Category: plays

Calling All Playwrights!

Have you written a short play, either specifically for radio, or one that could be adapted for radio? We’re planning to start a weekly magazine-style podcast featuring a radio play, some short stories and interviews with authors. This podcast might also become a regular show on a local community radio station.

We’re looking for are plays that are no longer than 15 minutes long, with a small cast. Genre – drama, comedy, sci-fi, political thriller – anything goes.

Sadly we have no funds at this stage, but plays will become part of a podcast which will be available for download, so people will at least get to hear your work. All rights remain with you, naturally.

If you’ve got something you think might be suitable, drop us a line at highfive (at) handofdoom.online. And if you’re an actor, producer or someone who fancies doing some foley work, we’d love to hear from you too. (We’ve got a lot of short stories lined up, but when we run out we’ll post a call out, so keep your eyes peeled.)

UPDATE 28.11: Submissions can come from anywhere in the world 🙂

 

Do you want a Mince Pie for One?

One of our writers, Ribs Norman, has written a heart-warming play set in a coffee shop. Mince Pie for One has a Christmas theme, two fantastic reveals and a French ukulele player. What’s not to like? Its Christmas theme means that we have to act now, or wait an entire year. Patience levels run low here at Hand of Doom Productions, so we’ve come up with a cunning plan.

We’re asking town centre and shopping centre managers if they would like us to perform Mince Pie for One in cafes and restaurants during their scheduled Christmas late-night openings. We are convinced that this short but sweet play will bring some Christmas cheer to weary shoppers with its seasonal mix of humour and romance.

Our plan is to perform the play at several venues across each town on the same day, creating a buzz, drawing people into the town and providing great publicity for the town’s retail centre. We’ve had a couple of enquiries already, but we’ve got space in our schedule to fit in more towns. If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, you can get the full lowdown in the email we recently sent out.

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While we’re on the subject of site-specific plays, we’re also open to opportunities to perform Safe Word in pubs and bars. It’s actually set in a micropub, but it would work well in any kind of venue with beer on tap.

 

Rehearsed Readings at HopFestFringe

The 5 rehearsed readings in September 2016 at HopFestFringe were our first productions and one of the reasons for forming Hand of Doom Productions. HopFestFringe is a new fringe festival running alongside the world-famous Faversham Hop Festival.

We split the plays into two shows:

Show 1

NAKED AMBITION by Paul McNally
Jack Conroy, an ambitious English record exec, has been offered the job he’s always worked for – head of the US division. He flies to New York only to receive the news that an American rival is out to sabotage his appointment. While his future is being decided by the board and chairman, Jack is left alone in a hotel room waiting to hear the outcome. Will he get the job or will he find himself on a plane back to England, humiliated and the laughing stock of the industry? As he waits for the Chairman’s decision isolated and alone in his suite, Jack’s only allies are Kenny, an incompetent bell boy and Gloria, a hooker who has career advice that might help Jack succeed … or possibly fail spectacularly!

Poster for Butterscotch, one of the rehearsed readingsBUTTERSCOTCH by Ribs Norman
Marilyn dreads the postman. Martin can’t communicate. Melissa is wearing a tea cosy. Morris suspects everyone of a serious crime. A touching play about love and regret when time is in short supply.

Show 2

RISK ASSESSMENT by Sarah Davies
SWIFTS by Charles Orrell
A POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE by Primrose Coulter

We didn’t sell many tickets ahead of the shows (handled by HopFestFringe via TicketSource), but we did have a lot of walkups. Audience response was great and the playwrights were all very happy. We’ll definitely put on more rehearsed readings again at HopFestFringe next year (and more before then!).

Safe Word at HopFestFringe

Poster for Safe Word play

HopFestFringe saw the third production of Ribs Norman’s Safe Word, after previous performances with the same cast at Spotlight in London for Actor Awareness and as part of Short Is The New Black at Hastings Fringe.

SAFE WORD is “a tale of boy meets girl in the digital age, with real ale and capes” and runs to around 15 minutes, with a cast of three. Soph, 41, was played by Hayley-Marie Axe, Lucy, 41, was played by Olivia Murray, and Ulrik, 39, was played by Tarquin Taylor. All three actors put in stellar performances in all venues.