Happy Memorial Day weekend, Snippetteers! — here’s a bit of Clarence to accompany you into summer! (I needed seven sentences this time, rather than the prescribed six — hopefully no one minds? *winks*) This scene is set at the first blocking rehearsal for the Perchance to Dream Theatre Company’s production of The Tempest. Clarence Limont is the production’s Prospero, a major (but slowly fading) star of the London stage who has taken on the role as a favor to the director, an old school chum; Jaymes Stafford is the production’s Ariel, a recent college graduate who has quite captivated Clarence. And Troy Miller is Caliban, an arsecrumb of the first water and the particular bane of Jaymes’ existence. I picture Clarence as a slightly younger Ian McKellen (he’s in his early sixties, but at the moment is feeling considerably older); Jaymes’ mother is of German and Scottish descent, and his father is Jamaican; I can picture him perfectly in my mind, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to find a photo that does him justice. You’ll just have to imagine him for yourself — tall, lean, tawny, with an angular face and big dark eyes, and a cloud of tightly-kinked dark-blond hair. And quite shy, usually, in the presence of a Giant of the London Stage…
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By God, he felt a moment of genuine excitement, gesturing into the wings, Prospero bidding, coaxing Ariel forth for the first time in the play. And when Jaymes allowed himself to be teased out, as light-footed as a spirit in battered trainers, it seemed the excitement was mutual. Or at least contagious. Clarence was willing to settle for contagious.
A snicker came from the opposite wing, and Jaymes’ slight, sweet smile dissolved. Clarence didn’t need to turn to identify the culprit as Troy. The arsecrumb had been stepping on everyone’s lines, all through the reading process, and apparently was set to continue his winning ways, a dyspeptic God’s gift to the Bard’s canon.
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And, finally the usual couple of links:
Rainbow Snippets on Facebook — your destination for many more LGBTQIA+ goodies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RainbowSnippets/
And just for today (May 28) my Russian shapeshifter novella, WOLF, BECOMING, is on sale at Dreamspinner Press for 25 percent off, as part of their birthday sale (but even when it’s not on sale, it’s a heck of a deal!) http://ow.ly/F34d300GBFc
Rory Ni Coileain 
Troy seems “fun.” Ugh. Not very nice of him.
(I really want to eat the yummy skewered fruit in that pic, though.)
I’m waiting for Clarence to put Troy in his place.
I love how you’ve woven your character’s personalities and how they interact with their roles of Prospero, Ariel, and Caliban! I’ve always felt Prospero and Ariel had slash potential, while Caliban was jealous somehow, in spite of his interest in Miranda. 🙂 You’ve made all of that potential come to life within this story! Well done!
Great snippet. Someone needs to bring Troy down a leg or two.
Can’t anybody hit this guy on the head with a hard-bound copy of “The Collected Works”?
Hee hee hee…
Loving the image of the spirit in battered trainers.
I love how caught up in the play they are and how magical it feels (and, urgh, how unprofessional Troy is).