Nidderdale One-Act Drama Festival celebrates 60th birthday at Knaresborough's Frazer Theatre

There will be two nights of fascinating and varied repertoire at the Frazer Theatre, Knaresborough, presided over by Keith Phillips, a distinguished member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators, next month.

The Allerton Players from Northallerton, who celebrated their 70th birthday last year, will kick-start the festival on Thursday March 9.

The Players will perform Family History by Deborah Hugill.

They will be followed by Pateley Bridge Dramatic Society which will perform Rude Awakenings by Nicholas Ridley.

It is a charming comedy which mixes both broad and subtle humour with truthful insights into the pain and pathos that can sometimes lie beneath the surface of village life.

With no Friday show this year, the festival will conclude with three plays on Saturday March 11.

Making their debut at the Nidderdale Festival, Sedgefield Players, one of the finest amateur companies in the North of England, bring to the stage two plays by Lucy Atkinson.

Survive the Night – performed by their junior section – and Lady of the Sea. Both plays have previoulsy won awards including one for their author.

Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society will bring the festival to an end with a performance of The Form, a thought-provoking, topsy-turvy play by NF Simpson, a playwright closely associated with the Theatre of the Absurd.

The winning production will compete at the Northern Area semi final of the All-England Theatre Festival which will take place at the Valley Community Theatre, Liverpool from April 29 to May 1.

Both shows at this year’s Nidderdale Festival will begin at 7.30pm. Tickets at the door or reserved via the festival box office on 01423 712240.