Lights, camera, action

All the world’s a stage, so they say

Remember your mark, play your part, speak your lines

Be the character everyone expects

And then leave

Wait in the wings until

It is your moment again

Behind the scenes is more important

Than playing to the audience

If less structured

Props, costumes, scripts and lines

All the planning on which the show lives or dies

You pause, you focus, you prepare

You wonder, sneakily

If you might not shake it up a bit

Ad-lib, leave your place, let the camera follow you

Be the star of your own spin-off

That’s a thought, appealing and intimidating

And it all starts backstage

Behind the scenes.