Right, there has been a lot of discussion about the rules of the challenge. Some people think that we are singing non-stop for 48 hours, others think that we are learning the lines and the tunes in 48 hours, and there are those that think we are staying awake for a full 48 hours. However, the rules are not complicated – we made them up ourselves:

1. Auditions – Open auditions. Thousands of people have applied to take part in Showtime Challenges 1 and 2. The Showtime Challenge offers an opportunity for anyone to have the chance to take part in a production on a West End stage. The 48-hour challenge mean that people with all sorts of careers and busy lifestyles can get involved because it does not include lengthy rehearsal periods.

2. Casting – the team then have the challenge of picking the cast. All candidates go through an intense audition process of separate acting, singing and dancing auditions. Too often, musicals exclude talented performers if the Musical Director thinks that someone cannot sing 27 octaves and not have perfect pitch. This is not the case. Musicals require fantastic all rounders as well as specialists in certain areas. This is not The X-Factor searching for certain individuals. Showtime Challenge auditions for an entire cast, and the director, musical director and choreographers work together to find fantastic performers as well as a great team.

3. The lead roles are then given their scripts and scores to learn over the following 6 weeks. This is done independently from Eyebrow Productions. There can be no rehearsing with the directing team or with each other.

4. Press Weekend – This is the first opportunity when the cast can work together as a team. They cannot perform songs from Me and My Girl, as that would constitute as a rehearsal and therefore a breach of the rules. During Showtime 2 the cast performed songs from shows including Les Miserable, Calamity Jane and West Side Story to thousands of Christmas shoppers in Covent Garden’s piazza. This was followed by a swift ale.

5. The Showtime weekend

a. The rehearsing begins at 19.30 on the Friday evening. This is a run through of the entire production with no direction. This shows the team how well the cast have learnt their parts.

b. The Saturday is reserved for intense rehearsals – blocking, singing choreography and character work all have to take place in a very short space of time. The day finishes with a full run of the show. This can be depressing.

c. Sunday is the day when we get into the theatre. Lighting, sound, set, dancing, make-up and costume, orchestra and everything else needs to be completed by 19.00. The audience arrive and at 19.30 the show begins.

d. Everyone is required to go to the party and enjoy themselves.