Let us not jinx things. But the third bad thing happened. I thought the Much Ado crowd were rehearsing Sunday night so left the furniture in disarray at the rehearsal rooms - in anticipation of them tidying it away when they were done. But realised over the course of the evening that they couldn't possibly be rehearsing as the director was busy at the Film Festival. Checked the rehearsal schedule and indeed, no rehearsal. So I had to drag up early the next day and sacrifice my gym visit to go and return the furniture to its usual position. Only to find that the long suffering cleaner had done it already. So I expect a stern note from our hosts - which will be my second this rehearsal period for furniture misdemeanours. But that could have been worse. Sleep is over-rated.

(Though it apparently isn't as my attempt to go to the gym this morning was thwarted by a phone that spitefully turned itself off over night so my alarm didn't go off so I overslept. Waking too late for physical exercise at 7:03. Hopeless.)

Anyway, first rehearsal off the book last night and they were complete stars. Here they are waiting for Nina to remember a line. But they were all delightfully good humoured about it and there was not a hissy fit in sight. They are truly wonderful.

 

Two very bad things (well, relatively) happened in the last 24 hours and one very good thing. 

Due to total oafishness and trying to do too many things all at once, I managed to give my house key to Helen to let everyone in to Monday's rehearsal which I couldn't attend on account of a work function. Luckily, Alan was able to attend so Helen was nominated as key mule. Or not, as the case may be as she arrived to find the keys didn't work. Of course. One is for my house and the other must be my office. Luckily, DG saved the day, flew round and let everyone in. But the thought of ten year old children lurking on the pavement on a damp June day still sends chills up my spine. 

Then the flyers for our Fringe shows arrived. With DG. And he reported that they were flimsy,  my powerful artwork bleeding into his delicate artwork. (An exquisite irony for a play about lack of power.) So I studied the order I'd placed and realised I'd ordered them to be printed on THIN FLIMSY SCRAPPY PAPER. Oaf. So that's 2,000 pieces of tree destroyed unnecessarily. Good work, cmf.

To redeem the dark and shameful hours, I got sent some pics last night from a photoshoot happening, luckily entirely independently of me, with brilliant photographer Judith and my wonderful designer friend Michelle who gave us the idea and then also obligingly lent us her legs. This is intended to be used, once done, as a publicity shot for the show. I am most lucky to know such wondrous women. 

Three weeks in - getting on for four - and my heart is foolishly bursting with love for them. I'm sure I'll be cursing the fact that I have a passel of kids in it when we get to July and they all disappear on holiday but for now, I can't imagine anything more delightfully rewarding. 

Rehearsals are fun (though I cringe inside whenever a bad word is uttered in front of the children. Ironically as I tried so very hard to keep swearing out of this script in the light of the young children. I guess consequently I notice it far more when people vituperate.) and lovely and the grown people are being impressively, touchingly, forthcoming about their lives and experiences to date and how these can be used to shed light on our story. I wonder if I could just doggedly rehearse this for always.

(See how she respects my wisdom!)

 

Four rehearsals in now and it's been nothing but a delight.

One of my poor cast had to drop out which is a huge shame as she was new, wonderful and could wonderfully do magic. I was hoping to squeeze a magic lesson in amongst the rehearsal schedule, in fact. But I shall have to abandon this wishful dream. She had extremely sensible reasons for not going forward with it and I am pathetically grateful that she decided this now rather than a month down the line.

On the plus side, I have persuaded my equally wonderful stage manager to take her place. So I'm stage manager-less currently but at least, have a full complement of cast.

I'm working with a bunch of young people who are entirely new to me which is an interesting experience. In recent years, I've had at least one whom I knew. But they all seem to be farcically bright, articulate and opinionated (in a thoughtful and excellent way) so I've pretty much lucked out. And the rest of my cast is a mixed bag of people I know delightfully well and total newbies. So the lovely exercise of trying to work out how to work with them to make them as good as they can be, has begun. 

Here they are for your admiration and viewing pleasure. (Most of) the beautiful ones.