Friday 7th August

Rest day. I am busy learning the lines for Richard Dauntless in preparation for the Ruddigore auditions tomorrow. There are auditions this evening in Buxton for another Festival production, "Trial By Jury", which is to rehearse over the weekend and form a double bill on Monday evening with the children's HMS Pinafore. I deliberately don't attend this auditions for the following reasons:

1. I don't want to make too many appearances. Surely Buxton audiences (and Auntie Beryl) must have a Nick Sales tolerance level and I don't want to exceed it yet.

2. I need to concentrate on the Ruddigore auditon. I really want to play Richard (It would be my first time). I will, however, gladly sing in the men's chorus if unsuccessful. (I love Ruddigore and it has eluded me for so long that I will be delighted to take part in whatever capacity)

3. I feel a need to rest and relax a bit after yesterday's efforts, and to prepare for what I hope will be a busy week ahead.

4. I don't want to completely wear myself out.

Saturday 8th August

We arrive in Buxton at around 12.45 pm, ahead of the auditions which are scheduled to begin at 1 pm. As I arrive, news reaches me of last night's auditions for the Festival production of Trial By Jury - namely that no-one auditioned for the part of The Defendant. Before I have time to properly digest this information, Neil Smith, festival Director and Secretary approaches with a beady look in his eye. He wants to know would I be prepared to play The Defendant in the aforementioned production? After a moment's thought, I reply "yes", but with two caveats; firstly, I wouldn't want it to prejudice my chances of performing in Ruddigore, and secondly, I ask to be auditioned by the Producer (Pamela Leighton-Bilik). I don't want to be seen to be walking into a part without so much as a by your leave.

(You may be saying to yourself at this point "Hey! What about his list of reasons not to be involved in this production?". I don't really know what happened to them. I do however know that it's an entirely different proposition when you are asked to play a part to help out, as it were.)

Neil assures me that Trial rehearsals have been scheduled so as not to clash with Ruddigore rehearsals, and disappears to find Pam. She returns with Neil, thanks me profusely for "agreeing to help us out" (her words), and waves aside my wish to be auditioned. It appears there isn't time, so would I please attend a rehearsal that evening from 4 - 7 pm in The Paxton Theatre?. I reply in the affirmative, and as the time is now close to 1 pm, move into the theatre in readiness for the soon-to-begin Ruddigore rehearsals.

The audition panel for Ruddigore consists of Alistair Donkin (Producer), Andrew Nicklin (Musical Director) and Ian Smith (Festival Director). The accompanist is Miss Hilary Morgan. The format is as for previous Festival Production auditions, namely, the panel hears all potential applicants for each principal parts in turn, followed by chorus wannabees.

When it's the turn of would-be Richard Dauntlesses, I discover that I am apparently the only applicant. This causes some degree of mixed feelings; on the one hand, it's a relief not to feel any competition whilst auditioning, but by the same token, there's no competition to force me on to audition better. However, the fact that I am alone means that as long as the Committee thinks I am capable in the role, I'll probably get the part. I give my audition, 1st verse of "I shipp'd, d'ye see", and chunk of dialogue with Robin - act 1, replete with carefully prepared south-western English accent, and return to my seat.

Competition is fiercest for Sir Despard, Old Adam and Rose. There are three would-be Roses, each of whom, one imagines, would be much more than adequate in the part. There are at least 4 Old Adams, again, one could easily have cast two or three excellent ones, and the Sir Despards are almost too numerous to mention. Once more, the quality of the candidates is astonishing. Most of these people, one suspects, are the mainstays of their respective societies, but there can of course be only one successful auditionee per character.

Before dismissing us, Neil announces on behalf of the committee that they are hopeful of being able to cast the show by 3.45 pm and make an announcement, rather than making auditionees wait until around 11.30 pm that evening, as had been planned.

In the meantime, I am given a rehearsal schedule for Trial. It reads: 4 - 7 pm today, 9 - 12 tomorrow morning and 5 - 7 tomorrow evening, then dress rehearsal and show on Monday. A hectic schedule again for the next few days!

Returning to The Paxton Theatre for the casting announcement for Ruddigore, I am delighted to hear my name read out as Richard. There is delight and disappointment in equal measure on the faces around me, and there are congratulations and commiserations to be exchanged with many friends.

We now move straight into the first rehearsal for Pam Leighton-Bilik's Trial, which features a transatlantic cast - an American Plaintiff (June Morris) as well as producer and at least one chorus member, a Canadian Juryman, and two Belgians (well, ex-pat Brits, but who's counting?). Mandie has also joined the ranks of the Ladies' chorus - along with several Savoynetters who are also planning their second Trial within 5 days.

Remarkably, in the three hours of rehearsing, the show quickly takes shape, and is almost completely set by the conclusion, at around 6.45 pm. We have tickets for this evening's Opera House performance, Iolanthe, by The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. I have posted a review of this production elsewhere, so I won't propose to repeat it here. We don't stay behind after the performance, as we need to be back in Buxton again for 9 am tomorrow morning (Trial rehearsal #2)

Sunday 9th August

Arriving for a 9 am start, we assemble in the Club Room over The Old Clubhouse, and are quickly down to earth. This is my first production under an American producer/stage director, and I ought to say at this point that it was for me, a regular eye-opener, to see how someone who has witnessed the greater part of their G&S on the other part of the world, and who, therefore, inevitably has a different take on many things, goes about producing a show. This Trial is to be a long way removed from the one we did last Thursday.

(Important note: I'm not complaining here, nor making any detrimental judgement in the least, merely commenting on the different "take" of different producers/stage directors on the same show).

We break at 12 noon, as Pamela, whose stamina is apparently boundless, has to go off and rehearse the children's Pinafore for a few hours. Mandie and I take a break at this point, and wander off into town (via the Memorabilia Fair in the dungeons of The Old Hall Hotel) for a spot of lunch. Thus refreshed, we still have a few hours to kill before our next rehearsal for Trial, so we look in on the first chorus rehearsal for Ruddigore, in which we find Andrew Nicklin in fine form, drilling the willing chorus into shape. (Some of these poor folk - the ones in both Trial and Ruddigore) will rehearse without much of a break from 9 am until 7pm today! To think I was complaining a few days ago!)

We see the punters flocking to the matinee performance in The Opera House (which is the G&S Opera Company's "Mikado"), and exchange a few hugs and hellos, then presently return to the Club Room for the 5 - 7 pm rehearsal.

Pamela asks me if I have any objection to being suspended, horizontally, at right angles to the stage, whilst I sing "Oh Gentlemen, Listen, I pray!". And suspended, at that, by the ladies of the chorus? What was I to do? I agree, not without some reservations (namely - what if they drop or throw me into the orchestra pit?), and presently, I am being womanhandled and, sure enough, I'm singing in the position described. It's not ideal for breath control, but by concentrating, I work out that I can make something approaching my normal sound despite the attentions of the ladies!

By the end of this rehearsal, the show is starting to take shape, which, considering that only 7 and a half hours of rehearsals have taken place, is not at all bad going in my book. Plans are made for an hour's singing rehearsal tomorrow morning at 9 am, ahead of the first principal rehearsal for Ruddigore, which will begin at 10 am.