Wilmslow Guild Players will be running their annual competitive Festival of One Act Plays next month.
The Wilmslow Festival of One Act Plays, which has been running for over seventy years, will see many varied short plays (around 45 minutes) presented by groups from all over Cheshire, Manchester and further afield. Some plays are written especially for the festival.
Publicity Officer Bill Beton said "We have had a huge number of entries this year so we are looking forward to a fantastic festival.
"We have fifteen plays from ten different societies running over five nights. There's a big bias towards comedies this year – nine out of the fifteen plays."
Entries in the festival come from Cheshire Academy of Performing Arts, CHADS, Heald Green Theatre Company, Chelford Players, Knutsford Little Theatre, ACTS, The Whitehead School of Dance and Drama, SLR Theatre, Loose Cannons Drama Group (all the way from Anglesey) and an entry from the festival hosts, Wilmslow Guild Players.
The festival runs from Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th June at Wilmslow Guild on Bourne Street, with different plays being presented each night. The plays are watched by independent adjudicator who gives a verbal adjudication at the end of each night.
Awards are made on the Saturday night for Best Production (junior, youth and senior) and Best Individual Performance (junior, youth and senior). There are also two discretionary awards, The Adjudicator's Award and the Syd Mence Cup for a Piece of Theatre Magic.
The festival is affectionately referred to as "The Friendly Festival" by some of the participating societies, many of whom have been entering the festival for years. Over the years it has seen some famous feet "tread the boards", such as Doris Speed (of Coronation Street fame); Alan Garner, the local children's author; and Albert Finney, now an established international star of stage and screen.
The festival is open to the public, with tickets costing £3 for each night. Tickets can be booked by calling 01625 520126 or emailing [email protected]. A full running order is on the Wilmslow Guild Players web site atwww.wgp.org.uk.
Photo caption: Wilmslow Guild Players' one act play from last year: The Pen Of My Aunt.
