The noise of hammering brings the STAGE MANAGER running from the dressing rooms.

STAGE MANAGER. Hey! What are you doing?

TECHNICIAN. What am I doing? I’m knocking in these nails.

STAGE MANAGER. What? Now? [Looks at his watch] It’s already half past ten. Any moment now the Director will be here for the rehearsal.

TECHNICIAN. But I need some time to do my job as well.

STAGE MANAGER. You’ll have it; but not now.

TECHNICIAN. So when?

STAGE MANAGER. When it’s not rehearsal time. Come on. Take all that stuff away, and let me get the stage ready for the second act of The Rules of the Game.*

Mumbling and grumbling, the TECHNICIAN picks up the planks and goes off. In the meantime the ACTORS OF THE COMPANY, men and women, start coming in through the stage door, first singly, then in pairs, in no special order, until there are nine or ten, about as many as are needed for the rehearsal of Pirandello’s play The Rules of the Game, which is scheduled for that day. They enter, greet the STAGE MANAGER, and say their good mornings to each other. Some of them set off towards the dressing rooms; others, including the PROMPTER with his script rolled up under his arm, remain on the stage, waiting for the DIRECTOR to come and begin the rehearsal. They sit or stand around in groups, and chat; one starts smoking, another complains about his part, a third reads aloud to his group from some theatre magazine. Both ACTRESSES and ACTORS should wear bright cheerful clothes, and the way this first scene is improvised should be very lively as well as natural. At a given moment one of the cast sits at the piano and plays a dance tune; the younger ACTORS and ACTRESSES start dancing.

STAGE MANAGER [clapping his hands to call them to order]. Come on now, pack it in! Here’s the Director.

The music and the dancing stop abruptly. The ACTORS turn to look out into the auditorium as the DIRECTOR enters through a door at the back. With bowler hat on head, walking stick under arm, and fat cigar in mouth, he walks up the aisle between the seats, is greeted by the cast, and mounts one of the stairways up to the stage. The SECRETARY hands him the mail: a few newspapers and a script in a wrapper.

DIRECTOR. Any letters?

SECRETARY. None. That’s all the mail there is.

DIRECTOR [handing back the script]. Put it in my office. [Then, looking around and turning to the STAGE MANAGER] Can’t see a thing here. Give us a bit more light, please.*

STAGE MANAGER. Right away.

He goes to pass on the order and soon the whole right side of the stage, where the ACTORS are, is flooded with white light. By now the PROMPTER has taken his place in the box, switched on his lamp, and opened out his script.

DIRECTOR [clapping his hands]. Right then, come on, let’s get started.