Fresh Voices 2026
Welcome to Fresh Voices 2026! Now in our fourth year, we are proud to present an electric line up of six new one-act plays that range from the poignant to the purely absurd all written by members our very own WordsmithsINK writing group.
This year’s selection takes audiences on a diverse journey: from a boozy reunion on a Blackpool pier to a reflective mission in Reims, France, and even into a chaotic police interrogation room following a drag queen’s brawl. With stories featuring everything from 'man-eating' mysteries and occult camping trips to a surreal showdown between a pirate and an insurance salesman, this season guarantees performances of unexpected connection and laughter.
Girls Gone Wild
by S Jones
directed by Ada Burke
Three women in their 70s—Debs, Ava, and Liz—gather at a bar on Blackpool north pier. Already a few drinks in, the day starts with bickering and tension over past grievances. However, as the alcohol flows—including sambuca shots and "Sex on the Beach" cocktails—the women loosen up. They share ribald jokes about a handsome barman and reveal surprising secrets about their past romantic adventures, ultimately finding connection and laughter in their "autumn years".
Bottled Up
by Daniel Browne
directed by Hannah Combs
Twenty-year-old friends Tom and Sam travel to Reims, France, on a trip originally planned for their friend Matt and his mother. While the trip appears to be a vacation, they are actually there on a somber mission: to scatter Matt’s ashes in the cathedral. As they navigate the city and banter about French accents and history, they grapple with their grief. The play explores how young men process loss, shifting between humor and the heavy reality of a life cut short.
Wild, Wilder and Wildest
by Steve Burke
directed by Daniel Browne
This comedic "black box" play features three eccentric characters competing for the title of the "wildest" individual. Morg the Mangler is a stereotypical pirate with a hook and a bad attitude; Minx the Minger is a rebellious punk rocker covered in piercings; and Sam is a "monotone" insurance salesman who believes his soul-crushing persistence makes him the most formidable of all. Through rhyming dialogue and humorous boasts, the trio presents their cases to the audience, who ultimately decides the winner via a show of hands.
Don’t Ever Fight A Man With A Perm
by Jack Davison
directed by Luca Taylor
Friends Jamie and Cameron find themselves in a police interrogation room after a night of clubbing ends in a brawl. The conflict began when Jamie, a drag artist, offered "unwarranted fashion advice" to a stranger with a perm, resulting in both men being beaten up and arrested. The play follows their chaotic interaction with Officer Ross—a policeman who struggles to maintain a "tough guy" persona while Jamie relentlessly flirts with him. It is a high-energy comedy about vanity, identity, and unexpected escapes.
On Heckmondthistlethwaite Moor I Lay Down and Wept
by Andrew Connolly
directed by Simon Jones
Malcolm and Julia's attempt at "wild camping" on a rainy moor takes a bizarre turn when they are interrupted by Reinhardt Ziegler, an American professor. While Julia believes their location in a stone circle invokes a goddess to enhance pleasure and fertility, Reinhardt reveals he is actually there to stop a demon named Lamashtu from entering the world. The play blends relationship drama with occult absurdity as the trio huddles in a tent waiting for a supernatural event that might be happening at a completely different stone circle.
She's a Man Eater
by Luca Taylor
directed by Charlie Boardman & Steve Burke
Set in a salon's works outing, owner Gina and her cynical employee Beth sit with Margaret, a glamorous but "spaced out" older woman. The atmosphere is tense as Beth suspects Margaret of being a dangerous "man-eater" following a series of mysterious disappearances of local men, including their waiter. A detective (VO) investigates the scene, but in a darkly comedic twist, he becomes enamoured with Margaret’s "incredible" eyebrows and arrests the neurotic Beth instead, leaving the true "man-eater" free to strike again.
Like what you see, and think 'I could do that'. The plays are written by members our very own WordsmithsINK writing group. For more information, email
d29yZHNtaXRocyB8IGdidGhlYXRyZSAhIGNvICEgdWs=. Who knows, it could be your play up on the GBT stage in 2027.
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