1 July. 8 days after the last show. And it begins again.

Now obvs, if I'd been more organised, it would have begun months before. Oh - though I don't mean it really - to be an insomniac. But as I'm just a slovenly thing incapable of thinking of more than one thing at a time, Monday was the day.

I put on my best copywriter's hat and wrote (tried to write) an alluring piece that makes each and every character in November's show - yes, even the three line wonders - sound like a desirable prospect. I told my first lie of the show - audition pieces available on request - and popped the whole lot off to Mme Secretary for circulation to our without whom none of this would be possible group.

She sent it out at lunchtime, July 2nd. And to my horror, instantly - instantly! - requests for copies of audition pieces started slip-sliding into my inbox. Damn these prompt people that read their emails.

So last night, far too late on account of a purely frivolous social engagement, I hastily scratched together the audition pieces. The conspirators end up hard done by as I flapped and fretted and concluded that if I got everyone to read for specific character lines, the whole script would be the audition piece. And this didn't seem very efficient.

So (most of) you conspirators, Mr or Ms Soothsayer and my very favourite character, Cicero, notable only for speaking Greek, you're on your own.

Unless you wish to show your commitment to this magical mystery tour of a show by preparing a representative piece of interpretative dance which sheds fresh new light on your three line part's character interpretation?

By way of an incentive, I'll see all interpretative dancers first.