THE LINEUP
DIG DEEP
about the author
Jason David is a scriptwriter who graduated from UAL in 2022 with a Screenwriting MA. His play, Art Boy, was shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2024 and his TV pilot, Pants on Fire, was longlisted by the BBC Open Call in the same year.
Jason is a writer of Caribbean, working-class descent, who favours stories that draw from this lived experience.
Jason David
Writer
David Allen
Director
the author describes the work
Dig Deep is inspired by my love of crime drama and the dramatisation of police interviews in particular. The hunt for the truth, the verbal struggle for dominance, and the range of emotions in these conversations have always piqued my curiosity. For this piece, I wanted to push this dynamic to raise the stakes beyond a traditional interrogation.
Moving forward, I envision Dig Deep adapted for screen as a short or as part of a series that explores the nature of human connection, and conflict in a stripped down setting with dialogue as the focus.
Demi Idowu
Actor
'Fitz'
Jordan Matthew
Actor
'Carter'
LATE KNIGHTS
the author describes the work
Late Knights was written to demonstrate that myths and legends can be entertaining from a pragmatic point of view. The great quests and lofty aspirations of these mythical individuals have been accepted through the years and used to provide allegory and moral guidance. If you read about King Arthur and the knights of the round table you will hear only about the greatness of their ambitions, the loftiness of their quests and the exquisite moral character of the individuals. This lends itself to comedy. I try to imagine a more realistic scenario in which they speak like normal human beings with faults, doubts, forgetfulness, practicality, in a realistic bubble when they are not being used for teaching future generations.
about the author
John Ward is the product of an Irish father and a Sicilian mother and was born and raised in Africa (the country of Eswatini), educated in Rome, Cambridge, Duke University and the University of GA. He currently lives in Mexico and has been writing since boarding school in Mbabane, Swaziland. He has written many short stories, plays, a full length musical as well as a feature film, called: "Thriller in Ajijic." An accomplished actor/director, John has been involved with many theaters in Africa, Italy, the UK, the US and Mexico. He is currently focused more on writing 10 minute plays in the last few years, since theatre is his love. He writes because expression is everything.
John Ward
Writer
Ieuan Sion Bradley
Actor
'Bedivere'
Aidan Harris
Actor
'Galahad'
Ross Stephenson
Director
Toby Escolme
Actor
'Gawain'
Alexander J Smith
Actor
'Lancelot'
LEFT OVERS
the author describes the work
Last fall, I was in a writer's cohort with Cry Havoc, and was instructed to write a 10-minute play and was given the painting The Tree of Life by Max Ernst for inspiration. This painting is about the connection between joy and despair, life and death. Left Overs was written to challenge and compare these connections through the vehicle of grief -- how can we keep our passed loved ones alive? This piece was recently in Boston Theatre Company's Queer Voices Festival and has more big news coming-- I'm also expanding it into a full length play!
about the author
Roni Ragone's work: "Night Night, Roger Roger," (published by Dramatic Publishing Company; University of California, Santa Barbara +13 additional productions around the U.S.). "Up Strung Down" (Amplify, The Tank: Moonlight Series, SheNYC+ semifinalist 2025, New Works Festival finalist)."We're All Girls Here" (Top 30 in 47th Annual Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival [OOB], West Texas A&M University, University of Evansville, & more). "my barricade" (2025 House of Rooted Festival, 47th OOB, The Best Men's Stage Monologues of 2025 Smith & Kraus Inc [monologue only], & more). "Left Overs" (Queer Voices Festival, Cry Havoc). Co-founder of Fresh Binder Productions.
Roni Ragone
Writer
Carolyn McCallion
Director
Adrian Rose
Actor
'Ernest'
Lee Maeda
Actor
'Max'
FFICTIVE
the author describes the work
Metafiction allows me to explore themes like identity and the power of fiction on reality. Ffictive is my second short meta-play. The previous one, A Sentence of My Own, was about a protagonist in limbo after the end of the novel, waiting for the writer to write the sequel, which leaves the character stuck between yearning for freedom and the peculiar comfort of being written. Ffictive, another self-conscious play, reflects the anxieties of constant self-creation; creating and recreating ourselves through our relationships—with them, from them, for them, and as them—we become. Do you have courage for rewrittence? Do you dare to rewrite your existence? Are we simply a multitude of fictions?
about the author
I am an academic and a writer from Cyprus with a passion for metafiction. I hold a Ph.D. in the Contemporary Novel from the University of Kent, where my doctoral work included a yet-to-be-published metafiction novel. I write short stories, poems, plays, films, and scholarly articles on various disciplines, including philosophy of theatre. I have been working as a university lecturer, teaching courses such as Creative Writing, Metafiction, and British Drama. I have been writing fiction to create a place in the real world: a place to exist and a place to belong.
Salamis Aysegul Sentug-Tugyan
Writer
Liam Grogan
Director
Lindsey-Anne Barnes
Actor
'Francesca/Freya/Frida'
LET'S MEET IN THE QUEUE
the author describes the work
Let's Meet in the Queue was written as a rapid response to a play looking at cancel culture. We find ourselves more and more emboldened to make our voices heard, and while playful comedy can be a powerful tool when making politically charged work, the infinite pressures that comes with scrutiny can stunt us. I wanted to explore that first-steps stage of a make, where arguably the stakes are highest. This is also a homage to my love of puppeteering - I feel infinitely freer with a puppet in hand than I ever have as an actor.
about the author
I'm a theatremaker working in live theatre incorporating puppetry, clowning, rhythm and comedy into my work, and this is reflected in my writing. My solo show, Backstage Pass, takes a playful look at mental wellbeing in the arts, and I have written for the Trans Voices Choir, Drag Queen Storyteller Mama G, and Broccoli Productions Anthems:Pride Podcast. I am an alumni of Vital Xposure's Wellspring programme, which provides writing workshops and training for disabled artists.
Julian Brett
Writer
Bethan Draycott
Director
Kit Ford
Actor
'Character A'
Ara Stott-Roberts
Actor
'Character B'
DON'T BE RUDE TO UNCLE BRIAN
the author describes the work
During a time of skyrocketing living costs and global economic turmoil, a family must do whatever it takes to make ends meet.
about the author
Natan Paul-Collis is an actor and writer based in London. The founder of JDAL, the Jewish Dramatic Association of London, he has written several short plays, directed and produced a short film, and most recently played the lead in a feature film shot in Belarus to be released in late 2025.
Natan Paul-Collis
Writer
Mary Tillett
Actor
'Mummy'
Maria Cole
Actor
'Daddy'
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Benjamin Sumrie
Director
Thomas Michaelson
Actor
'Uncle Brian'
Isobel Hanson
Actor
'Colbett'