Eeeee, it's difficult this. Saw my final (I think) chap today. Now I need to work out permutations of permutations of cast. Too many good people. Not enough good parts. Perhaps I could cast everyone twice over and we'll rotate different sets of cast over different nights.

Well, fingers crossed, I think we can do this.

More auditions this evening and another four people turned up. Along with an apology thanks to a kidney infection and a message on my answerphone from someone else who wanted to check time and place. So I have (just counting up numbers from the special book) 21 people who have expressed a willingness to participate. And a couple more that I could chase up if I was feeling enthusiastic.

I’ve got a tremendous number of good girls now. I hate not having enough parts to give them all something nice to do. I wondered as I wandered home whether Little Fox mightn’t be played by a girl. So maybe there are other parts beyond the lawyers and the doctors that could be girls. I need to consult my spreadsheet…

But how exciting. It’s a lovely light evening the day after the longest day of the year, I have Nigel Slater’s trusty roast chicken risotto bubbling and gulping on the stove and a little fluttery gurgle of optimistic anticipation in my tummy. Or maybe I’m just hungry.

Now what do we think to this? My exceedingly proactive marketing chap has knocked it together (thanks Rouxel). I say knocked it together. I mean lovingly crafted it. I think it's rather good. Feedback would be most welcome...

Phsew. Auditions yesterday yielded a rather more robust turnout. Seven or eight people turned up. Which clearly isn’t enough on its own but coupled with the four auditionees to date, the various offers to do small parts and the brilliant audition CD received in last week’s post from Barbancais, it puts us in rather better shape.

We have a further audition scheduled for Thursday to round up the waifs and strays who couldn’t make either of the weekend dates. And I have various promises of attendance for that. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that a few more boys turn up. Some very good girls auditioned but I could do with more men (no change there then).

It was very interesting hearing people read according to my flimsy direction. And extraordinarily, most of yesterday’s auditionees expressed an interest in the part of the Singer. I find that one of the duller (dullest?) parts in the play but perhaps I am not fully appreciating the fine poetry of the language. Certainly s/he plays an important role but surely less satisfying to play than Natella the bitch, Grusha the angel or crazy Azdak? But this probably highlights again my lack of appreciation of the art of Brecht. Or perhaps they’re all just after the part with the most words…

Now of course the great debate begins as to who would be best for what.

My lovely friends Anne and Jeff have just departed these shores for Sydney. This was taken from their balcony one stormy night.

Of course, self self self, I wondered if I might use this for the play poster. A storm ridden urban sky.

Anne and Jeff, we miss you!

Sunday's auditions saw approximately the same number of attendants. The princely total of two. And I suspect that at least one of them was there out of sympathy rather than a genuine desire to be in it.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday morning working out how few actors I could get away with. I reckon fifteen or so should do it. If each actor takes three or four parts, we cut swathes of dialogue and fold various parts into each other. A few to go then.

My beloved boys rallied round today and various emails have been despatched to all and sundry (thanks also to Susan). Our website has been updated with further entreaties to audition. So now we sit and wait. And pretend we don't really want to do "Caucasian Chalk Circle". "Antigone" is plan B.

My internet connection has been out of action. In fact my home phone line has been out of action for at least a week and a half but because I'm very lazy, it was only fixed today. Hats off to Telewest (not that I want to turn this into a fawning corporate blog) - although perhaps the fault was theirs in the first place. But they came out today between the 8 - 12 slot. Chap turned up at 8:05am, fiddled around, disappeared out into the street for some considerable time, returned, pronounced the cable connection "knackered", phoned in to the mother ship to declare the problem fixed. And departed again. Scottish Gas eat your heart out.

Anyway I say all of this to explain my ether silence. My father said earlier that he hadn't checked my blog in the past few days. Little did he know that this would have resulted in the sharing of no new news. So I was spurred on to 'post', as the young might say.

Besides I have relevant news. Due to an unfortunate catalogue of events (that's right - blame others when it was I myself that didn't check that dates had been communicated correctly), I ended up missing the gorgeous Mr Mayall at the Playhouse in the Saturday matinee of the New Statesman. And instead found myself haunting the corridors of Buccleuch Place for the first audition date. And a worthy haunting it was too. As a prime total of 2 people turned up. And I'm sure at least one of them was only there because she was showing moral support / I had nagged her into it. (Dear loyal Siobhan.)

But we read some scenes and it was great to hear it being read aloud. Played around with the singer / newsreader speeches delivered in the manner of Andrew Marr. I wonder still if that will work. And they (all two of them) seemed to find the play genuinely funny. Which is encouraging as I think bits of it are very funny but can never quite tell whether this is my own strange brand of humour in evidence or whether others will genuinely agree.

I mustn't panic. (Me thinks the lady...) Various people have said they can't make either date. In fact I received a girl this very morning into my very own home to collect a script. And one potential candidate is currently very busy in France planting flowers in the garden in the baking sun. Hard life.

I have round two tomorrow. Round three next Sunday. And round four sometime that week. Plenty time...