007. Days - The Crucible - fanfic100
The entire cast sat on the carpet, which they had given a name for it was where they always plotted and planned together, and stared expectantly at their teacher and director. It was the weekend, and most of their fellow school students would be celebrating the two sacred days they had free from school… and instead there they were, in the theatre hall, working steadily away.
They were all seated there that afternoon, discussing things that only concerned two of them. Their director wanted them to expand their characters, and while they openly discussed that of two leads, she said they all had to be present, as it would assist them in their homework - expanding their own characters, even if they only held background roles that lacked lines.
“Now, they were puritans and lived very simple lives. In today’s world, they live as much as they can without using electricity or buying many things from the store. In their day, they wouldn’t have many things we do today… everything was different. Even how they were married. How do you think this was, Katharine?” Aunty Lou, as they called Mrs Stokes-Chapman, turned attention to the female sitting at the back of the carpet, who was to play the role of Elizabeth Proctor.
“Uhm. It would have been very religious.” Katharine responded slowly, thinking aloud. “…She probably would have been married in white to a degree, but probably not a wedding dress as we know them today… it would have been something much more practical?”
“Good, good, and Proctor?”
Matthew, who was playing the role, shrugged his shoulders and leant back to lie out on the carpet. “Just whatever he’d normally wear to church on Sundays, right?”
Aunty Lou nodded and consulted her notes. “What else can you tell me about your wedding?”
Katharine shrugged now. “I don’t think it would have been a very special affair… I think he would have proposed to her quietly one day, and then within a week or whatever they would have said their vows and that was it. Unlike Goodie Putnam who probably wouldn’t have talked about anything else…”
“Yeah, they wouldn’t have even really told anyone - it would have been Reverend Paris’ wife spreading it around more than anything.” Matthew agreed.
“And…well… history states that John Proctor had been married twice already - although that is actual history and not the play at all. …Still, I think it would be in his character to do the bare minimum as he would be tired or not interested at all in getting married. He’d do whatever he had to just to keep the Reverend and religious side of things happy… so he’d say his vows and give Elizabeth a token, and that’s all.”
“A token.” Aunty Lou’s face brightened as they finally landed on what she had been edging around. “I’ll tell you now they wouldn’t have given gold rings back then. Puritans, if anything, wore a cross and that was it as far as jewellery went… so, what token do you think Proctor would have given Elizabeth?”
Matthew and Katharine looked at each other in thought, trying to visualise it, as the rest of the cast spoke up with their thoughts and suggestions.
“A cross?”
“A flower!”
“A dress? Apron? Something for the kitchen?”
“A thimble.” Katharine finally voiced. It was still a finger thing, and it would be useful as well. Somehow, it seemed right.
“That would work.” Aunty Lou agreed. “Do you have your children’s names?”
“Benjamin.” Katharine spoke up again, gesturing to Matthew. “We already decided this in English, because it’s boring there now they’re studying The Crucible as well - we already know everything. Benjamin is from his first marriage.”
“And then William, named after my brother.” Matthew continued, trying to sound bored. Even if it was ‘only for theatre’, his girlfriend hated him taking about naming children with that ‘weird girl from class’.
“Two sons… good. And do you have any daughters?”
“No.” both Katharine and Matthew replied instantly.
“In the first part of Act Two Proctor asks Elizabeth if ‘the boys’ are asleep.” Matthew pointed out, and their teacher nodded, pleased.
“So, only two?”
Both nodded, wrinkling faces at the thought of more.
“Elizabeth is pregnant at the end. That’ll be three.” Katharine pointed out, but Aunty Lou shook her head at this.
“Benjamin is from his first marriage - are you saying Elizabeth only bore him one? We know from their talk that they used to be pretty passionate… I would have to disagree and say that they’re having their fourth at the end of the play.”
Katharine and Matthew exchanged a look and then sighed heavily, hassled.
“Fine, another then.” Matthew conceded first, and Katharine nodded, collapsing sideways on her friend Alysha who was playing Mary Warren. Both acted as if they were deciding on something no more important than what they were having for dinner that night.
“And his name?”
“You name him.” Katharine cut in first before Matthew could say the same. “I do everything around here.” She grumbled good-naturedly.
