News
Orginal Plays - a new Coordinator
The Original Playwriting Competition for 2014 has been launched, with a new Coordinator at the helm. Pam Hillier has taken over from Jane Edwards, whose has done sterling work in the job for the past three years and stepped down after the County Drama Festival in March. Pam has assembled a new reading panel and is looking forward to receiving plenty of entries this summer - the closing date will be 9th September 2014. Please see the Originals Page for details of the competition and to download an Entry Form.
Somerset hosts The Five Counties
Somerset played host to The Five Counties Youth Festival this year, which was held on Sunday 27th April in a packed-out Edington Village Hall, with over 100 people (including casts and crews) to hear adjudicator Meryl Duff announce this year's winner. You can read who it was, along with a full report of the Festival, if you open May's issue of Spotlight, which will be out on Thursday 1st May!
This page updated 28.4.14
New on the website
Sam Allen continues to produce our colourful and newsy magazine 'Spotlight' on the 1st of every month, and the March edition is a bumper one, with lots of interesting articles and no less than 12 reviews of pantos seen since the end of January! Have you read yours yet?
Look out also for the details of this year's County Drama Festival, with nine very varied and interesting one act plays being performed over the weekend 22nd/23rd March at The Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster. Full details in the March issue of Spotlight, or on the County Drama page of this website.
This page updated 4.3.14
Originals available to read
If you are looking for an original play to enter in the County Drama Festival in March why not try some of this year's shortlist from the Original Playwriting Competition? Jane Edwards and her panel have selected six, and have got their authors' permission to put the scripts as downloads on this website. They are all on the Original Playwriting page - go on; see if you can pick a winner!
This page updated 6.12.13
November Spotlight
November's Spotlight is available to download - full of news, and colour and interest. Note particularly that we are looking for entries in next year's County Drama Festival; you can find contact details on the County Drama page. Also the Phoebe Rees adjudication page has been updated with the winner of this year's competition - Street Theatre's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
This page updated 4.11.13
Phoebe Rees Pics
The photos taken by Roger Price at the Phoebe Rees Presentation Evening on Saturday 12th October at The Shubbery Hotel in Ilminster are now available to view on Photobox www.photobox.co.uk/album/1523771419 and the password is Shrubs.
Original Playreading
The plays on the shortlist from this year's SFD Playwriting Competition will be read aloud on Sunday 20th October, 10am - 4pm at The Place, Wilfred Rd, Taunton TA1 1TB. All very welcome to come and read or just listen. Sandwiches provided.
This page updated 14.10.13
Somerset Group wins British Final
Troupers, a small drama group based in Frome, who won the County Shield at the CDF at Somerton back in March with their production of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Act 1, have battled their way through successive rounds against fierce competition from no less than 340 plays from all over the country - and ended up representing England at the British One Act Festival Final, held this year in Derry in N. Ireland on 5th/6th July.
The cast (Richard Thomas as Bri, Tina Waller as Sheila and 10 year-old HollyMcPhee-Clarke as their profoundly brain-damaged daughter Joe) gave an electrifying performance to an audience of over 300 people in the city's Millenium Forum Theatre. Adjudicator Tom Docherty described it as "darkly funny and deeply moving" and seemed to have no hesitation in announcing it the overall winner.
This is the first time Somerset have ever had a British champion!
This page updated 18.7.13
Cinderella Presentation Evening
The names of all those who won awards at the CTC Presentation Evening on Saturday May 11th have been posted on the Cinderella Trophy page, and there is also a link to Photobox where you can see all the photos which Roger Price kindly took that evening.
This page updated 21.5.13
David Beach Competition
Please note the following letter which will be going out shortly to all the Societies who regularly enter the David Beach Competition.
"I am writing to tell you about some changes we are making to the David Beach Competition panel.
The Coordinator is now Di Dean and she will be your main point of contact for all matters relating to the competition.
Former Adjudicator Ian Hurdman takes over as Moderator and he, together with experienced Adjudicator Ron Roberts, will provide continuity. The format of the competition will remain unaltered.
The SFD committee would like to thank the members of the team who are stepping down for all their hard work in the past.
If you have any queries regarding your adjudication for 2013, Di Dean will be pleased to answer them."
Kind Regards
Pat Sollis
SFD Secretary
The David Beach page has been updated, and Di Dean's contact details can be found under the David Beach Competition section in Documents & Resources. Please note that the DB entry form will be updated shortly. Meanwhile do not sent Entry Forms to Sandra Pittwood since they may not be acted upon.
There will be more information about the changes in May's issue of Spotlight, which will be posted on Wednesday May 1st.