Upstaged: An Anthology of Queer Women and the Performing Arts

Upstaged!

an anthology of women who love women in performing arts

Aila Alvina Boyd

Renee Young

Marolyn Krasner

Althea Blue

Geonn Cannon

Allison Fradkin

JL Merrow

Kathleen Jowitt

Debbie McGowan

Sonni de Soto

Supposed Crimes LLC, Matthews, North Carolina

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2018 Aila Alvina Boyd, Renee Young, Marolyn Krasner, Althea Blue, Geonn Cannon, Allison Fradkin, JL Merrow, Kathleen Jowitt, Debbie McGowan, Sonni de Soto

Published in the United States

ISBN: 978-1-944591-53-3

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Preface

When I was asked to curate an anthology, subject matter of my choosing, my first task was to decide what type of content I wanted to include. I knew immediately that I wanted to celebrate women. At the time, my children were wrapping up their school play, so performing arts were on my mind. Voila! An anthology call was born.

I broadcast the call far and wide, unaware of what lay ahead. There were over twenty submissions by the time the final curtain descended. I wish I could have taken them all. Authors stepped up for this one, and wow, did they deliver. We had everything from actual plays to space operas to period pieces to contemporary romance. These talented storytellers captured womanhood, and women on stage and screen, in all their beautiful, wonderful glory.

In the end, I was only able to take ten stories. These are the ones that made me laugh and cry and want to sing. There are erotic and sensual tales, gender non-conformity, trans women, lesbians and bisexuals, politics, falling in love, parenting, youthful crushes, opera, toe-tapping musical numbers, death-defying stunts, humor, and more.

This anthology is a celebration. My hope for every reader is that you will find yourself somewhere in these tales and that at least one of them will leave a lasting impression.

A.M. Leibowitz, editor

July, 2018

Table of Contents

Presenting the Revival of Jan, Aila Alvina Boyd - Years after blowing her Broadway debut, a former actress is convinced by the playwright to come out of retirement in order to revive the role that pushed her to the brink of insanity.

The Helsinki Incident, Renee Young - After an unexpected, erotic encounter with a mysterious and beautiful stranger, the lead guitarist of a band touring mining outposts across the solar system rediscovers her love of music.

I, Stage Manager, Marolyn Krasner - A short love story about a stage manager, eccentric theater types, a kooky best friend, and leather daddies.

End of an Era, Althea Blue - In the years leading to the death of the silent film, many careers were ended prematurely. But do we really know everything there was to know about the silent stars who faded away?

Knife’s Edge, Geonn Cannon - Amid the insanity of the circus, Arlie and Ru must place absolute trust in each other. Arlie trusts that the blades will hit their intended target, while Ru trusts that Arlie won't flinch. It would only take the smallest of mistakes to destroy that trust.

I Think I’m Gonna Like It Queer, Allison Fradkin - Theatre is an ensemble of inflection, projection, and rejection. So when 16-year-old Reyna—a performer who's part prima donna, part dreamgirl next door—desires a duet with Melinda, the ingénue who plays her best friend, she can't just run and tell that. Or even run and tell Melinda. But with the arrival of a triply threatening romantic rival, it's five to places and ten to one that Reyna had better act on her feelings before the curtain closes on her chances.

London Lark, JL Merrow - Repairing a salvaged automaton becomes a labour of love for apprentice tinkerer Harriet Hodgkins. But the clockwork coquette is destined for resale, and Miss Pandora’s restoration will signal their separation—unless Hodgkins can engineer a more auspicious ending.

Prima Donna, Kathleen Jowitt - Everybody knows why the great Signora Valli left the Licorne opera company. Everybody, that is, except Monsieur Perret, who's taken the brave - some would say foolish - decision to cast her opposite rising star Delphine Vincent-Leclerc in Rossini's Tancredi. But what everybody knows is only half the story.

Oh No She Didn’t!, Debbie McGowan - Once upon a time, in the not so faraway land of small-town amateur dramatics, there lived a widow called Marcy and her beautiful, grown-up daughter, Ginny…

Rise or Shine, Sonni de Soto - What is Cadence Carrington to do? Her public life is colliding fast with her private persona, when her boss at the governor's office sets his eye on shutting down the club she secretly performs burlesque at as featured dancer and femme fatale, Rebel Rouser. It's only a matter of time before she's found out, but the question is will she choose Cady's steady, straight-laced life or will she choose to be the Rebel she knows she is at heart?

