The Man in the Grey Coat

The Man in the Grey Coat is a 27-minutes-long audio play by David Elder.

It’s 1933. Charlie is bored doing low-level police work in sleepy Cheltenham. But then he’s given the opportunity to work on a secret surveillance mission, monitoring the poet Cecil Day-Lewis, who’s suspected of being an active member of the Communist Party. Will this be the big career breakthrough Charlie’s been looking for? And will Cecil be tempted to start some sort of revolutionary activity in the town?

If you enjoy this play you may also enjoy others in the ‘On the verge’ series which deal with various types of change. The others in the series are Face the Music and Big Blue Things by David Elder; and Forbidden Music and We Can't Be by Lou Beckett.

The Man in the Grey Coat was produced by Parrot Productions and directed by David Elder. The policeman Charlie was played by Edward Derbyshire. Cecil Day-Lewis was played by James Reynard, and Mary Day-Lewis by Claire Tucker. Sound was by David Holland, with thanks to the Cotswold Listener studios. The sound effects used were from BBC Sound Effects – © copyright 2022 BBC. Music was composed by Jim Barne. The Gustav Holst music ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’ was arranged by Paul Ayres and performed under licence by the Reading Phoenix Choir. Parrot Productions are grateful to the Cheltenham Arts Council for their generous financial support. The image used in the poster was designed by Sarah Harvey of Art Works. Further thanks to Marianne Gaston and Annette Holland.

Please send comments or feedback about the play to davidelder.net@gmail.com

Face the Music

Face the Music is a 16-minute audio play by David Elder.

It’s early 1908. The composer Gustav Holst has just received the results of a prestigious music competition. Will this be the major break-through he’s been looking for? And what will it mean for his wife and new-born baby?

If you enjoy this play you may also enjoy others in the ‘On the verge’ series which deal with various types of change. The others in the series are Big Blue Things by David Elder; Forbidden Music by Lou Beckett; and We Can't Be by Lou Beckett.

Face the Music was produced by Parrot Productions and directed by Marianne Gaston. Gustav Holst was played by Ian Kubiak, and Isobel Holst by Claire Tucker. Sound was by David Holland, with thanks to the Cotswold Listener studios. Music was composed by Jim Barne. The music ‘A sketch for Beni Mora’ was recorded for the Holst Victorian House. The oboist was Caron de Burgh, with John Wright on the piano. Parrot Productions are grateful to the Trafford Memorial Fund and Cheltenham Arts Council for their generous financial support. Further thanks to Laura Kinnear and to Annette Holland.

Big Blue Things

Big Blue Things is a 14-minute audio play by David Elder.

In the aftermath of the devastating Gloucestershire floods of 2007 two Cheltenham residents, Pete and Sima, try to cope with the new normal, making daily trips to collect water from those ‘big blue things’ that have suddenly appeared on the town’s streets. However, while carrying on with their new routines, a terrible hate crime suddenly rears its ugly head. Pete thinks it should be easy to tackle head on, or will it?

If you enjoy this play you may also enjoy others in the ‘On the verge’ series which deal with various types of change. The others in the series are Face the Music by David Elder; Forbidden Music by Lou Beckett; and We Can't Be by Lou Beckett.

In Big Blue Things Sima is played by Rishika Daswani, and Pete by Ian Kubiak. Sound editing was by Cam Shand. The music was composed by Jim Barne.

Parrot Productions are grateful to the Cheltenham Arts Council for their generous financial support.