I was in very good company on Monday night when my new play, ‘Complicit’, was awarded third place in the Slough Writers Group summer competition. The competition invited entrants to write a 10 minute play on the theme of The Photograph.

Second place went to accomplished playwright Michael Pearcy for his domestic drama, ‘The Legacy’, and Carol Breuer took top prize for her political drama, ‘A Foreign Country’.

‘Complicit’ is a contemporary thriller set in the office of a successful business executive, Tom, about to unveil a major new international business deal to the media. PR man, Mark, grows increasingly anxious when it becomes clear that Alice, a photographer covering the story for The Guardian, has some major hold over Tom.

The competition was judged by actor and playwright Richard James. Richard came along to the group earlier in the year to talk about the business of writing stage plays. His passionate presentation and excellent advice on what makes a successful play, particularly one that runs for just 10 minutes, inspired 16 entries.

Several of Richard’s actor friends came along on the night to join Richard in reading out the winning entries. In ‘Complicit’, Alice was played with conviction by local TV actress, Amber Edlin, who also runs her own drama school for children and teenagers.

To find out more, or read a copy of ‘Complicit’, email me from my contact page.

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