Page 102 of The Silent Appeal

From: NADA Awards Panel

Date: February 17, 2025

Subject: Your entry

Dear Mr. MacDonald,

I am in receipt of the Fairway Players’ entry into the 2025 NADA Awards and can confirm the following:

Play: The Hollow by Agatha Christie.

Awards for consideration: best director, best play, best leading male actor, best leading female actor, best male actor in a supporting role, best female actor in a supporting role, best lighting, best set, best props, and best costumes.

Your judge will require a free front-row ticket on the Thursday night. They will not accept free refreshments, and request that interactions with group members are kept to a minimum, to protect everyone against accusations of flattery, blackmail, and bribery.

All you must do is make sure your Thursday night is the very best it can be. Last year the Questors swept the board with their inventive interpretation of “The Scottish Play”. Utterly mesmerizing and a tough act to follow.

Very best of luck,

Mandy Davidson, NADA Awards Committee Chair

Message exchange between Kevin and Sarah-Jane MacDonald on February 17, 2025:

1:03 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Bloody NADA are sending a judge on the Thursday!

1:04 p.m. Kevin wrote:

The first bloody night! Do they HAVE to? Couldn’t they have mercy on my nerves and come on the FRIDAY when, historically, we deliver our most confident, least complacent performance?

1:05 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

The play should be at its best EVERY night.

1:06 p.m. Kevin wrote:

It should be, but bloody Celia was right about casting so many new actors. I’ve packed the cast with unknown quantities. Even the bloody prompt has never prompted before! What was I thinking all those (six) weeks ago? Literally anything could happen.

1:08 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Apparently Macbeth on Mars was out of this world and stormed last year’s awards.

1:09 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

Relax. Repeat: This is not my circus.

1:10 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Yep. Doesn’t work when it IS your bloody circus!

1:11 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

I am a ship in a bottle.

1:12 p.m. Kevin wrote:

A useless piece of clutter? If that’s a calming mantra then the AI app needs reprogramming.