***

Sparkleshark, first of three short plays, was specifically written for young actors and allowed the burgeoning talent of Southwick Players Youth to be put on display.

The fable-like piece, set on the rooftop of a tower block where youngsters gather, dealt with bullying and the redemptive power of storytelling.

The youngsters all performed well although there were a couple of instances where the art of voice projection needed to be addressed.

In Easy Stages the lot of a stage manager to an amateur company putting on Hamlet was thrown into focus as she tried to rehearse the striking of the set for a scene change. Chaos and confusion abounded.

Louise Yeo was strong in the role of the harassed stage manager while Yvonne Fair delighted as Patsy, the prime cause of the mayhem. They were well supported by the rest of the cast.

More comedy, farcical this time, was provided in Gosforth’s Fete by Alan Ayckbourn. A simple village fete descended into total mayhem as one disaster followed another.

The whole cast extracted every ounce of comedy from the script and played it at a cracking pace. Vic Moss and Terri Geal, in the leading roles, gave notable performances.