Mark Hardwidge and David D Thomas entered their play ‘Futagolf’ for a competition run by Newport Playgoers Society to tie in with the Ryder Cup coming to the city. They were both delighted when their play was judged by Frank Vickery to be one of the best four out of over 40 entries which will be staged as part of the Hole in One Act Play Festival at the Dolman Theatre from 12th - 16th October.
“We were really pleased our play was judged to be one of the best,” said 43-year-old Mark, an IT consultant who is married with two children.
“Our play is a futuristic story about what happens when a dedicated couch potato is given a free golfing session on a virtual reality golf course. Things start to go wrong when his coach, a computer-generated golf pro starts to run low on processing power and patience and a frenetic disco dancer turns up.”
David has been involved with amateur dramatics since childhood and has appeared in many Shakespeare productions. His play ‘Buzz’ won a prize in the Drama Association of Wales annual one-act scriptwriting contest, and his short story ‘The Ow Shop’ was published in an American Science Fiction/Fantasy anthology. He his currently working on a full length stage adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Snow Queen’ to be performed by the Dolman Solo Theatre Company this December.
“I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing something funny,” said 43-year-old David who is an IT Analyst Developer. “I think with ‘Futagolf’ we have achieved that, and can’t wait to see it performed on the stage.”
The other three plays selected for the festival include the story of how a down-at-heel crazy golf course attempts to revive its flagging fortunes to beat the recession, how disaster looms amid the bunting as a golf club prepares to celebrate its centenary and a Pinteresque look at life, golf and everything.
“The standard of entries for the play-writing competition was extremely high, and selecting four for this festival of one act plays was no easy task,” said Playgoers President, Bruce Campbell. “Luckily we were able to call upon the considerable skills of playwright Frank Vickery as a judge, and the result is a fascinating mixture of plays which promises to provide a real theatrical treat for everyone.
”There are prizes of £100, £50 and £25 and trophies for the three best plays – and the results will be revealed after the Saturday night performance,” he added.
The Hole in One Act Play Festival is at the Dolman Theatre from 12 – 16 October. For more information and to book tickets, phone (01633) 263670. More information is available online at http://www.dolman-theatre.co.uk/ and http://www.newportplaygoers.wordpress.com/
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