Festival Plays 1923-1973

One act plays performed by the Players at the Settlement, typically in the spring, that either go to Festivals during spring/summer or support festival plays at the Settlement one act evening in April.
The Settlement Players have always been keen supporters of drama festivals, and were involved in running the Letchworth drama festival (1938-1957) and Letchworth Little Theatre drama festival (1963-2003). The Players staged their own internal festival in the intervening years. The Players have regularly taken one act plays to Bedford, Sawston, Barton and Welwyn Garden City and returned with Prizes.
It is sometimes reported that the Players opened the first Welwyn drama festival in 1929. This is a myth. The Players performed The Two Gentlemen of Soho (which opened the first Welwyn festival) during the 45th Welwyn Festival in 1979.

Date

Production

Author

Producer

1923
1924 Pride and Prejudice (scenes) Jane Austen
1925 The Marriage Will Not Take Place Alfred Sutro
1926
1927 A Midsummer Nights Dream (excerpt) William Shakespeare
1928
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933 The Lovely Miracle Philip Johnson Winifred Swan
1934 St. Simeons Stylites F. Sladen Smith
1935
1936
1937 Solomon’s Folly Sydney Box
1938 Gods Jailer G. A. Thomas Ken Ponder
The Man Who Wouldn’t go to Heaven F. Sladen Smith Ken Spinks
1939 Solomon’s Folly Sydney Box Ken Spinks
The Red Velvet Goat Josephina Niggli Ken Spinks
1940 Call to Kenilworth Bernard Youngman Ken Spinks
20th Century Lullaby and Cats of Egypt Cedric Mount, T. B. Morris Gwen Spinks
1941
1942 Mimes and One Act Play T. B. Morris
1943
1944
1945
1946 Puppet Show Sydney Box Gwen Spinks
1947 Mute Swan Winifred Wall Ken Spinks
Lucrezia Borgia’s Little Party A. J. Talbot Gwen Spinks
1948 The Bear Anton Chekhov Noel Ripley
1949 Willow, Woe is Me Dorothy Carr Gwen Spinks
1950 Before you Roast your Beef T. B. Morris Noel Ripley
1951 The Widow of Heardingas Edward Percy Gwen Spinks
1952 The Night Outlives your Bravery Monte Middleton Gwen Spinks
1953 The Pie and the Tart Hugh Chesterman Gwen Spinks
Cats of Egypt T. B. Morris Ken Spinks
1954 Festival A. A. Milne, Hedi Hughes, Archie Douglas, Anton Chekhov Ella Edwards,
Hedi Hughes, Winnie Stubbs,
Noel Ripley
Flower of Youth Archie Douglas Winnie Stubbs
Back to Methuselah (excerpt) G. B. Shaw Ken Spinks
1955 The Spartan Girl A. J. Talbot adapted from Euripides Noel Ripley , Ken Spinks
1956 The Ring Game L de Franquen Ken Spinks
1957 The play of Noah and the Flood Unknown Author Noel Ripley
1958 Festival of Plays Guida Swan, James Innes, F. Sladen Smith
The Poison Party F. Sladen Smith Hugh Bidwell
1959 Festival of Plays James Innes, Maurice Coles, Oscar Wilde, Guida Swan James Innes, Jacqueline Smedley, William Pearce, Ella Edwards
Cradle Song (Excerpt) G and M Sierra Gwen Spinks
1960 The Senora; Merry-Go-Round; This is Impossible Arthur Swinson, Sydney Box, Patrick Hamilton Ken Spinks
Festival of Plays Guida Swan & Joan Hyde, Ben W Levy, James Innes
Merry Go Round Sydney Box Ken Spinks
1961
1962 Festival of One Act Plays Charles Lee, A. J. Talbot, Philip Johnson, Antony Booth Hugh Bidwell, Patricia Smedley, Charles Taylor, Joan Dixon
The Pie and the Tart Hugh Chesterman Gwen Spinks
1963 Antigone Jean Anoulih Noel Ripley , Joan Dixon
1964 Mr Sampson Charles Lee
1965 The River Line (act 2) Charles Morgan Janet Tate
1966 The Caucasian Chalk Circle Bertolt Brecht Noel Ripley
1967 Riders to the Sea J. M. Synge Noel Ripley
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime (act 2) Constance Cox, adapted from Oscar Wilde Gwen Spinks
1968 Great Catherine (acts 1, 2 and 4) G. B. Shaw Maurice Coles
1969 The Generation Factor Maurice Coles Maurice Coles
1970 The Little Peasant Alan Cohen Ena Cohen
1971 The Conquest of Everest Arthur Kopit Noel Ripley
1972 Barnstable James Saunders Grace Husson
Hobson’s Choice (act 1) Harold Brighouse Winnie Stubbs
1973 The Happy Journey Thornton Wilder Michael Everitt