More reflections from the first week:

A little bit from Lee: 

Day 1. Here we go. 

Start of the day and everyone gathered. What a lot of people. I mean it isn't a lot of people by proper show standards but for a wee show like this it feels like loads. Maybe that is because me and Angela have been working on it alone or just us two together and then when we have been meeting people its been one at a time. But when you put them all together - there they are - loads of really talented, enthusiastic, full of ideas people. I find it quite touching to be honest. All these people giving their time and talent for precious little dosh because of a notion for a show that somebody else has had and to which that they have already started to contribute their vision and skills. Very touching. I have become bit of a sentimental old bugger though.

Gathered here we have (from Improbable) Nick Sweeting, Sarah Jane Rawlings and Lorraine Wood (the producer) Leo Wood (no relation), (lighting) Beky Stoddart, (from the sound team) Mark Cunningham, (from the design team) Lucy Sierra and then there's Guy, Angela and me.

See what I mean? Brilliant.

We say hello and introduce those that don't know each other then Lucy talks us through the model. Which doesn't take long because it is a haiku of a design. Gorgeous, spare and open to interpretation. We have a choice of two kinds of "wall" and we  decide on the slightly less transparent stuff and Beky gives us a hint of something lovely that she might be able to do with some little lights shining inside it or something. I'm excited already. I think the actual plays often spoil otherwise perfectly lovely sets lit by perfectly lovely lights. There's a bit more production management-y chat and then as suddenly as they were here they are gone and it is just me, Guy and Angela. Damn. I usually manage to delay this moment for a bit longer. Luckily there's a lot of catching up to do because we haven't seen Guy for a while so we bring each other up to date with our lives.

This is important by the way. I remember Alan Davies used to do a routine, years and years ago about not starting his act as soon as he came onstage because when you work in an office you don't sit down at the desk and start working straight away. There are staplers to straighten and pencils to sharpen first (that's how long ago it was - they still had those things in offices). Well it is the same in our rehearsal room. You can't just start rehearsing. This is all going to get kind of intimate. We are here as fellow professionals but more importantly as friends. Gotta catch up with your friends before you can get on with work.

That gets us through to lunch.

In the afternoon we did do some rehearsing. I'll talk about that another day.