THE best of English drama comes to the Evesham stage this weekend.

Four theatre companies will compete for the national crown in the 2014 English Grand Final of the All-England Theatre Festival at the Evesham Arts Centre on Saturday, June 14.

The festival will be opened by Richard Lisseter, chairman of the Worcestershire Theatre Festival, and the winners will be chosen by adjudicator Chris Jaeger of Worcester' Live before going forward to the British final.

In the first session at 2.30pm, Total Arts Community Theatre from Tamworth will perform For the Love of a Butterfly by Rebekah Fortune, which is based on Lorca’s the Butterfly’s Evil Spell, and Somerset's Frome Drama Club will perform Act One of Gillian Plowman's black comedy Me and My Friend.

From 7pm, Brooklands Theatre Company from Weybridge, Surrey, will stage Samuel Beckett's absurdist drama Footfalls and Statement Drama Company from Scarborough will perform It’s About Forgiveness by Albi Gorn.

The All-England Theatre Festival has been running for more than 85 years and is the only countrywide competitive festival for one-act plays in performance and is considered one of the most prestigious vehicles for amateur drama in the country.

Entry is £10 per session or £15 for both.

For more information and tickets, go to eveshamartscentre.co.uk or call the Evesham Almonry on 01386 446944.