Guest Post with Lisa Mantchev & Contest

Eyes Like Stars (The Theatre Illuminata: Act 1 ) by Lisa Mantchev

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Lisa Mantchev, author of Eyes Like Stars. Lisa graciously agreed to write a guest post about my favorite characters from the book - Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Moth and Cobwebb. If you've read Eyes Like Stars, you know how much fun these little guys are and you're sure to get a kick out of them here too! So without further ado...take it away Lisa!

(Lights up. The stage is bare, save a wooden stool, upon which sits a glass of water, half-full. Dust motes dance like ballerinas in the glare from the spotlight. From the flies comes a distant cry.)

MOTH: Cannonball!

(Hands about his tucked knees, he lands on the stage just adjacent to both chair and glass with a splat. The other fairies enter, shaking their heads.)

PEASEBLOSSOM: I told you you'd miss.

MUSTARDSEED: (Nudging the lump that is MOTH with his boot) How's your spleen?

MOTH: Urrrrrrrgh.

COBWEB: Good thing you didn't jump head-first. Your noggin has way less padding that your backside.

MOTH: (Standing up and shaking like a dog) You could jump head-first... all we'd hear on impact is the slow hiss of all that air leaking out.

(Before they can get into a fight, BEATRICE SHAKESPEARE SMITH, better known as BERTIE, peers onstage.)

BERTIE: What on earth are you four doing?

PEASEBLOSSOM: Lisa's been busy with Other Stuff, so we're practicing our new act. We thought it would be timely, in case we go on the road.

BERTIE: Is that so? Why are you wearing those ridiculous spandex unitards?

MUSTARDSEED: (Doing deep knee-bends) Range of movement. Plus they are incredibly slimming.

BERTIE: Sure. So slimming I don't notice your little cupcake paunch in the front.

MUSTARDSEED: This isn't a paunch! It's a maraschino cherry! I swallowed it whole.

COBWEB: He did. It was on top of the pineapple upside-down cake.

BERTIE: I had some of that as well. But then it became chocolate ganache with raspberry filling. And THEN it was carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

PEASEBLOSSOM: (Peering up) Is Lisa revising again?

BERTIE: Yes. Very disconcerting to have a mouthful change as I'm eating it, I'll tell ya.

(The fairies unitards are replaced by miniature tutus in assorted candy colors.)

MOTH: (Fluffing lime green tulle) She's having a hard time of it, no?

COBWEB: There was a lot of hair-pulling yesterday. And banging her head against the desk. (Experimentally twirling about on his tippytoes)

MUSTARDSEED: (Glowering from under the wreathe of roses that matches his dandelion-yellow skirts) This is a bit much, isn't it?

(The tutus disappear, replaced by tiny silver space suits, and the fairies begin to drift across the stage. Their shouts are muffled by the helmets, and BERTIE grins.)

BERTIE: Peace and quiet at last. (Her hair slowly changes from Cobalt Flame to Raven's Wing Black to Wicked Green.) And that's a good trick... keeps the stage clean! What about the dessert?

(It begins to rain scoops of raspberry sherbet and meringue cookies. The fairies pry off their helmets, not about to miss out on the confectionary storm.)

MOTH: Keep it coming! These are a few of our favorite things!

LISA: (A booming voice over the loudspeaker) In THAT case...

(The dessert is followed by a hail of glitter, a parade of big hairy dogs with wagging tails, a rolling cappuccino cart, vintage shiny bits on nearly invisible wire, Players in elaborate costuming apparently Trick or Treating, and a rowboat on wheels that is brimming over with pirates)

BERTIE: Get a load of that mess! I am not sticking around to hear the Stage Manager's opinions on melted ice cream full of glitter and dog hair.

FAIRIES: Wait for us! (Loaded up with meringues, they fly after BERTIE as she exits, Stage Right.)

Lisa Mantchev wrote her first play in the fourth grade and has been involved in the theater ever since. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State with her husband, daughter, and four hairy dogs. Before writing EYES LIKE STARS, she penned and published more than thirty short stories.

CONTEST TIME!

WIN

EYES LIKE STARS!

You will also receive a signed bookplate

and bracelet from Lisa

TO ENTER:

Easy- Just leave a comment!

(Bonus entry if you link/post about this contest)

END DATE:

November 6th 2009 (Open to all!)