THE only prize that has, so far, eluded this talented group at Worcestershire Theatre Festival, is the one for an original play, so Vicky Bagnall and Jane Finch have written one.

They not only wrote Home Front, but directed it as well, and if this doesn't win a prize I shall be very surprised.

We were treated to a viewing of the play prior to its participation in the festival on Saturday but, unfortunately, were not able to have all the special effects, because they set off the fire alarm at a rehearsal!

I was amazed at just how much information and storyline the writers managed to get into such a short time (50 minutes).

Set in a parachute factory during the Second World War, we learned about the conscientious objector who turned out to be a hero, the mum with a son in the RAF, another mum with an ambulance-driver daughter, and the young girl who was pregnant by her boyfriend who is in the Army. Then there was the "posh" woman who comes to work in a fur coat to "do her bit", and the boss who objected to the girls taking time out to nip down to the air-raid shelter when the sirens are heard. They sewed and folded the parachutes, chatting about their lives, and after many false alarms, decided not to go to the air-raid shelter next time - to their cost, as the stage goes black.

The costumes, and set, amid the sound of the sirens, set the mood perfectly.

To round off the evening we had supper and a "sing-a-long" of wartime songs. I wish ACT good luck on Saturday. VJS