Between Scenes

Text 1: Blackout, by Rhea Holcombe

An original novel extract.

Applause surged through the curtain as the last actor slipped into the wings. Then the stage vanished. Above the prompt desk, red numbers sprang into life: 00:42.

‘Go.’

Mara seized the wooden fireplace while Leon dragged the painted wall behind her. Around them, the darkness filled with rushing feet, squeaking wheels and breathless whispers. A chair skimmed past Mara’s knees. Someone caught a falling lamp. The fireplace juddered across the boards, heavy and stubborn, while the timer steadily swallowed the seconds.

‘Thirty-one,’ called the stage manager.

One of the wheels jammed. Mara shoved. Nothing. She crouched, found the twisted caster and wrenched it straight. Push. Lift. Again. Beyond the curtain, the applause was thinning into uncertain coughs. A blade of light appeared beneath the curtain as the lamps began to wake.

‘Twelve.’

They flew now: wall locked, chair placed, lamp upright, fireplace home. Mara snatched her hand away as the stage lights bloomed. Suddenly there was no crew, no scramble, no chaos: only a quiet drawing room waiting for the next actor to enter.

How does Rhea Holcombe use language and structure to show the urgency of changing the stage set?

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.