More years ago than I care to remember, I saw Goldfish Girl performed at the Cambridge Festival of Drama — and I believe it may even have won, quite deservedly. I was captivated by it. Discovering afterwards that it had begun life as a radio play only deepened my admiration for the company who had brought it so vividly to the stage.

Ever since then, the play has surfaced in my mind whenever I’ve wondered what Corkscrew Theatre should tackle next. After Nosferatu — as marvellous as it was demanding — we all felt ready for something gentler, warmer and quietly uplifting to help exorcise the vampires. And, right on cue, the persistent goldfish swam back into view.

I was delighted to reconnect with writer Peter Souter, who was wonderfully enthusiastic about our staging the piece and generously helped us find a companion play to create this evening’s double bill.

Over the past weeks we have so enjoyed getting to know Ally and Joe, Phil and Jess, and of course the unforgettable Mr Tuttepetto. One of the great pleasures of rehearsing Peter’s work is the way it appears, at first glance, to capture ordinary everyday life — only for extraordinary depth, humour and humanity to emerge as the characters reveal themselves. These are people who feel instantly recognisable, and perhaps that is why they touch us so deeply.

We very much hope you enjoy spending time in their company this evening as much as we have.

Lesley