Jack and Annie whirled around. The cart driver was charging toward them.
“He’s mine! I’m selling him!” the man shouted.
“Come on, Annie. Let’s go,” said Jack. He pulled her into the crowd walking down the road.
“But I have to save Dan!” said Annie, looking over her shoulder. “That guy wants to sell him to the bear fights!”
“I know,” said Jack. “But we can’t just steal him. That guy is his owner.”
Jack looked around. He needed to get Annie’s mind off the bear. He saw the group of older kids from the bridge. They were walking toward a round white building.
“Hey, look, the kids from the bridge!” he said. “Let’s see where they’re going.”
“What about Dan?” said Annie.
“We can figure that out later,” said Jack. “Let’s follow those kids now.”
He steered Annie toward the white building. When they got closer, Jack read the sign out front:
A PLAY AT THE GLOBE THEATER!
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Great! thought Jack. Annie loved plays. She loved acting in them at school.
A man stood at the door of the theater. He was holding a box.
“A penny to stand! A penny to stand!” he shouted.
The older kids dropped coins into the box and went inside.
“Wow, the play costs only a penny!” said Jack. “That’s cheap!”
“But we don’t have any pennies,” said Annie. “Besides, I want to go back and free the bear.”
Jack sighed.
“What will you do with him if you free him, Annie?” he asked.
“I’ll figure something out,” she said.
“Well, figure it out when the owner’s not standing there,” Jack said. “Right now, let’s learn something about this play.”
He quickly pulled out their research book. He found a picture of the Globe Theater. He wanted Annie to forget about the bear, so he read with lots of feeling:
The first theaters were built in old England. Because there was no electricity, plays were performed during the day, when it was light. Almost everyone could afford to go.
“Neat, huh?” said Jack.
Annie sighed.
Jack kept reading in a loud, dramatic voice:
Seating for the audience depended on how much was paid. The people who could afford the higher prices sat in galleries above the stage. Others stood in an area below the—
“Boy!” someone shouted.
Jack looked up.
A man hurried over to Jack and Annie. He was long-legged, with a trim beard and twinkly eyes.
“I could hear you from across the way,” the man said. “You read very well!”
Jack smiled shyly.
“No, you are simply brilliant!” the man said. “And I am in great need of a boy who is a brilliant reader!”
“Why do you need a boy who’s a brilliant reader?” Annie asked the man.
“Because I have just lost two fairies!” he said. He pointed at Jack. “You can read both!”
And you are nuts, thought Jack. “Well, bye, see you around,” he said. He nudged Annie to move along.
“Wait, wait,” she said. She turned to the man. “What do you mean, my brother can read both fairies? Read them where?”
“Two boy actors didn’t show up today to play fairies,” said the man. “But your brother reads with such expression! He can save us all!”
Jack stared. Was this guy saying what he thought he was saying?
“You mean you want Jack to be in your play?” said Annie.
“Indeed!” said the man. “There are three thousand people here today, waiting to see the play I have written! We cannot disappoint them, can we?”
“Three thousand?” said Jack.
“Yes!” said the man. “And one of them is the most important person in the world!”
“No. No way. I can’t do that,” said Jack. He had never liked being onstage. He always got stage fright.
“Wait, wait, Jack,” said Annie. She turned to the man. “You need two fairies, right?”
“Yes,” said the man.
“Well … ” Annie tilted her head. Her voice went up. “I can read, too.”
“Yes! Let Annie do it,” said Jack. “She’s a great reader. She can be both fairies!”
“Ah, but of course Annie cannot go onstage,” the man said kindly.
“Why not?” asked Annie.
The man raised his eyebrows. “Surely you know it’s against the law for girls to go on the stage,” he said. “Boys must play all the girls’ parts.”
“But that’s not fair!” said Annie.
“Indeed, ’tis not. But we cannot change the law now,” said the man. He turned to Jack. “So, Jack? Will you join our players?”
“No thanks,” said Jack. He tried to walk off, but Annie grabbed his arm.
“Wait, I think I know what Jack wants,” she said to the man. “He will only be in your play if I can be in it, too.”
“No, that’s not what I want, Annie,” Jack said under his breath.
“But, Jack, it would be so much fun,” she whispered. “And there’s nothing to be afraid of. You get to read your part. You don’t have to memorize it.”
Jack could tell that Annie really, really wanted to be in the play. And it was definitely a way to keep her mind off the bear.
“Uh, okay,” he said, sighing. He looked at the man. “I’ll be in your play—if Annie can be in it, too.”
The man looked at Annie. She smiled eagerly at him.
The man smiled back.
“Why not?” he said. “But Annie will have to pretend to be a boy. She can tuck up her hair, and we’ll call her Andy.”
“Yay, thanks!” said Annie with a grin.
A trumpet blasted inside the theater.
“Hark, the play begins!” the man said. He took Jack and Annie by the hand.
“My name is Will, by the way,” he said. “Come along, Jack and Andy! Be as swift as shadows!”
Will led Jack and Annie through a door into the back of the Globe Theater. Then he led them up a dark stairway.
