Stamford director Matthew Clift to premiere his play in All England Theatre Festival at Leicester

A local cast of actors is set to premiere a director’s one-act play at a national festival later this month.

Stamford-based director Matthew Clift contacted LincsOnline last autumn to help find an actor for his one-act play, Warmind.

The appeal saw Oakham actor Ellie Dickinson joining the three-strong cast which also features Market Deeping’s Ben Stroud and Peterborough-based Nikki Amory.

Drama teacher Ellie is a long-standing member of Rutland Arts Theatre Society (RATS) and both wrote and directed their latest panto.

“When you bring people together you’re unsure how it will go, but we’ve been very lucky,” said Matthew.

“They are really committed to the play and like it, and really like working together.”

They are putting the finishing touches to the play ready for its premiere at the Little Theatre, Leicester, on Friday, March 14.

It will be performed as part of the central heats of the All England Theatre Festival.

If successful, Matthew’s work will move to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then English final where a place in the British final will be at stake.

Matthew has enjoyed success in the festival before, having reached the British final with a play which he authored, and also made the English final with another play.

So how does he rate his chances this year?

“It depends on the day, how well you do and how strong the competition is,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say you enter to win it. It’s just nice to perform in places other than your local theatre and to see the work that’s out there from other companies.”

Matthew adapted three works of Howard Brenton’s Plays for the Poor Theatre series into a 30-minute piece.

It is set during the Second World War and involves three children playing on a bombsite.

“When I wrote to Mr Brenton and told him what I’d done he was very generous and he really liked the fact we’d amalgamated different elements of his work,” said Matthew.

“A lot of playwrights would just say no!”

Warmind will also feature at a festival in Birmingham at the end of April.