Anglesea One Act Play Festival 2011

Short Play Fest, A Feast Of Entertainment

Anglesea will present its annual One Act Play Festival at the end of the month and this year’s entries promise a smorgasbord of short but lively productions.

Now in its 22nd year, this proud tradition will showcase up to 15 individual plays, each 20-50 minutes in length, across the weekend of August 27 and 28 in the cosy comfort of the Anglesea Community Hall.

This is an excellent opportunity to renew your love of quality theatre or, for those new to the live medium, the chance to experience many different genres in a short time.

Each year theatre companies from the Surf Coast, Melbourne and across regional Victoria take their shows “on the road” to compete for the glory of Best Production and a host of other awards.

Festival organiser Nikki Watson said audiences can expect the Anglesea One Act Play Festival experience to be a lot like a short film festival minus the price tag, with a full weekend pass just $30 per person with unlimited entry.

“The concept is that there are lots of short bursts of theatre, so you get a sample of many different genres, from traditional comedies and dramas right through to the more experimental, often confronting work,” Mrs Watson said.

“We are also very proud to be a platform for new work. We have an award for Best Original Production and we find a lot of unpublished writers, who might have a script lurking in their bottom drawer, take a gamble on entering a One Act Play festival like this.”

Apart from its sheer entertainment value, the festival is also a fantastic social opportunity as audiences mingle with writers and performers enjoying each other’s work and the delicious home-style catering provided across the weekend.

“Our festival caterers have that traditional CWA feeling,” Mrs Watson said, “it’s really affordable, yummy, comfort food that our a audiences just love.”

The Saturday evening session will see a distinctly adults-only selection of play entries and a wine bar will be open for patrons to enjoy.

Mrs Watson said while children are welcome at the festival’s day sessions, it was best for parents to use their discretion based on those plays’ individual ratings on the Anglesea Performing Arts web site.

This year’s festival welcomes adjudicator Judy Ellis, a vastly experienced performer/director who has her own independent theatre company, to the role for the first time. While Anglesea Performing Arts will present a one act version of its latest work 'Golden Leaves' as its festival entry.

Links

• Anglesea Performing Arts website: www.angleseaperformers.org.au

Anglesea Community Hall Location Map