Four new audio dramas performed by LAMDA students as part of creative collaboration with Audible to train the next generation of audio artists

Introducing GNR8T: Four original audio dramas commissioned by LAMDA and Audible

LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) and Audible UK are today delighted to announce the release of GNR8T, a collection of four original audio dramas. Commissioned from some of the UK’s most exciting emerging writers and workshopped by LAMDA students, the final productions were recorded by 2019 LAMDA graduating students as part of the two organisations’ ongoing partnership.

Exploring themes of identity, displacement, hysteria, environmental collapse and a dystopian epidemic, the thought-provoking short dramas have been created by and for young people.  Award-winning playwright Joe White and director Guy Jones paint a portrait of contemporary Britain in Doggerland as two women dream of escape from their isolated lives. Two young people with hidden superpowers are on the run in Ross Willis’ fast-moving, fantastical adventure PowF*ckingPow, directed by Jane Fallowfield. Eno Mfon’s mystery drama The Falling, directed by Sophie Moniram, sees a young journalist trying to uncover a mystery illness which has befallen the inmates at Holloway Prison. Rebecca Boey transports audiences to a dystopian world and a battle for survival in Locusts, directed by Miranda Cromwell.

The performers for the audio dramas are: Samuel Adebayo, Mercedes Assad, King Boateng, Bradley Craig, Michael De Filippis, Akiel Dowe, Phoebe Ellabani, Chloe English, Lucy Girling, Alex Heath, Rose Jackson-Smith, Liam King, Michael Kosko, Abi McLoughlin, Ethan Moorhouse, Stanley Morgan, Samuel Morgan-Davies, Kiefer Moriarty-Short, Stephanie Payne, William Robinson, Julia Romano, Esme Scarborough, Sam Stafford, Chloe Tannenbaum, Stuart Thompson, Matilda Tucker, Amy Vicary-Smith, Wyatt Warner and Matthew Yulish.

Laurence Howell, VP of Content at Audible said: “At Audible we are honoured to work with the world’s finest actors, and we are passionate about nurturing the next generation of talent. With GNR8T it’s fantastic to bring this commitment to life by working with some of the UK’s finest writing talent to create new, original dramas starring LAMDA students for Audible customers around the world. We are thrilled with the results.”

Peter Holliday, Acting Principal of LAMDA said: “Our partnership with Audible over the past year has provided LAMDA students with a fantastic opportunity to learn from one of the world’s leading audio producers. I’ve really enjoyed following the progress of these exciting new audio dramas, featuring LAMDA students. We can’t wait to share their work with the public.”

As one of the leading producers of audio entertainment, Audible is committed to constantly innovating the development of content in-line with growing demand. The release of the audio dramas forms part of a wider three-year creative collaboration formed in July 2018 between Audible and LAMDA, which aims to train the next generation of audio performers and create original content for new audiences. Support provided includes £150,000 of funding to the drama school, a scholarship for undergraduate students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and specialised audio skills training.

Recent audio success for LAMDA students has seen 2019 graduating actor Ell Potter narrate Audible’s Thriller of the Year Winter Dark by Alex Callister and the sequel Winter Rising. LAMDA also celebrated success at this year’s BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Awards, with all four students who entered recognised by the panel. Scarlett Courtney won a highly coveted BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary, Ell Potter was named runner-up and further commendations were awarded to Joe McNamara and Benjamin Bridson. 

Rebecca Boey is a graduate of the Royal Court’s Young Writers Programme and a current member of the BBC Writers Room London Voices group. She wrote, produced and starred in web series Jade Dragon, which was nominated for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Writing’ at the NYC Web Festival. Her play A Good Ten Years made the Bruntwood Prize longlist. As an actor she has performed at theatres such as the National Theatre, Arcola Theatre and Park Theatre.

Miranda Cromwell is Co-Director for the current production of Death of a Salesman at the Young Vic. Productions include Half Breed (Talawa Theatre; Soho Theatre; British Council Tour of India), The Rest of Your Life (Bush Theatre), All the Colours: Black Live, Black Words (Bush Theatre). Miranda was also recently Associate Director on Angels in America (National Theatre) and Company (Gielgud Theatre). She is Artistic Director for Twisted Theatre and a National Theatre Connections Director.  

Jane Fallowfield has recently been appointed Literary Manager for the Royal Court Theatre, having been Literary Associate for Talawa Theatre Company since 2014. Directing credits include Red (Company 3), Fingertips (Clean Break), Cosmic and Spacewang (Hull Truck) and The Only Way is Chelsea’s (York Theatre Royal and Soho Theatre). Jane was Senior Reader at Paines Plough and Director on attachment at Clean Break. She has also been a script reader for the BBC, Royal Court, National Theatre, and Royal Exchange Theatre.

Guy Jones recently directed Out of Water at the Orange Tree Theatre, where he is also Literary Associate. Other credits include Mayfly and The Winter’s Tale (both Orange Tree Theatre), Spokesong (Finborough Theatre), Staff Director on Saint George and the Dragon (National Theatre) and Assistant Director on Cymbeline (RSC). He was a finalist for the JMK Award in 2016.

Eno Mfon graduated from Bristol in 2016. Eno was commissioned to write a short play, Check The Label, for Bristol Old Vic’s Spring Season which was subsequently turned into a short film for Channel 4’s Random Acts. She also wrote, produced and performed in Shipped for Bristol Old Vic.

Sophie Moniram was most recently an Old Vic 12 Director, developing a new play written by Omar El-Khairy. Directing credits include POT (National Tour), The Diary of a Hounslow Girl (National Tour), Midsummer Roman Feast (RSC: The Dell/Avonbank Gardens). Sophie was also Associate Director on The Greatest Wealth (Old Vic), directed by Adrian Lester. 

Joe White recently won the OFFIE Award for Most Promising New Playwright for his play Mayfly at the Orange Tree Theatre, where he is currently a member of the Writers Collective. Joe is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme and in 2014 won the Channel 4 Playwriting Award for his play Pangaea. Other credits include (I Feel Fine) (Vault Festival), Only on Sundays and Pride and Joy (both The Door, Birmingham REP).

Ross Willis has been a part of The Orange Tree Writers Collective, a member of BBC Writers Room London Voices and on attachment at Bristol Old Vic. He took part in the Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab, where he developed Wonder Boy which was a special recommendation finalist for the Tony Craze Award and received a rehearsed reading at Arcola Theatre’s PlayWROUGHT Festival. Ross’s debut play Wolfie opened in March 2019 at Theatre503.

About LAMDA

LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) is a world-leading conservatoire offering exceptional vocational training to actors, stage managers, technicians and directors. In 2017, LAMDA moved into its new £28.2 centre for world-leading drama training. LAMDA’s new home features ten large training and rehearsal studios, three theatres – the 200 seat Sainsbury Theatre, 120-seat the Carne Studio Theatre and the Linbury Studio, and a fully equipped digital and audio suite. In January 2018 LAMDA alumni Benedict Cumberbatch was appointed the Academy’s President. In February 2019, Sarah Frankcom was appointed LAMDA’s new Director. Frankcom will take up the post in November 2019. 

About Audible

Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Zachary Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson and Jesse Eisenberg. Audible Studios has won a Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and has also been recognised with the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair. Audible invented and commercialised the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2016, Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year.