I’m writing this from the comfort of my hotel bed. It’s been a long tiring but incredible first day in Dublin. We’ve been made to feel so welcome by everyone: the hotel staff, the venue team, and the audience at our opening show this evening.

We’re here with Backstage In Biscuit Land as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. Our venue – axis Ballymun, is one of 18 across the City that hosts a really wide range of work.

Niamh, axis’s programmer, who got us over, was one of the first people to see the show when we took it to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014. We’ve been working on plans to bring the show here ever since, so it was particularly exciting to open tonight to a large and very friendly audience.

We got off to a rowdy start. I ticced, “Kick the bear” as people were coming in, and a passing audience member (who had a broken leg) gave our Teddy Ruxpin, a massive kick.

The bear flew across the stage and the music that plays from his tummy stopped abruptly, but Chopin, my co-performer, went to his aid and quickly got him working again. While she did this I led the enthusiastic audience in a rendition of ‘I closed my eyes’ from the musical ‘Joseph’. I knew from then that we were going to have a good show. And we did.