The first play was Benching by Rob Graham, a comedy with a message. Simple staging allowed the writing and acting to shine. It involved two strangers who apparently meet by chance on a park bench: a young phone-obsessed teenager, played beautifully by Maisie Gilbert, and an acerbic older woman played by Jan Palmer Sayer. The piece was originally written for two male actors, but I think it was improved and more subtle by changing genders. The young girl is desperate to contact the older boy she has only met online, where she pretends to be older than she is, but her phone is dead: “the worst day ever”. At the end, Jan slyly shows the audience that the boy / man online really isn’t who he pretends to be either. Funny and thought-provoking.

We then had Face Time, by Chris Gill, that also had technology at the heart of the piece. Neil Harrison played the needy and manipulative dad, contacting his three grown-up children for their weekly video call, with his face only visible to the audience on a large screen. He’s trying to get his son and daughters, played by Dylan Huber, Lorna Thompson and Ana Stan, to come and stay with him at Christmas. This was a story familiar to many where loyalties are divided between separated parents. There were strong performances and interplay between the three siblings: Lorna playing the older, sensible daughter who lives abroad and worried about her father’s health; Ana playing the London career woman; and Dylan as the laid-back younger brother. I think the piece could benefit from a little bit of work on the ending just to make it land more strongly.

Mary Portalska gave us Ruby Tuesday, a glorious 15-minute farce, with all three actors on top form. Paul Russell was in his element, engaging with the audience and channelling his inner Brian Rix minus his trousers. Emily Fairman showed her comic talents to the full and engaged in a Mexican stand-off involving a kitchen spray with the incompetent gun-wielding crook, played with real gusto by Julia Arundale. There was no need for a complex sub-plot, or deep emotion, just sheer chaos caused by a misunderstanding in a dark alleyway. No cats or rubies were harmed during this production.

After the interval, it was Jack Swanson’s turn with Green Screen. Jessica and Aaron, played by Lorna Thompson and Neil Harrison, are the creators and performers in a long running children’s programme, but their marriage is falling apart, which we witness during the recording of an episode. Lorna and Neil portrayed the awful contrast between their personal sadness and the forced jollity needed for filming together. Lorna sensitively portrayed a wife who’s simply had enough and who’s felt undervalued for years, while Neil showed the desperation of a man realising too late that their marriage is ending. Ana Stan played the young assistant completely covered in a green body suit who was the unwilling and unnoticed witness to the off-screen acrimony. Ana therefore relied on movement and body language to display her discomfort and desire to be anywhere else, which she managed wonderfully well. Emily Fairman had the less rewarding part of playing the director, but was the character who created spaces for others to interact. A fine play from Jack.

Deborah Heath’s play was New Cat, where Ginger. a tom cat played by Lorna Thompson, is an interloper from a nearby house who disturbs the balanced life of Fang and Tom, two cats in the guise of Ana Stan and Jan Palmer Sayer. Jan had great fun playing Tom as a close relation to the Cowardly Lion, all bluster and hissing but frightened of losing her comfortable billet with the humans. Ana felt the attraction of Ginger, with some lovely feline movements, but is also wary of changes. Lorna came on stage with wild hair and great swagger and sprayed the set and audience freely, before crumbling because of “the baby” at her human’s house. All three actors were a delight to watch, and you believed in their world which Deborah had created in this delightful play.

The final piece of the first six plays was Cosy by Glyn Maxwell. Maisie Gilbert gave another fine performance as Miler, the young girl who’s had a row with her family, gets lost in the hills and comes across The Drum and Stars, a remote pub. It’s inhabited by five characters: Paul Russell quoting poetry at the drop of a hat; Jan Palmer Sayer, the domineering landlady; Dylan Huber as the apparently friendless young man; Emily Fairman as the over-friendly woman who wants to be Miler’s BFF; and Julia Arundale who allegedly tells fortunes. Glyn has written a deliberately ambiguous piece, and I suspect each audience member created their own understanding of the play. Is the pub like Brigadoon, only visible on occasions to people who stumble across it, with regulars who randomly shout “Fun Central!”, and from which you can’t escape? Has Miler succumbed to the elements and died, or is this all in her imagination? I suspect audiences have talked about this play more than all the others after the event, and I’m sure this is what the author wanted us to do.

