Day One

First days are always slightly nerve-wracking for all concerned. Many a new name to learn, and the dreaded read-through - the latter made an even more daunting task than usual by the presence of the playwright. Still, a great privilege to have Peter Nichols around for the first few days to answer our many questions, and he put everyone at their ease by singing along heartily to the play's songs as they were played by the composer Denis King.

The exciting compensation for the day's nerves comes with the showing of the set model, which looks fantastic. Mark Bailey went through the key scenes of the play, showing us roughly how the stage would be set out for each one. It's great to be able to picture clearly where we're all heading.

Finally, the musical director Sarah Travis lead us through our first bash at some of the music, which will all be played by the acting company in this show. It's sounding great right from the off, and Denis King seems particularly pleased - and perhaps a little relieved!

I'm already really impressed by how efficiently all the theatre's staff seem to be running things. They had us all measured up for our costumes in about 10 minutes, and the rehearsal room looks brilliantly organised and ready to go.

A good start!