One month to go!

We are now more or less exactly a month away from the show. Time is well and truly running away from us.

Things are overall going well, I'm just primarily concerned about the amount of time we have left and the amount still to do. We still have a couple of scenes were certain bits haven't yet been set, and two of the most pivotal numbers in the show are half finished. Remaining, we have four more full more rehearsals at St Mary's and five short ones in Wallington. I wanted to begin doing a full run-through of the show this week, but we've fallen behind on the schedule due to absences which have meant certain scenes couldn't be set when they were supposed to be. We've also got the problem that things that were done ages ago haven't been run through and refreshed very much, so doing our first run through is going to more painful the longer we leave it.

Performances are generally good. Everybody's voices are up to scratch in terms of the music, with the only cause for concern at the moment being "Easy Street", which Dean is getting more concerned about. Jasmine (Annie) is doing well vocally, she just needs to try and act more while she's singing. Sophie and Bex (Hannigan and Grace) continue well with their vocals and performances, and Callum (Warbucks) is getting progressively better too, we just need now to get him to have more of an air of authority about his character. Orphans are doing well with their choreography - Nat has set some great dances to "Hard Knock Life" and "Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile", and Dean has got them singing on top form. The only concern I have now is that they're struggling to do the great dancing and great singing at the same time. Hopefully though with more rehearsal that will improve.

The chorus are trying hard and are progressing well. I think generally the respect and enthusisasm is higher than for Guys And Dolls, and theyre alot better behaved too. Yesterday I had to get a bit shouty on a couple of occasions, which felt mean lol, but it had to be done because time is ticking and we really need full concentration. We can't afford to lose it, we need them to be self-disciplined and know when it's time to shut up and concentrate. Generally however they are progressing well and seem to grasping what they've been set.

Our venue is confirmed as the Hardwicke Hall in Royston. From the audience's point of view it's great. It's quite big and grand, and the stage has a curtain (a luxury which we haven't had thus far at St Mary's). From the backstage perspective though it could be better. It's so dusty and cramped in the dressing rooms, and the stage itself is littered with loose bits and pieces which are going to be major hinderances if they aren't moved. I'm worried about our set and props too; the list is very ambitious and we need to sort as much of it as we can...

Other than that (!!) it's going swimmingly. I've no doubt that everything will be ok, but because of the time situation we're treading an unstable tightrope and can't afford to put a foot wrong in the next four weeks!