of being

Agapanthus africanus /  "Peter Pan" / Lily of the Nile

Image: Pender Nursery, Inc.

How do you begin to cast 39/possibly 42 young people from 140+ auditioning? Only one-in-four possibilities and thus three-in-four potential disappointments for people.

The criteria is complex, almost indefinable, and changes slightly from person to person because of the mix of natural skills, neverland skills, personalities and presence: 'of being'.

What has impressed was the incredible commitment of body, voice and thought; the listening, the watching, the thinking - the concentration and focus; and everyone's ability to communicate something so very honestly and refreshingly. Everyone laughed a lot! A good sign.

You got a great sense of the responsibility and prestigiousness of it all.

This year there were two-hour workshops onto which people had booked themselves - thus doubling the play time. This meant that time pressures were completely dispelled together with the self-imposed and imposed pressures of auditioning.

These did not feel like auditions. They were definitely workshops with the by-product being the casting. This was incredible. There was even a great sense of self-selection - v. complicated to explain.

There were many, many young people who we did not know and a handful who were in Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.

Tonight we meet to put in place our three teams: THE NANAS, THE CROCODILES and THE MERMAIDS.