Drama queens come to Ballymoney this Saturday

Amateur dramatic societies from throughout Northern Ireland have been competing over the past few months and the three companies who will be performing in Ballymoney on Saturday night represent the top three teams in the competition.

The adjudicator for this year's final is Paul Fowler from Northants and the winning team will represent Northern Ireland at the British One Act Festivals Final in Swindon in July.

The evening opens with Belvoir Players from Belfast who will be performing David Compton's After Midnight – Before Dawn. Six people are awaiting death in a seventeenth century prison cell having been sentenced for witchcraft. Amidst the general despair one person appears strangely calm.

Next on stage are The Clarence Players from Belfast with The Hebrew Lesson by Wolf Mankowitz. An elderly immigrant Jew is trying to learn some phrases in Gaelic to help him sell his goods at his market stall. A young man on the run from the dreaded "Black and Tans" breaks into his house. Separated by their very different backgrounds they are united in fear. They learn something of each other's philosophy and character when, in a moment of crisis, a decision has to be made whether to defend a principle through violent or peaceful means.

The final group of the evening is Newpoint Players from Newry who will be presenting Can't Stand Up for Falling Down by Richard Cameron. Three women, all connected by one aggressive and misogynistic man, recall and take us through tough and emotional memories from their lives. This takes the plot through crisis after crisis and culminates with a mutual decision by the women to make their own deadly stand.

Tickets 8, concessions 6 (unreserved seating) are available from Ballymoney Town Hall 028 2766 0230.