open | seal up the mouth of outrage for a while

[catsudon]

WHO: Any and all involved or stopping by the rehearsals for the community theatre production of Romeo & Juliet.
WHERE: Recollé Community Center, located around the border of Tribunal Terrace and Apprassage.
WHEN: March 19th - April 6th
WHAT: Rehearsals for Romeo & Juliet proceed... mostly according to plan.
WARNINGS: None yet!

Rehearsals run according to a schedule, where not everyone is needed every session. People are invited to attend them all, but the people with the biggest roles need to come most often, and scenes are practiced both in the theatre and in smaller rooms within the community center depending on the space needs that day.

During one session, the overhead sprinkler system activates due to a system malfunction, leading to everyone being rained out of the community theatre. The show must go on! Towels and paper towels are rescued and offered around while rehearsal is then held on the community center basketball courts and playground.

In another session, a giant ship, wave, and a white whale cardboard cutout have been brought out on stage while storage rooms are being cleared out. Ready to get your spontaneous Moby Dick on? There aren't any harpoons, but the practice foam swords might be a good theatrical stand-in.

In yet another rehearsal, three chihuahuas end up running havoc through the theatre, requiring coralling and capturing. They're flighty and good at hiding, but mysteriously are attracted to cheese and anyone speaking cheesey love lines (Romeo and Juliet, looking at you); they also gleefully run off with any script left low enough for them to reach, attempting to tear it to shred.

As stage sets are built and pained, the stagehands helping out may be on hand to help fill in as extras on set, or nab an actor currently not reading lines to help move pieces of the scenery. They also need to test out the balcony they've rigged: surely you won't mind getting up there and leaning over to wave down at your companion in set-construction hell? Too bad the ladder breaks after you've reached the top. Fifteen feet isn't much of a fall! (Don't fall, please.)

Costume fittings and make-up tests are part of later rehearsals, but they're supremely necessary. Helping each other in and out of costumes, helping with the costumes themselves, getting pinned up, getting measured; all of it happens as the co-director's vision is brought to life. Only why does everything seem to be so.. fancy? (Because they're going full game of thrones on the costumes — it's a mish mash of styles!) And why are you in costume and being requested to helping go for the emergency coffee? Go on. No one's going to stare too much! Cosplayers!!!

There may be an impromptu fashion show, there may be ongoing choreography for group scenes as well as the fighting scenes. What happens if Mercutio or Tybalt refuses to die? Sometimes you just want to live, guys. You want to live.

Remember, when it comes to luck, all should be wishing each other to break a leg. Enjoy the food when it's catered, enjoy the arguments over line delivery, enjoy repeating the same stage entrance in countless tiny variations, enjoy the set construction, enjoy the choreography, enjoy the costuming or the makeup; enjoy anything you get up to, or complain loudly. It's all part of the experience!

Just what kind of trouble do you get up to?

Comments

sprinkled out.

[liberal_arts]

-Kasen was absolutely soaked to the bones. Every part of him was dripping wet, save for the tarped up bundle he held in his arms. What was in the tarp, you ask? Well, he and the rest of the art department weren't about to let all of their hard work on the backdrops, on the various tapestries and costumes, all of it... not a bit of it was going to be destroyed so long as Kasen had a say in it.

The bumbled tarp, containing the at least only partially wet artworks, was unceremoniously dumped before him, most of it saved and would only be needing at least a little touching up.

Kasen, however... looked like a sad, wet dog.-

Theatre... Always exciting. -Said with the most deadpan tone he could manage.-

[clear_eyes]

[Rachel? Is incredibly worried. People had been working so hard behind the scenes, it'd be a waste if they lost it all to a sprinkler accident. And so, she hurries over, visibly fretting... though she breathes a sigh of relief at seeing much of the essentials already covered up.]

Thank god you managed to get most of that out of there! Is everything okay? Is anything too damaged? ... Are you okay?!

