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

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

[ Illya stares back at him with wide eyes - looking a little surprised. Maybe even confused, especially in that sort of way someone looks when they aren't entirely sure if the person speaking up is talking to them.. She looks back and forth a little bit to make sure Nikki wasn't actually looking at someone else, but then speaks up with: ]

Um.. not really.

[ Illya isn't necessarily all that much of a theater person, after all. Rather-- ]

I'm just here for Junna-san. [ At least she's honest about it.. ]

Hey, no need to sound so unsure! Part of the fun of these is watching it for the first time.

[with his free hand, he snaps his fingers and sends a cheerful wink Illya's way]

And supporting a friend is a fantastic reason to come to one. Who knows? Maybe it turns out that you're a theatre kid and you didn't even know it.

[then he's back to eating the onigiri in his hand. At least he's not being a completely barbarian and talking with his mouth full]

O-Oh, yes! I mean, I think it seems kind of fun to watch..

[ Definitely not to be on stage though. The very idea is enough to give her cooties! If Ai's Disturbance proved anything to her, it's that she wants to stay far away from stages for the rest of her life.. Unless she's just watching them..

But Nikki is sitting there with such ease and dramatic flair - that wink! - that she spends a quiet moment contemplating something before just deciding to ask it. Hey, at least it gave him a second to swallow that piece of onigiri before replying. ]

Are you saying you're a theatre kid?

[he swallows his food and leans forward with a mischievous grin]

Do I seem like one? [there's no judgement, he sounds kinda curious... But he laughs after a moment] Nah, there's a lot of rules and things associated with theatre that someone like me wouldn't be able to stick to. Not that I'm against team work or practice or anything...

It would just be too tempting to go off script!

[ She blinks. ]

Why is that so tempting?

[ Look, this is just a concept that's very difficult to grasp for a girl like Illya.. She's much too worried about what other people think of her at all times to even consider disappointing people like that. Let alone find it tantalizing! ]

Well, you see... [a mischievous grin as he flips his shades down onto his face] I'm an improv sort of guy. No script, not blocking, just making things up on the fly based on what your co-stars are doing and what the audience likes.

Here, with plays and stuff, you're following a script and someone's direction. It's this whole production, with where you're meant to stand and what you're meant to say... There's a lot of teamwork going into it, sure, but it's within the framework of something else's vision...

Bottom line is... [he's been pretty animated moving around as he's talking, but here, he turns to Illya and flips his shades back up as he does so] Can you imagine? Me, following directions? In a normal setting?

[and he laughs. It's not a good thing, but it is him and Nikki knows himself better than anyone else]

[ Illya is quiet for a moment.

And not just because she doesn't want to insult him - more because she's genuinely thinking about all of this. Maybe even a little too genuinely, frowning a touch as she contemplates every single word that just came out of Nikki's mouth.

When she looks back over at him she can't help but ask because of it, just as genuinely too: ]

Is that your job? [ Look, is Nikki too young for anything but a part-time job? Yes. But he's saying it to a point where she can take it seriously enough to assume it might be!! Full-time improviser!! ]

Huh?

[he can't help but laugh at that question, taken aback at Illya's takeaway. Once he recovers, Nikki shakes his head and clarifies]

Nah, no job. Not a full time one... Think of it more like a lifestyle! [nod]

What about you? Would you want to try being on stage? Or... [he thinks about it] Maybe you'd prefer helping to keep things running backstage. It takes a team after all, everyone's important in something like this.

Oh, I-- I definitely don't want to be on the stage!

[ Even though Illya isn't necessarily sure if she'd like the backstage work, this much she does know for sure. She knows it so intensely that she doesn't even hesitate for a moment to say it. When Nikki is saying that last word, she's practically already starting on her answer.

Don't think even for a moment that she wants to be on stage, please!! ]

I can't even imagine why people would want that! [ The girl is pulling a Face for sure here. Nothing degenerating towards the performers, but more towards.. her own anxiety, really.. ] J-Just imagine, all those eyes on you...

[he blinks a little in surprise, though he's still smiling through it all. Oh, she feels really strongly about this, huh?]

Haha~ No worries! [reaching over, he gently ruffles Illya's hair to try and distract her from the terrifying thought of standing in front of an audience of people] That's good though. Knowing what you don't want is important too.

Well... The audience is also pretty important for these things. [he gives her a wink] Performing in front of so many people is one thing, but can you imagine performing in front of no one at all? It falls to us to make sure the performers and crew get the credit they deserve.

[ Though she doesn't resist the actual hair ruffle in any way - she doesn't even try to move away from it! - the moment his hand leaves her head, Illya is moving her own hands up to try and make her hair look a little bit better again.. S-She doesn't want to sit here with embarrassing bedhead-like hair! Not where people can see her! ]

I think performing in front of no one at all sounds actually pretty good, you know...

