The Avon Short Play Festival is organised by Avon Association of Drama. It is a preliminary round of the All England Theatre Festival; a national competition.
The winner of the Avon Festival goes on to represent Avon at the Western Area Final.
The Avon Short Play Festival usually takes place in February or March; entry is open to any amateur group who gather together to present a performance.
You can see the Rules for the Festival here
The Festival is also affiliated to the National Drama Festival Association; meaning entries are considered for the NDFA Finals
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What will I get from this Short Play Festival?
To be honest we never quite know.
Some of the plays will be well-known, others newly written. Some companies enter regularly, for others it’s their first time. The plays may have large casts or be two-handers, be technically complicated or very simple, have youth or adult performances, be realistic dramas, fantasies, farces or tragedies ......
We are all gathered together, companies, audiences and adjudicator, to share in the drama on stage, to relish new approaches or appreciate tried and tested methods. Like the plays our tastes vary and so does the quality of productions. At the end of the session the casts and crews join us in the audience to listen to the adjudicator.
The Adjudicator
A well qualified drama expert who will give us their constructive advice and criticism. Audiences have been heard to say ‘I really enjoyed that and now I see why I did’ or maybe ‘It didn’t really work – but if they took that advice ‘.
These adjudications are based on Acting 40 Production 35 Stage Presentation 15 Dramatic Achievement 10.
On the final night there is the presentation of some lovely awards and we learn who goes forward to the Western Area Final and maybe onwards and upwards to the English and the British Finals. It is always fascinating to see how companies deal with different stages, adjudicators and audiences.
ORIGINAL PLAYS
Are frequently performed at our festival. We are always keen to encourage them as it is very difficult for new playwrights to get their plays performed and like actors they need to learn their trade. There is a specific award for the best original play and such plays are also eligible for the Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy via the AETF and the Derek Jacobi Playwriting Award via NDFA.
The AETF website also has a space where original plays performed at their festivals can be listed for information.
