05 Jan 2021
Well, by the skin of our teeth, we made it. Our tour finished two days earlier than planned but we managed to accomplish 75% of our dates and entertain 40,000 people along the way, which in the state the country finds itself feels like an achievement. Just as importantly, our acting and stage management company had a ball and our audiences seemed thrilled. Performing in car parks and racecourses in the middle of winter presents its own challenges but surprisingly we had battled worse weather during the summer. My highlights include performing in the car park of the Imperial War Museum in Duxford and coming face to face with the B-17 Flying Fortress I’d first encountered when I was ten; gazing in wonder at the views in North Yorkshire on a snowy winter’s day; enjoying Christmas with eleven of the best company members you could ever wish for; and not forgetting the half-blind look on a fellow actor’s face as we tried to perform while being dazzled by the glaring sun, after which I had the line ‘I’m sorry it’s a bit dark’; or the lone, strangulated car horn, which buzzed incessantly just before my line ‘What is that noise?’. I doubt I will ever be involved in anything more weird and wonderful.