All the World's a Stage A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright 2016 A sequel to 'The Might-Have-Been Girl'

Chapter 20.   “The Professor”

“Hi Cassie, hows it going? I believe you're on location at present?” I said.

“Yes, Mum and I are down in Bath and Lacock. We're shooting a mini-series of 'The Professor'. It was Charlotte Bronte's first novel and the only one of her books that's never been filmed before.”

“Sounds like fun,” I said. “That's what they call a 'bonnet drama' isn't it?”

Cassie laughed. “On account of the fact that we're all wearing bonnets when we go outside,” she said. “Actually that's the reason I'm phoning you. Are you busy working at present?”

“Well I'm recording 'Alice in Wonderland' for an audio book, but apart from that I'm 'resting',” I said.

“That's what I thought. One of the girls in the cast had an accident today. You know we wear those long dresses with masses of petticoats; well she tripped over in the street at Lacock and broke her ankle.”

“Poor thing,” I responded.

“Well it's caused a bit of a crisis, and we urgently need to replace her Have you ever been to Lacock?” she asked.

“No I haven't but I understand it's a really old village owned by the National Trust and that it's been used in a number of films and television series before.”

“That's right. All the houses are eighteenth century or earlier. Once they take the cars out and put some dirt on the road, bang, you're back in the seventeen hundreds. The thing is, the production company books it for a set period of time and pays the residents for the inconvenience. We only have two more days there, so the director was tearing his hair out when Jane had her accident, and that's when I thought of you.”

“Me?”

“That's right. How would you like to step in and replace Jane? It's only a small part of about twenty lines but it would be a good introduction to what it's like doing television drama. I spoke to Mum and she agreed you could easily do it, so we spoke to Michael the director and he's happy to take you on Mum's recommendation. There's just one thing, you'd need to be here by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, I could certainly do that, it's only a couple of hours' drive from here isn't it? I was just unpacking from visiting the family, so I'll just throw all my stuff back in the suitcase again.”

“Great,” said Cassie. “I look forward to seeing you. Mum says you should ring your agent. He'll know who to talk to at the BBC, and he'll negotiate the contract for you of course. We're staying at the Abbey Hotel in Bath, and they've got a couple of single rooms free. I'll get them to reserve one for you. Can you come down tonight?”

“Yes of course. I believe you have to be on the set very early don't you?”

She laughed. “Yes we do. However the forecast says rain tomorrow so we may not get much shooting done. That will mean even more pressure on Tuesday to get it all in the can. Anyway, I'd better not hold you up; ring your agent right away, and I'll look forward to seeing you this evening.”

I did as she suggested. Fortunately Richard answered straight away, so I explained the situation to him.

“Leave it to me,” he said. “I'll get in touch with the Drama Department at the BBC and they'll put me onto the right people. Are you alright about getting to Bath this evening?”

“Yes, I'll drive down,” I replied. “I'll be fine.”

When I put the phone down I wondered if I was being too optimistic. It would be dark before I arrived there, and I hadn't done much night driving. I started sorting out some clothes to take with me and it was then I heard the front door open an Dale came in. I went out to see him.

“Hi Harriet, how was the trip?” he said.

“It was great, Dale. My niece is growing already; all the rest of the family are well, and best of all I got to see Reggie. How was your weekend?”

Was it my imagination or did he colour slightly?

“We had a great time too,” he said. “I hope we left the place looking tidy?”

I laughed. “It looks fine to me. Actually it turns out I'm not stopping. I've been offered a small role in a 'bonnet drama' the BBC are shooting down in Lacock. I'll be replacing one of the cast who's had an accident. I have to drive down tonight because they need me there tomorrow.”

“Wow, you are becoming the 'go to' girl when there's an emergency.”

“I think you're right,” I laughed. “There's definitely a pattern developing here.”

Dale looked at me. “You said you're driving down, would you like me to come along with you?”

“I can't ask you to do that Dale, you've just put in a day's work and you'll be tired.”

“No, it's fine. I know you haven't done a lot of night driving.”

“Well that would be wonderful, Dale, I'd really appreciate it.”

“Then that's what we'll do,” he responded. “I'll have to drive back of course, but then I could come down again and pick you up when you're finished. How many days is it for?”

“Only two as far as I know. Would you like me to make you something to eat and then we can go as soon as I finish packing?”

“I'll do it,” he responded. “Is egg on toast alright?”

“Fine,” I laughed, and went back to packing.

After eating, we set off for Bath in Dale's Jaguar, taking the A46 down to the M5 motorway. I drove part of the way, and then handed over to Dale. About half-way to Bath my mobile phone rang. It was Richard ringing to tell me that he had spoken to the people at the BBC and arranged a contract for me. When he told me the salary he had negotiated I was surprised and pleased.

“And that's for two days' work?” I said.

Richard laughed. “You're doing them a favour, helping them out in an emergency, and probably saving them a lot of money so they're happy to pay extra for that. I must say you're certainly no Oliver Twist, you never ask for more. I wish all my clients were the same. By the way, my most prestigious client is just like you.”

