‘That must be exhausting.’
Mimi shrugged. ‘That’s just how it goes in this business.’
‘If you say so. This is still all pretty new to me.’
‘It’s a learning curve,’ Aoife said, smiling at him. ‘But you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.’
They sometimes forgot that Jonathan wasn’t theatre folk. He saw it as an inconvenience, whereas Sive knew Mimi thrived on the work and couldn’t be happier.
‘Right. So,’ he said, turning back to the agenda. ‘Private Livesends in two weeks. Then we’re into the theatre festival and rehearsals. We’ve got a rehearsal space booked?’
Aoife nodded. ‘Just around the corner from Halfpenny Lane.’
They usually rehearsed in the theatre itself, but they were letting it out for touring productions and events during the theatre festival, so they’d have the luxury of a dedicated rehearsal space forA Christmas Carol.
‘We can certainly afford it afterPrivate Lives,’ Jonathan said. The show had sold out for the length of its run, with queues down the street every night hoping for returns, thanks to Rocco’s star power. They’d also had a very successful live stream of the show, which had brought in a lot of money. Halfpenny Lane’s coffers were healthier than they’d ever dreamed possible.
They ran through the various companies and events that were using the theatre during the festival – there was an acclaimed Polish production ofHamletthat would run for a week, a couple of one-off interviews and panels, and an American contemporary dance troupe – before moving on to discussA Christmas Carol.
In many ways, it would be their most ambitious production yet. It was a large cast, even with some of the actors doubling up on roles and weaving in and out of the chorus. Furthermore,it would be an immersive experience. Actors would pass through the auditorium as the audience gathered, handing out clementines, and in the interval the audience would be invited onto the stage to mingle with actors dressed as Victorian tradesmen, serving mince pies and mulled apple juice that was included in the price of the ticket.
‘Now that casting is complete, I can take everyone’s measurements and get started on the costumes,’ Sive said.
‘We can get someone else to take over on wardrobe for this production,’ Mimi said to her. ‘It’s a lot to take on when you’re in the show as well.’
‘No, I’m happy to do it. I’m looking forward to it.’ She loved costumery, and sourcing or making the period costumes required would keep her far too busy for brooding over Ben. ‘Besides,’ she added, when Mimi still looked sceptical, ‘we can afford to hire costumes now, so I shouldn’t have to make anything from scratch.’
‘There’s a healthy allocation for it in the budget,’ Aoife said.
Mimi nodded her agreement.
‘What about the food?’ Jonathan asked. ‘Anything other than mince pies?’
‘I think we should keep it simple,’ Aoife said. ‘Just stick to mince pies.’
‘We’ll have to be careful about allergies,’ Sive said. ‘So no nuts. And I could make some gluten-free ones too.’
Mimi reared back in horror. ‘You willnotbe doing the baking on top of everything else,’ she told Sive sternly. ‘That would be a ridiculous amount of work. Not to mention that it could get us into serious trouble.’
Jonathan nodded. ‘There are a lot of regulations around providing food for public consumption. You’d have to have your kitchen inspected and approved for starters. Best leave it to the professionals.’
‘I vote we ask Chloe to do it,’ Mimi said.
‘That’s a great idea,’ Aoife agreed. ‘She’ll know all about allergies and stuff, and she has a commercial kitchen. And it’d be nice to give her the business.’
‘It would be good advertising for her. We’ll put her in the acknowledgments, of course, but we could give her a free ad for the bakery in the programme too.’
Sive had to acknowledge they were right. She’d have enough on her plate, and she’d be happy for Chloe to get the job. They all liked her.
‘And for drinks, there’s mulled apple juice,’ Jonathan said. ‘Any alcoholic option?’
‘No,’ Mimi said sternly. ‘If they want alcohol, they can buy it in the bar.’
‘It’ll keep things flowing more easily too if people don’t have a choice,’ Aoife said. ‘And there’s no risk of slip-ups. We don’t want to be liable for someone underage getting served alcohol.’
‘I’ll need to get principals’ costumes sorted as soon as possible, so we can arrange a photoshoot and posters. I can—’ Sive was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.
‘Oh, that’ll be Rocco,’ Mimi said as Sive jumped up to answer it.
