SEVEN plays from local theatre companies are competing in the 70th Harold Jolliffe One Act Play Festival.

The festival is a showcase for aspiring actors and runs until tomorrow in the Memorial Hall in Royal Wootton Bassett.

This year’s entries are the Lechlade Players, Didcot Phoenix Drama Group, RWB Productions, Athenaeum Limelight Players, Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatic Youth Society, C6 Productions and last year’s winners Quirky Bird Theatre.

Quirky Bird Theatre won best play award in 2016 with their production of Tusk Tusk, by Polly Sternham and this year they are entering another of Polly’s plays entitled That Face.

The one act play festival was named after Harold Jolliffe who was the chief librarian and curator for Swindon Borough Council for 23 years. He was appointed to the role in 1946 and in the November he instigated the opening of the country’s first dedicated municipal arts centre in Swindon town centre.

A year later the first one act play festival was held in the centre and has been providing a showcase with feedback for aspiring theatre companies ever since.

Curtain up is at 7.15pm and tickets are £9 and concessions £7 from swindonweb.com/hj1act.