26.3.24

So, rehearsals started yesterday…   

It’s a massive deal. I bounce between sadness, incredulity and awe (I mean what the actual fuck?) and a strange, unformed somethingness I can’t pin down. Maybe there are no words. 

What would Connor say? 

Mum, mum… is there a play, mum? Is it in London, mum?  Does it have buses in it, mum? 

Yes. And yes, it does. And so much more… 

Stephen Unwin and the wider team are deeply committed to the production in ways that are moving and reassuring. He’s also welcomed repeated comment on the script which is comforting. It feels like a collective endeavour, as it should be.

I’ve loved gaining insights into stage production, the mechanics, expertise and magic. Contributions from the casting director, set designer, video designer, sound composer, timings, processes including the daily rehearsal call document which lays out the timetable and attendees. The Rehearsal Room is a space I never considered… And there’s a daily show report.

Who knew? 

#JusticeforLB magic has reawakened from a light slumber/cat nap.  The chaotic and brilliant archive of campaign artwork, screen-grabbed Tweets and outlandish ‘comms’ is being curated and shared by George Julian. Tickets are being bought and other support offered by J4LB campaigners who stepped up a decade ago.  

I spoke with John Harris from the Guardian. We talked about similarities between his son, Connor and our experiences of services. Keep an eye out, I said, when he described the odd turbulent time.  

An eye out for what?  

Not losing sense.  

We didn’t bring Connor home from the unit because we were waiting for The Multi-Disciplinary Team meeting. An ‘important’ meeting with people we naively thought central to Connor’s future in terms of support. It was finally arranged on July 8. Four days after Connor died. This now seems absurd. Though we didn’t know the half of it back then.

The play with its breathtaking pace, humour and searing satire captures the unthinkable, the then, now and in between, with love at the centre.

As it should be.

Tickets are available from Jermyn Street Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath.