The Bed...

As my career as a Theatre Set Designer began winding down I was working for a small theatre.  We were doing a play which had a domineering mother.

Since the play had a scene where a full size bed was needed, Emily, the Artistic Director and I went to a local thrift shop.

"Adelaide, I like this one!"

"I don't know, Emily.  It doesn't appear to be sturdy enough for what we need it for."

"Well I think it is and Matt will like the price."

[Why do people want to drag you along with them for your expert advice and then not listen to it?]🙄

Matt was the Executive Director and we in the back could clearly see Emily had a thing for him.  This really has no bearing on the story aside from the fact the actors in the play always felt the bed was getting used for more than just being a prop and could have possibly contributed to the hilarious disaster I am about to share with you.

The big huge grand finale scene at the end of Act I involves the couple in the play who are madly in love with each other.  The man's very meddlesome mother though had other views about his love interest.  He also forgot about giving his mother a key to his apartment. 

So Mom just knows that "woman" has lured her son to bed.  Sneaks into the bedroom at a climatic moment and proceeds to faint, falling right smack onto the bed in-between our couple as Act I ends.

At least this is how it was supposed to go.

When Grace fainted and fell onto the bed between Ethan and Anna, the what Adelaide tried to tell Emily could happen...happened.  

The bed collapsed.

Oh did it collapse. 

The problem was the foot end of the bed remained intact up high while the head end sunk to the depths, putting these three in a helpless position of escaping. 

Not only that they became stuck in the sheets.

Worse than that even they were drowning in laughter as we all were aside from Emily and Matt, who were NOT laughing.  We didn't care.

By now the audience was drowning in laughter too.

The only thing we could do was dim the lights as the crew pushed bed and actors safely to the wings.

But you see this didn't quite work.

When they pushed the bed it broke apart more.

Normally the curtains would have been drawn but the bed was downstage near front and drawing the curtains couldn't help.

This is the moment when first Matt, then Emily rushed out to assist the crew by gathering up pieces of the bed like firewood behind the hysterically laughing actors, crew, then Stage Manager, Director of the play, and a certain little Scene Designer doing the same in the wings.

When Ethan could finally stand up backstage he had something very enlightening to share.

"Uh Matt, didn't you say someone had stolen your wallet the other day?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well look what WE found when the bed collapsed!"

Then Grace, who had a wicked sense of humor held up a bra.

"Emily, I believe this must belong to YOU then."

Ohhh those two were screwed.  Really screwed.

You see the Director of the play just happened to be Matt's wife.😱

Only by now though SHE WASN'T LAUGHING.

Soon after Emily disappeared, Matt had to get new digs in town...AND a new job while his Ex became the new Executive Director of our theatre.

She even kept part of the bed as a memento.😂🎭