Gold digging is a lengthy process; you can sift four hours without luck. Occasionally you might come across a huge nugget that offers a huge amount of promise but then, when you look a little closer turns out not to be as great as it first seemed. The nuggets might speak loudly, but it is usually those little pieces of gold that have the most value.
The same can be said of writing. There are thousands of writers submitting, but you have to sift through each one with a fine tooth comb before finding the true gems.
A lot of these gems can be overlooked because they have been written by new writers, who barely get a look in. Southwark Playhouse, however, has recently had a call for open submissions, giving playwrights all over the UK a chance to enter their short plays.
Little Pieces of Gold was established in 2010, and has helped nurture and develop over a hundred new writers. This year's theme was 'work', and addresses aspects such as life on the treadmill, office politics, the pay gap, work-life balance, combining parenthood with work, shifting work patterns, zero-hours contracts, and lack of work/career opportunities.
The plays are to be showcased over two nights with tickets at £10 each.
7th September, 7pm
A Hard Day's Work by Adam Hughes
City Boys by Frankie Meredith
Cold Call by Ross Dunsmore
Shed by Kevin Jones
In Loco Parentis by Michael Chappell
Vesting Day by Andrew Curtis
28th September, 7pm
Risk Assessment by Sarah Davies
Ice Cream by Sarah Kosar
Down on the Farm by D. A. Nixon
To the End by Peter Cottell
The Build Up by Sarah Crook
There is a Light that Never Goes Out by Gemma Langford