1. Updated Story Outline: The Hollow Queen
1931 Begins with Ella living with her mother Tempie, step father Joe and half-sister Frances
who was around 8 years old,
Joe digs ditches to earn money, Tempie worked at a Laundromat and catered,
Ella took on small jobs to contribute money as well, running gamblers bets to and fro
Lived in a mixed neighbourhood apartment, Ella made friends easily, played sports like
baseball and danced and sung
She takes the train to Harlem with her friends to watch act at the Apollo Theatre
Gets in late Joe and her fight, they don’t get on
1932 Tempie died from serious injuries, attained in a car accident, Tempie’s presence is
there at the funeral
Virginia, Tempie’s sister takes Ella home with her
Shortly afterward Joe suffered a heart attack and died and Frances joined Virginia and Ella
Frances cries, Tempie consoles her, Joe appears he is sorry, disperses
Unable to adjust, Ella became unhappy and unpredictable, her grades dropped dramatically
and she frequently skipped school,
Tempie is there when Ella sneaks back into the house in the middle of the night, Ella ignores
her, thinks she is imagining it
after getting in trouble with the police she was taken into a reforming school where her
caretakers beat her badly,
eventually at 15 years of age she escaped the reformatory, broke and alone she strove to
survive
A predatory trickster character notices her crying alone in the street running away and
follows her, offering her glory, fame and talent. She is of course reluctant and refuses at
first, but he convinces her. He states there is no catch but his intention is less than
honourable.Tempie looks on.
After telling one of her friends about the stranger she is told that he isn’t real, that she was
probably imagining him that she was distressed and confused
Open Stage amateur night at the Apollo theatre, she goes planning to dance but finds out
that the Edwards sisters from her building are dancing and in fear she would not be able to
compete with their popular skills
The crowd is rowdy and quickly judgemental when Ella doesn’t know what she will do for a
second and stands still, but makes a quick decision to sing instead and asks the band to play
The trickster is in the crowd when she performs, everyone asks for an encore when she is
finished her set and she sings again
Benny Carter the saxophonist who played in the band introduced her backstage to some
important people who could help further her career
_________________________________________________________________________
(A few months later…)
1935 she performed with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House for a week,
which was where she met Chick Webb. Although her voice impressed him, Chick had already
hired male singer Charlie Linton for the band. He offered Ella the opportunity to test with his
band when they played a dance at Yale University.

2. Despite the tough crowd, Ella was a major success, and Chick hired her to travel with the
band for $12.50 a week.
Trickster shows up right after she receives her first pay check she is shocked thought maybe
he was a dream or a hallucination, that he wasn’t real. Trickster wants part of her pay, he
has aged, showing darker twisted features that weren’t there before (starts subtle), eyes
maybe change colour a hint and his clothes become sharper
She thought there was no catch but he says she signed a contract needs to fulfil her part of
the deal and give him his due
Tempie’s presence appears again shaking her head, disappointed, it’s not what she wanted
for Ella, she knows what Trickstersare like
Ella shakes it off ignores it, gives him the money and leaves, Trickster laughs burns money in
hand blows embers Tempie’s direction ‘guess she’s not listening to you anymore’
Sings in numerous clubs meeting new people and rising to fame, has dinner with jazz singers
at a prestigious restaurant, hints of racism, white people sneer at her as she sits down, eats
with famous singers Ethel Waters, Paul Robeson (singer, actor, athlete, civil rights activist),
Duke Ellington plays on stage
Discuss racism and discrimination, the music and fashion, personal lives
_________________________________________________________________________
June 16th
1939, Ella mourns the loss of her mentor Chick Webb, in the absence of him, the band
was renamed ‘Ella Fitzgerald and her famous band’ and she took the overwhelming task of band
leader setting up acts and organising everything
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1946, Ella is touring with Dizzy Gillespie’s band playing at the ‘Grand Key‘ jazz club in
Alabama, USA
She is talking with fellow band mate Ray Brown being congratulated on another successful
show when the Trickster stalks up, hiding his face under his hat, Ray leaves them to talk
Trickster arrived for his pay check more obvious changes to his appearance, skin looser and
wrinkled like he has aged, thinner and eyes are a different colour
She gives him the usual £2.50 as she always did, he burns it in hand
She is angry that is what he has been doing with her well earned money, and tries to grab it
back but burns herself, he cringes and asks for more, because she is earning more, that his
debt won’t be repaid with small change, Ella gives him all of her pay angrily and proceeds to
the coach to take the band back to NY, yelling that he won’t be getting anymore
The next day, the burn is itching, irritated, in a strange shape
Her friend stayed over, asks about burn mark, she goes to tell her but remembered that no
one believed her the first time so she kept it to herself
Friend helps heal burn and bandages it, she has to go to work florist assistant
She rises to answer the door, Ray offers to take her out dancing
They go to the Savoy Ballroom in Lenox Street, Harlem, New York to dance
Talks about their preparations for the next show in ‘the Soul Palace’ a jazz club in
Manhattan, with Ray’s friends and some of Ella’s old friends

