yumemigaoka | Theater Kid is Having a Midsummer Night's Dream

⭐ Who: Junna Hoshimi... and you!
⭐ When: Opening night on the play is Friday, May 9! The play runs May 9 through May 20, but this mingle is mostly aimed at opening night. There's performances every Friday, Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights.
⭐ Where: Riverside Theater
⭐ What: See a performance of I Wanna Be Your Canary, a play from 2000 that has been a hit ever since! Talk to Junna after! Enjoy a night at the theater! Culture! There are prompts within, feel free to top level and do your own thing.

A. Before the Doors Open

[The doors open for the play at 7:00 p.m. But, before that, people are free to gather in the waiting area before the performance. The cast and crew aren't here; it's the dedicated staff of the Riverwalk, who are on hand to answer questions and engage in that time-honored tradition: selling things!

For the play itself, there are small posters -- already rolled up and in a tube -- and hefty, 50 page playbooks that have information on the history of I Wanna Be Your Canary and this particular performance. There is a list of all the roles and who was cast, a list of the crew members who make it happen behind the stage, and essays by the play's director and the composer for the music.

There is also food and drink! The food is lighter fare: rice balls, some decent sushi, and sandwiches. There is also bottled water, coffee, and soft drinks... and, if you're old enough, beer, wine, and sake. They do card, though. Sorry, kids.

The doors open at 7:00 -- and the performance starts 30 minutes later. This means, at the end of things, you need to find your seat. It can't be that hard...

...right?]

B. The Play's the Thing

[Once the play starts...

It's a tragic story set in an unnamed European kingdom. Princess Cornelia is set to marry the prince of a neighboring kingdom, Schneider; however, she fell in love with a commoner, Marcus. Junna plays Marcus's cousin, Leto -- which means she's crossplaying for this one. The early scenes are mostly lovey-dovey stuff with Marcus and Cornelia, a memorable escape sequence where Leto and his friends help Cornelia escape Schneider, and then the king sends his soldiers for them.

This is the first of Junna's major scenes: a swordfight, as we find out that Leto has betrayed Marcus and his friends, and battles Marcus's best friend, Diego. With a cry of, "Think of it, Diego! If Cornelia weds Schneider, there could be peace between our kingdoms!" the two clash with swords. And while Junna's normally doing archery, she is capable of doing a good stage sword fight. There's clangs, flashes of sparks, and one part where Diego's sleeve is torn. Leto is ultimately forced back.

This lets the king's soldiers capture Cornelia. Marcus, Diego, and their other friends decide to mount a desperate rescue. This leads to the second of Junna's major scenes:

She comes before King Leo, and declares her intention: "Worry not, your majesty! I will be sure that Cornelia marries Prince Schneider. You have my word."

"Your word!" the king replies, incredulously. And then Leto's expression falls. "And how much is that word worth, when you would betray your dear cousin?"

"Your majesty! I--I merely sought a lasting peace, between our two kingdoms!"

"I've no use for a traitor!"

And then a sword gets plunged into Leto's back by a soldier -- well, okay, actually cleverly underneath her armpit, with Junna using some stage positioning to just make it look like she got run through. Junna stumbles forward, stage blood staining her dark blue coat, and a bit of it running out of the corner of her mouth (by virtue of biting down on a pill). "Ah... Marcus, I wronged you to no end..." she stammers out, before she crumples to the ground lifelessly.

The rest of the play is a tragedy. Marcus and his friends rush the king to rescue Cornelia. The king's soldiers overpower his friends, and the king rushes for Marcus. Cornelia leaps between them, and dies on her father's sword. And then the curtain falls... but when it rises, the cast is all there -- Junna included -- and takes a bow.

And then, the applause starts!]

C. Meet the Cast and Mingle!

[After everyone's left their seats, the theater's reception area is open for another hour. There is still a bar -- serving the same drinks as before, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There is also ice cream that you can buy, in little one-person serving sizes with those cheap wooden spoons that are sort of up to the task. It's about one scoop's worth, with a few different flavors available. No other food, though.

There is also the same merchandise available. Of course, the lines are quite long...

The cast arrives after about ten minutes. They're mingling and chatting with audience members -- and signing both posters and playbooks!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ At least Illya is pretty used to lines, given the fact that she attends so many of Ai's events as well.. In fact, compared to the lines there, this is entirely doable! She's a patient girl, she can wait for just a little bit until the other people are done asking Junna for an autograph.

So by the time it's finally Illya's turn, the girl doesn't seem bothered by the wait at all. Instead she just smiles at Junna - mostly glad to see the older girl doing so much better at this point, really. ]

Hi! I'm totally sure everyone else already told you this, but.. you did amazing!

