“It’s a pity you didn’t see it with the musicians involved,” says Clive Bell, the director, who’s been sitting next to me. Lou Glandfield and Peter Durgerian. You wouldn’t believe how talented they are, and how much their slide guitar and harmonica adds to the atmosphere of the piece.” I can believe it; during the rehearsal he’s been making stand-in noises to represent the music. Afterwards I have a chat with Clive, one of the only non-locals involved with the play (which was written by Lewes-based Sarah Clifford). “It’s a lovely play, and it’s great fun,” he says. “But it has a serious message behind it. Jim’s way of dealing with his crisis is by creating an alter-ego. But when his fantasy world starts going wrong he realises he’s seriously in trouble.”

The Company have a busy month ahead of them: 19 performances in 18 venues throughout the month of March. “Community theatre is the way things are going,” says Clive, as we smoke a rollie outside the rehearsal room. “It’s rather like old-style travelling theatre troupes: we take the play to the different communities rather than the public coming to our venue. It makes a real difference. It becomes a special event in the towns and villages we visit. Because we are playing in a different venue every time, it makes each performance unique.” Afterwards the stage manager Pat kindly gives me a lift back to Lewes. She tells me how she is involved in sourcing the final props for the show. She tells me about one in particular, which I don’t want to reveal as it would be a bit of a plot spoiler. Suddenly I realise how much I’m looking forward to watching the show. AL