“I suppose I'm still getting used to the idea that people will pay me for what I love doing,” I replied.

“That's funny, she says the same thing,” he said, laughing.

The trip took about two hours driving although we did stop for a drink along the way. We arrived at the Abbey Hotel just after six o'clock, and Dale insisted on bringing in my suitcase, he's a real gentleman. Dame Emily and Cassie were waiting in the lobby when we arrived, and I introduced Dale to them, and explained that he had kindly offered to accompany me on the drive down as he didn't like the idea of me travelling on my own.

“That was very kind of you Dale,” said Dame Emily. “I'm sure Harriet explained we had a bit of a crisis here and you have helped resolve it.”

Dale looked a bit awestruck at meeting Dame Emily, but he said it was a pleasure and he was happy to help. After he left, refusing to even stay for a cup of tea, Dame Emily and Cassie showed me to my room. It looked very nice and comfortable. They had a copy of the script for me, and they were right, it was only twenty or so lines. I would be playing the part of Sylvie, one of the students at the school where the main character William Crimsworth teaches. It certainly wouldn't take long to learn my lines.

Later I joined them for dinner and we talked about the production and how it was going. “Charlotte Bronte is so famous, why hasn't this novel ever been filmed before?” I asked.

“Well it was her first novel and rejected by many publishers. In fact it was published posthumously after she gained fame with Jane Eyre. Her other novels, 'Shirley' and 'Villette' are not so well-known either, but they have been filmed. I suppose you could say she was developing her talent in 'The Professor' and it shows,” said Dame Emily.

The next morning I was up early and joined the other cast members and crew for breakfast at six-thirty. The bus arrived at seven-thirty to take us to Lacock. The clouds were very heavy and the forecast was not promising, but I had to be fitted for a costume and maybe have some rehearsals even if we were unable to shoot any scenes.

Lacock is a truly amazing place. Since that time I have been there when it was not being used for a shoot and I must say that it was the modern cars that seemed out of place – a real anachronism. The day of the shooting, a few cars were to be seen, but only in side streets for fear that tyre tracks would be visible in the roads which were covered in earth. The main street looked exactly as it would have done in eighteenth century England.

Cassie took me to meet the director, Michael O'Toole and he greeted me warmly.

“It's good of you to come at such short notice to help us out, Harriet,” he said in a broad Irish accent. “Dame Emily speaks highly of you and I'm sure you will acquit yourself well.” Someone came up to speak to him then, and he was gone.

I was taken to a local hall which was being used as a dressing room for the cast, and introduced to the wardrobe mistress, Clare Stevens. She ran a professional eye over me and declared that I would almost certainly fit into one of the costumes which had been prepared for Jane, the girl who had broken her ankle.

“At that time, most women were wearing corsets, but you'll be pleased to know that we won't be lacing you up too tightly since you have a naturally slim waist anyway,” she said. She took me behind some screens and asked me to strip down to my underwear. She produced and fitted a corset which had the effect of making my already slim waist appear even slimmer. Then I had to step into several layers of petticoats which were tied to my waist, and finally the dress with its voluminous skirts was lowered over my head. Clare looked at me critically. “Yes, I think that will do nicely,” she said. “The weather seems to be clearing a bit, so I'd better take these off you again so that you can go to makeup and get your hair styled.”

I put on my dressing gown and went to see the hairdresser. Fortunately my hair was quite long, as it was now styled with curls over my forehead and a chignon to hold it at the back of my neck, a classic Greek or Roman style very much in vogue at the start of the nineteenth century. Of course, for exterior shots it would be covered by the ubiquitous bonnet. The makeup was more modern, thank goodness, no mercury or lead involved!

One of the assistants came in to say that the weather was holding, overcast but no rain, so could I get dressed please? Back I went to the wardrobe assistant to dress again. Four hours had passed so far and not a shot yet taken. It seemed that the rumours that movie-making involved a lot of hanging around were true. Viewing myself in a full-length mirror, I had to say that the fashion of the time was very feminine and I really liked it, impractical as those voluminous skirts were. Still those were different times and young ladies were expected to proceed at a more leisurely pace.

I met up with the other three young girls who played Eulalie, Hortense and Caroline, and we walked out onto the street for the first shot which would be a tracking one, following the camera down the street, being careful not to look at it of course, while we chatting animatedly. The camera was set up on a dolly running on rails; there were a couple of fill lights to brighten our faces since the natural light was so gloomy, and a boom mike hovered above us to pick up the sound. The Director of Photography saw me looking at the rails and said. “Don't worry, we're using a mid shot so the ground won't be visible. Just don't trip over them.”

Michael explained how he wanted us to perform the scene, then walking out of shot called 'Action!' and we started walking down the road and chatting. It seemed to me that it went very well, but after Michael had checked the shot on the monitor, he decided that we might look better if we were arranged in a different configuration, and with the camera back in place, we did the scene again, and this time it was shot. Michael decided it looked better, but still wanted a repeat shot, so we went through it yet again. I'm not sure how long this might have gone on for, but the great British weather came to our rescue as it started to rain!

