Bartholomew Abominations

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Drama on 4: Bartholomew Abominations

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Bartholomew Abominations

A radical reworking of Ben Jonson’s classic satire, set in a dystopian future.

A radical reworking of Ben Jonson’s classic satire, set in a dystopian future, by Paul Sirett.

Bartholomew Abominations is the latest collaboration between award winning audio producers, Naked Productions and Graeae Theatre, placing Deaf and disabled artists centre stage.

This radical reinvention of a classic  drama for 21st century audiences is  a vibrant, biting political commentary about modern British identity. 

In the original,Ben  Jonson takes a swipe at the narrow-minded puritanism of the early 17th century. Paul Sirett’s new version reflects on narrow-minded disability discrimination and English nationalism of the early 21st century. The story is set in 2032, at an annual event where suitors must find the “perfect” partner or face deportation.

Naked Productions and Graeae have a strong reputation for taking famous titles and turning them into engaging new audio drama. Previous work includes The Midwich Cuckoos, Little Dorrit and Three Sisters. 

Recorded remotely, Bartholomew Abominations has an exceptional cast of disabled and non-disabled actors, including Liz Carr (Silent Witness), Stephen Collins (Reasons to Be Cheerful), Garry Robson (Fittings MultiMedia Arts) and Mina Anwar (Life of Pi). 

Bartholomew Abominations is part of the BBC season Exploring Disability Through Art. This November sees the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, one of the most significant civil rights landmarks in our history, criminalising discrimination against disabled people in many areas of life. This moment is being marked across the BBC, with a special focus on the arts.

The writer, Paul Sirett,  is an Olivier-nominated playwright with over 25 professional productions to his name including two plays for disabled-led theatre company Graeae (Reasons to be Cheerful and The Iron Man) and two West End transfers (The Big Life and Rat Pack Confidential). Paul also writes for radio and has won two Best Writer awards at the New York International Radio Festival and a Special Commendation at the Prix Italia. Paul works a dramaturg and teaches playwriting and dramaturgy at RADA.

Cast:
Mrs Purecraft……………….Liz Carr
John…………………………Jack Hunter
Ursula……………………….Chloe Ewart
Alice…………………………Stacey Ghent
Tom…………………………Stephen Collins
Ned………………………….Michael Golab
Best…………………………..Garry Robson
Hobbs………………………..Mina Anwar

Directors…………………… .Jenny Sealey and Polly Thomas
Sound recordist……………..Louis Blatherwick
Sound design and producer….Eloise Whitmore
Original music ……………….Oliver Vibrans
Sign Language Interpreters…..Caroline Richardson, Jeni Draper, Vikki Gee-Dare and Chandrika Gopalakrishnan

Executive Producer…………..Jeremy Mortimer

A Naked Productions/Graeae Theatre collaboration for BBC Radio 4

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