This Must Be Love: Based on A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

This Must Be Love

This Must Be Love

Dramatis Personae

HERMIA JACKSON, Helena's best friend, in love with Alex

HELENA NAPLES, Hermia's best friend, in love with Dmitri

ALEXANDER SANDERS, Hermia's best guyfriend — and secret crush

DMITRI GILBERT, the (cute!) new guy

POLLY MASON, Athenwood High School Theater Technical Director and art teacher

THEO DUKE, Athenwood High School Theater Artistic Director and English teacher

ED JACKSON, father to Hermia

NICK WEAVER, the football team's starquarterback

PETER QUINCEY, Hermia's ex-boyfriend anda football player

LEO SUNG, a football player

FRANK FLUTIE, a football player

TOM O'KINTER, a football player

ROB TAYLOR, a football player

AARON REX, Broadway's hottest male star

TANYA MOON, Broadway's hottest female star

ROBIN, a key player in The Faeries' Quarrel

Other actors in The Faeries' Quarrel

Students at Athenwood High School

SCENES: Athenwood, New JerseyCentral Park, New York City

AUDITIONS!!AUDITIONS!!AUDITIONS!!

This Thursday, 3 p.m.

Come audition for one of Shakespeare's greatest plays:

ROMEO AND JULIET!

Athenwood High School's Spring Production!

Football Players Strongly Encouraged!

• We'll work around your athletic schedule! •
• Plenty of parts that are short and easy to memorize! •
• Possibly some sword fighting involved! •
• Impress your friends! •
• Fulfills TWO elective requirements! •

For more information or copies of the script,see Mr. Duke in thetheater after school.

* Technical assistants also required; please contactMs. Mason in the art department if interested.

Hi Helena!

Period 2 geometry: BOOOOOOORING!

Wish you were here! Too bad you have to be all smart and stuff. ;)

Did you see Mr. Duke's sign? Hello, could you be more desperate? I know we need boys to try out, but football players? Is he serious? And who's going to react well to a sign like that? He has such a talent for insulting people right when he's trying to get something out of them. Remember when he wanted me to run that spotlight from inside the tower set in last year's "Spring Production!"? And he was like, "Hermia, I think you'd be really perfect for this job," and I was like, "Really? Me? Why?" and he said, "Well, your experience with the lights and talent for following the actors . . ." and I was like, "Wow, gee, thanks, Mr. Duke, I had no idea you'd noticed tha — " and he was like, "plus you're the only one short enough to fit in the crawl space. And remember [finger wag] I said to call me Theo!"

I mean REALLY. Yes, I'm short; do we have to bring it up all the time? I was nearly offended enough to say no, but then Polly asked me to do it, and she's the coolest teacher in the universe. (If my brilliant acting career somehow goes awry and I end up as an art teacher, I too shall wear overalls to school and carry a wrench wherever I go!)

Football players! *hee hee hee*

Ok, Mister Cranky is doing that suspicious-glare thing, so I better look more attentive. Oooh! Polygons! Does it get any more fascinating than this?

Let's see if I can remember how to fold this note in that elaborate way you showed me . . .

*hugs*
Hermia!

Dearest Hermia,

Well, it was a noble paper-folding effort, to be sure, although the end result is a little more pretzel-y than I think our dignified ancestors of yore would have intended. And if you're goingto surreptitiously slip me a note in the hall, it might help the stealth aspect if you refrained from going "PSSST! HELENA! INCOMING!" as you fling it at me. But after all, living on the edge is what we do, right? We have to make our own danger, here in the riveting suburbs of New Jersey . . .

Anyway, yes, I did see the sign. It's quite appalling — Theo might possibly be the least subtle man in existence, I think. But seriously, what are the chances of any of those boys wanting to do theater — much less Shakespeare! It could only be worse if it were a musical. At least if they do audition, there's no chance he'll be casting any of them in big parts. Not after he actually gets to see them "act"! I'm sure he just wants to swell the ranks of the attendants at the court and in the sword-fighting scenes. Last year's almost all-girl production was a little embarrassing.

Maybe this will finally be your year! I mean, now that we're juniors, I think Theo should start casting you in the bigger roles. It's quite absurd that he hasn't noticed your shining talent yet. So maybe you'll get to be Juliet, and I can retire gracefully to the dressing room and spend my time designing costumes, which anyone can clearly see I am better suited for than these starring roles he keeps forcing me into. I would stop auditioning, really I would, but Shakespeare — it's too hard to resist! Besides, I seriously doubt he'll give me another lead. You'd be perfect for Juliet, anyway . . . I mean, with the right costume, I'm certain you could look elegant and noble.

I wonder if the new boy will audition. Did you see him? I only caught a glimpse of him . . . the principal brought him into my AP English class second period and introduced him, but then he got called down to the office again, perchance to fill out forms or something. He's a little insanely gorgeous. And check out the exotic, princely name: Dmitri! Isn't that splendid? Dmitri and Helena. I wonder if he is the soul mate I've been waiting for . . .

Anyway, back to the fascinating dates and names of American history — see you at lunch!

Yours most yawnfully,
Helena