It is with great pleasure that we announce that three New Theatre productions have been shortlisted for this year’s Festival. The plays are Disco Pigs, The Lonesome West and Proof. On behalf of everyone, we offer enormous congratulations to the teams behind these plays Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed! Last year we had two New Theatre productions shortlisted, and two productions done by external companies in association with New Theatre. In the end, two productions (Talking to Terrorists and Charlie Brafman’s Cast Aside) were performed at the Festival. Let’s hope we can beat that by getting all three of these productions selected!

Of course, all this depends on the Arts Council re-instating NSDF’s grant. If they don’t, this country has officially gone to the dogs. We care more about idiots jumping over quite high bars onto a mat than the future of theatre. What the @£$%!? We’d rather see some nonce balance on a pole, pirouette and then jump off the pole than the next Harold Pinter’s first major production. We’d rather see a fat idiot lift a pole with some weights on the end than the best student theatre in the country. Or tossing a heavy ball a couple of metres onto some grass. Or hopping and skipping and then jumping into a sandpit. Or running mindlessly round in circles. Or jumping into a swimming pool. It’s ridiculous. Please sign the petition: SAVE NSDF PETITION!!!!