Bishop’s Stortford playwright Alan Hall short-listed for New Media Writing Prize

A Bishop’s Stortford playwright has been short-listed for a prestigious media prize after devising a production people can enjoy any time they like.

Alan Hall, 62, who has lived in Clover Avenue with his wife Jude for over 30 years, wrote Crimson Eyes - The Walking Play to enable listeners to walk with Phoebe, a fictional homeless woman, along the streets of London’s West End.

It is an extended and re-formatted version of his successful, short stage play, Crimson Eyes, which has been performed by numerous theatre companies across London and the South East, as well as a radio play version aired on BBC Essex.

And the walking play is in the running to land the New Media Writing Prize, which is awarded annually for the best interactive audio creations.

Listeners use an innovative app on their smartphones to walk through the capital with Phoebe, while listening to her tell her story of how she became homeless and what it is like to live on the streets.

Listeners accompany her on one of her one-hour “walks”, on a pre-defined route along the streets of London - St Martin’s in the Fields, The Strand, Charing Cross, Embankment, Fleet Street and St Paul’s.

Along the way, Phoebe points out places of interest and relevance such as the arches where she sleeps; the “feeding station” where she gets free food from volunteers; the park where she spends lots of her time; and the police station, where she has spent plenty of nights in the cells.

“I’m honoured and humbled to be short-listed for this prestigious New Media Writing Prize,” said Alan.

“The Walking Play is a great way to walk in the shoes of a homeless person and experience a little about their life on the streets, as well as enjoying a lovely walk past famous landmarks, through wonderful parks and along the Embankment.”

Crimson Eyes draws on Alan’s experience as Epping Forest Council’s director of housing and communities, where his remit included its homelessness service.

Following his retirement, he has written several short stage and radio plays, which audiences have enjoyed online and in theatres across London and the South East.

“One of the aims of The Walking Play is to dispel some of the myths and stereotypical views held by some members of the public,” said Alan.

“It’s a grim, gritty tale that combines real-life misery with spates of humour and irony that illustrates how a stable, comfortable person can spiral into misfortune and misery, ending up on the streets.”

Alan teamed up with actor Isabel M Patterson, who he cast in a recent radio play on BBC Essex, to devise the route.

“We had a lovely day in London working out the best route to set the play and timing how long it takes to get between Phoebe’s different places of interest to make the experience work best,” said Alan.

Isabel, who has performed in a range of stage productions and has worked extensively as a screen actor, also voiced the character of Phoebe.

The award winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday May 14. Find out more about Alan’s work at alanhall.one.