Christopher was standing at the door in order to greet everyone as they arrived. This would have been a more heartwarming gesture if it hadn’t been for the fact that on the opposite side of the road several press photographers were busy snapping away as he warmly welcomed each arrival. Esther was greeted with hugs and kisses and she heard the frantic clicking of the cameras. She smiled to herself. It would be wonderful if a photo of this were to appear in one of the American papers for Marcus to see, but she doubted if that were likely to happen. Nevertheless, it showed her that she had been right in deciding to take this job. There would clearly be plenty of publicity and, by the end of the tour, she should be more firmly established as a theatrical actress. As far as she knew, Claudine was nothing but a model, although she called herself a model and actress. This was a term that had previously caused both Esther and Marcus considerable amusement and was generally looked down upon by fully trained professional actors and actresses.
Once everyone was inside the hall, Esther looked about her with interest. She very much hoped that the other members of the company would be people she could get along with easily. It made such a difference, especially when touring was involved.
A circle of chairs had been arranged in the middle of the room and within about ten minutes Christopher had organised it so they were all sitting down. He then proceeded to introduce them to each other and Esther, with a horrible sinking sensation, realised that once the introductions had been made they were probably going to be expected to play some bonding games.
She’d had more than her fill of those at drama school and one of the big advantages of working in television was that you were not required to carry out this kind of exercise. There simply wasn’t the time. You learnt your lines, turned up on set and acted. In the theatre, as she knew from Marcus, it was all very different and these bonding games were, for some reason, considered a vital part of company work. Personally, she thought they were utterly ridiculous.
‘Right then,’ said Christopher, getting to his feet and proceeding to walk round the backs of the chairs. ‘First of all I’ll introduce the girls. This is Rebecca Leslie. Rebecca and I met at the RSC, and so I do know a little about her work. She’s as enthusiastic about this project as I am, and indeed as I hope you all are. Rebecca, is there anything you’d like to say to everyone?’
Esther wondered if they were all going to be asked to say something about themselves to the company. Her mind went utterly blank as she tried desperately to think of something intelligent or helpful that she would be able to say. While she was thinking about it, Rebecca, who Esther thought had a beautiful face with extremely dramatic features, gave a small smile. ‘I really just want to say how very grateful I am that Christopher has allowed me to be part of his wonderful idea,’ she said softly. ‘I only hope that I don’t let him down. I just know this is going to be a huge success and I’m sure we’re all going to be great, great friends.’
Looking round the circle, Esther’s eyes met those of a tall dark-haired man sitting opposite her. His face was totally impassive, and he showed none of the forced enthusiasm that was reflected in the faces of the other company members. Indeed, he looked as though the only thing he was likely to do was vomit. Esther bent her head in order to hide a grin.
Christopher moved on round the circle. ‘This is Rosie Meyer. Rosie, as you may know, has had a small part in Brookside. She’s also done quite a bit of pub theatre and is extremely enthusiastic, aren’t you, Rosie?’
Rosie smiled and nodded her head. She had brown curly hair and was a rather buxom girl with high colouring. She seemed more natural than Rebecca and, glancing round the circle said, ‘Hi everyone. Like Rebecca I’m just absolutely thrilled to be here.’
Christopher gave a smile of acknowledgement – clearly he expected everyone to say how thrilled they were to be a part of his company – and then he moved on to a red-haired girl. ‘This is Theresa Wilson,’ he continued. ‘Theresa did a wonderful audition for me. It was a most unusual reading of Lady Macbeth. I think she’s going to prove really innovative, and that’s something I hope we’ll all strive for. I believe that plays can be traditional and yet innovative at the same time.’
‘How interesting,’ murmured the dark-haired man softly.
Christopher’s eyes flickered in the direction of the speaker and he opened his mouth as though to reply but then seemed to think better of it and closed it again. ‘Is there anything you’d like to say, Theresa?’ he asked.