As they headed upstairs, Jack heard laughter coming from the audience. His legs felt like jelly.
“This way,” said Will.
He led Jack and Annie into a crowded, dimly lit room. Actors were rushing about everywhere. Each seemed to be in his own world. One was pulling on a cape. Another was tying a rope around his waist. A third was whispering words to himself.
“I’ll find your costumes,” said Will.
As Will dug through a large basket of clothes, Jack and Annie looked around the costume room. It was crammed with fancy gowns, purple and blue capes, gold and silver wigs, stacks of hats, and masks.
“Cool,” whispered Annie. She touched a donkey mask and a lion mask. “These would make good disguises, huh?”
Jack was amazed she was acting so calm. Didn’t she know they were about to stand in front of three thousand people? The thought made him break into a sweat. His stomach felt fluttery.
“Here!” said Will. He handed them green tunics, hats, and slippers. “Put these on! No time to dally! Your parts come up soon!”
Jack and Annie slipped behind a curtain and changed into their costumes. As they put on their hats, Annie hid her pigtails.
When they came out, Will handed them each a small scroll. “Here are your rolls,” he said. “They have only your lines on them, no one else’s.”
Jack unrolled his scroll. He had two long speeches to read.
“Wait a second,” he said. “I thought I just had a few lines. I didn’t know I had a ton.”
“Don’t worry,” said Will. “Just remember—speak very clearly and with feeling. And above all, act natural.”
Act natural? thought Jack. How do you act natural when you’re about to have a heart attack?
Just then a short, chubby man burst into the costume room. He had curly hair and bright red cheeks. H
e was dressed all in green, too.
“For goodness’ sakes, Will!” he said in a frantic whisper. “What will we do?”
“Don’t worry! Look who I’ve found! They both can read!” said Will. He pushed Jack and Annie forward. “Jack and Andy, meet Puck, ‘merry wanderer of the night.’ He’ll take you to the stage. Good luck!”
Annie smiled. Jack groaned.
“Come, boys!” said Puck. “Follow me!”
Puck led Jack and Annie out of the costume room into the hallway. Then he guided them to a dark area at the back of the stage.
Actors stood silently nearby, waiting to go on. One wore a beautiful white gown. Others wore tattered brown rags.
Through an arch, Jack saw the roof of the stage. It was blue with stars and a moon. A huge crowd stood directly in front of the stage. More people watched from the galleries above.
Every single person in England is out there! Jack thought with horror. How did I let Annie talk me into this?
“I’ll take you onstage first,” Puck whispered to Jack. “When I say, ‘How now, spirit! Whither wander you?’, start reading your lines. Understand?”
Jack barely nodded. His mouth felt dry. He tried to swallow, but he couldn’t.
Puck turned to Annie.
“You go onstage with the fairy queen,” he whispered. He pointed to the actor dressed in the beautiful white gown. “When she tells you to sing her to sleep, you start your song.”
“What’s the tune?” asked Annie.
“Just make it up,” said Puck. “Now, if they yell rude things, do not stop. Just—”
“If who yells rude things?” Jack broke in.
“The groundlings get a bit wild,” said Puck.
“Groundlings?” said Jack.
“The rowdy folk who don’t have seats,” said Puck. “They’re standing close to the stage. If they throw rotten fruit, don’t stop, either. Just keep going.”
That does it, thought Jack. He couldn’t go onstage—not with groundlings throwing things, not with three thousand people watching, not with a million lines to read—and not when he was about to throw up!
While Puck and Annie watched the show, Jack slipped away. He looked for the exit. Just as he found the stairs, he bumped into Will.
“Where are you going?” Will whispered.
“I can’t stay,” said Jack. “I’m sick!”
Will sucked in his breath. But then he put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and spoke calmly.
“Close your eyes for a moment, Jack,” he said.
Jack closed his eyes. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.
“There is nothing to fear,” Will whispered. “Imagine you are a fairy. You’re in the forest, on a summer night. See the silver moon overhead? Hear the owls? Hooo-hooo.”
Will’s deep whisper seemed to cast a spell over Jack. He felt calmer. He could picture the silver moon. He could hear the hooting of the owls.
“Are you in the forest, on a summer night?” asked Will.
Jack nodded.
“If you believe that, the audience will believe it, too,” whispered Will.
“We’re on!” whispered Puck. The chubby actor ran to Jack. He grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
Before he knew it, Jack was onstage!
Jack stood onstage in the bright sunlight. He felt three thousand pairs of eyes staring at him.
“How now, spirit!” Puck said in a loud voice. “Whither wander you?”
Jack looked down at his scroll. He pushed his glasses into place. He opened his mouth. No sound came out.
One of the groundlings hissed.
“How now, spirit!” Puck shouted even louder this time. “Whither wander you?”
Jack closed his eyes. He felt the summer night. He took a deep breath. He cleared his throat. He looked at his speech.
Then he began to read:
Over hill, over dale,
Through bush, through briar,
Over park, over pale,
Through flood, through fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon’s sphere;
And I serve the Fairy Queen … .
