Ghostlight 2.2

(Production meeting. Company joins Leo, Clyde & Alicia on stage.)

Natalie: Great, you’re already here. Production meeting, guys. Okay, some notes. Firstly, Leo you are really freaking people out in the booth. Tone it down a little.

Leo: Come on, it's not my fault he dropped his pencil!

Natalie: Noises are funny, creaking wood is funny, grabbing his arm and pulling is terrifying. Knock it off. Next... Who is hanging out in the girls' bathroom?

Olive: That would be me.

Natalie: Oh, thank Dionysus. I thought it was Belasco. Keep it up, Olive. Good stuff. Who focused that light?

(Belasco raises his hand)

Natalie: What is that about?

Belasco: It's funny.

Natalie: It's not pointed at anything.

Belasco: That's why it's funny.

Natalie: So you're just going to leave it there, at full power?

Belasco: Yep.

Natalie: (beat) Alright. Alicia, how are the ribbons coming along?

Alicia: You know, I've pretty much put them in every possible order and disorder, maybe I can work on the set or the sound or-

Natalie: Let's work on it a little more, I don't want you to take on too much up front-

Alicia: I promise, I can handle something a little more involved-

Natalie: Yeah, but for this show, I'd rather have you on the costume shop.

Alicia: But if I could-

Natalie: Okay guys, who has been on the set work?

Rhetta: Well, Leo, Clyde and I have been working on it mostly.

Belasco: I played a part, too.

Rhetta: (to Natalie) Clyde has been tinting the paint darker every 25 minutes. Leo has been unplugging the power tools when a techie is almost done with them. I have adjusted every measurement written down for the past two weeks. (to Belasco) You took one screw out of the floor.

Belasco: Yeah, but now it's REALLY squeaky!

Natalie: Belasco, what the hell have you been up to this week?

Olive: Yeah, Belasco. What HAVE you been up to?

Belasco: ... I... focused that lamp...

(Macbeth enters)

Macbeth: Natalie, can I talk to you for a moment?

Natalie: Of course. Alright guys, back to work! (others exit) What's going on?

Macbeth: I don't think there is reason to be too terribly concerned, but something is going on. The light board operator hasn't been in the booth for a week-

Natalie: Yeah, that was Leo, he's going to tone it back-

Macbeth: No, no, I checked. He's in the hospital.

Natalie: What? What happened?

Macbeth: I don't know. But the scenic painter is out as well, something about lead paint?

Natalie: No, that's not possible, we got rid of all of the bad paint after-

Macbeth: It's entirely possible that this is not a fault of ours. I just wanted you to be aware, that's all. No need to alarm the others, but please keep an eye out. The fates ask for comedy, we must deliver.

Natalie: Keep it light. Got it.

Macbeth: Thank you, Natalie. You're the best Stage Manager I could ever ask for.

(Macbeth exits)

Natalie: Well, it's not like he can fire me.

(Natalie exits.)

NEXT SCENE