Centre Stage: A Novel

its faded gold decorations, at the modern black lighting box at the back, at the red-curtained entrances. It was weird. For the last two days the place had been a bustle of activity and now it seemed so quiet and still. The air had an almost expectant feel as if it was waiting for something to happen. A shiver ran over my skin as I realized how old the theatre was. How many people had stood on this stage? How many plays had there been?
    I took a deep breath of the people- and scenery-scented air, and felt a flicker of happiness ignite deep inside my stomach. It grew inside me, the flicker becoming a burning flame until it swept over me and knowledge exploded like a shower of fireworks into my brain. This was where I belonged. On a stage. In a theatre. Somewhere where I could act.
    Suddenly my nerves dissolved. I wasn’t scared of doing the play. I was excited — more excited than I had ever been in my life.
    A grin spread across my face and I turned and ran off the stage, down the steps and into the green room.
    ‘What’s the hurry?’ Velda said in surprise as I barged through the door.
    ‘It’s the dress rehearsal!’ I exclaimed, feeling like every cell of my body was alight. Ignoring Velda’s startled expression, I spun round. ‘Isn’t it great?’
    My excitement didn’t last for long enough. As I got ready, my nerves began slowly, but relentlessly, to creep back. By the time I was waiting in the darkness of the wings with everyone else for the play to start, my heart was thumping and my palms were sweaty. What if I went wrong in the dances? What if I fell over?
    I nervously wiped my hands on the skirt of my dress. The orchestra began to play the overture — a three-minute mixture of all the songs that were in the show. My heart jumped into my throat. This was it. We were about to start.
    I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned. It was Dizzy. ‘Stay relaxed, Sophie,’ she said softly. ‘Don’t worry about getting the dances right. Just go on that stage and be Lucy.’ Her eyes stared into mine. ‘Do you understand? Don’t act — just be.’
    I nodded slowly. Just be . Dizzy’s words made sense. When I was acting well I never felt like I was acting; I felt like I became the person I was pretending to be.
    ‘Go for it,’ Dizzy smiled. ‘I’ll see you afterwards.’
    She slipped away. The music changed. The heavy red curtains started to open and then the opening dance began.
    It went perfectly but I hardly had time to whisper well done as the chorus ran off the stage before I was on.
    The lights hit me. Colette, Jack and Mark were there and suddenly, standing on the stage again, looking at them in costume, I forgot about trying hard. I forgot about acting. I did what Dizzy had said and I became Lucy.
    The lines sprang to my lips as if they had always been in my head and, even more amazingly, so did the steps of the dance. By the time of Asian’s death scene, one of the biggest scenes at the end of the play, I was lost in another world. As I laid my head against the thick mane of Clive’s costume, I felt real tears stinging my eyes.
    ‘Oh, Asian, don’t be dead,’ I sobbed. ‘Please, please don’t be dead!’
    I could see tears on Colette’s cheeks, too, as we held hands and sang for the loss of our brave dead friend.
    As our voices rose together I was vaguely aware of people sniffing in the darkness of the auditorium.
    Scene followed scene until suddenly we were singing the final jubilant song. On the last notes, the curtains closed. There was a pause and then they opened again to the sound of people clapping. For a moment I wondered whether we were going to go into the routine of bows that we had rehearsed the day before, but then the lights came up on the auditorium. I could see Dizzy and Claire and quite a few of the stage crew and front-of-house people from the theatre standing on their feet and clapping.
    The next minute Claire was hurrying on to the stage. ‘That,’ she exclaimed, her eyes shining, ‘was fantastic!’
    I exchanged delighted looks with Colette, who was standing next to me.
    ‘It was absolutely amazing,’ Claire said. She strode over to me. ‘Sophie, you were perfect!’ she said, hugging me.
    I was perfect! I felt like I was going to explode with delight.
    ‘In fact,’ she said, her eyes sweeping round the stage, ‘everyone was great!’ Her smile broadened as we all exchanged delighted looks. ‘Now, all you’ve got to do is be that good