Katie Holmes saves the day at arts festival

Katie Holmes saved the day at a Massachusetts arts festival on Friday (17Aug12) by taking the stage for an 80-minute play after her pal dropped out at the last minute.

Actress Charlotte Perry and The Happening's Jeremy Strong were slated to perform One Day When We Were Young, a romantic drama set in Bath, England, at the weekly Readings @ 3 event in Williamstown.

But, due to an "unexpected conflict", Perry was forced to cancel, prompting the quick-thinking star to reach out to her pal Holmes as a replacement.

The former Dawson's Creek beauty, who has largely steered clear of the spotlight following her split from Tom Cruise, happily obliged and festival director Jenny Gersten insists the 33 year old was a hit, despite her lack of preparation.

She tells the New York Daily News, "Katie arrived Friday morning. She was in rehearsal an hour later... I thought she did great. And with a fine British accent, too."