Famous For Fifteen turns ten this month

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 1: The island’s popular playwright competition Famous For Fifteen is to celebrate it’s tenth anniversary this month with the invitation of founding member Tom Coash as judge.

Coash has been busy reading the six finalists for this year’s show which runs from February 9 to 17 and said he is “delighted with the quality”.

He told the Bermuda Sun: “I think that this year is higher quality than several other years. It will be a tough decision.”

The six plays cover subjects as diverse as losing a loved one to dealing with  chronic anxiety.

Coash said of the entries: “What’s always fun for me is how wildly different they all are. From year to year and play to play I always like it if there’s some Bermuda themed ones. There tends to be more comedy than not and that’s good but it is hard to write. There is a great overall spread of things this year.”

Asked what qualities he looked for in a play he said: “One of the main things is whether it’s been written from the heart. Somebody who is writing something that really means something to them, whether its funny or not — that’s what I like.

“I look for things that have an interesting setting, believeable characters and dialogue.

“Generally what I like to see in a one-act play, as opposed to a skit on TV, is that it has some kind of a conflict that gets resolved so there is a beginning, middle and end.”

The overall winner will be announced at the Gala Night on February 18. The six plays being performed are as follows:

• A Little Bit of Heaven — by Kevin Comeau:

Over drinks, Henry and Gordon debate the depths of Henry’s unhappiness and the merits of a potential cure.

• Still Life with Book — by Adam Gauntlett:

A reader, his other, and a book, on a quiet Saturday. What could go wrong? Sometimes it seems as if life is conspiring against us. The reader just wants a quiet few hours along with his book, but the other is always with him, interfering in every way possible. It’s a battle of wits, with the book and a quiet Saturday as the prize.

• A Thousand Words — by Owain Johnston:

After losing her aunt, Heather sets out to find photographs lost in an estate sale, dragging her friend Karen along for the ride.

Unfortunately the pictures’ new owner, a bitter man with a nearly unpronounceable last name and a heavy chip on his shoulder, doesn’t want to sell.

The question is, just how much is a picture worth?

• The Appointment — by Mark Lavery:

Loss, hope and things left unsaid. A man meets with a doctor in order to alleviate his chronic anxiety.

But reality is limited by the things we fail to notice and time can’t heal all wounds.

As they delve into the past to search for the cause, the truth is finally revealed.

Some questions need no answer. Nothing is more empty than the pursuit of being right. And sometimes, ‘this moment’ is the only thing that matters.

• Straight from the Horse’s Mouth — by George Morton:

Marcus likes his dog, rare buttons and Roger. Roger likes beer, race-horses and Elliot’s cash.

Elliot likes himself. Can these three old ‘friends’ pull off a life changing purchase, or will the news from the horse’s mouth reveal one too many hurdles?

• One Size Fits All — by Deborah Pharoah — Williams

Ever playful Hubert can beat Myrtle in a game of Gin Rummy but how will he fare in the hunt for the perfect fortieth anniversary gift?

Myrtle knows just what to get for her Hubert - a spiffy ruby coloured tie. “A man can never have too many ties”.  Hubert, on the other hand, gets some new ideas after venturing into the mysterious shop with the lace covered windows, ideas that reaffirm his belief that we are never too old to play. 

Will Myrtle like her gift? 

Will she play along or will Hubert be beaten at his own game?

And does one size really fit all?  The only way to know for sure is to try it on and see.