Auditions. The first night.

Loads of people have been in touch to say they're interested.  In stark contrast to my previous dark, rapey, kidnappy, abusey plays. It's almost like people mostly prefer stories that are funny and sweet and entertaining.

You never quite know whether buckets of interest will translate into loads of auditionees.

But people kept filing in to the audition rooms on Wednesday. Some people who've been in touch with me already announcing their interest and others who had just pitched up. I had to do my very best match all these new faces to names in an instant job and still ended up repeatedly bailed out by my much more socially astute Assistant Director and Musical Director.

Because we have this on-stage band, this raises the glorious spectre that some of our characters could sing. Pre-auditions, I was only bold enough to think this might be Titania and Oberon, Lord and Lady of the (other worldly) nightclub. 

My head has now moved to something more like Glee. Not entirely as a consequence of attending a Glee competition last night which contained the youngest child - along with about 300 others. But this may have a little to do with it.

As Wednesday's auditions were ridiculously replete with X Factor style moments where these young things, who'd written "a bit" or "maybe with a guitar" as sheepish responses to the foolish question I have on the audition form about whether or not you can sing, turned out to have the voices of angels. Or Adele. Or (insert name of Broadway musical star). Or some sort of incredible inauspicious looking soul artiste.

We three witches - AD, MD and I - sat behind our desks inwardly gaping. Before turning to each other the second the door shut on the latest auditionee with a slightly shell-shocked wow.
Round Two on Sunday afternoon. For what might tip into a beautifully boisterous Midsummer Night's Dream And The Singing Ass.