Design Rebecca Pitt Creative
2020 Part of 45North's lockdown audio season, Written on the Waves
co-production with 45North, Ellie Keel Productions, and North Wall Arts Centre
developed from a Paines Plough seed commission
It's a good story isn't it.
What.
The Bible.
I think it's generally acknowledged to be a pretty good story, yeah.
Cork. 2015. 14-year-old Bridie is really into God. 15-year-old Sam is really into hockey.
They might be quite into each other.
The fireworks of teenage first love collide with the high drama of Christ's crucifixion in Margaret Perry's new romantic comedy A PASSION PLAY.
For more episodes in the landmark lockdown series Written on the Waves, including how to support the project, please visit 45North.
A PASSION PLAY was recorded remotely between Galway, Shropshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, and London. In October 2020, star Nicola Coughlan spoke to Fergus Morgan for The Stage series 'Culture In Lockdown', and had this to say about the project:
Making it was a really lovely experience. We had three days to do it, so we had time to talk and time to rehearse. We were spread across different countries and different Wi-Fi connections, but it almost felt like we were in a rehearsal room, and it was really lovely to be back in that environment.
It has been such a terrible, tough time for everyone, but it has also proved how resilient we are as an industry. We’ve had to be clever. We had to do things over Zoom. We had to do things over phone calls. We have still found ways to connect with people. And I think it is amazing that artists are continuing to do that in the midst of all this desperation.
The full interview, with links to others in the series, can be found here.
Written by Margaret Perry
BRIDIE Nicola Coughlan
SAM Hannah Bristow
Director Jessica Lazar
Sound design, editing, composition Annie May Fletcher
Producers Jessica McVay for 45 North, Ellie Keel for Ellie Keel Productions, Jessica Lazar for Atticist
Exeunt (Lily Levinson): 'They play to the strengths of radio drama...warm and kind and worth a listen.'
★★★★★ The Stage (Ka Bradley): ‘Teenage romance, queer desire, spiritual conflict and the crucifixion might seem like impossibly large themes to squeeze into 30 minutes, but Margaret Perry's fine, tender A PASSION PLAY pulls it off spectacularly.'
★★★★ Theatre Weekly (Louisa Doyle): ‘fiercely relevant and infectiously fun'
★★★★ Love London Love Culture (Emma Clarendon): ‘captures the heart and attention for the full half an hour.'