Backstage at The Gateway – with theatre manager Sophia Moseley

Have you noticed? We're a third of the way through the year. Do you remember the media hype about the twenties? It was going to be equally roaring and raunchy as it was one hundred years ago, albeit with a digital twist.

Who could have predicted what actually happened? I think it's fair to say it has thus far been rubbish and is showing no sign of letting up. But the Gateway Theatre is here to fix that.

Did you take part in the annual Easter Town Trail? We had both veterans and newbies, with one family remembering the prize draw of 2022. Nuff said!

It was another lovely sunny day which meant the Netherhayes' residents could take part and watch as people hunted for the clues. Their life-size Easter Bunny was a big hit!

I'd been eagerly anticipating a visit from Simon Jupp MP, and had the whole event planned, with an exclusive preview of the 'Tales from a Thousand and One Nights' performance by Dragon Boy Productions who were performing that evening. But there's one thing about live theatre you cannot predict, and that's people, or to be more precise, what people eat.

Within an hour of eating a 'fresh' crab sandwich, the lead actor was in no fit state to do anything, and the show was cancelled at the last minute. This sadly meant that the East Devon MP was given a wind-whistle tour sans exclusive, but I did at least get to show him our important bits down below. The boiler – I'm talking about the old boiler in the cellars… behave!

Talking of jobs for the boys, there's a regular job for the girls that is right up there alongside repairing the loos and sweeping the floor, and that's sorting out the recycling.

I was outside making sure the right stuff was in the right bin, and grappling with a paper bag that was in the bottom of the landfill bin, when one of our lovely volunteers stopped by for a chat.

I noticed a chap hovering nearby, obviously waiting to say something. I straight away went into panic mode, wondering what he was going to complain about. He was waiting very patiently whilst I finished my conversation, so I feared the worst.

But to my absolute pleasure, he told me he lived in Fore Street and regularly passed people en route to the theatre and they all comment on the brilliant programme. I was chuffed to bits, and happily dived into the bottom of the bin to pull the one remaining paper bag with a flourish.

The first week of May was a big week for us. The Gateway Theatre was the polling station for the local election, and immediately afterwards, we hosted live screenings of the coronation and the concert over the weekend. I reckon we had more people through the doors over those three days then we have in the first three years of the twenty twenties!