Presenting the Revival of Jan

By Aila Alvina Boyd

Sitting in the cafeteria of Park View Middle school, Jan looked as though she was about to have a stroke. For the past thirty minutes she had sitting on pins and needles, reacting to each dropped line and awkward pause that her students made. Although she was only a woman in her late thirties, she felt as though she had aged at least twenty years since the play had started. To her dismay, four full months’ worth of grueling after school rehearsals simply wasn’t enough to get the play and her students to where they both needed to be. With that being said, all of the parents expected a performance, and a performance, as bumpy as it may have been, they were given.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief when the last word of dialogue was spoken. Her nightmare was over. Despite how horrified she was over just how crummy the show actually was, everyone else in attendance seemed to feel differently. There wasn’t a single parent who didn’t jump out of their seats and cheer proudly as the play ended. Did they care more about the fact that their child was simply in the show than they did about the quality of it? Even the students basked in the glory of their less than triumphant performance. Disobeying Jan’s order to take a simple bow and be done with it, they milked their moment in the limelight for all that it was worth. Laughing and giggling with giant smiles etched across their pimple-covered faces, Jan’s students bowed so many times that their backs should have started to hurt.

Even though she knew better than to feel good about the play, she didn’t dare push back against any of the parents’ kind words about her direction or the show in general. The way she saw it, if the parents were pleased, then there was no reason to beat herself up over it. She did the best she could considering where she was and the state of the county’s arts curriculum. In fact, she considered herself to be one of the lucky teachers. Most of the theatre arts teachers that she knew in and around southwest Virginia had either lost their jobs or were forced to transition to teaching English following the recession.

Once again, you made us proud, Mr. Steele, the principal of the school, said to Jan with complete sincerity. You have the magic touch with these youngsters.

They’re a real talented group of kids, Jan said, lying through her teeth.

After bidding Mr. Steele a good night, Jan started the grueling task of making the cafeteria look like an actual cafeteria again. Lying to herself, she simply thought of the constant stench of burnt pizza and raunchy baked beans as adding to ambiance of the performance space. Due to the fact that the school didn’t have any sort of theatre or auditorium, the cafeteria was the next best thing. Even though she reminded her students before the performance started that part of their responsibility was to help get the cafeteria back in order for the following school day, none of them listened to her. They were all too swept up in the moment to remember their post-show obligations. Before she knew it, every single one of her actors had scurried off to celebrate with their families, leaving her to pick up the pieces.

The magic touch? Really? she heard a somewhat familiar voice say as she started stacking the chairs.

As soon as she turned around and saw the source of the voice, Jan gasped in shock. With a swift stroke of both of her hands, she pushed her bright red, shoulder-length locks out of her eyes in order to get a better look. Sure enough, the man standing before her was exactly who she thought he was.

Marty? What are you doing here? she asked in a high-pitched tone.

At first, the man didn’t respond. He simply stood there with a smug smile and a glint in his eyes. She could hardly believe that despite the fact that it had been nearly a decade since she’d last seen him, he looked almost exactly the same as she remembered. Having not so much as thought of him in years, she took in every last detail of his physical appearance. His hair was just as short and spikey as it had been. He was even still wearing the same style of bottle cap glasses that he did back in his youth. The one thing that didn’t quite ring true to her was his face. It was smooth, perhaps too smooth considering he wasn’t far off from turning fifty.

What can I say, I’m a fan of quality theatre, Marty quipped.

Don’t be a jackass. I know it was shit, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you know it is as well, Jan said.

Smearing it on thickly, Marty dropped his jaw. His eyes grew large with surprise. He quickly looked from side to side as though he was making sure they were alone before saying anything else.

My what a foul mouth you have, Ms. Colvard, he whispered.

Jan shook her head before continuing to stack the chairs. A part of her was thrilled to see her old friend after so many years, however, another, less secure part of her was threatened by his arrival on her turf. Marty hadn’t arrived alone. He brought with him memories of a time in her life that she would have preferred to have left in the past.

You should probably go, she said without inflection.

Really? Marty said with a noticeable degree of annoyance. He walked over and plopped himself down in the chair Jan had just started to reach for, preventing her from picking it up. Do you have any idea how many connecting flights it took me to get down here? You might as well have chosen to move to Siberia.

Look, it’s late, and I still have a lot to do, Jan said without making eye contact. I just want to finish up and go home.

Marty slowly nodded his head in understanding. He then reluctantly stood and started to help her. One chair at a time, he stacked them in an identical fashion to how she had. She didn’t bother to say or do anything to prevent him from helping her, but that didn’t diminish the fact that she was more than a little unnerved by his persistence. Obviously something was off, and she wanted to spare herself the upset of knowing what it was.

I’m rewriting it, and you’re the only person who can do it, Marty finally blurted out.

"Do what? He Lives Through You?"

Yes, Marty gushed as he grabbed hold of her hand. You have to do it, you just have to. I’m begging you.