‘Not really,’ she replied. Her voice was quiet, and Esther wasn’t surprised that her Lady Macbeth had been innovative. It was probably the most subdued reading that anyone had ever heard. However, Theresa looked the kind of girl who might have hidden depths. ‘I’m very pleased that you liked my audition piece,’ continued Theresa, ‘and like the others I’m just so excited. I can’t wait for us to get going.’
There were only two more girls for Christopher to introduce. The first, Ellie Ford, was baby-faced in appearance but there was something slightly predatory about her, and Esther noticed that Ellie spent most of her time looking at the male members of the cast. When asked if she had anything to say, she simply shook her head and murmured her appreciation of the fact that she had been accepted into Christopher’s company. Mary Fuller, the character actress, looked to be in her late fifties. She had silver-grey hair, was slightly above average height, and had remained slim. Esther knew that she had once been a well-known ingenue but that she had kept her career going by turning in some very fine character performances. Esther had also heard rumours about Mary’s sexual preferences, but she couldn’t quite remember what they were. It was either for young men or young women and Esther would have to wait to see which was right.
When Esther herself was introduced she cringed as Christopher burst into a paean of praise, stressing the brilliance of her reading of Ophelia, and saying how lucky they were that she had been free to join them for the project. It was obvious to Esther that everyone else in the circle was as stunned as she was. After all, she had done very little except appear in some television plays and be seen on Marcus’s arm. As for her Ophelia, while it had been better than she’d expected, it certainly wouldn’t have won her best actress of the year. Obviously Christopher had his own agenda for making such a fuss of her, but she wished that he hadn’t done it. It had put her at an immediate disadvantage. Now everyone would be watching her, waiting for her to make a mistake. If you were the director’s favourite then no one else in the company was likely to be very fond of you.
When Christopher introduced the men he was far quicker about it and, while his hand had lingered on the shoulders of the actresses, he never touched any of the men. The dark-haired man, who was almost too good-looking but was saved by an edge of danger in his features, was called Damon Dowden. Esther remembered that a couple of months earlier he had turned in a brilliant Iago at the National. Apart from that she knew very little about him, but it seemed to her that Christopher was far more fortunate to have Damon in his company than he was to have Esther. Damon refused to make any comment about himself at all; he simply nodded curtly at the company and then looked at the floor.
Another of the men, Nicholas Maxwell, had been on television quite a lot. He informed them with great pride that he had once owned a street market stall and this had paid his way through drama school. Esther sensed that he disliked most actors and actresses of Christopher’s kind, but understood that he needed them if he were to make his mark. She wondered exactly what parts Christopher had in mind for him, but then realised that because of his TV appearances he was possibly to be used as a draw for the general public in some of the smaller towns.
Two of the other male actors were almost indistinguishable from each other. Noel Daniels and Michael Lester were both average in appearance with fairly long mid-brown hair, light-brown eyes, average height and, Esther suspected, of average acting skills. They seemed cheerful and energetic and were the type of actors who helped to make life e
asier on the road. It was obvious they knew each other well. In fact, Michael said that he had first met Noel at LAMDA and they had remained friends ever since, only ever falling out now and again over a girl. This brought the first laugh of the morning.
Finally there was George Hickey. George had to be at least sixty, thought Esther. He had grey hair, light-blue eyes and, while he looked as if he had once been slim, he was now suffering from late middle-age spread. When Christopher asked him if there was anything he wanted to say he actually got to his feet and issued what was plainly a prepared speech in which he praised Christopher, the work that Christopher had already done, and the work he was planning to do. Esther thought that, if he felt it would have helped, George would have got down on his hands and knees and grovelled round Christopher’s feet. The one thing that was obvious was he had a beautiful speaking voice and excellent diction. This was more than could be said for Nicholas Maxwell, whose market stall origins did not seem to have been ironed out by his drama school education.
