Skate escape

Rehearsals for Noel Coward's Volcano at the Palace theatre, London Road, Westcliff are entering their final phase.

Coward's characters are endlessly fascinating, and there continues to be much lively debate about their interpretation for a modern audience.

We have to have everything read earlier than usual because the Easter break falls on our Production Weekend.

As the first night approaches, we also have to make time for press interviews to promote the production.

Local actor Ryan Philpott has been getting a lot of attention, particularly when it was discovered that the Grand Hotel in Leigh where we are rehearsing is also the venue for his brother's wedding reception!

Rehearsing in Leigh means that at lunchtime I can escape to the seafront on my roller-blades.

Although my pace is relatively sedate compared to the incredible stunts achieved by some of the younger skaters there, it's a great way to escape the tensions of the final countdown and to re-focus the mind.

My lunchtime skating routine was interrupted on Friday by a welcome visit from Philip Hoare, Noel Coward's latest biographer, and his researcher Mark Ashurst, a Financial Times reporter.

It was Mark who originally brought us this lost script and he was keen to hear how it is developing in rehearsal.

Philip is writing some programme notes for us, and also very kindly lending us some rare photographs of Coward.

Another pleasurable diversion from skating took place on Saturday, when I was invited to enjoy the hospitality of the Palace Theatre Club at their annual lunch.

They, too, were keen to hear about progress on Volcano, which they have sponsored.

Members gave me some very positive feedback about the theatre's programme, as well as some interesting suggestions for the future.

The next day I was at an annual gathering of a different kind, this time the Conference of the actors' union Equity, where the difficulties faced by regional theatre were high on the agenda.

I was reminded once again how lucky we are at the Palace, with our committed actors and staff, our hugely supportive council and local media and our strong and loyal theatregoer's club.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.