My first attempt at theatre outside of school was a sublime surprise. Trials started the beginning of this year when all theatres in London tossed my resume aside. However, opportunities do exist for those who chose to Google it. Thank you, London One Act Festival. How cool is it that a bunch of darling women have been running this for a decade, giving a light of opportunity to complete strangers?

After I found out about LOAF I was determined to take advantage of that month of unemployment and write a play, I literally cut and pasted my life and it worked. March first, I bound my scripts in resentment just hoping I would get them back when unaccepted. Ten days later I harassed the LOAF ladies to no end and was in the festival, and it’s still relieving to think about.

After only one stint with self-doubt I held auditions: putting up signs, buying bottle water, etc. I’m thankful I didn’t go as far to bake muffins because no one showed up. Eventually, as we were packing up in defeat, Kathy Quayle arrived a little lost from being unable to find the audition; needless to say she was immediately cast as Valerie, the older sister I diagnosed with “hostess syndrome.” Kathy was a great pleasure to work with, responsive to anything I could throw at her.

The next step was casting Lydia, the younger, emotional-head-smash sister. I emailed Kate Harter and her schedule worked and there she was, in my cast. Kate was also fun to work with, with fun energy and good stories.

After the first few rehearsals with Brit Cruise as James, and a roommate Cam as second eyes and tow truck man, I felt more and more confident with the reality of this. Being in charge of several aspects of production was horrifying: it’s my first run-in with real theatre responsibility and I didn’t think I was trained as well as I was to deal with it. But the cast was supportive and ready to listen to my ideas and it was “organic” as Kathy Q. put it.

Set design and costumes were determined after the cast. I kept it as simple as possible. We found a fridge box on Dundas and brought it home, picked a few more things out of the kitchen and spray painted it all on the lawn. Props came together in the last week once lines were down completely. My hardest decision (made easy due to time) was to have unreal or real props: I chose both, and it was a bad choice and my biggest criticism in adjudication.

Tech rehearsal scared me: I didn’t know my character while watching the lights and cast and props: I was overwhelmed. I noticed in the program that other plays had people take on positions of director, actor, and stage manager; I remember saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

After all the worries, the performances were a hit. We received incredible feedback from Caitlin Murphy, who really gets it. She was very cool to meet, and I hope to rewrite my play with her tips in mind.

I recommend the experience to anyone. The LOAF ladies really know how to put on a show…and it could be yours!