THE 2018 Montgomeryshire One-Act Drama Festival takes places next week at Berriew Community Centre with 11 plays from five local amateur dramatic companies across four nights, from Wednesday, April 4, to Saturday, April 7, starting at 7.30pm each night.

Following a welcome by Montgomeryshire Community Drama Association chairman Julia Thomas, Councillor Jonathan Wilkinson will introduce Llanymynech Amateur Dramatic Society with ‘Red Dress Manor’, written and directed by, and starring, Melissa Chapman and Grace Bowyer, two members of the LADS who have written this original script based on a local story

The opening night continues with Newtown Amateur Dramatic Society’s ‘Lion of England’ by David Weir, directed by Gareth Woodhouse, where a bravery award on Live TV does not go as expected; ending with Guilsfield ADS and ‘The Boundary’, a comedy by Tom Stoppard and Clive Exton, directed by Peter Fantham and Sarah Saunders.

Thursday starts with Llandinam Young Dragons and ‘Blood’ by Nettie Baskcomb Brown, directed by Judith Marvin, tackling the serious topic of the human circulatory system through comedy.

It continues with Llandinam Drama Group with ‘When a Man Knows’ by Alan Richardson, directed by Judith Marvin, in which a 1980s businessman is held captive by an unknown woman; ending with Llanymynech ADS with ‘The Last Cigarette’ by Stephen Fechter, directed by Julia Thomas, about a woman in the last smoking bar in Santa Monica and the man with nothing to lose who will stop at nothing to win her.

Next Friday night opens with the Montgomeryshire Youth Theatre and ‘A Right Shindig’, written and directed by Penny Jones, as the village of Little Minchin prepares for a street party to celebrate the royal nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Llanymynech ADS are back with ‘The House on Peachey Street’, written and directed by Shaun Higgins, another original script by a local playwright, about a man waking up in a house of ill repute after a night on the town; and Friday evening ends with Newtown ADS with the hilarious comedy ‘Bats’ by Phil Mansell, directed by Gareth Woodhouse.

Saturday’s final, line up starts with Guilsfield ADS and ‘Plaster’ by Richard Harris, directed by David Roberts and Sally Birchell, another comedy in which a wife tries to find out how her husband ended up in a hospital bed in full plaster.

Llanymynech ADS’s final entry is ‘Is It Something I Said?’ by Richard Harris, directed by Cynthia Hilton, in which Wallace’s plans to kill himself are repeatedly thwarted after he books into a small hotel.

Each night ends with an adjudication on the night’s plays with the final overall results revealed at the end of Saturday night.

The adjudicator is David Price, member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, a member of Builth Wells Community Arts and with 40 years experience of amateur performance, mostly relating to his involvement with Builth Wells Young Farmers’ Club writing and directing their annual drama, entertainment and pantomime entries.