AN EXCITING mix of junior and adult amateur talent has been revealed in the schedule for this year's Leatherhead Drama Festival
Organisers of the event, staged over two weeks at the Leatherhead Theatre from May 6 to 18, hope to make this year's event the best yet to commemorate reaching its tenth anniversary.
The festival is the biggest of its kind in the country, and festival chairman David Brett said this year's line-up is among the "best ever".
He said: "There is a really good mix of categories which is important in making our tenth anniversary festival one to remember.
"There are some new groups performing with us for the very first time and some regulars who are coming back.
"For lots of the performers it's the first time they are treading the boards on a big stage, with professional lighting and the rest of it, so it's a great learning experience for those involved."
The festival will be opened on Monday, May 6 by last year's junior runners-up Applause Youth Theatre from Dorking and their play "Burn", directed by group principal David Walker.
Mr Walker said: "We are looking forward to this year's event as we have appeared for five consecutive years and this will be our sixth, which shows how much we enjoy it.
"Through the years we have generally done large cast plays because so many youngsters have wanted to join in, however, our production for this year only has 12 members."
He added: "We are the first to perform and that has its own pressure but of course we are relishing it.
"Regardless of this, it's a great learning experience for all of them. Taking part in a competitive festival is a fantastic opportunity. It provides us with a yardstick to compare where we are with our performances, and while winning is not the be-all and end-all it's a good challenge and we are excited." For more information, visit www.leatherheaddramafestival.org What's on when? Monday, May 6
- Applause Youth Theatre, Dorking, perform 'Burn'
- Young Ashtead Players perform 'Sparkleshark'
- Danes Hill School Drama Club, Oxshott, perform 'Orvin – Champions of Champions'
- Howard of Effingham School perform 'Between Mouthfuls'
- St John's School, Leatherhead, perform 'The Prawn King'
- George Abbott School, Burpham, perform 'The Diary of Anne Frank'
- Karen Corps Academy, Redhill, perform 'Masked'
- Croydon High School perform 'There's a Leak!'
- Leatherhead Performing Arts perform 'Totally Over You'
- Sevenoaks Players perform 'Auto-Da-Fe'
- Tiger Productions, London, perform 'Just the Straight Man'
- The Barn Theatre, East Molesey, performs 'Deckchairs'
- Epsom Players perform "'old-Blooded Killer'
- Splinter Group, Dorking, perform 'Another Moon Called Earth
- Ashtead Players perform 'Say Something Happened'
- Runnymede Drama Group perform 'In the Name of Love'
- Mole Valley Scriptwriting Group perform 'Justice'
- Green Theatre Company, New Malden, perform 'Attempt 207'
- Woking College Drama Group perform 'On Love'
- Junkelephant, Epsom perform 'Shrine'
- Oast TTAC, Tonbridge perform 'The Regina Monologues
- Woldingham Players perform 'Blind Date'
- Cobham Players perform 'September in the Rain'
- Gala Awards Night