[liberal_arts]

Nothing that can't be fixed. As for myself, I'll survive. I'd really like a towel, though... -He was dripping everywhere.-

[momentaryspring]

"Here," said Ryoga, handing him a sodden towel. "It's wet, but if you wring it out, you might be able to dry off a little."

The thing about any towel in the immediate area was that they'd been almost certainly savaged by the same sprinkler system as everyone else.

[liberal_arts]

It was better than nothing, at least. Kasen took it with a grateful smile, padding at his face and hair. His clothes were mostly a lost cause.

"I saved what I could. So there won't be any major setbacks there."

[parodeity]

sprinklers

[ well. the community center basketball court and playground is all well and good but there isn't really, like, sound equipment. dave is left with a boombox and a series of cds he is changing out as needed, making faces whenever he does so.

he looks a little like an offended cat, what with the whole still kind of soaked and air-drying thing he has going on, shades firmly in place regardless. ]

This is way less cool than actual equipment. [ and also he might mix up a cd or two once. oops. ]

foam swords

[ dave is a teenage boy who likes to mess around - though he tried to do his Actual assigned work first - so of course he will grab a foam sword and pull off an actually decent swordfighting stance. ]

Want some help runnin' through a fight scene or two?

[ he is, after all, not an actor. dave strider is Sound Stuff and narration, god help us all. ]

balcony

[ climbing up to test shit is well within dave's skillset. also, he doesn't actually mind like...climbing back down, but 1) that is maybe a little unsafe and 2) he also doesn't mind being stuck until a new ladder can be acquired. at least he got off it before he broke, although when he leans over the balcony railing with his eyebrows raised it's clear it was a Near Thing. ]

Yo, I don't actually remember the balcony scene that much except I ought to be askin' where the fuck Romeo is, right? I'm gonna edit it a bit and ask where Romeo is with my ladder.

[ hey ]

reusing a tdm prompt from forever ago b/c it fits suck it

[ so dave signed up to help with sound stuff! and to narrate. and he will usually be very good about playing cues and reading shit during rehearsals, except between takes sometimes, he...

...well, he gets distracted. it's entirely possible he will start playing sound effects to whatever you're setting up on stage, and/or cueing dramatic music to completely ordinary acts. walking across the stage? SUDDEN CHASE MUSIC. dropped something? blooper reel sound effects. made a joke dave heard? he'll make sure you get a drumroll. he may also play romantic rising musical stuff if you walk across the stage with someone else, but only in good fun and if he doesn't think it'll bug the people who get stuck with it too much. (also, you can get a dramatic romantic musical sequence for, like, walking across stage with a mop or prop or whatever too)

someone should probably get him to stop this, and yet. ]

Foam Swords

[strawberrypunch]

[Well, he does apparently get to die in this, so...]

Sure. [And he'll go ahead and pick one up himself, looking at it curiously before holding it out in a... very, very loose interpretation of a fencing stance. You could probably knock it right out of his hand with his grip.]

[parodeity]

I picked up a few lessons earlier, so...uh, wants some tips on holdin' that before we go for it?

[ just. so there's a little more even ground kinda, here. ]

sprinklers

[covenantal]

[ To be honest, Yu isn't even sure why he's here. He has so few lines he won't be needed that often. (It's a mixed feeling, having gotten a part but such a small one. Is it really worth all the anxiety he feels over it...? Well, he'll have to do his best.) He decided to come for the early rehearsals, and after that just judge as best he could when he'd be needed if he wasn't being specifically called up on stage.

Which means he's here, today, when the sprinkler system goes off.

Yikes.

Still dripping dry and more irritable than usual as a result, Yu finds himself outside with everyone else wishing it were warmer out.

(He definitely feels Dave on feeling - and looking - a lot like an offended cat.)

But he'll end up joining the other boy, looking sort of resigned. ]

Not the same as what they have inside, huh? [ A bit wry. ] How are you holding up?

