THE Tavonians held a well-attended radio play workshop last week as the first step in its innovative Radio Play Project.

The session was conducted by Jenny Killingbeck who took the audience through some of the techniques of performing for radio with all acting. Broadcast-quality microphone and recording equipment were used to demonstrate some of the principles, one of the exercises was illustrated using an extract of a recent episode of The Archers, others included special exercises and some script extracts that had been brought along by participants. Jenny Killingbeck, a long-standing member of The Tavonians, has appeared in many stage productions and in films and is very familiar to Radio 4 listeners as a narrator and through her roles in The Archers and numerous plays.

The project leader, Graham Goddard, who was also master of the recording equipment, said The Tavonians were seeking to branch out into new territory, the aim being to generate a series of short plays which could be provided through a variety of outlets including Talking Newspapers, nationwide hospital radio stations and to a worldwide audience via The Tavonians website. Of interest to anyone who enjoys listening to radio plays, it was hoped the recordings would appeal to people with sight difficulties and others who aren't able to enjoy a play in the theatre. 

It is planned to make the first pilot recording early in the New Year. For further news, see http://www.tavonians.org.uk">www.tavonians.org.uk

Anyone interested in being involved in the project should contact Graham Goddard, [email protected]">[email protected].