Drama Legacy in Action

Following the very successful staging of the UK One-Act Finals in the city in June, The City of Derry Drama Festival launches the local heats in the Playhouse Theatre from Thursday, November 21 to Saturday, November 23, at 7.30pm nightly.

Festival Chair Elizabeth McCluskey has been overwhelmed by the level of interest.

“Hosting the premier amateur drama event in the UK has certainly stimulated a lot of interest in the massive benefits of one-act festival for both audiences and performers,” she said.

In a terrific line up of eight one-act plays over three nights both seasoned groups and first timers will provide theatre goers with some excellent entertainment. Seldom staged challenging works by Tennessee Williams and Lanford Wilson are performed by award winning groups alongside traditional and modern comedies. There is the evocative tale, full of fun games and surprises of the doomed relationship of a brother and sister, in ‘Home Free’; a totally bananas yarn about a greenhorn who is hoodwinked by a con artist in ‘The Pushcart Peddlers’ and the haunting, tear jerking story of Anastasia’ effort to convince her grandmother of her identity in ‘The Recognition Scene from Anastasia’.

“With this festival we can offer audiences, laughs galore, gentle reflective work and work that makes you pause for thought, all in the space of two hours.”

Gerry McLaughlin, Festival Director, said: “There is also original writing by a local author in ‘Reports are coming In’- an edgy heart stopping cameo from the troubles era and we even take a trip to ‘Heaven’s Waiting Room’ with local group LYLO theatre group.”

Full programme details are available on the Playhouse website: www.derryplayhouse.co.uk.