Shropshire Drama Company celebrate Lady with the lamp in competition

To commemorate the recent 200th anniversary since her birth and a date that is now celebrated as International Nurses’ Day, people are being invited to submit a recited speech or poem (in part or whole) based loosely on the theme of Florence Nightingale.

For example, the piece may be a poem about war, whether by Shakespeare or a present day writer, a Winston Churchill speech or contain the name Florence or the word nightingale; may have been written in the year that Florence Nightingale was born – 1820; or even an extract from one of her books and letters.

Self-penned submissions from writers keen to step in front of the camera, as well those not so keen but who have managed to persuade a friend or family member to read their piece, are also welcomed.

Prizes will be awarded for the winning entries and, depending on government guidelines regarding Coronavirus, SDC aims to organise an evening of performances later in the year. Winners will be announced on August 13, the date of Florence Nightingale’s passing in 1910.

Entry is free and submissions can be made by individuals or groups of no more than four people, where social distancing has been observed. They should be no longer than two and a half minutes and sent to SDC by July 31, 2020 using the following media:

n As an attachment in a message to SDC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShropshireDramaCompany

n File transfer using for example, Wetransfer.com or Dropbox, and emailed to shropsdramaco@gmail.com

n YouTube link emailed to shropsdramaco@gmail.com

Chair of SDC, Rosalind Garrard, said: “We are living during unprecedented and extraordinary times, which have not only disrupted SDC’s planned productions but may yet have a devastating impact on the arts as a whole and in the wider context, may alter all of our lives.

“To keep positive, to keep performance skills honed and to encourage creativity we are setting up this competition which we hope will stir the imagination and raise the spirits resulting in some truly creative and inspired recitals.

“We hope that anyone with any sort of dramatic interest will take up the challenge and run with it.”