THE FOREST FAIRIES FLY HOME

"Thank heavens, we're almost home," said Annalisa.  "I am so tired of the ice and snow!"

"I froze the whole time, even in that coat we conjured up.  I love that it is Spring again here in the forest."

"But remember, Sister, because of the spell cast by Enchantress Mama and Papa think it's still Christmas night.  And we must sneak in and put on our nightgowns before they awaken."

"We didn't want Mama and Papa to worry!  We've been gone for ages.  When we finally got Gerda and Kay home they realized they had almost grown up.  Gerda must have been flying around on that reindeer for months.  I can't imagine how she stayed alive.  What in the world did she eat?"

"Well, she spent time with that little robber girl who probably fed her reindeer stew or whatever they eat in Lapland.  And she talked a lot to those birds--ravens, was it?  No, crows"!

"Speaking of eating, I think Annie has gained weight!  She looked plump and rosy cheeked.  And her grandpa is actually quite charming now that he's warm and well fed."

Annalisa smiled at her twin.  "We helped them all; we did!"

"Look," cried Arabella, "That house is made of candy!"

"And there's a little boy heading that way," said Annalisa.

"There's a little girl spreading bread crumbs behind him," said Arabella.  "I wonder why...."

"We can come back tomorrow.  We HAVE to go home."

"I suppose so," said Arabella, wistfully.  "Perhaps they need our help........."

ACTING AND BUILDING AND SEWING AND PAINTING AND LIGHTING

Wesleyan's Theater

I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.  I spent most of my day building sets (I was terrible), setting lights (I was dreadful), making or finding props (fair to middling), making costumes (not bad), learning lines (extremely quick study)and rehearsing The House of Bernarda Alba.  We were performing this play "in the round" which meant that we would be surrounded by the audience who would sit on chairs set on the stage itself. I had never acted this way before and it presented challenges as someone's back was always facing part of the audience.  When dress rehearsal arrived, we girls had to deal with long black mourning dresses (except in one scene Adela rebels and enters wearing a bright green dress.  Shocking!)and long (cheap) black wigs.  If I turned rapidly, my long black hair would slap me in the face.  As if poor lovesick Adela didn't have enough to deal with.

           

Adela in her green dress

Pepe el Romano, Adela's lover and her sister's fiance, was apparently hot stuff (think Antonio Banderas at 25), but he never actually appears so Adela's passion had to be shown another way.

Near the end of the play Adela comes in from the barn where she had a tryst with the virile Pepe.  Our director, who gave new meaning to the word "flamboyant," decided I should wear white petticoats and some sort of white corset contraption that pinched in my waist and pushed up my still feeble breasts.  I would be panting and straw would be hanging from my petticoats and twisted in my long cheap black wig hair.  Fortunately, for everyone concerned there are no extant photos of this vision and when I try to recreate my appearance in my mind, memory fails me.  I do recall that at dress rehearsal when I came running onstage, breathless, dripping straw and tossing my curls back, there was a stunned pause and then hysterical laughter.  Our director was not thrilled.

As all of us walked back to our dorms, we were in high spirits.  Rehearsals had gone well and we knew the play would be a success in its own dark, tragic way.  The night air was cool and crisp and we were companions in our shared enterprise.  I was happy.

When I entered my room, it was filled with the usual suspects lounging on the beds, dropping candy wrappers and laughing about the latest frat party they had all attended.  (I had not.)

Rosalind's best friend (my diary reader) said, "You're not the only one around here that's been in plays.  I was in our senior play last year and I played a real bitch!!"

"Was it type casting?" I innocently asked.

"No, it was Damsels in Distress."