12:00a.m. 21st August 2008

Kate Beck with Joh Sayles from Golden Glove Productions.

Tonight sees the start of the annual Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival which has become a renowned weekend of short, sharp entertainment, just like a short film festival, only live!

There are 32 plays on offer over the four days of the festival, with entrants coming from all over South East Queensland to compete in three age categories at this hotly contested event, now in its 28th year.

The Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival is a platform for writers and directors to test new works and develop scripts. The hit comedy Job’s Right was first performed at the festival several years ago.

It turned out to be so popular that playwright Brett Klease turned it into a full length play and took it all over the state.

Catch the new play The Eulogy by John Cundhill, fresh from winning the Audience Choice Award at the Noosa Arts Theatre National One-Act Playwriting Competition.

This moving play will be one of four plays on offer in Friday night’s session.

There will be several other plays performed throughout the weekend which have been winning awards across the festival circuit this year, including Final Placement starring Buderim sisters Anna and Sarah McMahon, and several plays from Noosa based production company Miranda’s Dressing Room who have also taken out several awards in their travels over the past few months.

The Festival welcomes guest adjudicator Rebecca Frith to the event this year. Rebecca is probably best known for her role in the Cannes Film Festival, Camera D’or winning, Love Serenade for which she won the New York Beaux Arts Society, Da Vinci Award for Best Actress in a Debut Performance. She has also appeared in MDA, Secret Bridesmaids Business, Water Rats and A Country Practice, to name a few.

Sunshine Coast Theatre Festival takes place at the Buderim War Memorial Hall, tonight until Sunday. For more information, see www.livetheatre.com.au or call 5449 9972.