Theatre of the Air
Theatre of the Air was an Arts Council funded project which brought together a group of theatre practitioners who had been unable to practise their craft due to the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.

At the beginning of the first Covid lockdown in 2020, we realised there were a lot of local theatre practitioners who were suddenly unable to work or practice their craft in any way. So they applied to Arts Council England for one of their Covid Emergency Response Grants, and set up this project to bring local writers and actors together and enable them to discover a new way of telling dramatic stories.

Actor Dee Thompson: ““It’s wonderful to be able to be artistic again in these strange times, when opportunities have been so limited. And to be able to tell intriguing stories that originate from close to home means so much more. And to be telling these stories in this original format is inspiring and exciting.”
Actor Rebecca Harrison: “Being involved in this project with Digital Writes has made a huge difference to my life as a newly blind woman. It has given me focus, the inspiration to be creative and has allowed me to be more engaged with the community, to feel part of something special and unique. Being disabled can be really isolating but everyone has made me feel so welcome and valued.”
As well as providing opportunities for local actors, the grant meant we could offer employment to a local creative media practitioner, Alex Secker: “This has been amazing for me, being able to earn a living for me and my family, doing the work I love.”
As well as releasing the series as a podcast, we broadcast it on Swindon Radio. In the words of our Creative Producer, Keira Georgeson: “We’re thrilled to be working with Shirley Ludford at Swindon Radio 105.5. This is an amazing opportunity to get our participant’s work properly aired on the radio and to give many of them their first broadcast credit. Shirley has been a fantastic supporter of the project, providing a wealth of experience and advice that is helping us to lift the project to new heights. We love that she is an ardent supporter of the arts and drama on the radio, and seems to be having as much fun with this project as we are.”
“If you are a fan of The Lovecraft Investigations, The Black Tapes and The White Vault you are going to like this and it easily holds up to the production levels of those as well.”