Matthew grumbled too, and told everyone who suggested things to shut up.
“Joshua.” He finally decided. “…It would have to be from the bible, right?”
“Well, not have to,” Aunty Lou smiled. “But it’s easier to believe and remember.”
And that was true. In their training they’d had to memorise every American state as it was something they ‘would have known’ if they were actually the characters, despite the fact all the states wouldn’t have existed back then in the 1600s, nor would they have been known as the same names. They’d also had to learn all the names of the bible, and Matthew, as it was in his lines, had to know the ten commandments, and then as the dancers (as the dance classes had to be worked into each theatre performance somehow) were to be involved in the dance at the start of the play (much like the movie) they were going to wear black shirts emblazoned with a deadly sin on it, one dancer for each sin.
“What else then?” Aunty Lou asked, and Katharine and Matthew exchanged a look.
“We’ve figured out the wedding… the names of the children… what else is there?” Matthew asked with a frown, and at that, Katharine grinned.
“When I divorce you, I get the horse and cart.” She announced, and Aunty Lou had to hide her smile in her copy of the script at Matthew’s outraged expression. Although the two stars were both currently ‘unavailable’ - Matthew with his dancer girlfriend and Katharine with her student teacher (which was against school rules, but they were hiding it well) - it was usually impossible for those acting so young to be able to act like they were in love without certain feelings slipping in over everyday life. Katharine tried to pretend she didn’t, but had often been caught watching Jessica fawn over Matthew with an almost hidden frown, and then when she and Andrew-from-England walked off being careful not to touch, but his hand hovering just behind her back and their eyes crinkling in laughter, all made Matthew frown and look away as well.
“I meant more what do you think they have in their house? If Reverent Parris has golden candlesticks, then they would have…” Aunty Lou trailed off suggestively.
“Proctor would bring her flowers to her - to brighten up such a cold house.” Matthew suggested bluntly, over it and grumpy now at the suggestion of divorce. “Since such a cold wife wouldn’t bother to bring flowers in…”
Aunty Lou sighed inwardly as Katharine rolled her eyes and looked away, clearly over talking about it as well, and she instead changed the discussion to other things. Thespians were so hard to work with, at times.
They were all seated there that afternoon, discussing things that only concerned two of them. Their director wanted them to expand their characters, and while they openly discussed that of two leads, she said they all had to be present, as it would assist them in their homework - expanding their own characters, even if they only held background roles that lacked lines.
“Now, they were puritans and lived very simple lives. In today’s world, they live as much as they can without using electricity or buying many things from the store. In their day, they wouldn’t have many things we do today… everything was different. Even how they were married. How do you think this was, Katharine?” Aunty Lou, as they called Mrs Stokes-Chapman, turned attention to the female sitting at the back of the carpet, who was to play the role of Elizabeth Proctor.
“Uhm. It would have been very religious.” Katharine responded slowly, thinking aloud. “…She probably would have been married in white to a degree, but probably not a wedding dress as we know them today… it would have been something much more practical?”
“Good, good, and Proctor?”
Matthew, who was playing the role, shrugged his shoulders and leant back to lie out on the carpet. “Just whatever he’d normally wear to church on Sundays, right?”
Aunty Lou nodded and consulted her notes. “What else can you tell me about your wedding?”
Katharine shrugged now. “I don’t think it would have been a very special affair… I think he would have proposed to her quietly one day, and then within a week or whatever they would have said their vows and that was it. Unlike Goodie Putnam who probably wouldn’t have talked about anything else…”
“Yeah, they wouldn’t have even really told anyone - it would have been Reverend Paris’ wife spreading it around more than anything.” Matthew agreed.
“And…well… history states that John Proctor had been married twice already - although that is actual history and not the play at all. …Still, I think it would be in his character to do the bare minimum as he would be tired or not interested at all in getting married. He’d do whatever he had to just to keep the Reverend and religious side of things happy… so he’d say his vows and give Elizabeth a token, and that’s all.”
