David Thacker, Lizzie and I visit Fred’s garden. They are both as amazed as I was on my first visit by the sheer scale of it, the various pieces of iron-mongery and, in particular, the mine shaft with its huge pit-head gear. David has big ideas about doing a TV film of the play in the garden to coincide with the production.
We skip the fish and chips as David is on a diet and end up in Costa Coffee talking about the set for the play – which could be more or less a naturalistic replica of the actual garden or an abstract version of it, or indeed something in between. We have different visions for it, I think, but we are agreed that the mineshaft should form the centrepiece, whatever form it takes. (I am already thinking about a future tour and whether all that set will fit in a van.)
David gives me advice on the next draft. He says I can write notes in it to him and Lizzie and not be too precise about the actual work the men are doing in the garden, if that helps. It does.
David gives me a sneak preview of the new 2010/11 brochure and I am thrilled to see The Demolition Man sitting well amongst, The Price, Streetcar and Romeo and Juliet. Wow!
