EXTRACTS from ten new plays will feature in an evening of rehearsed readings at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, on May 4 at 7pm.
Second Stage will showcase plays developed from the SJT’s First Draft programme or from submissions sent to the theatre’s literary department from across the world, including works by Scarborough writers Neil Arnott, Jackie Daly, Paul Elsam and Sue Wilkinson.
All of the readings in the McCarthy auditorium will be directed by the SJT’s associate director, Lotte Wakeham, whose company of actors will include Ian Crowe, Sarah Pearman, Heather Stoney, Mat Watkinson and Christopher York.
The extracts will be led off by Warrior Queens by Jackie Daly, a former winner of the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing, whose play The Space Between was one of last summer’s programme of new play readings in the McCarthy auditorium.
Actor Christopher York
Juliet Gilkes Romero, an award-winning playwright and television journalist, contributes Razing Cane. She is a creative fellow at the Royal Shakespeare Company and in 2009 won Best Play at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards for her work At The Gates Of Gaza.
Freelance writer and director Steve Attridge has written Mugs. His writing credits include the television shows Holby City, The Bill and Dalziel And Pascoe and his adaptation of Dick King-Smith’s The Queen’s Nose for the BBC was nominated for two BAFTAs and won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series.
From Paul Elsam, a teacher at Teesside University, comes Wilfred In Love. Elsam trained as an actor at Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre and has worked widely as a performer in theatre, radio, film and television.
Scarborough writer Neil Arnott has written murder mysteries for the past 25 years and plays for four years. Payback, a darkly comic psychological thriller, is his first full-length play, following on from Arnott winning the Yorkshire Script Factor competition in 2017 with Like Clockwork and being a finalist in this year's competition.
Sue Wilkinson, a journalist for 35 years with 20 of those at the Scarborough News, is an aspiring scriptwriter and playwright too, who loves every aspect of entertainment from music hall to ballet. Her extract will come from The End Of The Pier Show.
Sarah Pearman: taking part in the play readings
Time And Tide is the work of James McDermott, who was part of last year’s Royal Court writers’ programme in London and was among the winners of Hat Trick’s new writing scheme, Your Voice Your Story. Time And Tide was long-listed for the Bruntwood Prize too.
Roy Gould's play is Change, adding another string to his bow after working extensively in television, starting as a floor assistant and going on to produce and direct shows, his credits including The Kenny Everett Show, The Two Ronnies and the sitcoms 'Allo 'Allo! and Hi-de-Hi!.
My Mother’s Sister marks the return of Kate Brower to the SJT after her play Double Feature was part of Screenplay in the SJT’s McCarthy auditorium in 2014 and Slow On-Set Emergency featured in the SJT's 2016’s play-reading season.
From the United States comes You Ain’t Cuz You Not by Ben Snyder, whose plays have been produced at Center Stage New York, New York Stage and Film and HBO’s US Comedy Arts Festival. He was story consultant for The Wolfpack, winner of the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.
Tickets cost £5 on 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com
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