"Death and the Maiden," the Play that Wasn't

Look at this.  Isn't it pretty?  It's not quite finished...it was supposed to have some bamboo mats and stones painted on the terrace.  And a curtain over a door that you can't see in this picture.  A very talented and awesome set designer put this together for "Death and the Maiden."  It is this designer's first production with us.  I hope it's not his last.

Because the show isn't going to happen.

We had a short rehearsal period anyway, as it is a Spotlight production, and we lost one actor early on, due to a family emergency.  With only three characters in the show, each of the actors has a lot of lines, and that one had the most.  Still we did manage to replace the actor, though the actor kind enough to come in and help us was a little nervous about the amount of work that had to be done in a very short time.  But that wasn't the problem.  Or at least, not the worst of it.

The worst of it was a rather reluctant actor, with whom I got crosswise during the last show we did together.  Having said he would do the show, he told me a few weeks before the beginning of rehearsals that he had decided not to.  I tried to replace him, but had no luck.  The original actor said he would do the show after all, so we settled in to rehearse with one willing actor, one nervous actor and one actor who would rather be elsewhere.

Last night, he decided he would really rather be elsewhere, and now he's gone.  With nine days till opening, there is no way he can be replaced.  The show is over before it has begun.

All that work creating this beautiful set, and all the work on the part of the other two actors, all the work done on publicity design...all wasted.  Not to mention the money for royalties, scripts, publicity, fabric, lumber, paint and other things for the set.

This show meant a lot to me.  I am utterly devastated.