The big tent

Sorry it's been so long!

First a long break, then four consecutive rehearsal nights, then the internet went down...

Now we're in the big tent - otherwise known as the rehearsal marquee.  This week we've been doing crowd scenes. I've learnt that there are four in Part One - the bit us reds and greens have been working on - but oh dear - there are eight in Part Two. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday went by in a bit of a rainy blur of aching legs, hasty scribbles and whispered remedies: 'Enter from Yellow 2, bustle about a bit and leave from Red 10'. Thanks to blue and yellow counterparts, Felicity and Julia for shoving me in the right direction on numerous occasions.

God and Satan - (Ferdy and Graham) - are really getting into their roles now. Whenever they have a moment's peace, they seem to be surrounded by a gaggle of teenage girls, eager for acting advice maybe - or possibly just drinking in a little borrowed fame and glory - and why not? The directors do lots of consulting, often with furrowed brow and probably the most frequent phrase is - 'No, we've changed that bit.' This leads to a certain amount of sighing in the ranks until Damian patiently explains; 'That's why we're rehearsing - to work on things until we get them right.'

Luckily, we haven't quite lost our sense of humour. On one of the many occasions that some of us can't remember or don't know which entrance to come in, Damian finally bellows: 'Okay! All the don't knows, come and stand over here in the naughty corner!' Suddenly, we're all laughing and everyone wants to be in the naughty corner.

And just when we might have forgotten what it's all about, we are escorted to see the site of the Mystery Plays 2012 taking shape. Here it is -  forget the Olympics - this is the real deal!