Oldham Coliseum's second podcast installment came in the form of three monologues written for a competition hosted by the Coliseum's Learning And Engagement team to find local writers under 21 who could be inspired by the words "off out" - ie: the once-daily trip out of our homes during the lockdown. The Coliseum received many submissions but only three were chosen to be recorded.
The first was 'Like Dad, Like Duck' by Joe Walsh, and performed by Jake Talbot. Here a youth revisits a small lake that he hasn't visited since his dad died. He talks to the duck about his situation, about how he and his mum are coping. It's frank, honest, open and sympathetic, with a touch of humour in there too.
The second monologues was 'A 60 Minute Adventure' by Adele Barnes, and read by Natasha Davidson. For me this was the most compelling and poignant of the three. There was a directness in here that hit me quite hard to be honest. It was difficult for me to finish listening to it due to a rather large lump in my throat and a whelling up of my eyes. In this story, the schoolgirl turns right from her house instead of left. She always turns left, everything is left. But today she turned right and found a tree up which she climbed and surveyed the area around her. There is a beautiful line towards the end saying how she now was able to see things differently. By keeping her distance, she has become closer.
Finally it was 'A Birthday In Quarantine' by Freya Williams, and performed by Sona Nisa. Here the protagonist bemoans that she is unable to go out and do things with her friends, that even the act of celebrating her best friend's birthday means delivering a present to her dooorstep and chatting to her two meters' apart.
The podcast finished with 8 short jokes read by 8 people who have worked at The Coliseum in recent times.
Whilst The Coliseum's doors remian closed, these podcasts are a way of still bringing quality theatre to us, and we all hope that we will be able to return to the theatres again soon. In the meantime however, in order to try an keep the cogs turning, theatres would welcome any donations you are able to give. You'll find details of how to do this on The Oldham Coliseum's website.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26/5/20
No comments:
Post a Comment