There are seven fabulous one act and short plays being performed in the festival. Each of these is directed and acted by members of the Criterion and will be performed three times over the course of the festival so you don't have to miss one. The plays are a mix of new writing and published work, genres and duration, from 10 minutes to 35 minutes. The festival provides the opportunity for us to produce work that is new and challenging, and for people to spread their wings as actors and directors. Please do support this and come along and see something you won't see anywhere else.
'The Passing' By Wendy McNeilly (see this on Sat 10th, Fri 16th and Sat 17th)
Wendy McNeilly's short ten minute monologue play is inspired by the plight of refugees around the world and the effects of climate change and of humanity's actions on others and on wildlife and nature. Wendy writes poetry and is working on further monologues, as well as a full-length play.This is Andrew Sharpe's directing debut. The play is performed by Talya Rajagukguk who has acted regularly on the Criterion stage (Afterlife, The Welkin) and wowed us with her performance of 'Exotic' at the 2023 Springboard Festival.
'Aunty' by Maxi Di Poet (see this on Sat 10th, Tues 13th and Weds 14th)
This dramatised fifteen minute spoken word piece is a loving tribute to those people who make such an impact on our lives. Aunty was a pillar of the family. She was loved, cherished and adored. She took the pain away not just as a nurse but she made everyone whole.
The play is directed by Olivia Marie (F***ing Feminists, Springboard Festival 2024). Maxi Di Poet (aka Martin Jordan) is a creative spoken word artist and actor and performs the play. Maxi has a close connection to the Springboard Festival, as part of the poets collective 'We Are Poetry Nation' who workshopped at the Criterion in the the months leading up to and then performed at Springboard 2024 as well as performing in the new play 'Zero Hour' which was on the festival programme last year.
'Through a Stained Glass Darkly' by Anne-marie Greene (see this on Sat 10th, Sun 11th and Mon 12th)
As well as being Artistic Director of the the Criterion Theatre, in her day job, Anne-marie is Professor of Work and Diversity at the University of York. This is the first play she has written and utilises transcripts from research interviews she conducted with 40 clergywomen in the UK. It was originally performed at the Art of Management Conference, Brighton in 2016 and again at the Criterion Takeover of the Talisman Theatre Fringe in July 2024. This 35 minute one act play introduces the characters of Roberta, Madeleine and Edith and takes place in the vestry of Roberta’s church on the afternoon of July 14th, 2014, when the three women get together on the day of the historic vote on women bishops in the Church of England. As they share their experiences, we come to understand how they have coped with the difficulty of their situation -the laughs, the joys, the heartbreak, the suffering-and to realise what still makes it all just about worthwhile.
The play is directed by Pete Gillam (who last directed Midsummer in 2022) and performed by longtime Criterion actors Kelly Davidson, Lilian McGrath and Anne-marie Greene.
'Scapegoat' by David Court (see this on Sat 10th, Tues 13th and Weds 14th)
We were lucky enough to hear David Court's poetry as part of the Criterion-based collective 'We Are Poetry Nation' at Springboard 2024. This year, emerging from the activities of a playwrighting group at the Criterion, David gives us this 20 minute one act play. Haunted by doubt and fueled by alcohol, Father Murray, a haggard Catholic priest world-weary from a thankless job, faces the ultimate test. His love for people long extinguished, he merely goes through the motions. Enter The Devil, an androgynous, arrogant, and exuberantly manipulative tempter, determined to exploit Murray's despair and shatter his already crumbling faith. A gripping exploration of temptation, despair, and the battle for a soul.
The play is directed by Dean Sheridan, a regular on the Criterion stage since 'Sweeney Todd' in 2023 and who also directed his play 'Grace' at Springboard last year. The play is performed by Alice Scott who wowed us in 'The Welkin', 'Dirty Great Love Story' and '1984' and we welcome back Alan Wales who has been a regular actor in local theatre but last trod the Criterion boards in 'The Laramie Project' way back in 2006!
'No Place Like Home' by Alexandra Taylor (see this on Mon 11th, Tues 13th and Thurs 15th)
Birmingham-based play wright Alexandra Taylor gives us this twenty minute absurdist short play, set in a dystopian near future. In the play Adler baffles Bettina with red tape and bureaucracy as she tries to navigate her way through what defines citizenship of a country. Given the events on the world at the moment, this Black Mirroresque tale seems evermore relevant.
We are thrilled to present the play as the directing debut of the very talented Cassandra O'Floresca, who wrote 'Exotic' which was performed at Springboard 2023 and performed herself in 'F***ing Feminists' at Springboard 2024. It is also a pleasure to welcome four new actors to the Criterion stage in Ania Cummins, Manuela Palfi,Yasmin Hashemy and Timothy East.
'One Thousand and One' by Camilla Whitehill (see this on Weds 14th, Fri 16th and Sat 17th)
Anyone who saw the one man play 'Mr Incedible' at Springboard 2024 will be familiar with the ascerbic wit and hard-hitting themes from Birmingham-trained actor Camilla Whitehill (TV writing credits include 'Big Mood', 'Bruised Sky' and 'Whistle Through the Shamrocks'). This 20 minute one act play sees Maya taking therapy one step at a time. Maya has bi-polar disorder and this sharp funny play shows how she steps back into the world with the support of those around her. It is a funny and uplifting play about mental health and friendship.
It is the latest in a long track record of plays directed by Criterion stalwart Gennie Holmes (including 'Closer to God', 'Queers', 'Constellations', 'Road') and is performed by Criterion regulars Morgan Blundell-Smith, Olivia Simone and Chris Ingall and introducing Rob Bell.
'There is Always a Choice' by Andrew Sharpe (see this on Thurs 15th, Fri 16th and Sat 17th)
Andrew is the powerhouse inspiration behind the Springboard Festival and its success since 2023. Andrew has been a playwright for ten years, with multiple credits to his name, mostly in London and the southeast but also more recently at the Criterion ('The Cost of You'). In this 20 minute play extract, we meet Erica, trapped by the horror of evil in her past who seeks strength in denial. Condemned by society for ‘poor lifestyle choices’, her anger and isolation grow. But her bonds only tighten and, trapped in a life she hates, she is faced with one final choice. Parts of the play have been previously performed in 2024 in London at the Cockpit Theatre and in Coventry at the 'HerStory Collective Night' at the Litten Tree Showrooms. For Springboard 2025, this self-contained extract includes two new scenes, not yet seen in Coventry.
We welcome the Criterion debut of established director Jo Emery, whose credits include multiple Camden and Watford Fringe Festivals, with assistance from Criterion regular Lucy Hayton. The play is also the Criterion debut of Katie Hamilton, Birmingham and Liverpool trained actor.