One Act Plays...
I've written a number of one act plays and had a bit of success over the years, in the SCDA Scott Salver competition. The Scott Salver is awarded each year to the best original play entered in the SCDA festival of one act plays. I’ve won the competition twice, with Mayday Mayday Mayday and Signature. I have been second with Adrian's Wall, (Adrian's Wall was runner up in the Geoffrey Whitworth Playwriting Competition 2020. 2nd out of 28 entries across the UK) Fall Back, 2016, Keepers and Sub Contract. I have also had two plays placed third in the competition, Wind and An Incident Of Near International Proportions. Assault Within Tent was in the top six and was commended in the Geoffrey Whitworth competition which is similar to the Scott Salver but is UK wide. Mayday, 2016, and Fall Back have also been commended in the Geoffrey Whitworth. The Magic Roundabout was also short listed in the SCDA Play On Words competition. Enough bragging...
Here are the plays...
Here are the plays...
Mayday Mayday Mayday was first performed by the Atholl Players in 2008. Their performance won the SCDA district festival of One Act Plays at the Birnam Institute in February of that year and the play went one to win the Scott Salver for best original play of the festival. It was also commended in the nationwide Geoffrey Whitworth playwriting competition. It is a one-act comedy for three males and one female. The running time is approx 45 mins.
mayday_mayday_mayday_extract_c_copyright_bob_davidson_2005.pdf | |
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Assault Within Tent. Whatever you do - DO NOT go on a camping trip with old school friends you haven't seen for thirty years. A One Act Play for six women and one man. Assault Within Tent was commended in the Scott Salver competition 2008.
Set on a campsite in rural Perthshire the play follows the re-union of four women, all of whom have reached the golden age of fifty. Having made contact through Friends Re-united they have a lot of catching up to do. There are some secrets to share, stories to tell and some thirty five year old grudges, which bubble to the surface.
Set on a campsite in rural Perthshire the play follows the re-union of four women, all of whom have reached the golden age of fifty. Having made contact through Friends Re-united they have a lot of catching up to do. There are some secrets to share, stories to tell and some thirty five year old grudges, which bubble to the surface.
assault_within_tent_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2007.pdf | |
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The Bridge. It is the beginning of the 19th century and still the only way to cross the River Tay at Dunkeld is by ferry. And just what is the government going to do about it? Well, they employ civil engineering genius, Thomas Telford for a start. They then identify a local money-man, 4th Duke of Atholl for seconds, and the rest, as they say, is history. But just what will happen to the ferryman’s wife and bairns if his livelihood is taken away? Where on earth does one locate the bridge and why? Where does the stone come from? How much does it cost? What were the pontage riots all about. Could we do it all again today? The answers to all these questions and more are contained within this thirty-five minute romp through the first two hundred years of the bridge’s history. Prepare to be informed, educated but most of all entertained.
the_bridge_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2008.pdf | |
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Fall Back. Alison is a sixty five year old widow. She is settled and comfy. Her husband died five years ago and she thinks of him everyday. She eats slightly too many scones. Bakes for the rural and is not long home after a bus trip to see The Eden Project and Cliff Richard. The play opens in Alison’s living room, it is evening and she’s just finished off doing the dishes and has made herself a cup of tea and is looking forward to catching up on The Archers. Just as the programme is beginning however there is a knock at the door. It is Deirdre and she is on a mission. She is also a bit un-nerved by the fact that Alison is alive and well because according to her records she should be quite the opposite. Deirdre admits to being one of The Grim Reaper’s Little Helpers and does her best to answer Alison’s annoying although searching questions about the life hereafter. Unable to speed things up Deirdre patiently waits for Alison to die reassuring her that “the other side” is a bit like Switzerland… or Canada maybe. When Alison realises that she will be re-united with her departed husband she is anxious to go but Deirdre is powerless to take her across until the time is right. Fall Back is a gentle comedy written for two women although the roles are not necessarily gender specific. Fall Back was placed second in the Scott Salver competition 2009.
fall_back_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2008.pdf | |
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Knots and Brui is a one act snapshot of bothy life in Perthshire in the 1920s. The action takes place on the first day in the bothy of the new loun, a 14 year old lad. The bothy is occupied by three horsemen and one orraman. We hear of the lads hopes and lives, the legacy of the first world war and the life of toil on the land. The play concludes with the arrival of a travelling photographer and the setting up of the parody pose of bothy life, commonplace at this time. Running time approx 25 minutes, the play asks for six males - one 14 year old, four in their twenties and one other as the photographer. If you'd like to read an extract of the play then please click on the icon below.