As Jack read, the audience grew quiet. Jack forgot he was Jack. He was in the forest, in the night, talking to Puck.
When he finished, not a single groundling hissed or threw things.
Jack took a deep breath as Puck started his lines. Jack knew he had one more speech. His heart pounded. But it was more from excitement now than fear.
When it was time to start his second speech, he was ready. This time, he spoke very clearly and with feeling. He tried to be as natural as possible. When he finished his speech, the audience clapped and clapped.
Jack hardly remembered leaving the stage. Will was waiting for him.
“Hurrah!” said Will, slapping Jack on the back. “You were brilliant!”
Jack blushed as he gave Will his scroll back. He couldn’t believe he’d just performed, acted, in front of all those people! And he’d actually had fun—just like Annie had said.
Jack waited in the shadows for Annie to do her part. He watched her go onstage with the fairy queen and the other fairies.
When the queen asked the fairies to sing her to sleep, Annie stepped forward. Reading from her scroll, she sang out clearly—and with lots of feeling:
You spotted snakes, with double tongue,
Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;
Annie waved her hand as if shooing away the snakes and hedgehogs.
Newts and blind worms, do no wrong;
Come not near our Fairy Queen … .
Annie shook her finger at the newts and blind worms. The audience howled with laughter.
Annie kept singing. She made funny movements and silly faces to go with the words. She even added a little dance to her song.
By the time she finished, the audience clapped and cheered and stamped their feet.
“Wonderful, job, Andy!” Will said when Annie left the stage.
“You were brilliant!” Jack told her.
“Thanks!” said Annie. She gave her scroll back to Will. “Do I go on again?”
“Not until the end, when we all bow,” said Will.
Just then Jack heard the audience laughing again. He really wanted to see the play. So he found a shadowy spot at the back of the theater and watched from there.
Jack couldn’t understand everything people said, but he could understand the story. It was about people in love. But none were able to marry the people they loved.
The funniest part was about the fairy king and fairy queen. The king was mad at the queen. So he put magic juice on her eyelids to make her fall in love with the first person she saw.
Puck worked for the king. He wanted to make the king’s trick even funnier. So he put the head of a donkey on a funny man. When the queen woke up, she saw the donkey-man. The magic made her fall madly in love with him!
The fairy king finally broke the spell. Puck turned the donkey-man back into a human while he slept. When the man woke up, he looked about in wonder.
“I have had a most rare vision,” he said. “I have had a dream … .”
Jack whispered the words to himself. “I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream.”
Beside him, a group of actors gathered for the last scene of the play.
“My lion mask is missing!” one of them wailed. “I cannot be a lion without my mask!”
“Hush, of course you can,” said Will. “Just roar! And roar again!”
Will pushed the actor onstage. He wiped his brow. Then he caught sight of Jack.
“Get Andy!” he said. “It’s almost time for our bow.”
Annie? Where is Annie? Jack wondered. He hadn’t seen her in a while. He peeked into the costume room. She wasn’t there.
Jack’s heart started to pound. He had a scary thought … .
“Oh, no,” he whispered.
Jack ran down the stairs. He opened the door. He was happy to s
ee Annie running out from some trees behind the theater.
“It’s time to bow!” he said, grabbing her hand. “Where have you been? What did you do?”
“I’ll show you later!” said Annie.
Jack and Annie charged upstairs together. They found Will and some of the actors waiting.
Puck was finishing his last speech onstage:
So good night unto you all.
Give me your hands if we be friends … .
“Andy! Jack!” said Will. He grabbed Annie and Jack.
Puck ended his speech. The audience gave a big hand. They clapped and whistled and shouted.
Jack and Annie ran onstage with Will and the other actors. While the crowd cheered, they all bowed once … twice … and once again.
Will stepped forward and held up his hands. Slowly the crowd quieted down.
“Thank you all,” he said. “And thank you to the most important person in all the world. She has graced us with her presence today.”
Will made a sweeping bow to a woman in a gallery above the stage. The woman wore a white dress with pearls. A veil covered her face.
The woman stood up and slowly lifted the veil. She had pale, wrinkled skin and small dark eyes. She wore a red wig.
The audience members let out a gasp. They all fell to their knees.
“Long live Queen Elizabeth!” said Will.
“Long live Queen Elizabeth!” the crowd shouted.
“Long live Queen Elizabeth!” shouted Jack and Annie.
The queen smiled. Her teeth were all black! The audience didn’t seem to mind. They cheered even louder.
The queen raised one hand and the crowd instantly hushed.
“I thank you, my good people,” she said. “And I thank all these good players, every one. Today, they gave us a special kind of magic—the magic of theater. They turned the very daytime into night.”
“Oh, man,” whispered Jack. That was it—the special magic. Their search was over.
The audience cheered again. When the actors left the stage, they gathered around Will to congratulate him on his success.
Annie pulled Jack aside.
“We found it!” she said. “The magic!”
Stage Fright on a Summer Night Page 2