The 29th annual Festival of One Act Plays is taking place in the Unicorn Theatre this week. Each evening from Monday to Thursday two different groups perform. Three are then asked back by the adjudicator to perform at the gala evening on Friday.

The gala evening is usually on a Saturday but this year the festival has been cut short because of a clash with Music in the Park – organised by Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council. The resulting road closure means that the acting groups are not being allowed to drive their vehicles and props to the theatre.

At the end of each play the adjudicator goes on stage to give constructive criticism to the amateur dramatic groups Then directs a short scene showing how the play could be made even better. This year’s adjudicator gave a good assessment of both plays and his suggested improvements worked.

Next year the festival organisers will run the festival a week later to avoid the clash with Music in The Park.

Abingdon Drama Club will be celebrating their 70th anniversary this year. There will be special celebratory events and an exhibition, as well the usual three annual theatrical productions.

Their next production is Dangerous Corner by J. B. Priestley at the Unicorn Theatre (Wednesday 26th March – Saturday 29th March).

“Have you ever wished you hadn’t said something and as you watch the results of your careless words, wish you could turn back time?” This play does just that.

Some of the cast, and the director, are seen here at the Guildhall a few days ago.

From Monday to Friday about a dozen one act plays were performed by local acting groups at the Unicorn Theatre, in Abingdon, as part of the Oxford Drama Festival of One Act Plays. On Saturday, at the finale, the winner of the Colin Dextor Rose Bowl, awarded by Colin Dextor, was World Without Memory, performed by Henley Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society. Henley can usually be counted on to be good but this year they were excellent.

In this play, through a number of short episodes, the audience experienced how scary it could be to live in a world without memory. The scary thing is how many of us will end our days in a world without memory.

(Thanks to @HAODS on twitter for the picture. If my memory serves me right, the evening of the finale was 60 years to the day since the first ever performance at the Unicorn Theatre – 8th June 1953.)

A small group of children from Abingdon (aged 7-12) are staging a production of The Snow Queen fairy tale on February 9th, 4pm at Christchurch, Northcourt Road, Abingdon.

Here they are during rehearsals acting a script they have adapted themselves. They will also be playing instruments

and using shadow puppets that they made.

All proceeds will be shared between the RSPB and VIVA (a charity working with street children around the world).