Summer Shorts (2024)
Ten pieces of new writing, curated by Cal Beckett, Anna Callender and Guy Jones
Compere - Celia Delaney
Performances: Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 August 2024, Old Fire Station
Our celebration of new writing has become an annual event at SLT. This year, we asked writers to focus on the theme of 'Storm' to create a 10-minute play.
A mix of new comedy, drama and monologue, our evening of Shorts has something for everyone with its programme of 10 short plays.
Contents
Storm In A GPT Cup
by Will Howells
Directed by Steve Grist
- Aidan – Nick Bateman
- Aisling – Nicola Foxwell
- Wordsworth - Cal Beckett
Moving Furniture
Directed by Natalie Gregorian
- Melanie – Flora Blissett
Storm The Gates
by Tom Boxall
Directed by Tom Boxall
- Dictator – Dean Moore
- Servant - Ben Farren
Thursday
Directed by Rob Tavernier
- Malcolm – Stevie Cox
- Patsy – Olivette Cole Wilson
- Clayton - Rob Tavernier
A Very Gallant Gentleman
Directed by Alex Redmond
- Scott - Randy Brown
- Wilson - Eugene Duffy (Tuesday - Friday); Chris Gipson (Saturday)
- Bowers - Craig Norman
- Oates - Chris Gipson (Tuesday - Friday); Tom Mathias (Saturday)
Storm Hunters: Stormdate 28/7/05
by Tom Watts
Directed by Saffy Andrews
- Charlie - Will Howells
- Connor - Tristan White
- Caitlin - Amy Evans
Making Waves
Directed by Charlotte Benstead
- Nancy - Jacqui Cassidy
- Meryl - Shilpa Varma
- April - Ellie Masterman
- Jake - Seb Keenan
Super Troopers
by Guy Jones
Directed by Guy Jones
- Mike - Joe Hawkins
- Steve - Lewi Chapman
- John - Ben Dustin
The Blind Man Plays
Directed by Cal Beckett
- Lee - James Taverner
Grace And A Codpiece
by David Lydon
Directed by James Jackson
- Edmund - Joe Dominic
- Grace - Aria Baker
- Clive - Steve Grist
- Fool - Celia Delaney
Crew
- Stage Manager - Mark Ireson
- Assistant Stage Managers - Madeline Helmstadter, Tom Mathias (Saturday)
- Lighting and Sound Operator - Noah Wright
- Lighting and Sound Design - Anna Callender with input from play directors
- Show photography - Phil Gammon, Charlotte Benstead
- Rigging and Set Construction - Mark Ireson, Sean Thomas, Dennis Fenton, Phoebe Price, Hound and Shorts casts and crews
Special thanks to: All the writers who submitted their work, all our directors, the actors who auditioned, our table-read play readers, Phil Ross, and the wonderful SLT volunteers behind the scenes, front of house and on the bar who make our shows possible.
New writing prize
In 2023 SLT benefitted from a kind bequest, which specifically provided the funds for a cash prize for an annual play-writing competition. The Summer Shorts immediately suggested themselves as the best platform for this competition. Each night audiences were asked to vote for the best writing they had seen.
The 2024 winner was Rob Tavernier for Thursday.
Winners of this annual competition are listed on the New Writing Competition page.