I had ten days to design and realise a set for Sweet Charity in the Theatre Royal. It had to serve for all the locations, be capable of accommodating one hundred and thirty performers and an orchestra of thirty-two; it had to erected in a little under three hours, take advantage of whatever backdrops and flats were readily available and be quick to strike after the show. I had a budget of £1000.00 and one of the largest stages in the West end to fill!

The idea behind Eyebrow Productions' Showtime Challenge is that a musical and a venue are chosen, performers are cast and are given their parts and songs to learn for a few weeks, but the whole show is then directed, choreographed and rehearsed in the forty-eight hours prior to the performance. The entire set for The Producers was trucked into the wings and flown out into the fly tower, leaving an empty black space; then followed a whirlwind of erecting flats, miking musicians, programming lights and dress/teching, not to mention the TV documentary crew who seemed to be lurking in every dark corner.