The 2012 Leatherhead Drama Festival. (LDF)

Welcome to the 2012 Leatherhead Drama Festival website. This is our ninth Festival and as it is the Year of the Olympics we hope our Festival this year will be something special and truly ‘Olympian’.

The Leatherhead Drama Festival is an annual competitive event for amateur One-Act Plays staged at The Leatherhead Theatre (formerly known as the Thorndike Theatre). In 2012, Junior (youth or school) groups will perform during the week 7th – 11th May and Senior/Adult groups during 14th – 18th May for the 'Sir Michael Caine Drama Awards’ and the ‘Richard Houghton Awards’. New scripts will be considered for the ‘New Writers Awards’. The Gala Awards Night will be on Saturday 19th May, when the two winning groups (Junior & Adult) will re-perform and all trophies will be presented by our Patron, Sir Michael Caine. (filming schedule permitting).

Rules of entry

Each participating company must be a bona fide amateur society or group that is in regular existence outside and apart from the Festival. Although all players must be amateurs, it is permissible for a group to engage the services of a professional producer/director. The term “amateur” here means not having performed professionally within the past 12 months.
The work offered by the participating group must be:
a) A one-act play, (previously published, or written/devised by the group), or
b) An extract from a longer play, provided that the extract is intelligible to members of the audience who may have not seen the play from which the extract is taken, or
c) An abridged version of a full-length play. (See below regarding permission for adaptations)
In all cases above, (a, b & c) it is essential that permission to perform and for any changes or adaptations to the script is obtained in writing from the person holding the copyright, where applicable.
The production must include a minimum of two on-stage speaking parts.
The cast size must not exceed 20 for junior groups and 15 for adult groups.
The entire cast of a Junior (youth or school) entry must be aged 12 years or over, but under 19 years, by the last night of the Festival.

Adjudication.

The plays will be performed to an audience and will be assessed by a professional adjudicator, a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators. In 2012 the adjudicator is Jan Palmer-Sayer who will follow the established GoDA marking scheme as follows:
Acting 40 points
Production 35 points
Stage presentation 15 points
Dramatic Achievement 10 points
TOTAL 100 points
Groups may request a written report on their performance.

Statement of intent

As a member of the National Drama Festivals Association (NDFA), it is the intention of the Leatherhead Drama Festival to showcase the talent of local amateur drama groups through competition, whilst giving maximum entertainment to the audience. For some groups this will be their first taste of a big-stage production. But, in all cases, we try to ensure the participants still enjoy the experience and have fun whilst taking their individual roles quite seriously.

Sponsorship

We would like to thank all those who have sponsored this Festival, both in the past and for 2012. A full list will appear in due course.

Tickets for all performances will be available from the Box Office at The Leatherhead Theatre, in early 2012.
Tel: 01372 365141
Email: boxoffice@the-theatre.org