Never has a play had more issues with Doodle polls than Yearwalk has this term. Although it has been a logistical nightmare to get every member of the team together in one room, it is only a small price to pay for the range of extremely talented people I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

As a play which promises to take its audience on a journey of mysterious folk tale through the art of music, dance and physical theatre, we were keen to hear what talents everyone auditioning could bring to the table. I don’t think any of us expected however, to be inundated with actors who have had years of professional training in dance and singing, as well as the occasional passion for electric gypsy jazz. To use a beautifully evocative description from Rute Costa, working with such a talented cast and crew “is like being wrapped in several layers of several different coloured blankets of various patterns and textures in the coldest night of the year.” It has been the input of the whole team, Maddy Searle adds, that has enhanced the performance so much:“they have all suggested ideas I never would have thought of…”

Making the most out of such a broad range of talents can be challenging though, especially in a piece which is already tackling the difficulties of staging five contained stories within one overarching narrative. With six directors and an ensemble spread between the different narratives, collaboration and compromise have really been the way forward. Joe Jukes notes though that the compromises have been happy ones: rather than everyone stepping on each other’s toes or one individual trying to micromanage the whole production, the trust the directors have in each other has enabled something to come together which “sings of good teamwork”.

The strange and fantastical nature of the play has also posed challenges. From the beginning we had to make sure we had a strong aesthetic team on board, and they have been working tirelessly to cater to the needs of each individual story while also creating an overall cohesive look for the show. Every bit of devising has had to take into account how the ensemble will transform from story to story, and Tabitha Kane commented that learning to direct a masked cast has been a surprisingly tough process. The hard work pays off though and everything is coming together to create a visual treat to wake up the sleepy late show audiences.

The story has been in development for a year and it’s finally coming to life. The directors, cast and crew have all been through journeys of their own; don’t miss out on your chance to be taken on the Yearwalk journey too.

‘Yearwalk’ opens Wednesday 11th November at 11pm at the ADC and runs until Saturday 14th November.