Knots and Brui is a one act snapshot of bothy life in Perthshire in the 1920s. The action takes place on the first day in the bothy of the new loun, a 14 year old lad. The bothy is occupied by three horsemen and one orraman. We hear of the lads hopes and lives, the legacy of the first world war and the life of toil on the land. The play concludes with the arrival of a travelling photographer and the setting up of the parody pose of bothy life, commonplace at this time. Running time approx 25 minutes, the play asks for six males - one 14 year old, four in their twenties and one other as the photographer. If you'd like to read an extract of the play then please click on the icon below.
knots_and_brui_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2009.pdf | |
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The Magic Roundabout. Liz and Angie are both in the employ of the local authority roads department. They are sent on a simple mission – to serve an eviction notice on Sandy, an aging tramp who has taken up residence, in his tent, on a roundabout in the middle of a dual carriageway. Only it turns out to be not quite as simple as that. Sandy forces the two women to evaluate their lives and they realise they have missed opportunities. They are now caught in their humdrum “anything for a quiet life” existence, but Sandy offers them a new beginning. Their encounter with the tramp changes their lives forever. The Magic Roundabout is a gentle comedy for one male and two female actors. The play was shortlisted in the 2009 Play on Words Competition. If you'd like to read an extract of the play then please click on the icon below.
the_magic_roundabout_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2008..pdf | |
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Fat Bottomed Girls. A comedy, becoming more and more dark as it progresses. A contemporary story involving the lives of three couples. For various reasons the three women decide to attend and subsequently meet up at a slimming group. This group is run by the last member of the cast. She is a young slim annoying reminder of a time long gone for the older three. The story takes place over a number of weeks and the action switches between the homes of the couples and the local hall where the slimming group meet. The play discusses the themes of the obsession with food and need to conform to society’s idea of the body beautiful. Running time – 30 minutes approx. To read an extract of the play please click on the icon below.
fat_bottomed_girls_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2009..pdf | |
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2016. The play opens with Claire, a seventeen year old girl originally from London, sitting on a beach in north west Scotland. From a news bulletin we here from a radio on stage, we learn that the year is 2016 and that life in Britain is very different from what we know today. Claire is on the run from something and not just the chaos enveloping the country. Early in the play she encounters Gogs, a nineteen year old lad from Edinburgh who already has had a brush with the authorities. Through the narrative between the two characters we gradually learn what has been happening politically and militarily in the country. The two characters become uneasy allies and hatch an unlikely escape plan. Claire’s shocking confession towards the end rocks their alliance somewhat and stretches the limits of their mutual distrust. To read an extract of the play please click on the icon below. The play was runner up in the Scott Salver competition in 2013 and commended in the Geoffrey Whitworth competition.
2016_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2008.pdf | |
File Size: | 367 kb |
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Wind. Mark and Gail are a couple of twenty something eco friendly types. Concerned with green issues and renewable energy. They live in an idyllic cottage which they rent from Wullie Sutherland, an old sheep farmer. They plan to install a small wind turbine in the garden, just by the rhubarb, but it all goes horribIy wrong... Wind was first performed by Plockton Amateur Dramatic Society in the SCDA festival of One Act Plays where it won "Best Comedy" award. The play was also judged third place in the 2011 Scott Salver competition. If you'd like to read an extract from Wind, then please click on the icon below for a pretty big chunk of the play. If you'd like to buy a copy or copies of the script or perform the play then please get in touch. Thanks...
Geoffrey Whitworth Competition 2011 - Judges' Comments
The two protagonists, Mark and Gail, are both insufferable but nevertheless likeable, while Willie is a lovely warm character who brings a down to earth element to the play. Windgen Exec is appropriately ruthless and his exchanges with Exec PA are witty and sharp. The characters are rather one-dimensional perhaps, but the writer has made them believeable and fun. The plot is very well developed and contains a green message, the dialogue is witty and natural with some good interchanges and a great sense of humour.