The second evening started with The Girl with the Red Balloon, a Banksy come to life! This avant-garde piece of movement was penned by Lou Wallace and danced beautifully by Maisie Gilbert. It was a fully rounded story with not a single word spoken live on stage, full of joy, sweetness and childish delight, as well as fear and cynicism. It was delightful to see something different, an alternative way of communicating narrative. Let’s face it: we expect that of Lou Wallace and she didn’t disappoint. I feel certain there’s more to come from the brain of Lou!

Then on to The Stick by Doug Brooker, performed by Paul Russell and Neil Harrison. I loved how contrasting this was to Red Balloon – a nod to the directors here: managing different styles and curating the work to make sure the evening was balanced and entertaining is a real skill. Doug gave us down-to-earth realism, solid characters, an unseen villain and a teeny-tiny murder! I really enjoyed the twist at the end. I was thinking the ‘stick’ was some kind of fishing metaphor as the play is set with the brothers at their favourite fishing spot, but no! It was so much more. I enjoyed how understated that ending was, and good direction and acting helped make the twist in the story land so much more adeptly. Well done all: I really hope we see more of Doug’s story telling.

Third up, from Steve Thompson, Cambridge Blue. A story of failing schools, overwhelmed educators, meddling Governors and of both frustrating and frustrated children. This piece really hit home for me, and I very much enjoyed all four of the performances. Maisie Gilbert returned as a frustrated student to good effect, but huge plaudits here to three very fine actors who seemed to be on their A-game the night I saw them. Emily Fairman is a constant amazement to me: she has no ego on stage, allowing her to inhabit characters freely and she has comic timing to die for. Lorna Thompson had the hardest job of playing the straightest of the characters, providing context and challenge for the character of Rachel played by Jan Palmer Sayer to do all the emotional work. Both were beautiful. Lorna allowed us to take the journey with her, never losing pace or drive and pushing the narrative forward at all times: she gave us light and shade and she beautifully highlighted the dilemma of a difficult situation. Jan was sublime, her work skilful and understated. The emotional work had been done and was there to see but not paraded. This is a testament to a very skilful actor and a director who knows how to let a performance breathe. If I had any criticism it would be regarding the staging. It felt a little congested. I would have been tempted to do this with an empty stage, as the writing and the acting informed us of time and place strongly enough. All in all, excellent writing hand in hand with excellent acting. Brava.

A change in pace and tone again as we come to 3rd Carriage from the End by George Curry. Well, who knew? George did, that’s who! I was blown away and firmly believe that George should start writing songs for the West End pronto! While the story was relatively simple (two lonely people eventually meet), the music was anything but! It was sung and acted beautifully by both Julia Arundale and Ana Stan. Both managed to deliver emotion and narrative as well as gorgeous harmonies. I think this piece was probably tricky to direct: no dialogue outside the songs meant some standing, sitting and occasional crossing to keep it active but that didn’t detract from great performances and a stunning first outing by George Curry. Watch out Barn, I feel a full-scale musical coming your way!

Over to Loaf by Nicole Moody, a slightly surreal piece about product placement in all the wrong places? A quick change for Julia Arundale and the return of Neil Harrison, plus the first full performance of the evening from Dylan Huber. This quirky little number made us laugh and question our desire for the label. I very much enjoyed Dylan’s fourth-wall-breaking cheekiness as well as Julia’s couch-caressing physical comedy.

Lastly came some heart with Danny Swanson’s Pudding & Pie. This for me is Paul Russell in his sweet spot, funny yet poignant. He has a beautiful way of making an audience feel safe so that we take the journey with him, feel the things he feels, and see his world view. I believe this is another case in point of the director trusting the acting to do the work and then letting it breathe. More lovely work from Emily Fairman, Dylan Huber and Maisie Gilbert too. While actors and director did marvellous work, it was the writing that stood out for me here. Danny seems to have a knack for dialogue: it felt flowing and truthful, while at the same time weaving a complex narrative. He’s long had a penchant for being the sad-faced clown. He can make you laugh and break your heart as an actor so I shouldn’t be surprised that he can do the same as a writer.

These short plays showed the Studio at its best: a showcase for new writing that really came to life in such an intimate space. We also have to congratulate the stage management and lighting and sound crew who kept the evenings moving at pace. How lucky we are to have such talented people in the company and we’re looking forward to the next twelve plays!