(Image credit to Hannah Moss, who is also a brilliant actor)

I've just finished day 1 of rehearsals for Have You Met Stan? It's been a bloomin' lovely day. I also had some "brush up" rehearsals last week on my opera, The Marriage of Figaro. And the main thing that I've taken from those few days is how much I love being in the rehearsal room.

When I'm wading through emails and job applications or working some slightly odd contracts to protect my flexibility, it can be tricky to feel the love of the arts. I remember tweeting once "making theatre is the best but getting your ducks in order so that you can make theatre is the worst." When it limits my social life and my financials prospects, it would be easy to ask why I keep doing this.

The simple answer is because making plays is the best thing I get to do. For the brief moments that I play with actors in the studio, and we dream and explore new worlds, I feel fantastic. It genuinely make it worth the slog on every other working day.