#ensembleplot

ACT I, SCENE V:  STATEMENT FROM BIRNAM POLICE

last week, detectives interviewed fifteen theatre students at the alderidge school of arts, all of whom worked closely with orson hobbs. these interviews revealed several previously unknown facts which are informing our investigation into mr. hobbs murder going forward.

first, we can confirm that prior to mr. hobbs’ house being vandalised, he hosted an unofficial after party for an unknown number of fourth year theatre students. the identity of students who attended the party is currently unknown, but we suspect it was the majority of the year. 

second, mr. hobbs was a difficult, controversial individual who was known to have antagonistic relationships with several of his students. we also have cause to believe that mr. hobbs may have regularly consumed illegal drugs. during our interviews, we discovered that mr. hobbs also had inappropriate relationships with his students, which included at least one romantic affair with a fourth year theatre student, whom we are not naming for privacy reasons.

third, we continue to be unable to verify whether the individual who vandalized mr. hobbs’ house is the same individual, or individuals, who murdered him.

finally, the department has identified five people of interest through the interviews, all of whom were mentioned by their peers. these individuals are mathias knight, josephine flores, madeline le, chandler rosen and hudson williams. we currently have no evidence that these individuals were involved in mr. hobbs’ death, but believe they may have additional information that is of value.

ACT I, SCENE IV:  AND THE ROLE GOES TO...

after a weekend spent recovering from auditions, each new cell phone notification sends a rush of fear into every theatre student. could this be it? did they send the cast lists? the third-years awaiting decisions for ‘pericles’ and the second-years wondering which spare roles they’ll be slotted into are certainly nervous, but for the fourth-years, the cast list for ‘macbeth’ will mark the final note on which they complete their time at alderidge. and they haven’t the vaguest idea what to expect. 

at 10:00pm on sunday evening, theatre department emails light up the phones of all the students and they see the words “cast list”... but the announcement is only for ‘pericles’, not ‘macbeth.’ why hasn’t heidi made her decisions yet? the fourth-years wait by their phones for a follow-up email, but it doesn’t arrive by 11:00, or by 11:30. what could be taking so long?

midnight strikes in birnam at the exact moment everyone’s phones light up once more. the email comes directly from heidi, rather than the no-reply theatre department address, with an attachment and an informal message from the director herself:

Hi all,

It was a true joy to see you audition, and I absolutely can’t wait to work with each of you on our beloved Scottish Play. These choices weren’t easy, but I have the utmost confidence that every one of you will shine in the role you’ve been given. Read-through will take place Tuesday at 6pm in FAB 104. Rehearsal schedules will be distributed then; please email me any prior engagements from now through opening night by 8pm tomorrow. Now get some sleep, don’t forget we all have class bright and early! 

Love, Heidi B

ACT I, SCENE II: THUS WITH A KISS I DIE

romeo and juliet, act v, scene iii. the lovers’ fate has been sealed. they met, they danced, they married - but destiny has dealt its hand, and it is a cruel one. paola, as juliet, lays silent in her tomb, doe-eyed and angelic. next to her, paris suffers the consequences of crossing swords with romeo. limbs sprawled waywardly, belly ruby-red, jonah heaves one final breath before succumbing to the darkness. in the centre of the room, teddy stands alone. mask long discarded, heartbreak and grief are etched intimately across his face. with a final look at his foe turned victim, romeo launches into his final monologue.

the audience forms a perfect circle around the three, spellbound, breaths shaky in anticipation, other members of the fourth-year cohort speckled among them. teddy’s voice fills the room. “come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! here's to my love!“ hand to his lips, romeo downs the poison. an act five hundred years in the making. “o true - “

"murderer!”

the audience turns to face the source of the noise. those unfamiliar with the play try to string pieces together - is there another intervention before romeo dies? and if so, from whom? but this is no planned interjection. “you killed him!” the same voice, twisted in fury. a cloak of hushed whispers falls upon the room. could they possibly be - ? but even before they have a chance to ask the question, it is answered.

“you all killed him!” a second voice. this time, it has a face, one that announces itself by breaking the circle and pushing through the crowd; directly opposite teddy. but their condemnation is not reserved for romeo alone - oh no. instead, they direct their words at every single fourth year theatre student. “he’s dead because of you.” their words are enough to shake cities - but that isn’t the most unnerving thing about them. no, that would be their face. not the pure hatred knotted across it. not even the storm it brings. no, it would be the fact that under this light, under the spell of one-too-many champagnes, they appear to resemble orson hobbs.

“orson is dead because of all of you.”

a moment later, the illusion shatters. it’s true - they bear a passing familiarity to orson - but not enough to entertain any talk of ghosts or vengeful spirits. still, their words set off a murmur that ripples phantom-like through the crowd. before the scene can continue, other voices start to break through the whispers. first, a second call of you all killed him! then a resounding boo, started on the opposite side of the room and quickly picked up by other onlookers. soon, any hope of continuing the performance is shouted down by a cacophony of damning voices, booing the fourth-years out of the room and throwing accusations like knives. 

clear on their new status as pariahs at alderidge, the fourth-year actors gather themselves and hurry out of the refectory. everyone is so wrapped up in the chaos, they hardly even notice the two detectives still standing in the corner, taking in the unexpected scene that’s unfolded before them. their eyes follow the fourth-years out of the room, realization dawning with each passing moment. before, they couldn’t think of anyone who could’ve had a motive to kill orson hobbs.

now, they know exactly where to start.

ACT I, SCENE III:  DOUBLE, DOUBLE TOIL AND TROUBLE

it’s the first week of spring semester classes, and come monday morning, the air is thick with tension. apprehension follows heidi beneventi into the classroom, the fourth years’ murmured small talk coming to an abrupt silence. will she address the elephant in the room? will she let sleeping dogs lie? they don’t have to wait long to find out. 

“good morning students. i’m pleased that last week’s nasty events didn’t succeed in scaring you off.” heidi sighs. “i don’t see any point dwelling on how that performance ended - and neither should you. instead - we should look to the future. the show, after all, must go on.”  heidi pauses just long enough for the meaning of her words to become clear.

“yes - that’s right. i’m thrilled to announce that MACBETH will be our spring semester play!” 

an apt choice, considering the entire fourth year cohort was just accused of murder.

heidi breezes past any comparisons, her excitement infectous. “now, you’ll have until the end of the week to prepare your audition monologues. i don’t care what past roles you’ve had-- in my productions, everyone starts fresh when they step into their audition.” a smile crosses her face.

“that's why, when you walk into your audition, i want you to tell me exactly which role you want this semester. then give me a performance that proves it's the role you deserve.” eyebrows are raised in response to heidi's words; orson never asked any of them what they wanted before. could the fourth years' final semester really be the beginning of something new?