It's beginning.

Read through last night.

It went far more smoothly than I deserved given my exceptionally anal / exceptionally environmentally conscious paper hoarding refusal to print off more than the minimum number of script copies.

In the day or so leading up to it, various stalwarts had submitted their apologies. So I had a lurking fear that we wouldn't have nearly enough people to do it justice.

This fear proved unnecessary. Like so many fears.

As when we stepped next door from the committee meeting, the room was - well, not quite packed but certainly - plump with people.

So the parts were allocated (cue schoolgirl giggles from Susan at Antony's unfortunately named dead wife, Fulvia. Thanks to Jo for - well, you had to be there) and the reading bounced along its way.

The quick succession of deaths went as sleekly as it could. (Spoiler alert for babytiger.) Enobarbus - a sad death I think. Eros - should I kill him / her off is the great question? Antony - well, you'd think a trained soldier would have got it right first time but apparently not. Iras - a quiet and understated death but no less tragic for it. And then the wriggling asp down the bosom for Cleo. All in approximately seventeen minutes.

Interestingly, although I have cut more, it ran slightly longer than the read through in Jan would suggest. To the tune of about 3 minutes so we could probably live with that but probably shouldn't. So cue a little more cutting and then we'll be good to go.

Happiest outcome of the night: I think I have myself an 'historical consultant'. Which is handy as I know nothing about this period of our collective past. (Yes, yes, despite having studied history at university. But my beginning was 274AD. What can you do..?)

Auditions in under one month.

It's beginning.

A little bit fizzy with the excitingness.