Maydays

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Drama: Maydays. Part 1: New Jerusalem

Maydays. Part 1: New Jerusalem

Drama on 4

BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Maydays. Part 1: New Jerusalem

David Edgar’s powerful drama exploring idealism and revolutionary politics.

David Edgar's landmark theatre play about revolutionary politics is reimagined for audio. It explores the journey of many former radicals from the far-left to the die-hard right.

David Edgar's epic theatre play from 1983 ranged across continents and decades to explore how young activists who came of age in the 1960s subsequently made the leap from the far left to the die-hard right. After revising the text in 2018, Edgar has now reworked the rich and compelling narrative into a sweeping three-part audio version.      

Martin Glass ..... Mark Quartley
Jeremy Crowther ..... Geoffrey Streatfeild
Amanda ..... Ellie Kendrick
James Grain ..... Jonathan Forbes
Phil Mandrell ..... Colin Ryan
Phyllis Weiner/Mrs Glass ...... Jane Slavin
Tanya ..... Ria Marshall
Judy ..... Ruth Everett
Newsreader ..... Roger Ringrose
Other parts played by David Hounslow and Lloyd Thomas

Sound Design by Peter Ringrose
Directed by Toby Swift
A BBC Audio Production for Radio 4 

Maydays was originally produced on stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Theatre in London in 1983, directed by Ron Daniels. The play was revived in a new version at the Other Place in Stratford in 2018, directed by Owen Horsley.

David Edgar wrote a solo show, Trying it On, which reveals the autobiographical background to Maydays.  First seen on stage in 2018 in an engagingly honest  performance by its author, it was then reversioned for Radio 4 and recorded in front of an audience at the Radio Theatre in London Broadcasting House in 2019.  You can hear that again on Radio 4 on 4th March 2023 and then on BBC Sounds.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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Maydays. Part 1: New Jerusalem

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