It is 6.20pm, I am still at work and beginning to think it is time to go home to feed the menagerie of pets when the phone rings. A short while later I am swinging out to go to Subiaco diverted by the lure of a free ticket to a play? a concert? What the heck it was a free ticket so I just said yes to Wendy I will be there.

Which is how I found myself in the intimate surroundings of the Subiaco Arts Centre watching the Midnite Youth Theatre Company throwing all their might into a musical called "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".  This title was not an allegory or a metaphor for something deeper it really was about a spelling bee!  Well developed characters, sheer youthful energy and an appreciative audience made this one act play a delight.  A highlight was a tercet (?) between Clare and Peter Martis with Kimberley Harris blending pathos with some delicate singing.  The extended applause said it all.

A quick exit to feed by now starving cats and a ravenous dog, a great night - and all for free.