[parodeity]

Well, I didn't expect to need to bring an umbrella...or a change of clothes. I guess I could've traded in for one of the dry costumes, but.

[ games of throne aesthetic is not his cup of tea? ]

I'll dry. What about you? And yeah, the setup is not idea for the sound test shit, but I guess there'll be more rehearsals to practice that on, y'know?

SWORDS

[strongestheart]

[Maya is rarely the nervous sort, all things told, at least when it comes to throwing her all into new an exciting activities. For some reason, this whole play is making her supremely nervous.

So when that offer crosses her, it takes a moment to connect before she nods enthusiastically.]

Yeah, sure! Absolutely!

[If anything, it'd be good to blow off some steam while still being constructive to what she needs to do. At least, that's how she sees it, seeking out another foam sword for herself.]

Uh, do you have any practice at this sort of thing?

[parodeity]

Kinda. [ luke taught him a bit and he Remembered a lot more, so. ] What about you, you got some sword skills hidden away? Or like, unhidden away. Do you have any sword skills fullstop, I guess? You could be a secret or non secret ninja, or I guess in this case more a samurai since ninja don't use swords - wait they use short swords I guess?

[rosettareflected]

[Alicia's cast as the understudy to Lady Capulet; it suits her well enough, though it's making her tone even more formal than her recent movie role, and while in-character she's perhaps a bit more severe than is required. Perhaps more dangerously, while she slips into the role quickly, it takes her a moment to come out of it - good for consistency and ad-libbing, bad for acting like a proper teenage girl. When she's not in costume, her hair is still pinned up in two unusual buns, green clover clips holding them together - she seems to have taken a liking to them.]

[A | we're all washed up]
[Alicia is, at the least, thankful that it hadn't been a dress day when the sprinklers kicked in. Now, taking a brief moment to lay out in the (cold) sunlight on one edge of the basketball court to bake dry, she lets out a huge sigh, pulling her hairstyle apart to hang loose for a moment and glancing at the clovers as they come out. A towel is laid under her head; apparently someone is at least a little vain about her hair.]

I believe it's a little early for us to be washed up in the theatrical sense... I don't want to let a series of inanimate objects tell me what to do, though.

[B | wherefore are thou, gravity? | action/video]
[Alicia's been running around helping with stage setup when she's not practicing... which is disconcertingly often, given she's an understudy to a character whose lines are concentrated in a few places. Still, theater - like motion picture - acting isn't a one-man job, or even just for the actors and actresses. The balcony is something she's excited to see completed, even if she's not going to spend any time acting on it. So she volunteers to test it, climbing up the ladder at speed and trying not to think about the uncomfortable creaking sounds it's making.

When she reaches the top, she grabs her phone; the click as it unlocks masks the sound of the hinge on the ladder breaking. She cues up Retrospec, sets her phone down so the back camera faces her as it leans against the wall, and posts to the network, starting one of Juliet's lines on a video post as she moves to the edge of the balcony and, leaning out, begins to act. The ladder, behind her, is starting to crumple downwards as its other hinge breaks, but it doesn't catch her eye.]

"Wherefore art thou, Romeo-"

[The ladder hits the ground with a great crash, shaking the stage enough that Alicia stumbles from her position on the balcony; her phone catches her as she collides with the surprisingly-solid wood railing, groaning in notable but not severe pain. She can sense a bruise forming high on her stomach, as she looks down at the fallen ladder.]

-oh, dear. Um, is there another ladder...?

((Alicia is athletic enough that she could probably survive a fall from this height with only minor injuries, given some kind of support and a moment to prepare; of course, I also don't necessarily want to give her an easy out? That said, if there's something to catch her with, an action-movie ledge hang is also not outside her abilities... once.))

[C | violence is a yellow trait]
Ha-!

