Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel
Contents
Chapter 4
Overview
After Arthur Leander dies, the executive producer notifies Arthur’s lawyer in Los Angeles, setting the official machinery in motion. The lawyer’s review of Arthur’s will and emails reveals troubling loose ends, prompting outreach to Arthur’s closest friend. By morning, that friend is contacting Arthur’s ex-wives, widening the circle of people drawn into the aftermath.
Summary
In the early hours after Arthur Leander’s onstage death, the Elgin Theatre has mostly emptied out. Only a security guard, killing time in the lobby, and the executive producer remain as the producer goes upstairs to make the necessary calls.
The executive producer contacts Arthur’s lawyer at around one a.m. and is surprised the lawyer answers immediately, calling from Los Angeles. The producer delivers the news of Arthur’s death and then leaves for the night.
Arthur’s lawyer, disciplined by a lifetime of overwork, spends the next two hours reviewing Arthur’s will and then combing through Arthur’s email. The documents raise questions and suggest unresolved matters.
Seeking clarity, the lawyer calls Arthur’s closest friend, whom the lawyer has met only once. After a morning of tense, increasingly irritable calls, Arthur’s closest friend begins contacting Arthur’s ex-wives to piece together what the lawyer suspects is unfinished business.
Who Appears
- Arthur's lawyerReceives the death call; reviews Arthur’s will and emails; initiates follow-up inquiries.
- Executive producerStays late at the Elgin to report Arthur Leander’s death to the lawyer.
- Arthur’s closest friendContacted by the lawyer; begins calling Arthur’s ex-wives after tense exchanges.
- Arthur LeanderDeceased actor; his estate and correspondence create questions and unresolved issues.
- Security guardLonely presence in the emptied theatre lobby, passing time on a phone game.
- Arthur’s ex-wivesReached out to by Arthur’s friend as part of sorting Arthur’s affairs.