Details

Four writers have been selected to each produce a 20-25 minute play. Bryony Weaver, Judey Bignell, Michelle Donkin and Sarah Drew have been guided through an editorial process by two professional writers and their plays have been passed on to four experienced directors, who have continued the development process to bring these plays to the stage in our Short Play Festival. All the writers, directors and their mentors have strong connections with the New Venture Theatre. Agency - As a press secretary turned whistleblower prepares to leave a destructive administration behind, she is forced to face her embittered colleague for one last time. Hope That Plays a Tune Alone - This is the story of two women who, each in their own way, have found a means to survive loss in an England slowly recovering from war. The support and the mutual understanding they come to find in each other brings the strength they need to carry on and to grow. Match and Matrimony - A lovingly written Jane Austen parody with all your favourite characters; the roguish cad, the mother with a mania for marriage and, of course, the gender-fluid female-identifying young man looking for love in a heteronormative world. The Colour of Water - What should be a happy day for the family is clouded over with memories of the past, and when a neighbour arrives unexpectedly, bringing with him a Westerner's view of marriage and relationships, things take an unexpected turn.

Creatives/Company

Author(s): Michelle Donkin (Agency), Sarah Drew (Hope That Plays a Tune), Judey Bignell (Match and Matrimony), Bryony Weaver (The Colour of Water)
Director(s): Ian Amos (Agency), Mark Wilson (Hope That Plays a Tune), Chris Gates (Match and Matrimony), Alex Epps (The Colour of Water)