It’s Play Time @ Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, 23 Oct

Why go to see one play when you can see six in an hour? Young new writing collective Writers on the Brink present their debut show It’s Play Time at Liverpool’s Lantern Theatre in the form of six ten-minute, script-in-hand performances of original new plays.

From Aless Castagni’s black comedy about a disillusioned funeral director to Geoff Woodbridge’s tale of idyllic love turned upside down, the plays range in topic from the absurd and the sinister to the romantic and melancholy. Unusual café patrons, devious doctors and extra-hot, gut-busting chilli sandwiches all make an appearance in this eclectic set of new writing.

The idea to found the Writers on the Brink collective belonged to scriptwriter Julian Perkins and agent Diane Culverhouse. Together they coached the six writers with the aim of giving valuable professional advice and experience to budding playwrights. “Basically what we tried to do was to take these new writers through a professional scenario: beginning with an idea, pitching it, developing it and eventually creating a script. We’ve taken them through the whole process,” explains Perkins.

“We advertised for writers to come on board who hadn’t had anything produced before but had an idea that they were desperate to explore,” he continues. The collective both challenges writers and gives them experience working collaboratively, all with the intention of seeing their idea come to life.

Not only is It’s Play Time a great chance to catch some fresh writing and scope out some up-and-coming talent, but it's also an opportunity to support and discover the best of the city's hidden writers, and share in the stories they have to tell.