TWO artistic directors have set up a new theatre company which they hope will give aspiring actors and writers a chance to develop their careers.

Jon Nash and Laura Jasper, who met while directing plays at Salisbury Arts Centre, have started the Ripped Script Theatre Company, and their first production, An Evening of David Ives, is on November 2 and 3 at The Studio Theatre.

The evening includes four plays by the American playwright David Ives, and is set to be an “absurdist experience” from the moment members of the audience enter the building.

Jasper, a former South Wilts school pupil with a BA in acting from Bath Spa University, said: “The plays are absurdist comedies that we both really clicked with and thought it would be the perfect thing to start off with.

“We wanted to create a show in its entirety in order to get reviews before we go on the festival circuit next year.”

The four plays are Words, Words, Words, Sure Thing, Variations on the Death of Trotsky and Babel’s in Arms, and in between the performances, there will be a variety of skits.

Nash, who has a BA in drama and an MA in script development, has worked in Salisbury for several years. He said: “We thought there should be more things going on in Wiltshire.

“We would love to get a group of actors who can work together and just try things out and create things, because there’s so much talent here.” In December the Ripped Script Theatre Company will be putting on a Victorian ghost storytelling evening in several venues in Salisbury and across the south west.

For tickets to An Evening of David Ives visit salisburyartscentre.co.uk or the Salisbury Arts Centre box office.