National Drama Festival at Forum

For the first time in its 80-year history the UK’s premier community drama event the National Drama Festival will be staged here.
Pauric Dunne and Martin Blayney  of Lurig Drama Club represent Northern Ireland in UK Drama Festival Final in Millennium Forum.Pauric Dunne and Martin Blayney  of Lurig Drama Club represent Northern Ireland in UK Drama Festival Final in Millennium Forum.
Pauric Dunne and Martin Blayney of Lurig Drama Club represent Northern Ireland in UK Drama Festival Final in Millennium Forum.

On Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 teams from Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland will stage their award-winning one-act plays.

Chairwoman of City of Derry Drama Festival, Elizabeth McCloskey, said: “While it is a serious competition there is lots of comedy in the programme and it is great to have this year’s top teams in the UK join in our City of Culture celebrations.”

The Festival opens with Lurig Drama Group’s comedy ‘Duck Variations’ by David Mamet and is followed by Atholl Players, Scotland with Neil Simon’s ‘Visitors from London’. Saturday opens with ‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ by Peter Nichols presented by the Troupers drama group from Somerset and is followed by ‘A Little Box of Oblivion’ by Stephen Bean.

The adjudicator is Tommy Doherty, Guild of Drama Adjudicators.

The Festival is organised by the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals in association with the City of Derry Drama Festival and supported by Derry CityCouncil and the Culture Company. See Forum website.