Sand Castles

Join a motley collection of British stalwarts on the Costa del Weston-Super-Mare for the battle of the beach hut owners versus the riff raff.  Fun and games with the British on holiday in this amusing light comedy.

BT's biennial offering by the author of The Good Life, Ever Decreasing Circles, and A Month of Sundays. It requires a large cast to breathe life into a new piece of writing, set unusually by three huts on a beach. Keep Summer alive!

BT Biennial 2000, the UK's largest amateur dramatics festival, is in full swing. On October 14 "Sand Castles", a new play by top TV comedy writer Bob Larbey, will be premiered simultaneously at theatres across the UK.

Bob Larbey famously wrote "The Good Life" (with John Esmonde). Other hits include "A Fine Romance" and "As Time Goes By". Of "Sand Castles", he says, "It's about chaos on a British beach, full of strong characters and hopefully a damn good laugh".

BT Biennial provides new plays for local amateur dramatic groups. Stephen Serpell, head of BT's community partnership programme said "BT Biennial is at the heart of our commitment to arts in the community and we are delighted to be involved in promoting amateur theatre".

Throughout history art, in all its many forms, has been one of the most powerful and enduring ways in which people have communicated feelings, ideas and emotions.

So it is entirely appropriate that BT, a company dedicated to encouraging and sustaining a communicating society, should be an enthusiastic promoter of the arts. At more than a million pounds a year, BT's contribution is certainly one of which we can be proud. In addition we are now putting in an additional £4.5 million into our FutureTalk education programme over the next three years, using drama in schools to highlight the importance of good communications.

Since it began in 1990, The BT Biennial has been a real testament to the determination and dedication of amateur theatre enthusiasts. During the last ten years, hundreds of theatre societies have performed specially commissioned plays to thousands of audiences across the UK, each using their individual skills and expertise to bring the plays to life.

We are delighted to have Bob Larbey's "Sand Castles" as our play for the BT Biennial 2000. I hope you enjoy the show tonight, and would like to thank Bob Larbey and all the societies taking part for making tonight's show possible.

So, all that is left for us to say is sit back and enjoy...