Page 33 of The Silent Appeal

In All My Sons the gun is fired offstage, for The Hollow we need that bang to be right where the gun is, or else it’ll look and sound completely fake.

4:16 p.m. Kevin wrote:

We can’t have a real gun onstage.

4:22 p.m. Denise wrote:

No, but we can get a starter pistol. They fire blanks with a very loud and realistic bang. I know a guy who’s on the committee for the Lockwood Marathon and they have a starter pistol we can use.

4:25 p.m. Kevin wrote:

A functioning firearm that has to be pointed at an actor and the trigger pulled. What could possibly go wrong?

4:30 p.m. Denise wrote:

Oh, Kevin! That’s not what I mean at all. The gloved hand holds a stage gun pointed at the actor to be shot. Behind the scenery, in the other hand, the “murderer” holds the starter pistol, aimed at the floor. They pull both triggers at once. Bang!

4:33 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Hmmm. That does sound good, Denise. And thank you for not being arsey about parts. If any actors drop out, you’ll be the first I ask to step in.

Messages posted to Fran’s Hollow Play WhatsApp group on January 10, 2025:

9:19 a.m. Fran wrote:

Great word-rehearsal last night. We’re getting the hang of the language. It feels strange at first, but that’s the way people talked back then.

9:59 a.m. Lucas wrote:

Prefer to just wing it than learn lines tbh

10:04 a.m. Fran wrote:

That’s “improvisation,” Lucas, but when you have a scripted play the other actors will learn their lines and they need the right cues. But don’t worry, we’ll all learn our lines together.

10:38 a.m. Amelia wrote:

Thanks, Fran. The more I read it the bigger my part seems to get.

10:40 a.m. Fran wrote:

I use several techniques to remember lines. We can try them all. It’s a daunting time, but we’ve got the first rehearsal Monday night and it’s going to be awesome.

11:42 a.m. Georgia wrote:

It says I look like a cow.

11:43 a.m. Fran wrote:

That’s just another character’s opinion. People were judgy back then.

11:43 a.m. Georgia wrote:

Even the stage directions say she’s thick and stupid.

11:44 a.m. Amelia wrote:

They mean the character, not YOU.