“I expect that’s right, but you might see if you can find out how many people have seen it and ask them to keep quiet about it.”

“I can ask, I guess,” Peter said.

Forty minutes passed, and Ben came out of his interview. “They’ll be ready for you in a minute, they said.” He plopped down beside Peter. “Whew!”

“Was it tough?”

“Not exactly, but they sure had a lot of questions. They didn’t like it that I hadn’t done any sort of audition, but they seemed to like it that I want to study production and get an MBA. They have a program for that.”

“Good,” Peter said.

A woman came and took Peter down a hall to a large office, where two men, one of them the dean of the school, and a woman waited. Introductions were made, and they all sat down at a small conference table.

The woman began. “Peter, please tell us why you want to study at the Yale School of Drama.”

“For the past seven months,” Peter said, “I’ve read up on about fifteen schools, and I concluded that Yale has the best program. It’s as simple as that.”

“Do you know anyone who has attended here?” she asked.

“No, but I know that Elia Kazan trained here, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the best possible recommendation.”

“Have you read his autobiography?”

“Yes, twice,” Peter replied.

“You’ve indicated in your application that you want to study both acting and directing. Why?”

“My intention is to direct, but I’ve enjoyed the acting I’ve done in school productions, and if I’m going to direct, I’ll need to understand how actors think and how to work with them. I’m interested in everything you teach here, but I suppose I have to concentrate on something, so I chose acting and directing.”

“You understand, don’t you, that this is a professional school, and that it’s very time-consuming, so you won’t have an opportunity to take a lot of college courses simultaneously.”

“Yes, I understand that, but by the autumn I will already have taken all of the standard liberal arts curriculum, and I’ve done most of the reading required to get a BA.”

The three exchanged a glance. “I see,” the woman said. “Who are your favorite writers?”

“Mark Twain and Jane Austen,” Peter replied without hesitating. “In the theater, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Noel Coward.”

She smiled. “I believe that’s the first time I’ve heard an applicant mention Coward,” she said, half to herself. “What have you read that you would most like to direct?”

“I’d like very much to make a film of Pride and Prejudice,” he said. “I know it’s been done, but it seems to get redone every generation or so.”

“What would you like to direct onstage?”

“My own plays,” he replied.

“Have you written any plays?”