Play Entry to Isle of Man's TheatreFest

A couple of months back I wrote House Proud, a one act comedy about the cluster-fuck of the Brexit campaign from both Leave and Remain.

I submitted to the Isle of Man flagship theatre festival TheatreFest and out of a few hundred entries I got very close to having it performed.

Although I disagree with their assessment that my female leads aren't contrasting enough, I'm pleased to have gotten such positive feedback and gain second place in a festival that is regularly entered by professional and seasoned playwrights.

Their feedback below:

House Proud by Paul Adam Levy (3m 3f)
Initially this appears to be a simple domestic comedy drama but very soon the underlying themes begin to emerge and we enter the realms of a state-of-the-nation commentary. Among other matters the playwright cleverly makes comment on the Brexit situation, immigration issues, the passing of the old British Empire and people’s fear of the future.

The characters have more than a passing reference to some of our well-known politicians and we even have a fleeting reference to Donald Trump. Their manipulative chess game is played out in “a house in modern Britain” where they all worry about their uncertain tenure.

The male characters are clearly identifiable but the author might have given the women a clearer personification and contrast.

On the surface it seems a simple folk-tale but under that surface veneer the playwright is making some astringent points.

The characters have no great depths but tend to be caricatures of our politicians but the dialogue is bright and certainly holds our interest as we begin to make connections between this volatile domestic atmosphere and recent nation/Europe wide shenanigans.

Belatedly the ‘Journey’ theme only becomes clear in the final few pages where the play moves into a different gear taking us on a brief metaphorical journey into the fearful unknown – which brings us back sharply to the current state of the nation.

The playwright has found his own style and I admired the originality of the writing.