Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do? Read Online Free Page A

movies, but the job’s not acting. It’s just another teaching job. But it’s in L.A. He’ll be on the spot.”
    Ms. Hendriks reclaimed their attention. “I myself always wanted to direct. For my senior thesis I directed—entirely on my own, casting, costumes, sets, everything, which I guess makes me a producer, too. I did have an advisor, for when I had doubts, which,” she admitted with another happy smile, “ did happen, and not infrequently. Anyway, the play I chose was The Lady’s Not for Burning, which I understand some of this year’s ninth graders were in a production of last spring? Were any of you involved in that production?”
    Four hands went up and she nodded. This was good news.
    â€œSo I am not without experience in producing and directing a play,” Ms. Hendriks went on. “And I am especially not without . . . I guess you have to call it enthusiasm.” For some reason this made them all laugh. “As I see it, the directortakes all the different ingredients—script and actors primarily, but also sets and staging, lighting . . . The director gets all of these component parts to work together to bring her vision of the play alive, onstage, and it’s . . . It’s wonderful,” she told them, her eyes glowing, “to see a play come alive. To be part of that.”
    Every student in the room was smiling back at her, and at the possibility and excitement of working on a play with her. She went on. “The first thing you need to do for Drama Club, then, is pick up your copies of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. That’s Shakespeare, of course.” She indicated the box beside her. “Some of these are the Folger edition, some the Cambridge University Press. Both have good notes,” she reassured them, misunderstanding the sudden silence in the room. “For the first few weeks in here we’ll study each scene and talk over the characters and their motivations to be sure we understand the lines. Shakespeare can be difficult,” she explained, in case they didn’t know this. She smiled around at all of them, to include everyone in the excitement of it all.
    â€œSo if you’ll each come up to get a book, and sign the book assignment sheet? Then, if there is any time left, I’ll give you the historical background of the play. Do you know the layout of Shakespeare’s theater? The Globe?”
    Only one hand went up, Hadrian’s. This puzzled the teacher, but she went on to ask, “Does anyone have any questions?” at which Hadrian’s hand went down and Richard Carstair’s hand went up. “Yes, Richard?” she asked.
    â€œMr. Maxwell promised we’d do comedy this year.”
    â€œ Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy.”
    â€œWe did Romeo and Juliet last year and Macbeth the year before,” Richard tried to explain, and a few sympathetic groans greeted the memory. “Macbeth, that was”—“Grim.” “But the witches were fun.”—“dumb.”
    Ms. Hendriks considered this for a long moment, while they watched her. Then she made her own explanation. “You know, Shakespeare is a real actor’s writer. Anyone who is serious about acting studies Shakespeare. Anyone who wants to learn about theater. His characters, his language, his . . . the drama of his works. I wouldn’t feel right not giving you this opportunity,” she concluded happily.
    â€œI get enough Shakespeare in English class,” somebody protested.
    â€œHe’s not relevant,” someone added.
    â€œHe’s not funny.”
    â€œMr. Maxwell said.”
    Ms. Hendrik’s smile didn’t fade. She was entirely sympathetic to this point of view. “Then probably there’s no point in your staying in Drama, is there? If you feel that way.”
    At that a lot of people stood up and left, maybe half of