Winner announced: Summer Shorts 2024

In 2023, we benefitted from a kind bequest, which specifically provided the funds for a cash prize for an annual play-writing competition. The Summer Shorts immediately suggested themselves as the best platform for this competition, and after audience voting for the Sport-themed plays that year, Charlotte Benstead won with her funny and poignant monologue, Mr Tuesday. Performed by Victoria Waddington, it followed the twisting story of a romance conducted at a municipal lido pool.

Charlotte Benstead & Victoria Waddington (2023)

This year’s winner, also by audience vote, was by contrast an ensemble piece with three actors, but also features a day of the week in the title. It was no surprise to anyone involved in the whole show, based on audience reactions in the space alone (especially to the line, “Daddy, she’s not in heaven, she’s in Croydon”!) that Rob Tavernier’s short play Thursday was the very worthy winner.

Rob Tavernier & Stevie Cox in Thursday (2024)

A piece exploring family life in the later stages, as the parental care dynamic reverses, Thursday was both profoundly moving and yet hilariously funny in places, with beautifully-drawn and relatable characters.

Olivette Cole-Wilson & Stevie Cox in Thursday (2024)

We would like to congratulate Rob (who’ll be receiving his modest cash prize shortly), and also celebrate the entire programme of Shorts, which audiences packed the house every night to see. We’re very proud of the massive team effort that brought these “stormy” short plays to such juicy fruition this year.

If you’re missing the Shorts fun already, a brief for submissions for Summer Shorts 2025 will be announced in the first part of next year, with auditions to follow on.

Cal, Anna & Guy

SLT Summer Shorts Team 2024