3. Band who is playing famous swing band talk about music and the popularity of the Savoy
Ballroom and who visits it famous singers and people
Meets an editor in chief of the Grappler a NY newspaper interested in writing an article on
her band and their story
A few weeks later, her band is performing at the Apollo in NY, in between her show she
sneaks out to the Harlem Opera House a block away where Billie Holiday was working and
asked for her autograph
She asks Ella to sit and gives her some advice on nerves and crowds, Explains how she got
into singing
Plays the rest of her set back at the Apollo and gets a quick drink with Ray and the band
afterwards
She receives a call, They have a meeting with a journalist and photographer to be put in the
newspaper the next day, they celebrate by having a quick drink
Snow outside riles up the people in the club who all run out to see it, The band goes too
Trickster is there leaning against a lamppost in the street, expecting to be paid rubs fingers
together impatiently
Ella wants to avoid him, makes the band go to Coney Island to the fairground attraction on
the boardwalk in the snow
Everyone has gone home already there are no workers, one of the band breaks into a
vending machine and starts up some of the electrics
They find a box of fireworks, light them at the end of the pier
Trickster followed her, he’s climbed up onto the rigging of a rollercoaster, watching her,
waiting until she is alone
Flash of lightning in the clouds, the demon he made a pact with appears from a lightning
strike, wants its’ payment,
Looks mainly human, suited, skull painted face, but obviously demented
Trickster pleads and begs for more time
Demon insists she will be paid threatens trickster, it leaves with another crack of lightning
Ella gets home late, Trickster is waiting in the hallway for her
Orders him to leave her alone, tries to get in her apartment but he blocks the door with his
arm, he is insistent on being paid, his debt grows with every due payment missed
She pushes past him into her room he lifts his hat, shows his face has degraded even more,
more twisted darker features, thinner and paler skin clothes torn, more demonic eyes
He can’t move past the threshold, tries his hand burns, ‘invite me in’ she doesn’t slams the
door closed in his face, he stands outside yelling and banging on the door
Trickster is lay back against the wall tearing at his face worrying over his debt, he begins
hallucinating shadows take form and move around
Woman walks by to get home with her dog and her husband, their faces change the dog
changes larger, voodoo skulls and fangs, scares trickster
People go indoors scared of Trickster whimpering, think he is insane

4. Window at the end of the hall frosts over, same symbol Ella’s hand drawn in it
He approaches the window pane, looks at it, wipes it away hurriedly, people street below
change faces too to look like monsters
desperate bangs on Ella’s door again demanding she open it, Ella yells for him to leave
He slumps in the hall doesn’t know what to do
Tempie appears, kneels down to his level threatens him to leave her alone or he’ll see worse
than monsters
Next morning Ella calls Ray, Ray arrives, trickster on the floor, asks him if he is alright,
Ella comes hears his voice, sees the trickster, tell him that he has been hassling her over
money and she has already paid him
Ray tells him to leave, Trickster says he isn’t going anywhere without payment
Ray’s face changes, demonic snarling animal he grabs his arms
Trickster runs away, Ella thanks Ray for helping her, they Get in automobile, ready to go,
Trickster scared of everybody, stumbles into a telephone box, closes the door
Ray calls him a drunk, tells Ella to ignore him, they leave
Demon taps on plastic panes, she throws door open and grabs scruff of his collar drags him
out into the street and away into an alley
Angry he is cowering and not getting herpayment, he has until noon that day
__________________________________________________________________________________
Trickster shows up at the Grappler, ‘journalism, newspaper printing place’ where the
interview is, grabs Ella before she goes in the room to join the others, he’s degraded even
more, can see his true face showing through, grabs Ella’s wrist
She is called for, tells them to wait a minute, she’ll be right there
First he threatens her tries to intimidate her into giving her soul; he feeds off fear
Tempie appears puts her hand on Ella’s shoulder he lets go his hands burning
Clock in the hall ticking, two minutes to noon
He begs for her soul, tries compromising, explains what will happen to him if she doesn’t,
states he was the one who gave her the ability to perform in the first place she would have
been nothing without him, she owes him her life, she still refuses
He casts a mirage the room around changes, and peels away,
Ella looks around she is in a grand house, surreal golden hue engulfing it
Tempie walks in alive and well picks up Frances they laugh
Trickster is playing piano, tempts her with a dream world, offers her Tempie and Frances,
fame and fortune, they will never die or leave, says it’s all she ever wanted
Asks him what he’s done, it’s her mind, he merely pulled it into form
She asks if it’s her dream then where is her father, he laughs how do you know it’s not me,
Ella glares infuriated, he clicks his fingers anxiously and the patio doors open and a man
walks in, guitar strapped to his back, runs over and picks up Frances
For a moment she thought it was Joe, but she didn’t recognise him, her biological father

5. Offers her the deal, her soul for this world where she can be with her family and sing and
dance all she wants
Ella considers the offer, but can hear the faded voices of her band calling after her and
remembers she may not have Tempie or her father, but she worked for her success
She realises she already possessed the ability to sing and dance and the love for soul and jazz
music before he had even shown up
The world drains away back to normal, Tempie scowls ‘Guess she aint listening to you
anymore’Clock hits twelve, lighting cracks from outside
Demon storms through the door, still hasn’t received her payment, last chance for her soul
Ella steps back Tempie stands in front of her daughter protectively ‘I don’t think so’
she tears Tricksters soul from his body, falls limp and sets alight, ashes blow away
As if nothing had ever happened she composes herself and tips her hat, then leaves
Ella Says goodbye to Tempie
Submits for the interview, narrative summary