Scripts Aloud is a relatively new concept. It is the brainchild of the Manchester Acting and Directing Partnership, where each month they will select four short scripts from up and coming writers and put them on show. Personally I think it is a great idea as it gives opportunities to writers, directors and actors to showcase their talents.
The first play of the evening was ‘The Comeback’ written by Rebecca Mickler-Platt. This was the story of an egotistical TV Presenter who was about to make his big comeback after years out of the limelight. This play had some great characters, in particular Johnson played by Clive Cope. However, I do think that this play had the potential to be funnier than it actually was, especially the interview piece. There was a rather infamous incident with a carrot that’s referred to in the play. Personally I would have liked to have heard what actually happened, instead of leaving it to the imagination.
Next up is ‘Red Flag Flying’ by Dave Jones. This story is inspired by the Spanish Civil War. I lost the very beginning of the play as the actors were speaking over music. Although this piece is set in the 1930s a lot of it is still very relevant in today’s political world. The majority of the production took place on stage right. As a member of the audience that was closer to stage left, I did feel a bit left out as there were times when all I could see was actors backs. The problem with the majority of it being stage right is that sometimes the actors blocked my view of other actors. The Kings Arms stage is quite small, so I found it rather strange that the director (Craig Sanders) chose not to make full use of it. Towards the end, one of the characters becomes a narrator. I didn’t like this as it felt like we were being told the story instead of letting it play out. I think the writer chose an interesting topic but tried to fit too much into a 20 minute play. 
The third play of the evening was ‘Hole’ by Brad Stoloff. This story uses a hole as a metaphor for depression. I wasn’t entirely sure what this piece was about until the post-performance discussion, which on reflection now is a great metaphor. As this is such a sensitive issue, it requires very little in terms of stage direction. However, there were times when I felt there was a bit too much pacing of the stage by the actors, in this case I think less is more. Obviously, the word hole has two connotations. There were times in the performance I wanted to burst out laughing, but it wasn’t appropriate to do so. Perhaps some of the innuendos can be removed, as it may dilute the message that this play is trying to get across. Having said that I think this play could be used as a tool to educate people about mental health.
Finally we had ‘Spring Forward, Fall Back’ by Joe Osborne. This play told the story of a middle aged couple who bicker over the clocks going forward by one hour. However, it soon becomes clear that the woman is terminally ill and doesn’t want to lose any more time. This is an excellent piece of writing that has a great balance of comedy and drama. It should be noted that the actors only have three hours to rehearse their performances and Lynda Arron and Steven Hillman did an excellent job. My only advice to them would be to pause for laughs, as I missed some of the script. However, seen as this was their first performance they were probably unsure of what parts would get a laugh. If I’m nit-picking I did find a bit of the beginning of the script a tiny bit repetitive. The couple bicker about why the clocks need to be changed, I didn’t think this needed addressing as much as it did.
Scripts Aloud is a very promising event and I am confident that pretty soon that it will either have to move to a new venue to accommodate a larger audience or be spread across a few nights. The next event will be on 11th April at the Kings Arms.
Reviewed: 28th March 2016
Reviewer: Kevin O’Brien
