The County Drama Festival

our annual festival for one-act plays

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The County Drama Festival is the longest-established of all the SFD's competitive drama festivals. It is for one act plays of at least 20 minutes (but no more than 55 minutes) duration, and which involve at least two speaking roles. They are adjudicated publicly, usually by a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators (GODA).  It is open to any group affiliated to the SFD.  Original writing is very welcome, and Youth groups are encouraged to take part.  The winner can opt to go forward and represent the County in the Western Division of the All England Theatre Festival, and in successive rounds all the way up to the British Final.  The winning Youth Group also goes on to represent us in the Five Counties Youth Festival in April, which is held in one of the four/five participating counties. Somerset were last the hosts in 2014. You can see the history of previous winners here.

In the early days, before TV held such sway, there were several heats held in village halls all round the county, with the final usually being held at Bridgwater Arts Centre and later at the Warehouse Theatre in Ilminster.  As groups became more ambitious, requiring larger acting areas and more sophisticated lighting, the Festival came to be held in one venue - usually one of the larger theatres - over a weekend towards the end of March.  The Committee are always on the lookout for suitable venues around Somerset.

Any group wanting more details or an entry form should contact the County Drama Coordinator.