Ready or Not

"Celia, do you need to run that red light cue again?" I called to the back of the auditorium.

"Okay."

"Sorry, couldn't hear that."

"Okay!"

And I could hear that out of her bitty voice. Progress.

In an attempt to make things a little juicy for Calvin running the lights, I added a lighting change in the middle of the show. With Lady Macbeth standing down right and Lord Macbeth about to enter from stage left with blood dripping from his hands (red gloves with satin red ribbons sewn to each fingertip) I wanted the stage to turn red.

MACBETHThis is indeed a sorry sight!
These hands have taken the life of our king;
Nothing will heal their burning sting!
Through his chambers I did creep,
A voice cried, 'Macbeth doth murder sleep!'
It was a sound I did abhor,
And still it cried, 'Sleep no more!'

LADY MACBETHJust let it be!

MACBETHI will never be free!

LADY MACBETHWhy are you carrying the daggers, you fool?
You ought to have left them in the room!
Go smear the blood on each guard's face
They'll be suspected when the daggers are in place.
And wash that stain from off your hands.
If you're caught, it will ruin our plans.

MACBETHI'll go no more!
What I have done, I do deplore!

LADY MACBETHThen I'll do the job. I'm not fainthearted!
We'll scrub and scour our hands all clean;
Duncan's blood will never be seen!

Calvin needed to get that light cue right on the money. Celia needed to give him a stand by and then a go just as Lord Macbeth turned to reveal his bloody palms.

The actors were very ready. Oliver, as Macbeth, had hit the right notes of horror. Phoebe, as his wife, was snappy and downright critical, with one hand on her hip, giving this idiot husband a well-deserved what-for.

We ran the light change...mmmm...about one thousand times. That's okay. I wanted Calvin to feel super-confident for the four performances the next day.

As it happened, he and Celia popped those lights up here and there for the first three shows BUT for the final performance they got it exactly right. Throughout the day I had to forgive them for jittery nerves and outright exhaustion.

When they nailed it, I could have cheered...but that would have taken way too much focus from the Bickering Bickersons front and center.

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

I love this puppy. She was so cute. I wanted her so much I just wanted to take her out of the cage and hug her and run home with her. I couldn't get my mind of her. And today and Tomoro and Tomoro and Tomoro.

And I'll NEVER forget her in my Intier LIFE.

The End

—Lizzie, 4th grade