The Acting Bug

By Kathryn Ellis

TV stardom – fame, fortune, and Hollywood! It’s the chance of a lifetime for Kate Merriman when she lands a small role in a new TV series called Backbeat.

But it’s less fun when Kate finds out her best friend Maria has turned down the part she’s been offered in the show. They’re always there for each other. How can Kate succeed when Maria’s not there to share this new adventure. And why doesn’t their friendship seem to work any more?

In her first novel in the Backbeat series, Kathryn Ellis provides a lively look into the world of TV shows – and close friendships.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Sep 1, 1995
• ISBN: 9781459726376

Kathryn Ellis

Kathryn Ellis has written TV scripts for Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High and is author of two Degrassi novels, Maya and Joey Jeremiah.

Book preview

Twelve

ONE

I can’t believe it’s only the second day of summer vacation — I’m already B–O–R–E–D! moaned Kate Merriman to her best friend, Maria Lococco. She grabbed her sandy blonde curls and pulled at them in frustration.

Oh, come on, Kate, don’t be so dramatic, laughed Maria. We’ve got art classes to look forward to … we can go swimming …

Kate cut her off. We went swimming yesterday. I look hideous in a bathing suit. At least you’ve got a figure … and I hate you for your dark skin. Italians! I look like an unbaked breadstick in mine.

Maria laughed again. You do not!

"It’s not the point, anyway. I want to do something. Fun! Excitement!"

Do you want to go downtown? asked Maria. Go shopping? See a movie?

Do you think our parents would let us? Though Kate was almost thirteen, and Maria had already turned, their parents were only starting to allow them to go out on their own, and downtown was … well, downtown. But still…

Sure, Maria replied. You just have to work them right. If we make all the plans and show them we’re responsible, they can’t say no.

I don’t know… said Kate. My dad …

By now Maria had grabbed the newspaper from the coffee table in Kate’s basement rec room where the girls were sitting to escape from the summer heat. What movie do you want to see?

What movie is there that we can get into? asked Kate. I wish we were fourteen.

We could pass.

Forget it. We might be able to get in, but what would we tell our parents? If we lied, they’d never let us go out again.

You’re right, sighed Maria. "Well, there must be something we can go to." She began flipping the pages of the entertainment section.

Just not something too sucky, and nothing with slobbery dogs. They totally gross me out, said Kate.

But Maria had stopped listening. Listen to this, she said. " ‘Young actors wanted for new television series. The producers of the critically acclaimed children’s program Roller Skates are embarking on a new project called Backbeat. Actors aged ten to fifteen years, with or without experience, should call 555–3452 for applications.’ We should try out, Kate! Who knows, it could be a laugh!"

It’s probably a scam. You probably have to pay for it, said Kate. But it did sound like fun.

It’s not an ad, it’s in the real part of the paper, Maria pointed out. "Let’s at least find out. It’d be like Peter Pan — only better." Kate and Maria had first come to know each other in grade six in the school production of the play. They had both been pirates, and in the scene where they capture the Lost Boys, the girls had to kidnap a very annoying grade four kid who was always sniffing, and never had a Kleenex, and seemed intent on stepping on their feet as many times as he could.

But Kate wasn’t reminiscing about Peter Pan. Come on, Maria. Why would they make a television show in an ordinary city like Lakeview? They do that stuff in Hollywood or New York — or somewhere else.

Maybe they think Lakeview looks like every other city on the planet — which it does.

I guess, said Kate who, in spite of her doubts, was getting into the spirit. "Or maybe they’re not making the show here, just auditioning here because Lakeview–ites look like the ‘ites’ of every other city on the planet."

Anyway, Maria went on, "they are doing it — it says so in the paper. I’m going to call for an application. Come on!" Maria was already halfway up the stairs to the phone in Kate’s kitchen.

Kate could hardly believe they were actually going through with this. A minute ago she hadn’t been sure she’d be allowed to go and see a film, and now she was thinking of being in one — or in a TV show, anyway. But Maria always had such great schemes, and unlike Kate’s crazy ideas they actually worked out a lot of the time. Anyhow, there was no stopping Maria once she got started on something, and she was already dialling the number from the newspaper. And Kate was getting infected with Maria’s energy.

Yes, let’s do it, she said. "It’ll be great! They’ll whisk us all off to wear sunglasses in Hollywood and go surfing! Maybe we’ll get on TV — be big stars, get our own dressing rooms, drive around in limos. We’d never, ever be bored!’

• • •

In the end, it had taken a lot of diplomacy, a little begging, and her mom’s help for Kate’s father to even consider letting her apply for the television show. Kate’s mom was okay about it from the start, but her dad gruffly echoed Kate’s first suspicions that it was a scam — or worse. Then, he got worried that Kate might be upset if she didn’t pass the audition. Next, it was her mom worrying about what would happen if she did get a part and missed too much school. Kate promised to keep her marks up and finally got her mom to side with her.

Honey, her mom pleaded, just let her try. She might have fun.

Fun? her dad snapped. How do we know this is even on the level?

Kate knew it was time to be as invisible as possible, as she pushed mashed potatoes around her plate and let her mother win the argument for her. Maybe it was because her dad was a lawyer that he suspected everyone and everything, but he never seemed to trust Kate out of the house. Her parents were so different that way. It was like her mother trusted the world and her father didn’t. It always went this way whenever something new came up. Kate knew her dad was just looking out for her, but sometimes she wished he wouldn’t look out so hard.

We’ll check it out, her mom was saying, I’ll call tomorrow. I think it would be good for Kate to get out of the house more. There was a dangerous tone to her mother’s voice. The last thing Kate wanted was for an argument to start.

It’s okay, said Kate. I don’t really have to…

But her dad interrupted her. No, go ahead. Have some fun. Abruptly he left the room, taking his wine glass with him. Kate sighed. Moments later, as she knew would happen, the soothing, lush sounds of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata drifted down the stairs.

It’s okay, honey, said Kate’s mom. I think your dad’s just having a bad day. We’ll check it out, but you apply for this TV thing. It’ll be good experience, even if you don’t get a part. You’ll still be our smart, beautiful Kate.

Kate smiled at her mother, but she went to bed a little upset that night. She knew that it wasn’t just a bad day, that her dad was apt to react quickly to new things, but that he usually got used to the idea, whatever it was, in the end. But Kate was beginning to get tired of having to duck every time something happened, in case her dad went off the deep end over it. It was bad enough when it was just the three of them, but she hated it when it happened with other people around. She hated going to restaurants with her family, because no matter what her dad ordered, it seemed the restaurant would always be just out. He wouldn’t yell at the waitress or anything, but you could tell he was annoyed, and it embarrassed Kate. Worse was having friends from school over, since she could never predict what kind of mood he would be in — sometimes Kate thought that just having strangers in the house unexpectedly was what annoyed him, though he was always polite, of course. Except Maria. Kate knew she could have Maria over anytime. She knew about Kate’s dad, and she understood. Things were always okay with Maria.

• • •

In the end, Kate’s application was sent in with a parent’s signature and snapshot. So was Maria’s — and here they were, sitting in the reception area of Rolling Films, waiting to be auditioned.

Along with about a million other kids, way more gorgeous than either of them. Kate knew she didn’t stand a chance. Some of the kids even seemed to know each other; some had been