91Èȱ¬

Connections is made up of three short dramas from three exciting new writers - Anita Karla Kelly, Kathyryn Golding and Leanne Allen - starring Liz Carr, Chloe Ewart and Nadia Albina.

It is part of 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4’s Exploring Disability Through Art. This November sees the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, one of the most significant civil rights landmarks in our history which criminalised discrimination against people with disabilities in many areas of life. This moment is being marked across the 91Èȱ¬, with a special focus on the arts.

The dramas were written and remote recorded during the spring lockdown as part of a five-part series of short dramas. The other two dramas were by Michael Southan and Shahid Iqbal Khan.

Connections was originally funded by the Audio Content Fund for broadcast on 20 UK community radio stations. Naked Productions developed the project with input from Graeae Theatre. Inspired by lockdown, we asked the writers to create dramas set in different kinds of isolation and to explore what positive connections can be made in difficult times. Many disabled and D/deaf people experience isolation on a daily basis and so for many, the notion of isolation and how to survive/overcome it was not new.

Red Flags by Anita Karla Kelly
A divorcee comes to terms with her new life, but trying to get rid of her wedding rings proves surprisingly difficult

Tina – Liz Carr
Directed by Jenny Sealey

Anita Karla Kelly’s latest stage play, Buzzing, was part of Bristol Old Vic’s Rep season, tackling sexuality, mental health, teenagers and bees. Anita is part of Sphinx 30 women’s playwright initiative, the new writing group at Royal Court Theatre, Graeae's ‘write to play year six’ and the playwright group ‘open sessions’ at Bristol Old Vic. Her latest monologue Flesh, was voted as one of the top eight monologues written in lockdown by The Guardian.

'Daringly Dangerous' - Jack Thorne.
‘Great Uninhibited Writer’ - The Guardian.

To the Stars by Leanne Allen
A young woman reaches out to her estranged mother, and inadvertently connects with a lonely stranger.

Tina – Liz Carr
Cassie – Nadia Albina
Directed by Polly Thomas

Leanne Allen is a new writer from the Midlands. She has written for Naked Productions and Theatre of Debate. Her work with Theatre of Debate was written as part of the COVID And Me campaign by the National Institute for Health Research. The monologue was made public on the NIHR website in 9th July 2020 and shared widely across social media.

My Time by Kathryn Golding
Sitting out lockdown by sorting out her cupboards, a woman finds old mixtapes that rekindle a friendship.

Lizzie – Chloe Ewart
Directed by Polly Thomas

Kathryn Golding is a British playwright currently on the BEATS Fellowship programme. First published in 2018, she was on a year-long attachment with Graeae Theatre Company as part of their Write To Play programme, as well as writers groups at the Royal Court and Soho Theatre. Her first full-length play, A Perpetual State of Happiness, developed with Graeae, had a rehearsed reading in 2019 at the Bush Theatre. Her previous work has been showcased at Soho Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre Jerwood Upstairs.

Production Team:
Script editor, Sarah Daniels
Directors, .Jenny Sealey and Polly Thomas
Sound recordist, Louis Blatherwick
Sound design and producer, Eloise Whitmore

Executive Producer, Celia de Wolff

Connections was originally funded by the Audio Content Fund and broadcast on UK community radio.

A Naked production for 91Èȱ¬ Radio 4.

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