“And it’s going to take every minute!” Gus nodded emphatically. “You haven’t seen the auditorium yet, have you, Peggy?”
“No, I haven’t. You know,” Peggy confessed, “I was really disappointed when I learned that we were playing in the high school. I had visions of a rustic barn with candlelight, bats in the wings and mice for rehearsals—”
“There is one.” Gus chuckled warmly. “Aunt Hetty has a barn that we can remodel next summer if this season is a success. But we couldn’t afford to do it this year. It’s better to rent the school and see what happens. If it bothers you, Peggy,” he added, looking at her with amusement, “hold on to the thought that we’re helping education! We are, too. The school needs the money.”
The front doors of the school auditorium faced the highway. A large sign for the theater gleamed brightly under the floodlights that played on it. “It’s never too early to advertise,” Gus observed as they walked to the back of the building.
Entering the stage door, they came through the wings and walked out on a dark stage, only a single worklight throwing a white circle on the bare boards. The heavy drapes were pulled back, framing the empty house, the vacant seats ghostlike in the silence.
“Well, where is everybody?” Peggy gasped in the eerie quiet.
Gus and Rita roared. “We just thought you’d like to see the stage, Peggy,” Gus laughed.
“You didn’t think we were going to rehearse tonight, did you?” Rita teased, and then took Peggy’s hand. “Come on, dear, we’re only kidding. Everybody’s down here.”
They crossed the stage, descended some stairs, and entered a door that led directly into the school gym. “Here’s our ingénue,” Rita called as she ushered Peggy in, “ready to work!”
Peggy blinked, coming into the sudden light and busy scene. The gym was bright as daytime. A huge canvas ground cloth covered the floor and several people knelt, beside cans, buckets, and paintbrushes, over the scenery flats that were strewn from one end of the gym to the other. Peggy had difficulty recognizing anyone. They were all spotted and paint-smeared, in a variety of strange work clothes.