No. Jan pushed his hand away. Don’t you remember what happened last time? It was a disaster. It nearly killed me! Plus, I’m not playing a male role again. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve transitioned.

I have, Marty assured her.

Then don’t ask me to do it. I’m happy. I’m finally happy, no matter how pathetic my life has become, she said.

That’s why I want you to do it. I’m rewriting it to be a lesbian couple, Marty said. He clasped his hands together and looked at her with glassy eyes. I’m even directing it… that is, if you’ll do it.

Slightly unnerved, Jan missed her target and let go of the chair before she had it properly placed at the top of the pile. The steel chair clanged as it bounced off of the tile floor.

Why? Why rewrite it now? It won the Pulitzer Prize for crying out loud. Can’t you just leave well enough alone?

Marty offered her a fleeting smile before picking up the chair she had just dropped. After he finished stacking it, he turned and headed towards the door.

Just remember I haven’t given up on you, he said without turning around to face her. If I can’t do it with you, I won’t do it at all.

Right before he was about to walk out, Marty stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing Jan’s voice.

Mr. Steele, I’m sorry to bother you at home. Yes, I really appreciate the kind words about the show, but that’s not why I’m calling, Jan said into her cellphone. I know this is sudden, but I’m going to need a long-term substitute. Yes, I’m going to need to take a sabbatical.

After wrapping up her conversation with the principal, Jan looked up to see Marty gawking at her with a jubilant expression plastered across his face.

Don’t look so surprised, Jan joked.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Marty shouted as he rushed over and embraced Jan with a firm hug. You won’t regret it. We’re going to be partners this time. It’ll be different, I promise.

I trust you, Jan said as she looked deep into the eyes of her dear old friend.

***

A little over a week later, Jan found herself back in New York for the first time since her sudden departure nearly ten years earlier. Sitting next to Marty in a small casting agency on 40th Street, she tried with all her might not to enjoy the moment, but it was no use. Whether she was willing to admit it or not, it felt damn good to be back in the real world. They were in the middle of conducting a cattle call. One right after the next, well trained and experienced actresses were giving it all they had in an attempt to leave a lasting impression on them. It was a far cry from how she was forced to cast all of her productions back at the middle school. She and Marty had the pick of the litter. She told herself that there were far more talented actors living in New York City than there were plays for them to be cast in. She felt as though she had been stumbling around the desert for ages, tired and desperate for water, and had finally arrived at an oasis. She couldn’t help but cringe at the thought that she had grown used to only having two or three reliable actors out of the one hundred students or so students who took her classes.

So what do you think? Any keepers yet? the casting agent asked, despite the fact that the look on his face indicated he already knew the answer.

They’ve all been good, Jan cooed. Actually, they’ve been great. Can’t we just cast all of them?

Marty shook his head as a look of bewilderment presented itself. You’ve been away for far too long. They’re all too cookie cutter. We need someone who looks, talks, and acts like a real person.

I’ll go round up the next group. The casting agent slipped out of the room.

Jan stood up in order to stretch her legs but not before flashing Marty a dirty look.

What’s wrong with you? she asked. They were promising. We could have worked with them. We could have helped them get there.

You’re a lesbian, right? Marty asked, ignoring her prior plea.

What does that have to do with anything? She crossed her arms and grimaced.

Marty stood and walked to where Jan was pacing around in circles. He stopped her and placed his hands on her shoulders to look directly into her eyes.

Obviously I’m far too gay to be able to tell you if a woman is beautiful or not, so I’m trusting you to tell me which one of these actresses gets you all hot and bothered to, Marty said flippantly as he looked at her with squinted eyes. It’s not going to be enough to simply fake a spark. The audience is going to need to believe it from the moment you two step out onto the stage together.

After hearing Marty out, Jan broke eye contact with him. She took his words to heart and realized that he was right. She wasn’t going to be able to fake her way through the show. If she was in, and she was, then she was going to have to give it her all. Perhaps sensing her shifting mood, Marty released her shoulders and stepped back away from her.

Honestly, I’d forgotten or maybe blocked out how emotionally raw this play is. It didn’t trigger my nervous breakdown because it was lightweight, Jan mumbled.

You’re in a better place now, Marty insisted. Look at you, you’ve transitioned and are far happier than I’ve ever seen you before. This isn’t the same as it was last time, and you aren’t the same person, either. You can do this.

Before Jan had a chance to respond to Marty’s uplifting thoughts, the casting agent reentered the room. Following him was a short but slender young woman with choppy brown hair. She almost had a vintage look about her. Based on the way she carried herself, Jan felt certain this wasn’t the young woman’s first cattle call.

I’m sure she needs no introduction, the casting agent said as he motioned to the young woman, but this is Mickey Walters.

Jan didn’t have a clue who the woman was. The name didn’t ring