An enjoyable and well thought-out play described as a gentle comedy, the piece is exactly that - an amusing tale with well drawn and engaging characters.
Geoffrey Whitworth Competition 2011 - Judges' Comments
The two protagonists, Mark and Gail, are both insufferable but nevertheless likeable, while Willie is a lovely warm character who brings a down to earth element to the play. Windgen Exec is appropriately ruthless and his exchanges with Exec PA are witty and sharp. The characters are rather one-dimensional perhaps, but the writer has made them believeable and fun. The plot is very well developed and contains a green message, the dialogue is witty and natural with some good interchanges and a great sense of humour.
An enjoyable and well thought-out play described as a gentle comedy, the piece is exactly that - an amusing tale with well drawn and engaging characters.
wind_extract_c._copyright_by_bob_davidson_2010.pdf | |
File Size: | 748 kb |
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Keepers is a new play for 2014. Set on a lighthouse in 1984, with a cast of three males and one female, the play runs for approx 35mins. If you'd like to read an extract of the play, then you can! Just click on the link below...
Keepers was 2nd in the Scott Salver competition 2015.
Keepers was 2nd in the Scott Salver competition 2015.
keepers_extract.pdf | |
File Size: | 186 kb |
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It's In The Bag. Three young lads smash a car window, reach in and steal a holdall from the back seat. They scarper and we join them as they re-group in a city cemetery to survey the loot. The contents of the bag is not what they were hoping for however. Two questions, just who on earth would have that in a bag in the back of their car AND, just what are the lads going to do with it? Running time approx 25 mins...
its_in_the_bag__extract..pdf | |
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Fiona has been found at last. Why has she been hiding in a rented room in Cornwall? What does she know about the events just six weeks ago? Will we ever find out the truth? A 45 minute two hander play which can be be performed by two females, or a female and a male.
Please contact me if you're interested in the play - thanks.
Signature won first place in the 2018 Scott Salver competition.
Please contact me if you're interested in the play - thanks.
Signature won first place in the 2018 Scott Salver competition.
signature_extract__c__copyright_bob_davidson_2015.pdf | |
File Size: | 107 kb |
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A ten minute piece for a man and a woman and no set. Please contact me if you wish
to perform the piece - thanks
The full script is here...
to perform the piece - thanks
The full script is here...
my_future_in_germany__c__copyright_by_bob_davidson_2016.pdf | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
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an_incident_of_near_international_proportions_extract__c__copyright_bob_davidson_2016.pdf | |
File Size: | 102 kb |
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Just what does Her Majesty's Government want with MacDonald's Independent Joinery? I dinnae like it... I dinnae like it at a'...
A comedy for one female and two males Running time 25 mins 2nd place in the 2018 Scott Salver competition... |
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Carol and Tony are in Paris for what Carol hopes will be a make or break
romantic weekend to celebrate their twentieth wedding anniversary. They make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower (without paying) but slowly get the feeling that they are in the wrong place at the wrong time... La Tour Eiffel was voted fourth in the Scott Salver Competition 2019 :) One female and one male Running time 30 mins |
Roy the Robber, Hamish, his trusty sidekick, and Big Jessie have a job to do... Hamish's wife, Morag has been kidnapped by the evil Duke of Cumberland Sausage and is being held captive in the Slightly Squint Tower... will they manage to free her in time? Will they manage to thwart the Duke's secret weapon? Or will it thwart them? A swashbuckling Highland romp in two half hour acts for six players (needs eight players on stage altogether)
Ideally four males and two females but it doesn't really matter!
Running time 60 mins plus one interval
Ideally four males and two females but it doesn't really matter!
Running time 60 mins plus one interval
roy_the_robber.pdf | |
File Size: | 107 kb |
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Adrian's Wall - runner up in the SCDA Scott Salver competition, 2020
Runner up in the Geoffrey Whitworth Playwriting Competition 2020
1 female 1 male
Runner up in the Geoffrey Whitworth Playwriting Competition 2020
1 female 1 male
adrians_wall_-_second_draft.pdf | |
File Size: | 66 kb |
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