Curtain up on the SCDA One Act Play Festival 2016

The curtain rises on the Edinburgh District round of the National One-Act Play Festival tomorrow, an historic occasion as the 84th festival (there were none during World War Two) marks the 90th anniversary of the Scottish Community Drama Association.It's a highlight of the amateur theatre calendar country-wide and this year there are no fewer than eight local productions vying for a place in the next round at The Church Hill Theatre. The local selections are eight of around 150 competing to proceed to the divisional rounds, from where a number will be chosen to proceed to the prestigious Scottish final in April, also at the Church Hill.The road to those finals start when members of Leitheatre, The Makars, The Grads, The Mercators, St Serf's Players and Production Lines take to the stage.Encouraging new writing, two of the plays have been written by local playwrights - Teamwork, by Jonathan North, a member of Leitheatre, and #Likes, by Claire Wood of Production Lines. Not all the plays are new, though. The Grads (short for Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Company) present The Rose and Crown, by JB Priestley, while Leitheatre (Sunnyside) present Matt Mason's take on Moliere's The Flying Doctor. Deciding which play deserves to go through to the next round will be adjudicator Keith Thompson, director at the Barn Theatre, Hertfordshire.The National One Act Play Festival, Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road, tomorrow-Saturday, 7pm, £10 (£24 for a three-night season), www.scdaedinburgh.org.uk or at door from 6.30pm on performance nights

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group team who will present The Rose And Crown by JB Priestley.

PLAYS AND PLAYERS

TOMORROW

Leitheatre Kirkgate

The Mercators with Bright Lights by Alan Richardson  a new play by a local author.

in Teamwork

By Jonathan North

Cast: Mike Paton, Nicole Irvine, Elona Smith and Tim Foley

Director: Clem Allan

St Serfs Players who will present Erica And Me by Alan Robinson

St Serf’s Players

in Erica And Me

By Alan Robinson

Cast: Charlie West, Derek Ward, Rona Arnott, Vicki Horne, Lynsey Spence, Sophie Williams and Fredericka Morrison

Edinburgh Makars who will present COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Tariq Ali, Howard Brenton and Andy de la Tour. Martin Burnell, director Jana Doughty as Leonie

Director: Philip Wilson

The Mercators

in Bright Lights

By Alan Richardson

Edinburgh Makars who will present COLLATERAL DAMAGE by Tariq Ali, Howard Brenton and Andy de la Tour. Martin Burnell, director Chester Parker as Daniel

Cast: Josie Duncan, Chris Pearson and Rhona McColl

Director: Alan Richardson

FRIDAY

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group

in The Rose And Crown

By JB Priestley

Leitheatre Kirkgate who will present Teamwork by Jonathan North  a local author..

Cast: Oliver Trotter, Oliver Cookson, Hilary Davies, Alan Patterson, Hannah Bradley, Beverley Wright, Charles Finnie

Director: Martin Foreman

Edinburgh Makars

in Collateral Damage

By Tariq Ali, Howard Brenton and Andy de la Tour

Cast: Chester Parker and Jana Doughty

Director: Martin Burnell

Leitheatre Sunnyside in The Flying Doctor

By Moliere, adapted by Matt Mason

Cast: Matt Mason, Chloe McIntyre, Don Arnott, Mike Paton, Liza Shackleton, Amelia Hodgson

Director: Matt Mason

SATURDAY

Production Lines

in #Likes

By Claire Wood

Cast: Miriam Thomson, Penny Adams, Siobhan McGovern, Brian Neill, Ross Hope, Emma Carter, Cari Sivilis and Jacques Kerr

Director: Claire Wood

Leitheatre Stage Right in Audience

By Michael Frayn

Cast: Carol Jeffreys, Don Arnott, Marion Donohue, Amy Totty, Euan McIntyre, Amelia Hodgson, Brian Thomson, Martin Dick, Patrick Griffin, Moira Macdonald, Zoe Kelly, Kevin Rowe, and Chloe McIntyre

Director: Phyllis Ross