AN explosion of theatre is coming to the area this week, with the inaugural Dartfest. Dartfest is a Dartmoor festival of young people?s plays, being hosted by MED Theatre. It aims to give budding writers the chance to stage and perform their work. The festival takes place on November 23 and 24 at Moretonhampstead and will showcase nine short plays of local young playwrights, aged 10 to 19. MED Theatre is a Dartmoor-based community theatre company and a registered charity. It works with local people to cultivate and develop performing arts within Dartmoor?s rural communities. A spokesman for MED said: ?By dramatising serious social, scientific and environmental issues which affect our rural community, we allow both young and old to express how they feel about living on Dartmoor and increase each other?s understanding of how it affects them.? Some of the young playwrights involved in Dartfest have been part of the theatre?s Young Company for a number of years, but others came forward after a call for aspiring playwrights went out in September. The playwrights come from across Devon including Okehampton, Chagford, Ashburton and Moretonhampstead. They have been working under the supervision of artistic director, Mark Beeson, and, while they were able to choose the subject of their plays, he found a familiar theme in many of them. Mr Beeson said: ?The pieces are very interesting and impressive. There will be a real mixture of things but most of the stories have got something about Dartmoor in them. ?The majority of the young people came to us with an idea and that idea has been developed and helped along the way by mentoring.? Heather Holcroft-Pinn, aged 17, whose play Eyot will be performed at the festival said: ?It?s a really exciting progress and great to be able to present your own ideas on the stage.? The event takes place at the Parish Hall in Moretonhampstead. Each play will have one showing at the festival which has three sessions, tomorrow (Friday) at 7pm and Saturday 24 at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are available from the box office at 01647 441356 or from http://www.medtheatre.co.uk">www.medtheatre.co.uk