Later in the afternoon, she gets a glimpse of how Lauren and Molly finesse suggestions that don’t interest them. She is in the wings, working with two stagehands, packing a large trellis with fake white roses and five boxes of plastic greenery. Onstage, a read-through of a revised patch of the first act is happening at a collapsible (and slightly collapsing) table. Gladys is pitching a small, muted fit. She can’t feel the line she is supposed to say at this point; she thinks the line is unnecessary.

“Would Vita directly tell Virginia she’s busy with Mary Campbell? Wouldn’t she couch something that would be so upsetting?”

Lauren says, “Yes, well, we all have our jobs here. You especially, your job is to be a perfect Vita. Mine is to write as near-to-perfect a script as I can. You are Vita as I wrote her, not as the person who lived. You’ll need to keep that in mind as we move forward. Now, can we start with that line and go from there?”

Cate hopes to never be scolded like this.

Ty Boyd walks her back to her latest hotel. This one is plaid-free, but goes wrong in another direction. Two really old guys—visible through the door—are asleep on the lobby sofa.

“They must’ve cropped them out of the TripAdvisor photos,” he says. “You can come back home with me. I have one of those blow-up beds.”

“Thanks. I’ll just take an Ambien and block out the room.”

“You have my number if things get hairy at three a.m. Like if the walls start dripping blood. I know this play isn’t happening at a good time for you, but life is so wily, so always out-of-order. Your situation is a lot like everyone else’s, just kicked up a few notches. And you’re doing fine here; Molly and Lauren are crazy about you. Sometimes a newcomer has the advantage. New York theater is a tight community, but sometimes a breath of fresh air is welcome exactly because of that. Sometimes we’re all a little weary of each other.

“If you’re interested, there’ll be more work here for you. Even though you’re a murderer. Maybe because you’re a murderer. I think that gives you a certain stature. You’re a little scary.”