia had a strong interest in theater and thought about pursuing it in college. She had performed in most of the school’s plays and a couple times in middle school, but this was by far her largest role to date.
Jason had accurately described her to his brother’s friends. She filled out the costume well and her athleticism helped her bring energy to her performance. Her primary sports were the swim team and track and field.
As promised, Langley started with just a few people in the room during rehearsals for the romantic scenes. He excused all the writers for the first session, but brought in two for subsequent times. He, Julia, and Jason participated, of course, and he asked each of them who else they wanted to have present, if any. Langley encouraged them to choose some others to watch from the audience and provide their perspective. Julia requested her friend Susan and Jason chose Stuart and Calvin. Langley had the stage couple start in costume.
The director provided some basic guidelines. “In general, we’ll want both of you in side profile so the audience can see you. Are both of you comfortable with basic affection, like hugging, holding hands, and simple pats on the back?” Both nodded. “We have some quick early kisses, which I would like to be in profile, also. We’ll practice those in a minute. The longer-lasting kiss towards the end can be done where Tarak has his back to the audience, holds Victoria, and bends over as if they are kissing deeply. Because the kiss is shielded, it can be faked to an extent. If you feel comfortable doing it in profile, that’s great, but I just want to offer you those and any other options you can think of.”
Jason felt a little relief after the explanation. “Yes, that sounds fine.” Julia agreed.
They tried the simple kisses. Jason felt they flowed naturally, keeping in mind the context of the scenes. They were short and concluded those scenes. For one kiss, Langley suggested Victoria try raising one leg backwards, bending at the knee to convey her excitement with this connection. In another trial, Victoria raised her leg and Tarak raised his leg a moment later, leading the onlookers to laugh.
Langley said, “Nice touch, Jason. I’ll talk with the writers to see which scene that might work best in.”
Then they practiced the longer kiss. The shielded version went without a hitch. After trying it in profile to the audience, Langley said, “That doesn’t look as smooth. How does it feel to you two?”
Julia replied first, “The shielded version felt more comfortable. I’m sure we would get more used to each other, but if you can live with the shielded version, that feels best right now.”
Jason spoke up, “I agree. If it’s convincing enough, let’s do it the hidden way.”
Langley said, “Mostly, I want you two to be comfortable, because it will show. We can continue to try the profile method at times if you’re willing, but for now, we’ll assume the shielded approach until we decide otherwise.”
The audience members disagreed in their feedback. Susan said the profile version seemed more intense, as long as they got used to doing it. Stuart and Calvin were fine with either direction. Calvin downplayed it, “This romance is more of a subplot in this play anyway. It’s not the main thing.”
Langley thanked all of them for their input and for participating in the rehearsal. Subsequent rehearsals confirmed initial impressions.
* * *
As Jason left with his two friends, Stuart joked with him, asking “How does it feel, gay boy?” Jason gave him a gentle shove. Stuart told them he had a ton of homework to do and took off to go home. Calvin and Jason walked along together.
Calvin provided Jason an opening to talk about it if he needed to. “I thought it went okay. How was it for you?”
“It went better than I expected. I don’t know what I was so worried about. I like how understanding Mr. Langley is.”
“Yeah, he’s pretty cool. But shit. You had a right to worry. You’re 18 and never been kissed before. Doing it onstage is a bit different than real life.” They were approaching the park and the sunset was beautiful. “There’s one thing that bothered me though.”
Jason turned to him, “What...?”
“That I wasn’t the first one to kiss you.” Calvin pulled Jason off to one side, slightly hidden by a bush, held his shoulders, looked him in the eye, and eased in to give Jason a sensuous short kiss.
Jason smiled shyly as Calvin pulled back. “Oh man! That was a much better first kiss.”
“I wish I had done it earlier. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Jason, will you go out with me for a second date?”
“Second date? Don’t we need a first one first?”
“Maybe we didn’t exactly plan it, but I consider that time getting burgers with you to be our first date.”
Jason smiled, “I guess you’re right.”
“I really like hanging with you.”
“Thanks. You’re grow
ing on me, too.” He laughed a little. “Sure, I’d love to go out with you. Let’s take a step up from burgers though. We can figure something out.”
“Got it. Let’s do it this Friday.”
Chapter 11 – Second Date
Jason and Calvin both researched restaurants, movies, and other things to do. Calvin was 17, too young to get into dance clubs, even the underage ones. They found several movies they were both interested in, but figured that wouldn’t allow for much time to talk and they wanted to get to know each other better. Calvin suggested they go to a free hip-hop concert in the city park that evening, which Jason agreed sounded great. It was a couple local groups, but they could check it out and wander to the back if they wanted to talk more.
The boys wanted something special in a restaurant, so Jason asked his parents for suggestions. Jason rarely asked them for advice about anything and their eagerness overwhelmed him with ideas for every type of cuisine, price range, and style. The boys chose a well-known Italian place with a good reputation.
Olivia reminded Jason, “Remember, I want to meet Calvin soon.”
“Yeah, I know. We’ll arrange it.”
Although they wanted to dress up for their date, the evening was hot and they wanted to be casual enough for the park. They agreed to wear shorts and a nice shirt. Jason felt elegant compared to his daily attire and bumming-around-the-house clothes.
Calvin had made a reservation, although the restaurant was nearly empty when they arrived. They wanted to eat early so they could catch most of the concert. The waitstaff provided considerable attention given the few customers in the place, making Jason more nervous than he already was.
The boys pored over the menu, finding a wide selection of appealing items. Some things sounded strange, but they glossed over those. In the end, they decided on a calamari appetizer to have something a little exotic and ordered a pizza to share. They laughed at themselves for coming to a fancy restaurant and settling for pizza, but that’s what appealed to them most anyway. Calvin said he had tried calamari once, but Jason never had.