County Drama Festival 2025

Next year, CUDOS will be entering the County Drama Festival 2025 with a One Act play, directed by Fred Broom.

The play is Gum and Goo by Howard Brenton. Gum and Goo is a short play about the world inside the mind of a young autistic girl. The play opens on two boys who torment a young girl, lifting up her skirt and calling her goofy. She starts screaming and retreats into her own head. There, the actors who played the boys become Gum and Goo, gremlins who offer to be her friends. They send her home for tea, and she wanders through a distorted world of confusing streets, dirty old men and a mother whose head comes off.

There are three acting roles in the play:

MARY a young girl with autism who has an alternative view of the world and how it works

GUM

GOO multi-role characters who play a variety of roles, including “gremlins” who become friends with Mary, boys who bully Mary, Mary’s mum and dad, a policeman and a dirty old man

The actors can be any age. The role of Mary is a female role, but Gum and Goo could be played by actors of any gender. The play is quite physical, and actors will be expected to be strong movers.

The rehearsal period for this play will be quite intensive – we will start rehearsing after the CUDOS Panto, and the Festival dates are the 22nd and 23rd March.

If you are interested in auditioning for the play, there will be a short introductory read through and workshop on Sunday 24th November between 5pm and 6pm at the Victoria Hall. Auditions will be held on Thursday 28th November between 6.30pm and 7.30pm at the same venue.

If you are unsure, why not just come along and join in the read through? Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Fred. x