The Warehouse Theatre’s International Playwriting Festival takes place at the Fairfield Halls next weekend, May 17-18.

A scene from The Road To Nowhere, the winning play in the 2013 competition

This is the 28th year of the festival, a product of the former Warehouse Theatre’s new playwriting policy.

The festival is produced by Warehouse Phoenix, the new company dedicated to upholding the Warehouse policy and bringing new performance drama work to Croydon.

For the 2014 festival, hundreds of entries were received from all over the world, including India, the United States, South Africa, New Zealand, Albania and Australia.

The judges have selected four plays to be showcased during an exciting weekend:

• Ngwasi by David Klempner (from Croydon)
• Rain by Heather Uprichard (Rotherhithe)
• Second Thoughts by Neal Mason (Albania)
• Thicker Than Water by Peter Briffa (Bethnal Green)

The winning play from the 2013 competition, The Road To Nowhere, by Sean Cook, was produced with great success at the Ashcroft Theatre last October, receiving excellent notices. 

Next weekend will also include selections from the IPF partner companies:
Extra Candoni from Italy who will perform Furia Avicola (Chicken Fury) by Rafael Spregelburd, and Theatro Ena from Cyprus, who will perform The Collection by Yannis Agisilaou.

The programme will also include an on-stage interview with a celebrity author.

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  Coming to Croydon

  • South Norwood local election hustings, May 12
  • Thornton Heath local election hustings, May 14
  • Norwood Society Talk: West Norwood – a place of change, May 15
  • David Lean Cinema: The Invisible Woman, May 15
  • Broad Green local election hustings, May 15
  • Coulsdon West local election hustings, May 16
  • Mrs McMoon and Signor Baffo at Stanley Halls, May 17
  • Croydon RFC charity memorial day, May 17
  • Coulsdon East local election hustings, May 19
  • St Giles’ primary school open morning, May 21
  • David Lean Cinema: The Rocket, May 22
  • Greek Myths: stories and mask-making, May 27
  • Howard Marks: Scholar, Smuggler, Prisoner, Scribe, May 29
  • David Lean Cinema: Dallas Buyers Club, May 29
  • Tales from Ancient Greece, Upper Norwood Library, May 29
  • Upper Norwood Library Book Club, May 31
  • Stitch Pitch quilting workshop, Upper Norwood Library, June 2
  • Croydon Tech City “summit”, June 6
  • Lakes Playground Action Group fun day, June 14
  • Elm Tree Cottage garden open day, June 15
  • Norwood Society Talk: The Concrete Church, June 19
  • Classic Car Show at Purley Rotary Fields, June 22
  • Crystal Palace Overground Festival, June 26-29
  • South Norwood Allotments open day, June 28
  • Elm Tree Cottage garden open day, Aug 10
  • Norwood Society Talk: War Memorials, Sep 18
  • Norwood Society Talk: From Fire Station to Theatre, Oct 16
  • Norwood Society Talk: Lambeth’s Archives, Nov 20

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