When the introductions were finally over, Esther’s worst fears were realised. Christopher took his seat again and looked round at everyone with a broad smile. ‘Right then,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Now, I believe it’s essential that if we’re to work well together we learn to lose our inhibitions and trust each other. I’m sure all of you here will agree with me, and so I thought it would be a good idea if, before we started discussing or reading any of the plays, we spent a little time in getting to know each other. Let’s start with a game of zip zap boing.’
Damon Dowden uttered an audible sigh, but Noel and Michael looked extremely enthusiastic. ‘Hey, that’s a great idea,’ agreed Michael. ‘Noel and I are really good at that.’
‘Really,’ said Rebecca, sounding incredibly bored. ‘Are you any good at anything else?’
Michael grinned at her. ‘That’s for me to know and you to find out,’ he retorted.
‘Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll bother,’ replied Rebecca.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever played it,’ said Ellie. She looked helplessly around the circle. ‘Perhaps someone could tell me about it?’
‘Don’t look at me,’ said Damon, his voice surly. ‘It’s Christopher’s idea. I’m sure he can tell you what it’s all about.’
Christopher seemed surprised that Ellie didn’t know the game. ‘Is there anyone else apart from Ellie who doesn’t know how to play it?’ he asked. His tone was such that Esther doubted if anyone would confess to not knowing, even if that was the case. No one else did say anything, so Christopher explained patiently for Ellie’s benefit.
‘It’s a game where you pass round the clap,’ he said earnestly.
Both Damon and Theresa Wilson sniggered. Ellie giggled nervously while Mary Fuller watched her with interest. No one else said anything. Christopher’s ready smile deserted him. ‘I hope you’re not all going to be childish about this,’ he said shortly. ‘What I mean, Ellie, is that one of us – say Damon over there – claps, and as he claps he turns to his right and Mary, who’s sitting on his right, catches the clap and passes it on by clapping –’
‘There’s something I never knew,’ commented Damon.
‘I’d appreciate it, Damon, if you didn’t keep interrupting me,’ Christopher said irritably. ‘Now, Ellie, everyone carries on like this, turning slightly to their right and clapping, catching the clap and passing it on saying zip. Then if they say boing as they take the clap it starts going round the other way in a clockwise direction. This carries on until someone says boing again, then the clap goes back anti-clockwise. If someone says zap they’re throwing the clap across the circle to the person opposite them. You’ll soon get the hang of it; it’s fast, it’s fun and it breaks down inhibitions.’
‘I see,’ said Ellie, sounding unsure.
‘It’s really quite easy,’ Esther assured her. ‘We used to play it loads at drama school.’
‘So did we,’ confirmed Rosie. ‘Mind you, none of us got on very well so I don’t think it really worked.’
‘Well I think it’s useful,’ said Christopher firmly. ‘Can we start now please?’
They played zip zap boing for at least ten minutes and Esther was amused to notice that Damon never once made any attempt to alter the direction of the way the game was going. He simply clapped and turned to his right or clapped and turned to his left as though it was a matter of supreme indifference to him whether the game was played properly at all. However, some of them, particularly Noel and Michael, began to get noisier and noisier and the speed of the game picked up. By the end of the ten minutes there was a lot of giggling and laughter going on and Esther wondered if she was the only one feeling prematurely old and out of it. She tried hard to disguise it but had the feeling that Rebecca – who for some reason had been watching her closely right from the start – was aware of this.
‘OK,’ called Christopher at last, just when Esther thought that she couldn’t stand any more of it. ‘Now then, George, could you and Damon move that table from the end of the room and bring it just a fraction further forward. We’re going to play the falling game.’
‘If you think I’m falling off that table and letting this lot catch me you’ve got another thing coming,’ Damon said irritably. ‘I’ve joined this company to act, not play stupid games.’