Some assistants quickly appeared with big umbrellas, but mindful of what had happened to my predecessor, I hurried but didn't run back to the hall. The rain meanwhile increased in intensity so the four of us girls, Sarah, Nicole, Amber and I sat down and started to chat while drinking tea and eating sandwiches. I hadn't met any of them before, and it was interesting to hear what they were all doing, mainly some television work and performing in theatres in what is generally called 'the provinces', i.e. not London.

I was a little reluctant to reveal that I was working in Stratford, concerned that it might sound like I was boasting, but I couldn't really avoid mentioning it.

“So you got 'Juliet'!” exclaimed Amber. “A friend of mine auditioned for that. She said the girl who got it was really good.”

I blushed. “Well it's not actually just me, I'm sharing it with Cassie Evans.”

“Cassie got it too? She never mentioned it,” said Nicole, and she sounded a bit put out. “Of course she is Dame Emily's daughter. That can't do any harm.”

“I'm fortunate enough to know Dame Emily quite well, and I can assure you that she doesn't use her influence to help Cassie. In fact she actually tried to discourage her from taking up acting,” I said.

“Sure,” said Nicole. It was obvious she didn't believe me and nothing I said would make her change her mind.

“Good luck with it,” said Sarah. “It's a fabulous part and we'd all love to do it.”

“Thank you,” I replied. I was starting to warm to Sarah.

Just then the Assistant Director came in. “The forecast says the rain isn't going to let up, so that's a wrap for the day,” he said. We all went back to the change rooms and got ready to get back on the bus. So that was one shot down and about another six to go. I wondered if we would get them done the next day or would we have to stay longer in Lacock after all?

On the way back to Bath I sat next to Cassie on the bus.

“So what did you think of your first day on location?” she asked.

“Interesting, but not very productive, thanks to the weather,” I replied. I had decided not to tell her about my conversation with the other girls.

“The forecast is for sunshine tomorrow,” she said.

“Does that mean we'll have to re-shoot the scene we shot today? It's not going to match shots taken in sunshine,” I said.

“Well that's the director's decision. I didn't actually see it being shot but I'm sure he would have been using fill lights,” she said.

“Yes he did,” I replied. “Anyway, I'm glad it's his decision not mine.”

Later, when we were alone, Cassie asked me about Dale.

“He seems a really nice guy, does he have a girlfriend?” she asked.

That put me in a bit of a quandary, which I resolved by saying “He does have a partner.”

“Just my luck,” she laughed. “All the best guys are married or gay.”

Well, I hadn't actually revealed who Dale's partner was, so my conscience was clear.

Back at the hotel I had dinner with Cassie and Dame Emily who also asked me how I found the day. I replied in much the same way as I had to Cassie, and Dame Emily laughed “I'm afraid there can be a lot of days like today. That's why some directors prefer to work on a sound stage.”

As it turned out, the following day was much better. The sun shone, and as I had suspected, we were asked to repeat the scene we had shot with so much difficulty the previous day. However the rest of the shots involving me were accomplished fairly easily, mostly with only two takes. One was shot five times but only because Nicole fluffed her lines three times. In the theatre we would have just kept going, but television is a different matter. After the second time Michael was getting a bit irritated which didn't help as it made Nicole nervous.

I didn't really want it to end as I was enjoying myself so much and with no real need to head back to Stratford yet, I thought I'd ask the Director if there was anything else I could do, like be one of the extras in the background.

“I would appreciate the experience,” I said. “You don't have to pay me extra.”

“My goodness, don't let your agent hear you saying that!” Michael exclaimed in mock horror. “We can always use another extra, but ring your agent and tell him what you're doing.”

I also rang Dale who confirmed that he could come to collect me on Friday evening, so I spent another three days walking around in the background, out of focus or facing away from the camera and wearing a different costume and bonnet each day. I didn't get paid as much of course, but it was all experience and I decided that if the theatre work dried up, I could certainly do worse than take some television or film work if it was available.

At the end of my final day, Michael came up to talk to me. “Many thanks for stepping in at short notice and helping us out, Harriet. I know it wasn't much of a part but it was essential to the story. I'll keep you in mind for future rôles.”

“I enjoyed myself Michael and it's all part of a learning curve for me. I hope we get the chance to work together again.”

“I took Dame Emily's recommendation, and I'm glad I did. I'm sure this won't be the only time your name appears in the credits.”

He kissed me on the cheek and we said goodbye.

I'm sure you're thinking that this was turning into a 'mutual admiration society' but I was building contacts and that's very important for a career actress.

(About six months later I was able to see myself on the television screen. It hadn't turned out too badly at all, and there was my name on the credits, although they did scroll up the screen rather quickly!)

On Friday evening, Dale drove down to pick me up and take me back to Stratford.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked, as I drove the first part of the trip.

“Yes, it was quite different to acting in the theatre and it was great to get the experience. It's something more to put down on my C.V.”

To be continued.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Louise Anne in proofreading the text and giving me a great deal of useful advice about modern-day Britain to incorporate in the story, also Julia Phillips for picking up my punctuation errors and any typos missed. I'm very grateful to them both.