Final Act by Dianne Yetman (best free ebook reader .TXT) 📕

down the long hallway, opened the door and smiled at the tall, elegant looking lady standing there.

“You must be Eleanor.  Come in, please.”

She led her into the den where Susan stood waiting, a huge grin on her face. Refreshments offered and accepted, Susan left the room to make the tea.  Alexis, ever the shy introvert, struggled to make conversation.  She needn’t have worried.

“It’s wonderful to put a face to a name.  Susan has often spoken of you.  I believe she said you went to the same school.”

“Yes, Catherine, Susan and I all attended King’s Edgehill boarding school in Windsor.  I was a few grades behind them.”

“Yes.  Beautiful spot.  I grew up not too far from there, in Kentville, home of the Apple Blossom festivals.”

“I understand you two met when Susan moved to the town where you lived.  “It must have been quite an adjustment for you moving from the city to a small town.”

“Not as much as I had anticipated and meeting Susan certainly helped.  It wasn’t long before she had introduced me to most of the community.”

“How did you meet?”

“At a fund raiser for the town’s library.”

“Makes sense, you were Librarian, I believe?”

“It’s how I started my career, yes.”

Susan entered the room and placed the tray piled high with slender pieces Key Lime White Chocolate Cheesecake, Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Almond Mocha cookie bars on the serving table.   Alexis scooted to the kitchen and returned carrying a silver tea pot, cream, and sugar and linen napkins. The three women fixed their tea and filled plates with the assorted treats.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with us, Eleanor, especially on such short notice.”

“Not at all.  The theatre is closed so it freed me up, but once the police release the premises, I’ll be back in the thick of it.”

“What production will you be working on?”

“Death of a Salesman.”

“That’s a heavy one, always found it depressing, but to each their own.”

“Perhaps if you focus on props, shapes, and colours, like I do, you may find it less depressing.  The stage set should be appealing to the audience and viewing a play from different angles does add depths to its meaning.”

“Yes, I suppose so”, Susan said.  “Do you have an assistant?”

“No.  My peers in large scale productions have at least three people working with them.  I collaborate with the Director and Production team to create the environment for the overall production.   In my New York days, it involved drawing scale constructions, and creating scale models.  And of course, there are the administrative details, budgeting and the like, but I won’t bore you with those details.”

“The scope of your profession is much larger than I thought”, Alexis said.

“Yes, most people are surprised and I’ve only given a two minute thumb sketch.  Like any profession, it has its gruelling side, but the rewards of a well done job are worth all the struggles.”

“What kind of qualifications do you need?”

“There are several different ways to approach it, but I would recommend the tried and true for any beginners; an M.F.A. degree in Theatre Art.  Do you know someone interested in getting into the profession?”

“No.  It’s an area of the theatre that always fascinated me.  So after landing your degree you headed for New York, is that right”, Alexis asked.

“Yes.  I struggled for the first years but Jeffrey and Catherine took me under their wing.  It wasn’t an easy apprenticeship but Jeffrey’s talent made up for his temperament.  The theatre has lost a great talent.”

“So Eleanor, I’ve heard rumours of enemies.  Did Jeffrey have many”, Susan asked.

“I don’t know numbers but I believe he had quite a few.  He liked to present as a complex man but I believe, outside of his talent, he was a simple man but a bastard when it came to females.”

Eleanor’s hand trembled as she laid her teacup back on the tray.

Susan smiled at scoring at hit.  She studied the two women sitting across from her and surprised by how much they looked alike in their manners, dress, and deportment.  Of course, Alexis is warmer of course, more personable, next to Ellie, a cold fish jelly.

Alexis rose, gathered the empty cups and saucers, placed them on the tray and carried them into the kitchen hoping Susan would soon get to the reason she had invited Eleanor. Emerging from the kitchen a few minutes, she heard Susan’s question and gave a sigh of relief.

“I suppose you were wondering why we asked to meet with you this afternoon, Eleanor”, Susan said.

“Yes, I am curious.”

“Alexis and I have joined the local acting group in our town.  We’re a small group with some big talent, especially our playwright and Director, Mary Jane Kempner.”

“How wonderful for you”, Eleanor said.

“Yes.  Mary Jane has asked us to take on two leading roles, a bag lady and Madam in her new play, Ladies of the Night.  It’s about two women who meet up on the street and their friendship leads to an epiphany of sorts.  I won’t go into the details of the plot, but the two end up running a shelter for battered women.  Rather inspiring don’t you think?”

Eleanor looked dubious but nodded her head.

“Anyway, Alexis and I need to understand these two women’s underlying motivations.  We have been doing some of our own research for the past couple of nights cruising the night life areas of the city, talking to some of the women who work the street.  But we need an acting coach and wondered if you could recommend someone?”

“Susan”, Alexis said, “we haven’t given Mary Jane a firm commitment.  I thought we were going to discuss this more before going hands on in the city?”

“Really, Alexis,” Susan said, “I’m sure Mary Jane doesn’t have that impression.”

“Well if she doesn’t, I’ll be only too happy to let her know.  I’m not sure the play is ready for production yet.  It leans towards the melodramatic; I think it needs more work.”

“That’s not what you said to Mary Jane.”

“Of course it’s not what