The Pembrokeshire based, Pint-sized Plays competition is gearing up for its 2013 performances.   Once again, the number of entries in the competition exceeded previous years, with many more coming in from Australia, New Zealand and the US as well as Wales and the rest of the UK. 

The six winners and four runners up are now in rehearsal ready to be performed as part of the Tenby Festival.  Six pubs in Tenby will be hosting the plays over two nights,  Monday September 23rd and Tuesday September 24th.  

It is hoped that selected plays will also be performed in other pubs in the county too. And then, as in previous years, all ten plays will compete at 4U in Fishguard at the Pint-sized Plays Script Slam on September 28th, where the audience get to vote for their favourite script and there’s a ‘Pint Pot’ awarded to the winner and a half-pint for the runner up as well as prizes for the best performances.

This year there will be an additional ‘theatre’ performance at the Small World Theatre in Cardigan on October 5th.  Called Pint-sized World , this will feature all ten plays in one show with a bar and cabaret style seating.

Pint-sized Plays have begun publishing the plays too. The first volume, which has 20 plays from the first four years, has just been published and are available for other theatre companies to perform as well as being ideal for drama schools and colleges to use. Already some of the plays have been taken up.  One play, ‘In-Sex’, was performed at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival by a Brighton theatre company and a further six plays were performed by an Oxford company. Performances aren’t limited to the UK either. A successful New Zealand version of Pint-sized Plays began earlier in the year and plans another festival for 2014. Pembrokeshire-born Pint-sized Plays it seems just keep on growing! More information: info@pintsizedplays.org.uk

'' Twins'' by Stuart Crafton . The Winning Script in the 2012 Pint-sized Plays competition

September sees the third annual PENfro Book Festival held at Rhosygilwen and this year it will run over four days, with two evenings of events before the weekend starts.

The festival begins with a special evening of music and spoken word on Thursday September 12 ^th . ''Hungarian Dances: the concert of the novel'' promises to be an uplifting and memorable experience with author Jessica Duchen reading extracts from her international bestselling novel, accompanied by award-winning musicians David Le Page and Anthony Hewitt playing the Hungarian and Gypsy-influenced violin music that inspired it.  The concert featured to great acclaim on Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’.

Friday evening has local poets ‘The Cellar Bards’ and other local poetry groups joined by performance poet Tim Wells and the winners of the PENfro poetry competition together with the guest judge Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch.

There’s more poetry on Saturday evening with the Poet Laureate herself, Carol Ann Duffy together with the National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, reading from their work. This is a real coup for the festival and will it is hoped really put PENfro on the literary map.

Gillian Clarke on Wikipedia   

During the day, once again there will be special workshops for writers, covering everything form screenwriting to poetry, writing biography to using new media, which are sure to be as enjoyable as they are stimulating. PENfro Chairman, Derek Webb, is pleased at the expanding nature of the festival.  “We’re aiming to have a good mix of events to attract everyone with any interest in books and to celebrate the amazing wealth and diversity of writing in Wales today.  Above all though we hope that PENfro will be seen as a fun festival with the warmth and welcome that we are so good at in Pembrokeshire.”

Sunday is the big day when there is a book fair with a wide variety of bookshops and other traders in Rhosygilwen’s magnificent Oak Hall together with readings, book launches, discussions and other events starting at 10.30 am.  Among the many diverse events are rock climber and prize winning travel writer Jim Perrin’s debut book of short stories, a discussion on the remarkable 19 ^th century woman and novelist Amy Dillwyn, and Peter Lord on his new book 'Relationships with Pictures' which describes, using fifteen pictures, the evolution of his own sense of self.

There’s a Welsh language event with Grahame Davies talking about 'Alcemi Dwr/The Alchemy Of Water'– an illustrated book about Welsh lakes, rivers, shorelines and waterfalls. And there’s a good deal for children too.  World famous storyteller Daniel Morden will be telling tales from his award-winning book, 'Dark Tales from the Woods' . Throughout the day there’s a mystery game that children with their families can join in – searching for an elusive stolen ivory statue – with prizes for those who find it and catch the thief!

There will also be plenty of opportunities to meet local authors and hear about their books.  One such author is popular writer and illustrator Jackie Morris who has a new book out called 'Song of the Golden Hare' .  And, at the other end of the spectrum, Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Wilkins and ITV News reporter Steve Wilkins, will talk about their book 'The Pembrokeshire Murders' – the story of Operation Ottawa, the cold case detection of John Cooper for two double killings.

So what makes a good read? That’s the subject of a discussion between authors Paula Brackston, Francesca Rhydderch and Katherine Stansfield who will discuss their latest books in conversation with Richard Davies. And to wrap up the day, one of the UK''s leading TV screenwriters, Lucy Gannon will talk about her career and writing for television including the new series of Frankie , Soldier Soldier , Branwell, Lewis and the award winning The Best of Men .

The PENfro Book Festival 2013 is at Rhosygilwen, Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire from Thursday September 12 ^th until Sunday September 15 ^th .