Rebecca stood up, shaking her long dark hair back from her face and moving sensuously towards Damon. ‘Don’t be like that,’ she murmured, ‘it’s really important, Damon. I know you’re very experienced, but not everyone here is. It’s really up to people like you and Christopher to help the rest of us. I’m quite happy to go first. I know I can trust you to catch me.’
‘Don’t rely on it,’ said Damon as he and George started to move the table.
‘Who is he?’ whispered Rosie Meyer to Esther as the pair of them stood together while the table was being moved.
‘Damon Dowden,’ explained Esther. ‘He’s been at the National and before that I think he was at the Royal Court. He’s had some brilliant reviews for the past year or so.’
‘He’s a bit frightening, isn’t he?’ said Rosie. ‘I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of laughs out of him.’
‘He isn’t really that kind of an actor,’ said Esther. ‘Noel and Michael look good fun though.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Rosie. ‘You know,’ she confessed, ‘I didn’t expect to be picked for this company. I thought Christopher would want people with far more experience. It was only when I read what he said to the press, about trying to give young people a chance now that rep had nearly died out, that I realised why he’d taken me on.’
Esther thought that Rosie’s buxom figure and natural enthusiasm had probably played as great a part as anything in her acceptance, but she nodded and smiled. She had decided before arriving today that she was going to be very careful what she said. She had always, in the past, found it best not to get too involved with anyone but simply to get on with her work. As far as she was concerned this was her chance to show she could act. She wasn’t going to become involved in any personality clashes. In any case, she had some sympathy for Damon, who must have thought he was long past the time of having to play these kinds of games.
The falling game was always tricky. Esther had never found it easy to stand on a table, close her eyes and then simply launch herself into space relying on everyone else’s outstretched arms to safely catch her. Even at drama school it had taken all her courage and now, after such a long gap, it was even worse. She knew that she actually took far too long to launch herself off the table and heard the edge of irritation in Christopher’s voice as he urged her to jump. Of course she was safely caught, and as she opened her eyes and was set down on her feet again, she caught Damon watching her with a strange expression in his very dark-brown eyes. However, the moment he realised that she’d seen him looking, he looked away again.
Esther remembered that in the reviews of his performance of Iago, there had been tremendous enthusiasm about his extrao
rdinary charisma on stage. She couldn’t help but think that this abundance of stage personality appeared to drain him of any charisma off it. It was also clear that he was not a good ‘group’ person.
By the end of the day they all knew each other a little better. It seemed to Esther that alliances were already being formed, although this had not been the idea of the exercises. It was impossible, though, to prevent this from happening. You could never expect twelve people, each with their own huge ego, to get on. The best you could hope for was that some of them would get on very well and that all of them would be able to tolerate each other’s foibles.
‘Tomorrow,’ said Christopher, ‘I’m going to get you to start the first read-throughs of Time and the Conways. I’m going to play around with the roles quite a bit, which means that, although you may read one role tomorrow morning, you’ll probably read a different one in the afternoon. I certainly haven’t made up my mind about casting yet.’
‘Not even yourself?’ asked Damon.
There was a sudden silence. Christopher turned and looked at Damon. ‘No, not even about myself,’ he said with an attempt at lightness.
‘Well you do surprise me,’ murmured Damon. He picked up his jacket and then walked out of the hall and off into the London streets.
‘God, he’s going to be a pain,’ said Rebecca. ‘Do you think it’s really worth having him with us, Christopher?’
‘Rebecca, I don’t want to hear any more remarks like that,’ said Christopher. ‘Damon’s a marvellous actor, as you know very well. Maybe he isn’t the easiest of people, but that’s not the point. I think I’m more than capable of dealing with him.’
Rebecca looked suitably chastened. ‘Sorry,’ she said.
‘Well, I think it’s been a terrific day,’ Noel said enthusiastically. ‘I can’t wait for the reading tomorrow. What part do you want me to read first, Christopher?’
‘I thought probably Gerald Thornton,’ said Christopher.
Dramatic Affairs Page 4