It does seem strange to be the last cab off the ABC Radio Drama rank with my adaptation of Women of Troy. It is certainly an honour to be part of the rich history of ABC Radio Drama. It's very sad that my play will be the last radio play broadcast on Airplay.
When we were recording the play I did wonder how many people it would reach. I was surprised when the producer told me exactly how many. I wasn't surprised when I dug a little deeper and discovered that the audience were mainly in the older demographic and a lot of them live in the country.
I had images of farmers going round and round on tractors, ploughing dusty paddocks or harvesting wheat crops, tuned in to Radio National for Airplay. I had visions of people sitting around the radio after a big sunday roast listening in. These might seem like a sepia toned, nostalgia dripping, yearning for a long forgotten past but it might surprise programmers to learn that the tens of thousands of people who love radio drama will still be around in 2013. There won't be radio drama on the ABC for them to listen to.
And that is a shame.
Here's a link to my play which, as you can tell, I have mixed feelings about.
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/airplay/women-of-troy/4415586.
Ned Manning
Thursday 13 December 2012
Friday 7 December 2012
Congratulations Vanessa!
Wonderful news and huge congratulations to 7-ONer Vanessa Bates, whose play Porn.Cake was joint winner of the Nick Enright Prize at the 2012 NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
A play by another 7-ONer, Verity Laughton, The Sweetest Thing, was short-listed for the Award. Interesting to note that of the 6 short-listed plays, 5 were by female writers ...
Vanessa's win is exciting not only because Porn.Cake is a fabulous play, but also because it's a comedy. A fellow playwright once observed that comedies, although popular with audiences, rarely win prizes. We think there's something in that, so we're delighted on that front too.
Go Vanessa! Go Verity! Go 7-ON!
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