The curtain rises on the Harold Jolliffe One Act Play Festival in Swindon this month with a mix of classical theatre, comedy, farce, thrillers and new plays.

The festival, which is hosted by the |Swindon and District Theatre Guild, takes place in the Art Centre, Devizes Road, Old Town from Thursday, April 9 to Saturday, April 11 at 7.15pm nightly.

Last year's winners were the Athelstan Players from Malmesbury with their production of Isolation At Eyam by Joyce Dennys. This year they are tackling a completely different production with The Honeymoon Suite (extract) a comedy by Tony Layton

Scooping the youth cup last year were the Pewsey Vale Amateur Dramatic Society Youth Section with an original play called Call To Duty.

Pewsey cleaned up in the winning stakes winning five awards.

Fennella Harrop, festival director said: "The standard of acting, direction and technical expertise at HJAct is always very high.''

Competing this year against Athelstan are companies from all around the area including RBW Theatre Company, Marlborough Young Actors, The Lechlade Players, New College Stage Company, The Friendly Theatre Company and The Bishopstone Players.

The Swindon festival is a preliminary independent round in the All England Theatre Festival.

Fenella said: "The companies can score up to 100 points from adjudicators who look at categories including acting, production, stage presentation and dramatic achievement.''

The first One Act Play Festival was in 1947 and it is named for the post war librarian in Swindon, Harold Jolliffe, who founded the arts centre in the town.

Kicking off the festival this year will be the drama Moonwillow that has been adapted by Paula Clifford for the actors from Royal Wootton Bassett.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare will challenge the young actors from Marlborough in their first appearance at the One Act Play Festival, while the Lechlade Players will perform the Last Tango in Little Grimley, a comedy by David Tristram.

New College students have written their own new drama called, Under the Bridge. It is based in the world of the internet troll and is a dark and sinister piece of theatre.

Matthew Clift, manager of the Phoenix Theatre at New College, said: "It uncovers the far removed personalities who reach out through cyberspace to cause pain and misfortune to those they deceive. It shows the inner workings of the troll's mind as well as the devastating consequences of their actions.''

The Virtuous Burglar is a merry farce by Dario Fo, a satire of bourgeois hypocrisy played out by The Friendly Theatre Company.

Rounding off the festival are two stalwarts of H and J, The Bishopstone Players enacting a crime drama by Peter Yates called A Long Time Coming, and Athelstan's comedy about a fading pop star who checks in to the Bridal Suite with his new wife.

Ticket are £10.50, concessions £8.50 from 01793 524481 or online at www.swindontheatres.co.uk. - Flicky Harrison