Writers on the Brink: It's Play Time...
Emerging playwrights collective Writers on the Brink will present a rehearsed reading of six short plays at the Lantern Theatre next week. It's Play Time is a pick-and-mix of new drama, being given a script-in-hand performance by professional actors alongside up-and-coming acting talent. Six budding writers have been working with acclaimed screenwriter Julian Perkins (Murphy’s Law, Casualty, Images of Tiffin) and North West literary agent Diane Culverhouse (Culverhouse Associates) to develop their plays to industry standard. They say: “Funny, absurd, sad and heart-breaking the stories will take the audience on an unforgettable journey featuring tales of UFO swimming pools, a lothario lover, a corpse in a coffin, one foul-mouthed, geriatric swinger, relationships on the brink and devious, murderous doctors.” It’s Play Time will be directed by Margaret Connell, artistic director at the Lantern. She said: "We are very excited about this collaboration with Writers on the Brink; this is exactly the kind of development we hoped for when we came to The Lantern. It’s fantastic to have Julian and Diane on board supporting the development of new writing in Liverpool. Audiences are in for a real treat." The show takes place on October 23 and is sold out – contact the theatre to be put on the waiting list. The readings to be performed are: Alenka Lamare's Catatonic: Just when he thought he was a safe, rich man, the last of his drug trial patients is rushed back in with symptoms he'd seen before. Blackmailed, the doctor knows he must hide all evidence of what's happening to the soft, kind-hearted woman before him, but how hard is putting it into practice? Aless Castagni's Midnight Picnic: A funeral director is disillusioned with his life, torn between the living and the dead. Forced to confront his past, feelings surface that have laid buried for 25 years. This is a black comedy about love, life and forgiveness. Anne Irvine's The Chillymagma: Cash-strapped, life-long friends Mark and Ed enter a cash prize competitive eating challenge. To win they must tackle the gut-busting chilli-loaded sandwich the Chillymagma. They are one hot sandwich away from the rest of their lives. Geoff Woodbridge's Sweet Caramel Bliss: Two young film actors in love suddenly find their idyllic world turned upside down due to an unexpected pregnancy, but for Lorenza, there is only one option. Kate McCann's The Break Up: A lothario-love rat brags about his virtual conquest, but is the player being played? And Phil Olsen's The Chat Room: After crashing his car into a watery crater, Ike stumbles into The Ch@t Room café in search of help and explanations. He finds little of either in Joy, who seems hell-bent on selling him sex booth vouchers, or Harlowe, who rants obsessively about 'Piscine Meteorites'.
