Third Annual Write Fest

Between Thursday 29th and Saturday 31st January, Progress Theatre presents the Third Annual Write Fest. Tickets cost just £7 and the show starts at 7.45pm.

On each night of the festival, nine short plays and sketches lasting from 5 to 20 minutes will be performed. Almost 100 scripts were submitted by writers from across the country and the final line-up includes drama, dance, comedy and horror.

Tickets can be bought on the door or booked in advance at the Hexagon or Reading Town Hall, by phone on 0118 9606060 or online at http://www.readingarts.com/.

Email writefest@progresstheatre.co.uk for more info.

Playlist:

"Bedtime Story" by Richard Stanley - A teenage girl dreads the thought of her grandmother reading her a bedtime story, but when the story becomes real and the dastardly Boogieman dances onto the stage, you won't know whether to laugh or cower in fear.

"But is it Art?" by Liz Carroll - Modern art. Nobody understands it, least of all three visitors to a gallery who each see something different in one very special painting.

"Family Business" by Progress Strobes Youth Group - Devised by the one of Progress' active youth groups and performed at the Maidenhead drama festival last year to fantastic acclaim, don't miss this opportunity to see what children think about their parents.

"Hirsuitor" by Gillian Shimwell - A nightmare vision of one man's descent into madness.

"Lisa and Leona" by Simon Josiffe - Two girls, a bag of crisps, and memories of old school days.

"Mermaids A Comin'" by Sandra Wathall - A young girl persuades an old woman to join in with her games on the beach. When the tide comes in and strands them on a rock, however, a miracle is needed.

"The Time of Year" by Graham Sellors - New Year, and two people find themselves alone. A timely power cut sends one of them searching for some light, and maybe a new chance at happiness.

"Where No Woman Has Gone Before…" by Chris Moran - A science fiction geek has found a real girl to distract him from fantasies about Princess Leia, but now he must clear the evidence of his unhealthy obsession from his flat before she arrives for a quiet night in.

"Who is Sylvia?" by Liz Carroll - A woman sits in her kitchen clutching a bloodied knife. Whose blood is it and where has Sylvia got to?

Second Write Fest tickets on sale now

Tickets for the Second Write Fest are now on sale at a bargain price of £8 (£7 for concessions).

Nine short plays by writers from around the country and all receiving their premieres. Whether you like comedy, drama or music, respect straight-talking hard men or prefer poetic souls you will find something to your taste at the event that is the Write Fest.

Showcases of new plays have been produced by Progress for almost ten years, giving writers, actors and directors an opportunity to experiment and hone their skills. Until the First Write Fest last year these events had been for members only.

The consistent quality and strength of the writing prompted Progress to open the event up for public viewing, inviting everyone to see cutting edge theatre at its best. My Voice(s), discussed elsewhere in this blog, premiered at the First Write Fest and was so well received that it transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Be the first to see this brand new collection of exciting plays at Progress and keep an eye out for the "next big thing".

If you have any queries, please email writefest@progresstheatre.co.uk

Book now via Reading Arts

Progress goes to Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival starts in just a few days and a play that began life as a small piece in the First Writefest last year has been expanded and is going to join the fun.

My Voice(s) started as a ten minute piece as part of an evening of new writing. Although Progress has produced similar evenings for the last 10 years, known as "Showcase", with the aim of giving new writers, actors and directors a chance to hone their skills, last February was the first time that the event was publicised to the general public.

Kerry Murdock (who you might have seen in Entertaining Mr Sloane last year) wrote a piece about a woman recovering from the break-up of a relationship and advised, sometimes helpfully, often not, by three of her own inner voices played by Alice Mulford (Good Woman of Setzuan), Emma Sterry (choreographer for Godspell) and Tonya Walton (The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband). As an intense piece of physical theatre, full of music and dance, it wowed the audiences and Kerry took it on herself to develop the piece and take it to Edinburgh with her own theatre company Friction Theatre (visit their blog).

Keeping the same cast, also including Owen Goode (Good Woman of Setzuan, Godspell) and Alana Ramsey (Good Woman of Setzuan), and director Steph Weller (Skylight) the new improved piece has been in preparation for months, received a preview performance at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham and the entire crowd arrived in Edinburgh last night ready for the first performance this evening. If you're in that part of the country, you can see them as the Rocket @ Demarco Roxy Art House at 10.45pm each evening. Alternatively, YouTube has a video of the show as seen at Progress.

If you're a writer and want more information about Progress' Writer's Group, please contact us at enquiries@progresstheatre.co.uk