The Cast Seance

I am tired and confused. Rehearsing is tiring and confusing.

Tomorrow, as a reward for a tiring and confusing week of rehearsal we are going to have a cast bonding session in the form of a seance.

Most of the cast don't really want a seance because seances are sort of weird and scary and you never really know what's going to happen, as well as which there's a general feeling of unease about messing with stuff you don't understand. A lot like acting, really.

FYI there's a seance scene in the play so this upcoming cast event is as much for research purposes as it is for bonding purposes. Like I said some of the actors are a little uncomfortable about having a seance "for research purposes" in case we actually contact someone, or get in touch with a bad spirit or something.

Understandably then, I'm reluctant to voice my concern that whilst we're conducting the seance in the play, ie whilst we're pretending to be holding a seance, a passing spirit or ghost might get the wrong idea and actually join in. That is to say, they might not realise that we're only acting and they might try to use us (well, actually it's me as the "psychic" they're most likely to use) to make contact or pass on some sort of message to the physical world. Kind of like celestial channel-hopping...the astral being might find him or herself (do astral beings even have genders?) accidentally tuning into to a pirate frequency. Radio Ridley. Gritty.

Jesus, imagine if it happened in the middle of an actual live performance?



Nina: Spirits, hear our cry....we come in search of Jason, brother to Curtis....Please help us oh spirits....

Silence. Nothing happens.

Nina: Please help us.....Oooooooohhhhh Jeremy!? Is Jeremy there? Is there a Jeremy in the audience tonight? Hang on hang on somethings coming through....I'm feeling someth- yes, your newly deceased wife says she loves you very much, and it's alright she doesn't mind that you've started sleeping with your secretary. She says...hang on let me just get this clear...she says everyone needs a shoulder to cry on in times of need, and anyway she'd been knobbing Peter next-door for years before she died.

Awkward silence.

Nina: And he was much better than you.

Muffled sobs from the audience. Someone leaves.

Nina: Jason! We come in search of Jason...! Brother of Curtis. etc etc.


I might use tomorrow's seance to send out a little message into the ether: no latercomers or non-physical beings, please.