Breaking a leg on the Fringe

Well, if you've ever worked in the theatre, you'll know that actors, being superstitious, prefer 'Break a leg!' to a conventional 'Good luck!', but the phrase has started to acquire sinister connotations with our production of my play, Table for One at this year's Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe. I started getting a cast together last February and thought I was terribly organised, but then in August someone dropped out, and by the time we'd found a substitute our 'Miranda' had broken her foot. Luckily she's now out of the pot and doing a splendid job, but then last week the first full rehearsal was missing a 'Martin', as he had - get this - injured his leg falling down the stairs at work when his Health and Safety Officer dropped some papers on which he slipped. You really couldn't make it up, could you? Fortunately not a break this time, but I'm holding my breath to see what else fate has in store ...