[This particular day is a dress rehearsal day; Alicia's dressed conservatively and in a high-class dress, suited to one of the politically strongest characters in the play, her hair flowing freely to suit the role. She doesn't seem terribly out of place in it, and it's helping her focus even as she's doing something that Lady Capulet has no place in: helping people get some practice in with their foam swords. Presently she's thrusting the false blade at her opponent, controlling her speed so she's not being overbearing - it is a show, and they want to present something with a mild display of balance where required. Also, she doesn't really want to hurt anyone.]

Thy skill with the blade is dreadful. My dearest Juliet could match thee with one hand tied 'round her back!

[...tone it down, honey, it's not a competition. And switch back to modern English while you're at it.]

b

[strongestheart]

[What first catches her ears is the sound of Alicia reciting those lines, and while they might be someone else's, it certainly draws her attention. But before Alicia's even finished there, the crashing sound of the ladder shatters her concentration and she sees Alicia stumble and slam into the railing.

She yelps, and goes running.]

Ah! Alicia, are you okay?!

[rosettareflected]

[Pain... oh, voice... wait, that's Maya. Oh, but she looks so uncool right now, how can she ever- wait. Isn't her phone still recording?]

I-I'm fine! Just... just hurting a little, and a bit surprised, but-

[Reaching out, one arm over her middle because it's surprisingly sore for just having slammed into something (or maybe not so surprising), she goes for her phone but misses. She does clip it... just enough to send it flying over the railing, into the distance, where it finds its way into a full sink. Somehow that's not enough to kill it, but nobody's going to be hearing much for a bit.]

-but at least nobody else is watching this comedy of errors anymore. I do seem to be stuck up here, though. And I'm not quite certain I'm up to attempting acrobatics to get down.

a

[clear_eyes]

[To say Rachel has been upset would be an understatement. Assigned to help backstage, she's put of her time into helping with every little bit. Props, backdrops, costuming. And she's just run into a situation where all that time and work might end up waterlogged.

Thankfully they'd managed to save the important stuff, but... it's been scary, and on top of that, Rachel is rocking the wet dog look on her own.]

We were nearly washed down the river... I can't believe we came this close to losing all that hard work...

[Yeah. She's visibly stressed.]

[rosettareflected]

It's definitely a problem. And we almost got washed out, too. It looks like we saved everything, but...

[Boy, it was a near thing, wasn't it?]

At least it isn't snowing today. That'd just be the topper on the day.

a

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo had been assigned to fix the sprinkler system while everyone else rescued the equipment for the show, and by the time he came out, he looked like a drowned rat. Most of the towels had been claimed, but he found a spare rag or two to soak up the worst of the water when he heard her comment and had to laugh. ]

Don’t worry, [ he told her dryly, ] we showed those sprinklers who’s boss. They promised to never do that again.

[constellates]

[ a : so please just catch me ]

[Anya is too agreeable.

That's probably why they decided to put her of all people up on the balcony? She's just fearless enough that she has absolutely zero concerns about walking up to the set piece and placing a foot confidently on the balcony -

Creak.]

. . . .

[Okay maybe One Concern.]

Hmm... Maybe another step.

[do you ever wonder how she ended up the way she did]

[ b : my first kiss went a little like this - closed to yuuko & yato! ]

[Disasters are great.

Still Anya's enthralled as she's watching everyone else practice, taking a break from stuffing her head with just one more type of dialogue as she listens to everyone else. Yet that also means that she's paying keen attention to a bunch of different things, including offhand comments.

Offhand comments like "Even Yato kisses better than that!"

To which she pinpoints the person who said it, eyes wide, and turns her head so fast that her neck cracks.

Actually.

Even as one hand comes up to soothe the ache in her neck, she's more than a little bit distressed as she questions - ]

что...?! What? Why do you know that?

[EXPLAIN, YUUKO.]

[ghostories]

[ Well, shit.

Yuuko being facetious means it's another day that ends with Y, but these are one of the times she should really learn how to keep her mouth shut. Honestly, she didn't actually expect anyone to know who Yato was, and she certainly didn't know that Anya, of all people, would recognize the name.

