Urban Scrawl
Urban Scrawl
A unique online audio drama project which brings together theatreVOICE, Theatre 503 and Rose Bruford College plus 53 writers and umpteen actors: a journey through London, along the route of the Piccadilly Line - both below and above ground. One drama for each station stop. The artistic director of Urban Scrawl is Gene David Kirk.
Urban Scrawl was originally conceived by TheatreVOICE founding editor Dominic Cavendish, who administers the recordings on the site.
The project was supported in its early stages of development by the artistic directors of Theatre 503 Paul Robinson and Tim Roseman.
Theatre 503's programming director Gene David Kirk took over responsibility for directing the project in March 2008.
Steve Harper has worked alongside Gene David Kirk in directing the first wave of plays.
In December 2008, the internationally renowned playwright Mark Ravenhill agreed to be patron of Urban Scrawl. He has contributed a play to the series, which will premiere at the Latitude Festival in July 2009, before airing in the autumn.
The title of this dedicated strand of drama - Urban Scrawl - reflects its intent. It was begun in a spirit of experimental inquiry:
What kind of radio drama is it possible to produce that reflects urban life - specifically in London and the South East - today?
Is there an audience for high-quality audio material that does not owe its existence to the usual broadcast channels, most obviously the BBC?
Is it possible for a university sector institution offering degree courses in theatre training to work in partnership with a dynamic unfunded fringe venue, alongside a part-sponsored website?
What happens when you let the collective imaginations of dozens of playwrights run riot along a well-known transport route, in this case the Piccadilly Line?
As the year-long project progresses, theatreVOICE - which has until now concentrated on bringing practitioners and journalists together with a view to documenting contemporary British theatre - will be examining what is being learnt from this creative endeavour. Those involved would be delighted to hear what members of the listening public think. The best way to share your views, at present, is to join our facebook group
DISCLAIMER: Every item aired as part of Urban Scrawl is a work of fiction. Aside from the use of Piccadilly Line station stops as a jumping-off point for the imagination, all names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. The project is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated to London Underground or Transport for London. Copyright for each play resides with its author. All rights are reserved. TheatreVOICE makes Urban Scrawl available to download on the understanding that no part of any constituent drama is re-transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.
It would not be possible without the largely unpaid efforts of many people, in the first instance, the writers.
At Rose Bruford College, key participants include:
Marina Caldarone - Creatives Trainer
Pat O'Toole - Project manager for Rose Bruford College
Ben Davies - Project Co-ordinator
and Professor Philip Wigley - Director of Professional Development.
Media Coverage:
Urban Scrawl has been written about on the Guardian blog.
And the Time Out, London tie-in writers competition is also online.
Marina Caldarone explains the thinking behind the series in more detail here, on behalf of Rose Bruford: 'This project has training at the heart of it – some of the scripts are by well established writers, others by brand new comers. All dramaturgy has been conducted by Theatre 503 to final draft. Some of the actors have never been behind a microphone before; a few have been doing it for years. For all of the directors involved, this is their first foray into directing for radio drama; all the Studio Managers and Broadcast Assistants are students, they have all learnt on the job. The project falls under the Knowledge Transfer remit at Rose Bruford College, and it is about just that. I have been largely facilitating that crossover for most of the personnel. And we see this huge range of raw material, in its creative teams as well as its material, as the core strength of Urban Scrawl.'