“A token.” Aunty Lou’s face brightened as they finally landed on what she had been edging around. “I’ll tell you now they wouldn’t have given gold rings back then. Puritans, if anything, wore a cross and that was it as far as jewellery went… so, what token do you think Proctor would have given Elizabeth?”
Matthew and Katharine looked at each other in thought, trying to visualise it, as the rest of the cast spoke up with their thoughts and suggestions.
“A cross?”
“A flower!”
“A dress? Apron? Something for the kitchen?”
“A thimble.” Katharine finally voiced. It was still a finger thing, and it would be useful as well. Somehow, it seemed right.
“That would work.” Aunty Lou agreed. “Do you have your children’s names?”
“Benjamin.” Katharine spoke up again, gesturing to Matthew. “We already decided this in English, because it’s boring there now they’re studying The Crucible as well - we already know everything. Benjamin is from his first marriage.”
“And then William, named after my brother.” Matthew continued, trying to sound bored. Even if it was ‘only for theatre’, his girlfriend hated him taking about naming children with that ‘weird girl from class’.
“Two sons… good. And do you have any daughters?”
“No.” both Katharine and Matthew replied instantly.
“In the first part of Act Two Proctor asks Elizabeth if ‘the boys’ are asleep.” Matthew pointed out, and their teacher nodded, pleased.
“So, only two?”
Both nodded, wrinkling faces at the thought of more.
“Elizabeth is pregnant at the end. That’ll be three.” Katharine pointed out, but Aunty Lou shook her head at this.
“Benjamin is from his first marriage - are you saying Elizabeth only bore him one? We know from their talk that they used to be pretty passionate… I would have to disagree and say that they’re having their fourth at the end of the play.”
Katharine and Matthew exchanged a look and then sighed heavily, hassled.
“Fine, another then.” Matthew conceded first, and Katharine nodded, collapsing sideways on her friend Alysha who was playing Mary Warren. Both acted as if they were deciding on something no more important than what they were having for dinner that night.
“And his name?”
“You name him.” Katharine cut in first before Matthew could say the same. “I do everything around here.” She grumbled good-naturedly.
Matthew grumbled too, and told everyone who suggested things to shut up.
“Joshua.” He finally decided. “…It would have to be from the bible, right?”
“Well, not have to,” Aunty Lou smiled. “But it’s easier to believe and remember.”
And that was true. In their training they’d had to memorise every American state as it was something they ‘would have known’ if they were actually the characters, despite the fact all the states wouldn’t have existed back then in the 1600s, nor would they have been known as the same names. They’d also had to learn all the names of the bible, and Matthew, as it was in his lines, had to know the ten commandments, and then as the dancers (as the dance classes had to be worked into each theatre performance somehow) were to be involved in the dance at the start of the play (much like the movie) they were going to wear black shirts emblazoned with a deadly sin on it, one dancer for each sin.
“What else then?” Aunty Lou asked, and Katharine and Matthew exchanged a look.
“We’ve figured out the wedding… the names of the children… what else is there?” Matthew asked with a frown, and at that, Katharine grinned.
“When I divorce you, I get the horse and cart.” She announced, and Aunty Lou had to hide her smile in her copy of the script at Matthew’s outraged expression. Although the two stars were both currently ‘unavailable’ - Matthew with his dancer girlfriend and Katharine with her student teacher (which was against school rules, but they were hiding it well) - it was usually impossible for those acting so young to be able to act like they were in love without certain feelings slipping in over everyday life. Katharine tried to pretend she didn’t, but had often been caught watching Jessica fawn over Matthew with an almost hidden frown, and then when she and Andrew-from-England walked off being careful not to touch, but his hand hovering just behind her back and their eyes crinkling in laughter, all made Matthew frown and look away as well.
“I meant more what do you think they have in their house? If Reverent Parris has golden candlesticks, then they would have…” Aunty Lou trailed off suggestively.
“Proctor would bring her flowers to her - to brighten up such a cold house.” Matthew suggested bluntly, over it and grumpy now at the suggestion of divorce. “Since such a cold wife wouldn’t bother to bring flowers in…”
Aunty Lou sighed inwardly as Katharine rolled her eyes and looked away, clearly over talking about it as well, and she instead changed the discussion to other things. Thespians were so hard to work with, at times.