[he just watches her fix her hair for a few seconds before pausing in thought]

Hmm... That makes sense.

But if you're on stage performing for people, it would be a little sad, right? [he grins but doesn't ruffle her hair again] It's okay. Everyone's different and everyone's great.

[actually, thinking about it...]

Are you here by yourself?

Yeah.

[ Finally finishing up with her hair, she turns her gaze towards him again, properly paying attention to what he's saying.

.. even if Illya doesn't know why he's asking that, but-- well, he's got to have some sort of reason for it, right? ]

Everyone else was either kind of busy or didn't feel like going.. So I just went by myself. I thought it was important to be there for Junna-san, especially with everything she's had to deal with lately.

Awww, too bad! They're totally missing out.

[said without an ounce of spite in it]

You wanna sit with me and mom then? We probably can't wave any banners or anything during the performance, but at least we can do a standing ovation together at the end for Junna, right?

Huh?

[ She blinks at him, clearly looking surprised! Not really that Nikki is offering, since he seems like a spontaneous kind of guy, but more-- ]

Are you sure your mother won't mind?

[Nikki shakes his head and drops a hand onto Illya's shoulder]

Illya... [lets it hang in the air for a moment before he looks up with a lopsided smile] You haven't met my mother yet, but rest assured.

[grin]

The two of us are two peas in a pod! [he lets go and claps his hands together once, cheerfully] Besides, it's fun to watch one of these productions but it's more fun to watch it with friends! [he raises a hand up as he goes on tiptoes to look around at the crowd] Where is mom anyway?

Oh- Only if you want to, of course. No pressure!

N-No, it's okay! [ The girl quickly reassures, shaking her head.

(Although it's not exactly the thought at the forefront of her mind right now, she truly can't help but think what Nikki's mom could possibly be like.. She must be so cool..) ]

If you really don't mind, then I'd like to! It's just-- [ It doesn't seem to be a protest, because she's already sticking to Nikki's side now. If he's already moving to look for his mom, she's following like a little duckling. ]

I haven't really met anyone else's parents before like this, I guess..

Oh, really? [he stops searching the crowd for a moment to look at Illya with curiosity] You've never been invited to a friend's house or anything like that?

[technically... Neither has Nikki, but that's more because he tends to invite himself more than anything]

Don't worry! [said in Engrish, with the rolled 'l's and lack of enunciation on the 't' and everything] Mom's pretty relaxed. She likes everyone!

[he starts moving once he spots a familiar head of lavender hair (ah, mom's roots are showing again, he'll have to see if she wants him to help her with the touchup). As for Aleena herself... She dressed a bit nicer than her son, who probably doesn't have any formal clothes to speak of, but not too outrageous. She waves the two over when she spots her son ~~is she relieved he hasn't gone climbing into the vents yet? Maybe, but you'll never know from looking at her~~]

So this is Mom- Whoa! [and here, she interrupts Nikki by boldly pressing on his head and messing up his hair in the process. Aleena takes up her own introduction here; name, her job and a brief apology and thanks on her son's behalf. Casual but mature. Nikki, meanwhile, is letting the proceedings go on while he fixes his (still messy) hair and sunglasses, nonplussed.

... It doesn't look like he's going to introduce Illya though. Was he going to let her do it herself...?]

[ ...

....

I-Is he-- Is he not saying anything? Illya stands there quietly for a few moments, staring between Nikki and his mother, waiting for the moment where Nikki surely will introduce her...

And it just doesn't happen. No matter how much Illya stares and wishes, it's not happening. And the girl is starting to nervously sweat more and more with each passing moment.. O-Oh no, is this really happening to her?! She can't immediately introduce herself to a parent when she's meeting a parent for the first time, right?! ]

I-- I-I, um..

[ She looks terrified. A deer trapped in the headlights that is Nikki's mother's gaze? ]

I-I-I'm Illya!

[ Nailed it.

Apparently that's a complete introduction, since the girl just.. freezes up after getting those words out there.. ]

[the exasperated look Aleena sends Nikki says everything, really... But she doesn't seem at all put out by Illya's hasty introduction, smiling cheerfully with a 'nice to meet you' and a reminder to both kids about the start of the performance. She'll meet up with them at the entrance to the stage so they can sit together.

Then she sends a notably sharp look at her son, because she recognizes what just happened, before waving them both off]

... [and like nothing even happened;] That went well! Good job, Illya-chan!

[with a wink and a thumbs up too. Utterly shameless]

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Theater Kid is Having a Midsummer Night's Dream

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