Connections

Connections comes to Brighton Little Theatre on Friday 17 April, a new-writing showcase curated by Susanne Crosby. It's a night of nine short plays, all running together on one set, so you get a good stretch of new work in a single sitting rather than a handful of separate pieces.

The line-up is a proper mix of writers and directors. Womb With A View is by Nettie Sheridan, directed by Steven Adams and Will Rosander; Half A Glass is by and directed by Jo Gatford; The Picture is by and directed by Susanne Crosby; Mastication is by Tess Gill, directed by Adams and Rosander; White Thing is by Simon Jenner; Leaks is by and directed by Faith McNeill; Perfect is by Sam Nixon, directed by Crosby; Snakes // Ladders is by Ethan Taylor, directed by Leigh Ward; and Tidying Up is by Tess Gill, directed by Adams and Rosander. That's two pieces from Tess Gill and three directed by the Adams and Rosander team, so a few names crop up more than once across the bill.

There's a common thread running through them, too. The plays turn on how people strive for connection, validation and to be seen, so while the stories change, the ground they're covering stays the same. The whole thing is staged on a simple set with a few props, and the reviews have pointed to the tight staging and the seamless flow between pieces. Steven Adams handles the set and lighting, designing and sequencing both, so the transitions should be smooth rather than a series of stops and starts.

It's a one-night showcase of nine new plays at Brighton Little Theatre on Friday 17 April. If you're into new writing and don't mind a bit of a marathon, this is a good way to catch a lot of it in one go.