Retreat West’s Climate Fiction anthology ‘Nothing Is As It Was‘ is officially released today, 22nd April. Proceeds raised from the book sales will be donated to support the work of the climate action group, Earth Day Network.
The book is available from Amazon in both eBook and paperback formats and includes my own short piece ‘The Window Box‘.
Still mildly high after Thursday night’s recording!
On arrival at the venue, I was whisked away to meet the cast, Belinda and Orlando, plus other actors Jilly Bond and Tomos James, also director James Barry, everybody full of nice things about the plays. Food had been provided but I was too light-headed to be hungry.
Time to relax and chat to fellow winning scriptwriters Ben White and Georgina Pitts (Gillian Palmer away at sea), nice, funny people, I can only wish them well. We had to do some more interviews, both recorded and live with Louise Peters, plus a brief Facebook Live video. We were finally led into the auditorium for the performance at 6:20.
Orlando Brooke and Belinda Peters rehearse ‘Sky Pilots’, watched by James Barry
The plays had all been rehearsed and recorded earlier in the day: these recordings plus the live versions would be used for later tweaking/broadcast. Louisa ran the whole show, aided by James Barry.
Belinda Peters, Orlando Brooke and Louisa Hannan prepare to record ‘Sky Pilots’.
Ben White’s ‘The Family Way’ first, and good fun too. A simple premise, based on Ben’s own life story: a father with tickets to see Southampton play Man United in the cup final at Wembley… except that his pregnant wife is due to give birth on the same day.
Georgina Pitt and Gillian Palmer’s ‘Searching’ had a looser structure, with two old friends determined to have fun during a trip to the Isle of Wight.
I had to stood up and introduced ‘Sky Pilots’, although I sounded a little on the quiet side (according to the video on Twitter). Not as many laughs as the other 2, most of the laughs coming in the middle third. Still, people seemed to like it, Paul Marchbank and Sarah Sullivan (both from Southampton Solent University) very complimentary.
Organiser Louisa Hannan with the cast: Tomos James, Orlando Brooke, Jilly Bond and Belinda Peters
Orlando Brooke, Stephen Connolly and Belinda Peters
I was reluctant to leave and break the spell. Now the wait to hear what they sound like on radio…
Retreat West’s Climate Fiction anthology ‘Nothing Is As It Was‘ is officially released today, 22nd April. Proceeds raised from the book sales will be donated to support the work of the climate action group, Earth Day Network.
Still mildly high after Thursday night’s recording!
Stephen Connolly Writer 