If there’s anything I love more than the rehearsal period (and I do love rehearsal time) it’s the pleasure that comes from having visitors pop in, and watching members of the creative team starting to interact with the show as it evolves. However much of a pro you think you are, having someone who’s a relative stranger to the process say ‘oh, it looks really good’ can be just the thing to put a spring in your step and buoy you.

That said, I always hate how as the process involves you have less and less time for members of the creative and technical team. It seems perverse that as your time decreases, the more important it would be to have the sort of in-depth conversations that characterised the pre-production period. I’m very lucky that my regular collaborators are used to the inarticulate shambles I become in the last week of rehearsals – it’s the newbies I feel sorry for. I’ve been blessed to work with a new set, lighting designer and vocal coach on this production and it’s important to make them feel welcome and valued so I can’t help feel guilty at the split of focus. You want to be as warm and as welcoming as possible – everything to everyone – but sometimes that’s just not possible.

With that in mind had an excellent bank holiday Sunday with the tech and creative team, attempting (and failing) to do some woodwork and eating some of the finest homemade Victoria Sponge this side of a bake-off finale (courtesy of Stage Manager Remi Bruno Smith). Very happy to go into the last week of rehearsal with such a great team and such awesome baked goods.