Al Smith's exploration of scientific and personal morality premiered last year at the Edinburgh Fringe, exactly sixty years since the first nuclear strike on Hiroshima.
Enola was selected to appear at the National Student Drama Festival in Scarborough, with me on board to fit the original lighting structure into a much larger, more conventional venue: without the cramped stone arch of the Underbelly Caves new colours and angles were required to preserve a sense of claustrophobia and grime.
We also took Enola to the New Ambassadors Theatre in Wimbledon, pairing it in a double bill with Radio before the Fringe run in Edinburgh.
The text has a difficult job, with just enough science to allow an audience to understand the full implications of creating and using an atomic weapon. It's not the easiest piece to get to grips with: we were therefore extremely pleased by the warm reception that Enola got at NSDF. Al received The Sunday Times Playwriting Award for his script, and Ellie Bruce an Acting Award for her role as Enola - but we were all particularly suprised and delighted to get The Fest-Goers Award, voted for by all Festival attendees and a real stamp of approval from our peers. A great end to a fantastic week!
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