Each evening, after the performances, the adjudicator will give a public adjudication on each of the plays.

This programme may be subject to change without notice.

Monday 18th May 7.30pm

Marlborough Science Academy – Winners of the Welwyn Garden City Youth Drama Festival
Mephisto by James Griggs

Mephisto explores what happens after the curtain falls on Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, asking what becomes of the demon who damned a man and what damnation means when regret appears. Through dark humour and temptation, the play questions whether redemption is possible for anyone – even a fallen angel.

Brightlight Theatre
The Aviary by Jamie Lakritz

In the cul-de-sac of The Aviary, the bird-people residents are trapped in the branches of the parapara tree – a bird-catcher tree, whose sweet feeds and sticky sap bind its captives. Over the course of a single day, a peacock preens for invisible followers, a messenger bird trades in gossip, an ostrich drowns in a flood she refuses to acknowledge, and a timid parrot edges toward the cage door. A choral verse-play in the tradition of Under Milk Wood, The Aviary is a dark comedy about performance, paralysis, and the trap that sings us to sleep. 

Tuesday 19th May 7.30pm

Umbra Vox
Half Past Twelve by James Griggs

An original work exploring memory, family, and the enduring power of love. Set within the quiet routine of a care home, it follows Betty as an ordinary family visit begins to uncover long-held tensions, unspoken grief, and moments of unexpected tenderness. As past and present begin to blur, each member of the family is forced to confront not only what has been lost, but also what still remains between them. Half Past Twelve strives to present a compassionate portrait of dementia, of the complexities of family life, and of the ties that continue to bind us even as time begins to fracture.

Woodhouse Players
Famous Last Words by Dave Paine

When gang leader Brent is seriously wounded on a job that goes wrong, his thoughts go to making sure there is a record of his final utterances for posterity. The woman in his life, Vicky, tries to save him, while his experienced sidekick, George weighs up taking over all of Brent’s operations! Can the gang protect their boss when armed gangsters from a rival outfit arrive to finish him off? Will his gormless bodyguard, Nevis, be ready and able to note down Brent’s Famous Last Words? 

Barn Theatre Club
Benching by Matt Adie

Three people, two conversations, one park bench. A husband, struggling to connect with his long-standing wife, finds himself conversing with a Gen Z. Can there be any common ground between them or is this one catastrophic mismatch of personalities?

Wednesday 20th May 7.30pm

Company of Players
Village Wooing by George Bernard Shaw

A character driven comedy that brings two contrasting personalities together. On a cruise ship, a reserved writer finds himself drawn into conversation with a confident, outspoken woman. When the scene shifts to a village shop, she takes control, boldly turning their encounter into something more. With witty dialogue and subtle humour, this play examines love, self-discovery, power, and the art of persuasion. 

Runnymede Drama Group
Rock Paper Scissors by Caroline Ross Tajasque

Peter has travelled to Berlin to find the father he has never met, but the truth he is searching for is not so easy to uncover. His journey takes him from his sedate suburban life to a time and place where freedom and family loyalty was worth dying for.  Along the way he learns about his mother and father and has a lesson about the chances we don’t take and the lives we might never live. 

Thursday 21st May 7.30pm

Remote Engagement
The 7:55 Bus by Ben Sheldrick

Set at a quiet bus stop, this is an intimate two-hander that explores the unexpected connection between two strangers. Through conversation that shifts from light and ordinary to deeply personal, the play delves into themes of timing, vulnerability, and the small, fleeting moments that can carry surprising weight. Character-driven and rooted in naturalistic dialogue, it’s a piece about human connection, what we choose to share, what we hold back, and how even the briefest encounters can leave a lasting impact. 

Theatre in the Square
London Milonga by Mary Brown

Lilah and Rodolfo seek sanctuary in a storeroom, just off a dance-floor, each wrestling with their own pain. Can they take steps together to find peace? 

Barn Theatre Club
Cabin Pressure: Gdansk by John Finnemore

MJN Air, is the world’s smallest airline, consisting of just one 16-seater aeroplane.  The story follows the day-to-day working life of MJN Air and its crew of four:  MJN is flying the eccentric and deranged members of a Polish chamber orchestra back to Gdańsk.  The only two pilots of MJN, Douglas and Martin, place a series of escalating bets over the cheese tray, resulting in Martin revealing a shocking secret to Douglas.

Friday 22nd May 7.30pm

The Players’ Theatre (Wales)
A Kind of Vesuvius by Gillian Plowman

In A Kind of Vesuvius the author, Gillian Plowman, examines the effect of unemployment on three men, each with their own problems. But all is not depression and negativity as you will see…

Woodhouse Players
Vintage by Lucy Kaufman

David and Jenny are a married couple visiting a psychotherapist for relationship counselling.  Their love of all things nineteen-forties, the lifestyle, the music, the fashion, has grown into an obsession, and they are stuck permanently in 1942. David, not so keen on therapy, is beginning to question their choices and trying to break free from his shackles. Constrained by rules of their own making, they use the session to try to move forward in time.  But is it time that has stood still, or their relationship? 

Saturday 23rd May 7pm

IMPACT
A Murder of Crows by Mike Kenny

A mischievous and macabre twist on Hansel and Gretel, performed by a bold youth ensemble. In a world gripped by scarcity and fear, difficult choices must be made — and not all of them kind.

With a blend of physical theatre, dark fairytale imagery, and a sly sense of humour, this striking production peels back the story we think we know to reveal something more unsettling beneath: what happens when survival comes at a cost, and who is left to pay the price?

The Ó Draighneáin Theatre Company 
What Happens When You Are Most Expecting It? by James Thornton

What would we do if the world was ending that day? End it all? Cash in on fence protector? Go fishing? This black comedy, based on a true story from the Cuban missile crisis and reimagined amid today’s political chaos, holds a mirror up to a world where DIY, scuba diving, and a nice cup of tea can sit alongside domestic abuse, narcissism and conspiracy theories and asks, ultimately, what is the point of life? 

Award Ceremony