This morning’s crash of thunder after a blinding flash of lightening was my wake up call to get writing.

We’re several weeks into our production Kiss Me Like You Mean It and we’ve just finished the most nerve racking (but fun) part of the process to date – finding cast and crew.

What’s important to me is working with people I respect, whose work I enjoy watching and I can get on with. After years working in the corporate world, I know a good team can a big difference to getting things done, with as little pain as possible. This may seem a bit dry and, dare I say it, a tad boring, but I’ll be straight with ya – I just want to work with great people on great scripts.

So I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity and enthusiasm when it came to finding cast and crew.

Finding the right people to audition for the role of Don and Edie was a real joy. It was also a reminder of the old adage “don’t take it personally”, but let’s face it, us actors (and now this producer) know that it is personal. We mainly auditioned people who were recommended to us. Many had at least 40 years experience. Talented, professional actors who clearly loved telling stories and working with other artists. But the decision came down to more than just a great monologue or cold read. Instead, it was about the intangible stuff that you sense about people – the energy, the look and fit. It was personal.

Good crew can be hard to find in the independent theatre scene. It kept me awake at night – tossing ideas around to get the right mix of skills, personality all within money and resource constraints. Sometimes it came down to a recommendation and a chat – “I just love theatre.” or “I just want to work on something that’s organised.” No pressure!

Anyway, welcome Kirk, Carrie, Chloe, Rob, Kate, Lore, Kris, Bonnie and Louisse to our MARC Up team. I can’t wait to get started working with you.

We will be adding cast and crew details here and details of our collaborators here very soon.

And thanks to everyone who signed up, liked us, gave us recommendations and said kind and encouraging things. Stay tuned for more news on how you can be a part of our production very soon.

Carly