This online event for digital arts boasts over forty original productions. There’s poetry, music and comedy on offer. And many shows are hosted ‘on demand’, so they can be enjoyed at any time. With a focus on audio dramas and storytelling, here are four that took my fancy.
Breaking Up With Reality
This is an audio monologue, with effective percussive accompaniment, from theatre company Nod At The Fox. An “experiment” is the claim, but easy going comedy and smart reflections on life make it whimsical and charming.
Our narrator, Eden Harbud, discusses his relationship with reality as if it were a romance! Bearing in mind the corona virus lockdown, the pressing question is whether reality has left for good or will it BRB?
It’s easy to connect to these lockdown experiences – lots of tea and tiredness. The writing shows plenty of imagination and comforting touches, even as the New Normal arrives. Any “reassuring” thoughts offered in this wise and gentle piece are gratefully received right now.
Skip, Skip, Skip
Skipped tracks on a CD player make an effective device to present a collection of poetry, written and performed by Leanne Moden. A love of music and nights out on the town are evoked in glorious detail: I won’t think about cigarette lighters in the same way again.
The poems share the theme of youth. And it’s nice to encounter coming of age vignettes that show teenage confidence. The girls here, sometimes, feel like royalty. Why shouldn’t they?
There’s violence as well – recognisable from small town life. But with the help of some judicious humour, the energy of Moden’s verse propels us to positivity. Teenage years are described as “a rare bootleg import EP”: the argument and delivery here is brilliant.
Moden wants to “remember everything” (those details again) and since access to any show purchased is for 24 hours, you can attend this “listening party” more than once.
On Record
Here’s a psychological thriller that’s a high quality, traditional affair. Some meta-speculation around the genre of radio drama is clever enough. Better still, the plot has a neat twist worthy of golden age detection fiction.
Ella Dorman-Gajic and Cameron Essam write and perform in the piece and impress on both counts. The script is sharp, aided by Essam’s direction, and believable characters are quickly established.
While the writers take the subject of domestic abuse seriously, and the piece is frightening, there’s a mystery within On Record that is superbly entertaining. Without spoilers, let your suspicions run wild and you should enjoy this half hour immensely.
Shifting Sands
Tom Thornton’s drama is aptly named; it’s a fifty-minute show that wavers between examining a young man’s personal trauma and a dystopian sci-fi with a touch of mystery story too. Playing with expectations, sincerity and a surreal twist are not easy to combine, but Thornton unites them admirably.
An exciting big idea first. An “unprecedented change in human evolution” results in our internal dialogue being heard aloud! What a great idea for an audio play. It made me think about the work of psychologist Julian Jaynes. It’s a shame the notion isn’t developed and that the subsequent dystopia is less original. Touches of humour help but we still end up, predictably, with a “God like digital behemoth”.
When it comes to the telling of the story, Thornton is excellent. Our narrator is engaging and intriguing, while tragic events and an urgent desire for control generate sympathy. You might even suggest the experiences of this young man, for whom life is “twiddling its thumbs”, is a dystopia of a different kind.
Four stars for all
More audio plays are available. And there are filmed productions too: Skye Hallam’s Heads or Tails and Ram of God by Theodora van der Beek being two examples. Although this is a small selection of what’s on offer at The Living Record Festival, it seems safe to have faith in creative director Ross Drury and search out further treats.
Until 22 February 2020