A special live online event featuring a trio of short audio plays combined with a panel discussion for the audience to participate in.
Directed by Stefan Escreet with Sound Design by Mark Melville.
Ragged Edge have worked with industry and academic experts to develop this collection of short plays responding to energy production in the context of the Climate Emergency.
Mark Addis captures his performance.
Fusion by Maeve Larkin is the story of a brilliant young female student, a migrant to this country, who is passionate about fusion and its potential to solve our energy needs.
Things We Hear When We’re Not Listening by Debbie McAndrew is a comedy about wind turbines and noise pollution.
Tidelands by Tajinder Hayer is the story of an encounter between a young woman who is a refugee from a country devastated by a rise in sea-levels and an older woman, located on a tidal barrier built for energy supply in the North of the UK.
Our plays are all set in the tangible near future and present stories that engage audiences with the issues and encourage them to find out more. We received ACE Emergency Funding to record audio versions of three of our plays and we recently presented them in special live online events in partnership with rural touring schemes.
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This is the first time I have been to a zoom performance and discussion. The event was informative and entertaining. It was a small group (mostly strangers to me) however it was a wonderful shared experience and so good at the end for everyone to be able to applaud together. I realise this was something I have missed over the past 6 months.
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All three audio dramas were very thought provoking. 'Tidelands' was exceptional, a very moving human story against the backdrop of climate change and the energy debate. The sound design was highly creative and as good as anything on Radio 4 if not better!
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Three excellent productions and a stimulating discussion. Well done.
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Helen Longworth recording her part
Ragged Edge have redesigned their 2020 tour to offer a live, social experience for audiences at home. You’ll have the chance to talk about the plays and issues with our panel and other audience members.
So grab a brew, get comfy in your own home auditorium and enjoy a lively night in!
If you are interested in partnering with us for an event for your audiences please contact us at info@raggededgeproductions.co.uk.
We can arrange online events with expert guest panellists and facilitators to use our audio productions to spark discussion and investigation.
In the meantime here are the three plays for you to listen to:
Our acting company went above and beyond to turn their own homes into recording studios for the remote recording process.
Keeping the Lights On explores our region’s special relationship with energy production. There are many aspects to this, including the advent of fracking, the installation of wind-farms, the proposal for a tidal lagoon in Morecambe Bay, the nuclear industry and the proposed Geological Disposal Facility.
This is an immensely important part of the contemporary story of our region and is inextricably linked with climate change – a vital national question.
R&D tour of Heysham 2 Power Station
In recognition of how enormous this subject is, our original R&D involved commissioning six diverse writers and sound designer Mark Melville to create short pieces that were shown to a packed audience at The Dukes Theatre in Lancaster in January 2018.
Writers: Sarah McDonald-Hughes, Debbie McAndrew, Tajinder Hayer, Zosia Wand, Nick Ahad and Maeve Larkin.
This R&D was in association with The Dukes Theatre – we are very grateful for all the support from the organisation and staff at the theatre. We were also encouraged and delighted to have received support from the Sir John Fisher Foundation as well as Arts Council England.
We would also like to thank the academic staff at Lancaster University that helped us with research: Prof. George Aggidis, Prof. Malcolm Joyce, Roger Kemp and also Kate Garratt, Lee Taylor, Simon Walker, Martyn Butlin and staff at Heysham 2.