Winners Abbey Players perform “Recidivists” by Matthew Clift. L to r, Richard Shields as Frank and Nathan Harvey as Honey.
A Nuneaton drama group has won the third Lighthorne Festival of One-Act plays.
Abbey Players top-scored with the four-night event’s opening piece – “Recidivists” by Matthew Clift.
The dark comedy, directed by Abbey’s Artistic Director Dave Sedgwick, is set in a grim prison cell inhabited by homophobic prisoner Frank, played by Richard Shields, whose prejudices are confronted when camp performer Honey, played by Nathan Harvey, is moved in.
Abbey beat an impressive 10-strong field including the Loft from Leamington Spa, the Priory from Kenilworth and Rugby Theatre.
They picked up an engraved glass trophy, a £500 first prize and the opportunity to nominate a charity of their choice for a further £500 donation. They chose Cancer Research. The win also gives them the right to apply for selection to the National Drama Festival Association’s British All-Winners Finals to be held next month in Woking, Surrey.
Adjudicator Mike Kaiser, a Council member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, placed the Priory Theatre of Kenilworth in second place with the Alan Ayckbourn comedy “Between Mouthfuls”. Armistice Theatre, also of Kenilworth, came third with World War One drama “Hero” by Michael Lynch. Lighthorne Drama Group came fourth with “Lifecoach” written by Coventry playwright Nick Walker.
All four groups scored over 80% on the Guild of Drama Adjudicators’ scoring system.
Lighthorne Festival chairman Rod Chaytor said:”It is very pleasing that – in direct contradiction to the national picture regarding drama festivals – ours is growing and flourishing.
“Having, for the first time, our top four all score over 80%, which is the GoDA benchmark of excellence, is very gratifying. Standards continue to rise year on year.”
Two original works performed at the Lighthorne Festival have been nominated for the NDFA George Taylor award for original drama and will be considered by a panel which sits during the BAWF July Festival.
They are Nick Walker’s “Lifecoach”, and “Impersonators”, written by Stratford playwright Noel Dollimore, which was performed at the Festival by the town’s Second Thoughts theatre company.
In all, 10 theatre groups performed 12 one-act plays over the four night Festival at which the audience is seated at tables, cafe-style, in Lighthorne Village Hall and served a hot meal in the interval. The festival format is agreed to be unique nationwide.
Abbey Players’ win keeps the Lighthorne Festival title in Nuneaton. It was won in 2014 by the Sudden Impulse theatre company, which is also based at the town’s Abbey Theatre.
Applications for the 2016 Festival, running from Wednesday June 8 to Saturday June 11, 2016, are invited to rod.chaytor@icloud.com by October 31, 2015.