Illya-chan! Hi!

[Junna has been in a good mood since getting out here -- signing autographs and talking to fans is a dream come true for her! -- but it's nice to talk to someone she knows. She beams, standing up straighter.]

Thank you! I worked very hard on it. Ah--and I'm glad you came!

Well-- of course I came! You were performing!

[ It really is that simple to her. And it helps that she isn't super busy right now, so she definitely had time to attend.. And if that's the case, then why not show up to support a friend, right?

Especially when Junna can use all this support after that Disturbance. Maybe that's what's making Junna look so much better, knowing all these people like what she's doing. ]

I had to see what that's like! I usually don't really go to the theater.. But it was fun!

Thanks. [It does feel good to see that people came here for her and that they enjoyed it. It's a boost to her confidence after everything. She stands a little taller now. Especially tonight.

And she brightens up when she hears that Illya liked it. (Junna knows sometimes people are here for her, not the theater.) She nods, eagerly.]

I'm so glad! I fell in love with theater the first time I saw a play. It's really different than going to a movie.

[ She hums a little. ]

Is it..?

[ .. there's a slight pause, and only then does Illya realize saying that might sound a little like she's dismissing Junna's important hobby. Her eyes go wide with worry, and she quickly adds-- ]

U-Um, I mean-- I guess it's different since there's no screen?

[Junna, thankfully, doesn't seem bothered. She gets that a lot, though.] On TV and film, you do a lot of takes. The director puts the best ones together, and everyone who watches it will see the same thing.

A play is a little different every time it's performed. My performance next time will never be quite the same as tonight. Maybe I'll say a line differently or walk onto the set differently. What happened tonight is just for tonight.

That's special, I think.

[ ... huh.

She really has never thought about this before - or rather, she's never had reason to do so. She blinks a little bit, everything the other is telling her now being a rather novel explanation. ]

You mean that that is why it.. feels special? To you? To do something only once?

Mm-hm. [Junna nods -- a little loosely -- and there's a second where her expression is distant as she thinks about it.]

Even though I'll do a couple more dozen performances of this play, this season... it'll never be exactly like this one. Each one is different. And that's... ah. [She laughs, a little self-consciously.] ...Maybe I'm being weird. But I think there's something special about that.

So..

[ She hums, still processing it. ]

You don't mind things passing? I mean-- um, you often hear about people not wanting things to end, or missing a season once it's almost over.. But it sounds like you don't really mind that each performance is only one time.

Mm... no! Not necessarily. I think... I think, sometimes, something being ephemeral is what makes it beautiful. Knowing it will pass, and loving it all the more anyways.

[Then, Junna reddens.] Ah, listen to me go.

[ At least Illya does seem to grasp why Junna may say that last part. She always gets so self-conscious too, after all.. ]

Oh-- No, no, it's fine! I don't mind talking about this stuff you're so passionate about, you know? [ Even if she might not always understand it very well, there definitely is something nice in just watching people talk about something they really care about.. ] I wish I had something I liked as much as you like theater, Junna-san!

[Junna laughs a little at that, though truth be told, she's relieved.] I'm glad. It is nice to get to nerd out about something I really like. And, ah...

[She hesitates, then she smiles a little more.] I hope you'll find something, some day, Illya-chan.

Ah.. That'll be fine, probably! I mean, I'm still young..

[ Not that she's that much younger than Junna is, but that's besides the point!!! ]

I'm sure it's the kind of thing adults find out about when they're old enough, right?

[They're not that far apart...! Though Junna feels older lately. Something about graduating school.

Though she's not sure she counts as an adult. She hesitates at the question, before she laughs.]

I certainly hope so. It might take a different amount of time for ifferent people, though.

[ Is that statement exactly a good lesson Illya should learn? Yes. But it's still going right over her head all the same - in one ear and out another, like her brain refuses to process that one.

Instead she just smiles. ]

Yeah!

[ .. a pause, and looking around, she's realizing there are definitely some other people who look like they want to talk to Junna.. So Illya starts looking a touch embarrassed. ]

Ah-- I should let someone else have a turn, huh? Of course you'd be popular as a theater star now! [ Maybe it's not even that many people waiting, but Illya does often exaggerate when it comes to these things - though she means it entirely sincerely. ]

[Junna smiles all the more at the enthusiastic 'yeah!' But then she catches Illya get a little embarassed -- looks at the people waiting -- and her eyes widen with a surprise.]

Ah--sorry about that. I didn't even consider... [She nods. Maybe it's not that many people, but they are here for her. And that's still thrilling.]

It was great to talk, Illya-chan! I'm really glad you came.

Theater Kid is Having a Midsummer Night's Dream

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