Onwards

I apologise for the belated entry. It's over a week since I last posted anything and I am aware that people hang on my every word. Well, at least three people anyway.

It has been a good week but I am acutely aware of how this new theatre has precipitated much debate about how we do things as a company and is proving to be a real catalyst for change. Change can be unsettling and we are constantly examining and re-examining decisions we make, however exciting and obviously beneficial they appear to be.

James has had a great week for casting, finishing major roles after they appeared to have gone askew. Two fabulous singers from Eastern Europe are on board – a Russian and a Bulgarian – and that means the boards are full. Fantastic. Now it’s onto auditions for Flute in 2008 and just from the audition process that Simon Callow is inculcating, we can tell that the production will be far from ordinary.

Sample seats for the new theatre arrived yesterday and a procession of backsides were pressed into action (ooer) in the testing process. Overall space in the theatre, capacity and comfort are not always happy bedfellows but we think we have found the optimum point for both. The legroom seems cavernous but those of greater height than myself consider it “adequate”. If only we could tailor-make seating for the individual eh? The main thing though is that nobody will have their knees in the back of the seat in front of them and those of shoulder-widths greater than that of a cricket bat will feel less like a sardine. I am very happy.

We have been asked to participate in a television debate about opera. The whole thing has something to do with a series of programmes where the promoter Harvey Goldsmith lends his experience and talents to various entertainment acts and of course, he helped a small opera company. After each programme goes to air, they have a debate. This one seeks to “address the relevance of opera”. I am frequently amazed at how the media continue to peddle the myth that opera is a rarefied art-from and then proceed to ensure it stays that way by constantly asking the bloody question. I might agree to take part if only to growl at someone.