Last Updated on 4 June 2021 by Showcall Editorial Team
Six short plays by Tom Wells, Aina J Khan, Ben Tagoe, Claire-Marie Seddon, Rani Moorthy and Ray Sesay will feature in 15 Minutes Live at The Holbeck in Leeds and as audio downloads
Theatre companies Slung Low and Freedom Studios have joined forces with playwrights including Tom Wells to create six new short audio plays.
Performed in front of a live audience, the plays will be recorded at The Holbeck in Leeds on 10 July under the banner of 15 Minutes Live. They will be available for free download from Slung Low’s website shortly afterwards.
Alongside Tom Wells, the other five writers commissioned for the recording are Aina J Khan, Ben Tagoe, Leeds-based actor-musician Claire-Marie Seddon, Rani Moorthy and Ray Sesay.
15 Minutes Live was started by Slung Low in 2011, bringing together original plays from some of the most exciting writers in Yorkshire and around the UK, with on-stage sound effects, audience participation and live music woven into the performances. The audience will be guided through the riotous afternoon by the event’s lively compere.
Alan Lane, artistic director of Slung Low, said: “It’s so exciting to welcome Freedom Studios to the club. And it is particularly thrilling to be working on six new plays by fabulous writers as we welcome audiences back inside our theatre. I can’t think of a better way of doing that but with these great scripts and our friends, Freedom Studios.”
Aisha Khan, co-artistic director of Freedom Studios, said: “We are thrilled to be back and what a perfect way to start. It feels so fitting to be making 15 Minutes Live, our first co-production with Slung Low, as we welcome audiences back to enjoy both the live recording at The Holbeck in Leeds and as audio plays. We are so excited to be showcasing these commissioned short plays, bringing together established and emerging writing talent in what is always a wonderful event.”
Tagoe said: “I’m really excited about working with Slung Low and Freedom Studios again. Doing the Street Voices course way back in 2009 was the real beginning of my career as a professional writer. And it was great to work with Freedom Studios again on When We Were Brothers in 2018. I’m so pleased that I’ve been able to maintain such a great relationship with the company for this length of time.”
Seddon added: “It’s an incredible opportunity to be given this platform as a new writer. I have recently finished the Intro to Playwriting and the Street Voices 8 course at Freedom Studios and they have been an integral part of building my confidence and technique. It is exciting to experience writing for audio and I am incredibly grateful to have my first commission supported by Slung Low and Freedom Studios.“
Tickets for the event at The Holbeck are free if you book online in advance, or it is “Pay What You Decide” on the day.
