THE THESPIAN STINT

 

As we found out, the play, 'Sometime Around September’, had been cast. The two male roles, on which I had been hoping I could get a look-in, had gone. 

 

On the other hand, it was OK to hang back a while. I was willing to nail the scenery together, the backdrops, like. Make tea, man. There might be something meaty later on. It's great to be involved in the stench of the grease paint.

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Roger, the director, is an old hand. You can learn a lot from someone who knows how to look for motivation and shit like that. 

 

Jade's idea was always to be a back room girl. I'm the one after the limelight—if I can master my speeches.

 

'Sometime Around September' wouldn't have suited me anyway. I looked at the script and the two guys have hundreds of one-line bits of dialogue. How would I master that lot? 

 

Well, I can wait for a part as a 'mechanical'. I didn't do too bad at the improv games at the party.  I acted out 'knitting' as you had to pretend to be doing some activity that began with the same letter as your name. (Karen had already bagged Karate and Kung Fu.)

 

Whatever else, it's a marvellous way to socialise with interesting folk. The contestants range from Iris, who is 19 and just about to go to college, to Alison, who has been in the group for 35 years, taking only walk-on roles but always painting, and nailing scenery, and stitching gussets.