Three short plays have been released online which deal with aspects of Manx history.

Funded by Culture Vannin, the plays cover a multitude of different aspects from Illiam Dhone to the Victorian development of Douglas.

All of the plays were developed by Cori Phillips.

Cori is a Peel-based professional writer, history and science communicator, who has worked with organisations such as the BBC, London's Science Museum, the Museum of London, London Archaeological Archive, Manx National Heritage and Culture Vannin.

The plays are ‘Get Pressed,’ ‘Our Loch-y Charm’ and ‘What’s He Gonna Do!?’

They are short pieces of 10 to 20 minutes in length.

Becky McSevney, operations officer at Culture Vannin, said: ‘The history of this island is not only important, but it is also exciting and wonderful if presented in the right way.

‘What Cori has produced are fresh introductions to subjects at the root of key points in Manx history. We think are sure that they will be enjoyable and interesting for all ages to access.’

These three plays explore important moments in Manx history through humour and drama.

‘What’s He Gonna Do!?’ presents the life of Illiam Dhone as a game show, where contestants try to predict the actions of the famous and unpredictable Manx figure.

‘Our Loch-y Charm’ is set in 1863 and follows Governor Loch and representatives from towns across the Isle of Man as they discuss solutions to the island’s economic difficulties, leading to changes that reshape the island despite disagreements from places like Castletown.

Finally, ‘Get Pressed’ takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and focuses on the fear of press gangs forcing Manx sailors into the Royal Navy, using conversations between two couples to highlight both the seriousness and humour of the situation.

First used with a very small cast, the plays are capable of being adapted to a number of different situations, the pieces were developed with the possibility of being used within school settings.

Cori added: ‘Distilling important and complex periods of history into a few pages of performable dialogue is no small feat - doing it in a way that makes young people laugh while they learn is another challenge entirely. But one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

‘The three plays are each framed very differently, but all manage to bridge that gap between historically grounded and genuinely fun to perform.’

The plays were originally commissioned through the Treisht 2020 projects launched by Culture Vannin during the Covid-19 lockdown.

‘Our Loch-y Charm’ was premiered at the Erin Arts Centre in 2021, and an adapted version of ‘What’s He Gonna Do!?’ was presented in the Peel Centenary Centre at the end of last year.

The final play, ‘Get Pressed,’ will receive its premiere on Friday evening at ‘Tales from the Cellar’ at the Centenary Centre in Peel starting at 7pm.

There will be performances from the playwright herself alongside Lauren Hughes, including other plays, music and songs from the likes of Aalin Clague, Annie Kissack RBV, and Caarjyn Cooidjagh.

All of the plays are available on the Culture Vannin website.