FIRST MEET

Well, second meet really, but first with more than three people.

In the gorgeous surroundings of Brighton’s Marwood Eighties room – oddly appropriate – my new found actors read through the lines I’ve been sweating over for a couple of years now. The second part isn’t quite finished – Alex and I wrote only the first episode, which I’ve converted into the first part; so the final, deeply moving climax (definitely the right word) of The Disco, is still missing so far.

READ-THROUGH

Obviously, any first read-through is a nightmare and I optioned not to let my actors, one of whom I’d never even met, have any information about the play in which they’d agreed to be in. So that got them nervous.

Didn’t matter. They read it great and I did feel smug how much everyone was laughing at the gags. Difficult to gauge the success of the structure but I never felt there were too many saggy moments.

After the read-through I had to ask if they were up for it. All – Kat, Tom, Dick and Terry (loving how 70s those names sound together) – gave me a thumbs up. No, not that kind of thumbs-up, stop it. My Joan Collins – the lovely Sarah who wasn’t there – has already given her blessing, so we are a company!

JUST ONE OR TWO THINGS WE NEED

I explained all we need now is money, a venue, loads of really glittery Disco costumes, a set, a composer, disco songs, dancers, a house band and an amazing DJ to play the specially written guest narrator character DJ Daddy Cool. Oh and a band willing to hang around the whole show to play one song at the end.

No one seemed to think these deficiencies presented a real threat to the existence of the Disco, so who am I to contradict them.

Job done, we retired to one of Brighton’s hostelries so I could get to know these people. They turned out to be lovely. Then realised they all had proper jobs and had to get up in the morning. So THAT’s what you do to get money. Ah.

Can’t wait for the next meeting. Very excited today – hence this blog. And maybe next time we’ll have the whole cast…and even the whole script!

So if you’re reading this, please come and see my show.

HE IS THE STUD
SHE IS THE BITCH
Together they are THE DISCO