A novel penned by a Pimlico woman describes her experiences behind the scenes of London's theatres.
Davina Elliott, of Strutton Ground, has worked on more than 80 theatre productions over the last 20 years.
Her first novel 'Chewing the Scenery', available from Friday, is based loosely on her work in a variety of theatre jobs, from dresser to personal assistant to producer.
Ms Elliott said: "Things can go disastrously wrong when putting on a play, from people forgetting their lines to the wrong sound effect being played. In one show, there was supposed to be the sound of a bell, but the sound of a church organ came through instead.On the opening night of another play, 'The Sound of Music', a zip was broken on one of the actresses' costumes and we had to send her on the stage with her bra and knickers on show."
Her fictional tale tells the story of a group of actors involved in a production of Noel Cowards' 'Blithe Spirit' at the Haymarket Theatre, West End.
Ms Elliott, who is currently working on a production of 'Wicked!', added that she hoped her book would encourage more young people to get involved with the theatre.
