Page 172 of The Silent Appeal

June 6 Second night

June 7 Last night and party

June 8 Clear up

It may not feel like it from the stage, but this play is really coming together. Assistant director Nicky-Rose and I have watched you all from the moment you put your scripts down to the moment you confidently stepped out onto the set last night. We are exactly where we need to be at this point, but we won’t get where we have to be by play week if we don’t put the hours in.

So, stay focused, stay alert, learn those lines, and enjoy the process. Our audience won’t enjoy the show if we don’t enjoy performing it, and speaking of audiences… the box office is now OPEN! We have 300 tickets to sell across three nights—all our friends and family want to see what we’ve been doing for the past six months so sell, sell, sell!

Finally, remember that this production has been entered into the NADAs—for newbies, that means the National Amateur Drama Awards—and a judge will be sitting in the front row on one of the nights. I won’t say which, in case the extra nerves affect your performance, but rest assured they will be an experienced, knowledgeable amateur-drama practitioner themselves and they know exactly what to look for. See you next Monday.

Kevin MacDonald, Committee cochair and director

Message exchange between Joel Halliday and Kevin MacDonald on April 29, 2025:

9:53 a.m. Joel wrote:

The light that fell down. I’ve been looking at her in my shed.

9:54 a.m. Kevin wrote:

Has John approved the purchase of a new one?

9:59 a.m. Joel wrote:

Yes, and she’s on order. But it’s still playing on my mind why this one fell down when it did. Now, I can’t prove it, but the nuts were both halfway down the thread. Both unscrewed exactly the same number of turns.

10:04 a.m. Joel wrote:

But that’s not the only mystery. The chain was unfastened. We know that’s why the light fell. But close up, you can see little blobs of Blu Tack on both sides.

10:05 a.m. Kevin wrote:

What does all that mean?

10:07 a.m. Joel wrote:

No one forgot to put the chain on. They deliberately took it off, then stuck it with Blu Tack, making it appear—from the ground—as if it was firmly attached.

10:08 a.m. Kevin wrote:

What are you saying?

10:09 a.m. Joel wrote:

That unless the spiders have got it in for us, someone with access to the rig sabotaged the light.

10:10 a.m. Kevin wrote:

That’s pretty much anyone with access to the church hall. Who would do that?

10:12 a.m. Joel wrote:

I don’t know, but I’ve checked all the lights on both rigs and will do the same before every rehearsal and performance from now on.

10:13 a.m. Kevin wrote:

Thanks, Joel.