THE preliminary round of the All England Theatre Festival takes place at the Victoria Hall, Grange-over-Sands, on Saturday, March 25. With writer and director Bev Clark in the adjudicator's chair, audiences can see five, one-act plays running from 3pm, opening with Who Do You Think You Are by Ken Smyth from Grange Drama's outfit The Cosgood Players, followed by Anton Chekhov's The Proposal staged by Cockermouth Amateur Dramatic Society; Gosforth Amateur Dramatic Society wraps up the afternoon session performing A Little Box of Oblivion by Stephen Bean. There will be a well earned break for all concerned between 6pm-7pm before curtain up for the evening session, featuring CATS performing Blood on Canvas by Richard James and another play from the Cockermouth contingent - David Greig's Being Norwegian.

Winners of the Victoria Hall round will go through to the semi-final staged at Saltburn Community Centre over the weekend of May 6/7.