Play it cool, Kanoe. ]

Uhhhhh.

[ Look, this has literally never happened to her before. ]

Yato... makes a lot of friends, doesn't he! I didn't know you knew him.

a

[catsudon]

Nastenka!

( Yuri lowers his sword, which he'd been going through the motions of the fight choreography with, to shout up at the person currently pushing her luck with the mostly constructed balcony set-piece. )

What are you doing?

[killyoubastards]

(a: sprinklers)

[The moment the sprinklers went off, a high-pitched cry resounded in the theatre. Some might have noticed that the cry came from Anise, who took somewhat poorly to the mid-practice surprise. Not only was her rehearsal going well at the time (she worked really hard to remember all those lines!), but her beautifully fluffy hairstyle was ruined in an instant!

Now, she stands outside the building, shivering and wringing out her wet, drooping pigtails. When she sees someone draw near, she looks up to them pleadingly.]

Did you see where those towels are coming from? I really need one.

(b: taking a break)

[After another long session of practice, Anise is hanging at a backstage rest area, by a water cooler. All that speaking practice left her parched, and she pours herself a cup of water, downs it, and then fills another. When she sees another volunteer (of any kind) approach, she fills up a second cup and holds it out to them with a grin.]

Eheh... this is a lot more tiring than it looks, huh?

(c: wildcard!)

[Does your character have a scene they'll be acting with Juliet? Maybe they'll be rehearsing together. Or maybe your character has some tips on voice projection, gestures, or other stage mannerisms. Additionally, Anise will spend some time wandering around, looking at what kinds of props and costumes are being made. If your character's at the rehearsals, chances are she'll run into them at some point!]

b

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo may not be part of the main cast for this show, but as a stagehand and the resident mechanic, he’s had his work cut out for him. The sprinkler incident, among other things, kept throwing them all for a loop, and that was even before they got into everything involved in building the sets. ]

No kidding. I never thought Romeo and Juliet of all things would be this much work. Who knew it takes more than just a bunch of melodramatic kids?

[ He means that in the best way, of course. Theater was never really his thing, but this has given him a new appreciation for it. ]

c

[strongestheart]

[Maya's been nervous about this whole thing for days now, really. She'd certainly tried her all at auditions, and apparently that had paid off, but as she'd expressed (in a very distressed manner) to Alicia the other day she felt more than in over her head.

Still, she'd tried to muster up her resolve and one step of that was zeroing in on and talking to one of the key people to do her job as Romeo: namely, Juliet herself.

If only she could manage it with a little more grace as they're initially preparing for rehearsals. An already worn and rolled up script clenched in one hand, she extends a hand in greeting once tracking her down.]

Uh, hiya! So you got the part of Juliet, right? My name's Maya!

[legne]

chihuahuas!

[ Ranko was delighted to be cast as Lady Capulet, throwing herself into her role with aplomb. It may not usually be the most memorable of parts, but Ranko was determined to make it so - and if that required attending many more sessions than was required of her, then so be it!

Unfortunately, it was during one of these extra sessions that Ranko was to meet a new, yapping 'friend'... ]

Hello there. Are you lost, little one?

[ She's crouching, script in hand, looking down at what appears to be a small puppy. The dog wags its tail, but otherwise doesn't react. ]

Well, do not fear. Let's try and find your owner - ahh!

[ Betrayal! A traitor of the worst kind, the chihuahua leaps up in a flash and grabs Ranko's script right out of her hands. She bolts upright with a yelp of her own as it skitters off. ]

Stop that creature! Fiend! Beast! I...I trusted you!

costume party!

[ Emergency coffee? Not a problem. Ranko's used to wearing eye-catching getups...although usually not as eye-catching as this. Grieving mother characters need frilly dresses too, you know!

She returns, head held high, with a tray full of coffee cups from the local megachain. ]

Who, pray tell, ordered a caramel macchiato? Ho ho! Your teeth will turn to faerie gold in no time!