I was delighted to have two plays selected for this festival, Provenance and Anna By Lamplight.

Provenance:  A London jeweller travels to Moscow post-Revolution to purchase a valuable piece. But what is the true price of beauty?

This play was inspired by a Furious Fiction challenge, which required the inclusion of the words ‘egg’ and ‘elephant’. An internet search conveniently revealed that one of the famous Fabergé Eggs contained a jewelled elephant! I have taken liberties with historical facts, but I quite like tension in the play, along with the moral dilemma it poses.

Anna By Lamplight: Berlin, November 1938, two days after Kristallnacht. A dangerous time to be a Jew. But who presents the greater danger to Anna: the Nazis or her abusive husband Max? And who is the stranger in black, lurking under the lamplight?

This play was first performed at the 1812 Theatre in 2015 and has seen a number of productions with different directors. I was inspired by the film Gaslight to create a film noir atmosphere which I transposed to a different historical context from the film.

Thanks to the 1812 Theatre for the loan of the lamp post. The Brighton TC stagehands coped admirably with the challenge of getting it on and off every performance!

Looking forward to seeing my play ‘Dear Lisa’ performed in Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENX10 Festival.

This year’s theme is ‘Love in the Time of COVID’.