DIRECTOR, writer and actor David Ayres on the challenge of staging a show in just 24 hours at Bradford Playhouse.

“So, it all started with a phone call asking me if I would like to direct the 24 Hour Show at Bradford Playhouse. The challenge? To put on an entire show, from casting to full performance and everything in between.

I have directed many shows, TV pilots and short films before, but never anything in 24 hours. What was I letting myself in for?

Fast forward a few weeks to Friday, October 18 and there I was, standing on stage at 7.30pm with the production team in front of an auditorium full of participants, about to reveal what show we would be doing. Only the production team knew what it was beforehand, but as we revealed what it would be, the participants applauded and cheered. From this point, those who were there to help backstage were whisked away, whilst the actors were thrown straight into auditions. By 10.30pm the show had been cast, and the all-night rehearsals were kicked off.

The rehearsals worked in three teams. At the top of the Playhouse were the dance rehearsals, expertly taught by choreographer, Emma Hunter. On the middle floor was the amazing Lucy Stephenson, who was the musical director, and then in the Studio was myself, taking the cast through the acting of each scene. Groups of actors would spend the night rotating between these various departments, with each scene rehearsed, all assisted by the production assistant, Mickey May. The rehearsal schedule was expertly planned by the producer, Lanna Howard, who kept the whole event running like clockwork.

At around 4am, everyone was given a sleep break for a couple of hours. I only managed around 20 minutes. My brain wouldn’t switch off, and there is only so much sleep you can get on the Playhouse office floor...

By 6am, everyone was straight back into rehearsals with huge help from a full English breakfast provided by the Playhouse. From 8am onwards, we were on to running each scene with all the acting, singing and dancing combined. It was at this point, seeing how well the actors had developed their characters, that I knew I was dealing with an extremely talented group of performers. This feeling was only heightened when I went to check up on the set, only to find a full Greek hotel front had been constructed, with a jetty and a rowing boat which could sail across the stage.

“What the set builders and prop makers had achieved in such a small space of time was jaw-dropping, with all the technical aspects having been expertly overseen by the technical directors, Megan Wilson and Andrew Roberts. I couldn’t wait to get what was happening in the rehearsal rooms onto the stage, and for everyone’s hard work to be combined. As rehearsals continued, I spent some time with the lighting department, plotting out the lighting set ups for each scene. From there, time seemed to fly as cast got fitted for costumes, the stage was tidied, the dress rehearsal was run, and the audience started to arrive. And then it was show time!

To say the performance was a success is an understatement. To say I was amazed with the efforts of everyone involved is an even bigger understatement. Every participant really was a credit to themselves and their craft, and I was truly humbled to have been able to direct such an amazing group of people.

This was the Bradford Playhouse’ fifth 24 Hour Show, but it was only my first. It won’t be my last. But huge thanks has to go to the lady who pulled this all together and made the whole thing possible - Megan Wilson.

Oh, and what was the show? Well I guess you had to be there. Overall it was an exhausting experience, but it is also some of the best fun you will ever have.

What’s next at the Playhouse? Well the theatre is to be taken over by a huge alien plant called Audrey 2...”

* FUN musical Little Shop of Horrors, running at the Playhouse from November 6-9, is “an evening of macabre laughs and doo-wop songs”.

When a shy florist shop clerk called Seymour finds a bizarre new plant after a solar eclipse, he quickly discover that this odd-looking seedling may be the key to boosting custom into the floundering Skid Row store. Naming the plant Audrey II in honour of the quirky store clerk he has a crush on, Seymour begins to nurture the seedling with the only thing it wants to eat - his blood. As the shop thrives, with customers flocking to see the plant, so does Audrey II - into a giant, blood-sucking carnivore with designs of world domination. Seymour must try to save the world from the alien plant and its sinister spores.

Inspired by 1960 Roger Corman film, the rock musical premiered off Broadway in 1982 before enjoying a successful run on Broadway and in London’s West End. It was later a film by veteran puppeteer Frank Oz.

“While the musical may seem like a send-up of 1950s sci-fi movies, it also has its roots in the German legend of Faust,” says producer Megan Wilson. “Little Shop of Horrors is our third full-scale musical produced in-house at Bradford Playhouse by our fabulous team. Our last two shows, Rent and Chicago, had rave reviews and this one I’m sure will be no exception. It has been a pleasure watching it come together.”

* For tickets call (01274) 800415 or visit bradfordplayhouse.org.uk