Six short audio dramas for Glamorgan Archives and The National Archives,
each inspired by a photo
Book now for the live Zoom premiere on Weds 29 Nov at 7pm!
From May to Etta with Love is a series of six short audio dramas inspired by an extraordinary photo collection held by Glamorgan Archives.
The pictures are from the studio of Fred Petersen, an early portrait photographer who had a business at 232 Bute Street, Cardiff from 1910-1920.
Fred’s beautifully intimate and intriguing pictures are notable for portraying black and mixed heritage children and families from Cardiff’s historically diverse docks community.
The collection was donated to Glamorgan Archives in the 1970s with no contextual detail. Despite numerous public appeals over the years, almost all the subjects of the photos remain unidentified.
In 2023, The National Archives in London commissioned Applied Stories to visit Cardiff and meet with Glamorgan Archives specialists, to see what could be done to bring these images to life.
Applied Stories, a company specialising in audio drama, worked with two professional writers with Butetown links, Danielle Fahiya and Kyle Lima, to script six imagined scenes from the moment the photo was taken.
From May to Etta with Love is the extraordinary result. Each play sends listeners back in time, to eavesdrop on the conversation between Fred Petersen and his subjects. The scripts were recorded with a mixed cast of professional actors and contemporary young people from the Butetown area, in partnership with local company Fio.
The six plays will be launched online with a free Zoom listening party on Weds 29 November 2023 at 7pm (click to book) before being printed and displayed in Glamorgan Archives reception.
After the premiere on 29 November, all the plays will be embedded on this page and available to hear for free.
From May to Etta with Love is an Applied Stories production for Glamorgan Archives and The National Archives.
From May to Etta with Love by Danielle Fahiya
May Brown - Olivia Forrest
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Danielle Fahiya
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Studio Engineer - Elinor Newcombe
Man of the House by Danielle Fahiya
Eric - Jailen O’Diam
Ernie - Kaiden Davis
Eugene - Malachi Saltus-Hendricksen
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Sita Thomas
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Studio Engineer - Elinor Newcombe
Mother Nature by Danielle Fahiya
Elvira - Maeva Lewis
Leonard - Theo Ellul
Gwenllian - Zoe Davis
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Danielle Fahiya
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Royal Family by Kyle Lima
Joseph - Theo Ellul
Emmanuel - Kai Antoine
Lynda - Bethzienna Williams
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Kyle Lima
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Three Lads and a Wedding by Kyle Lima
David - Charlie Jones
Michael - Harvey Jones
Julio - Kene Uwandula
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Sita Thomas
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Dada’s Girl by Kyle Lima
Mr Achebe - Kai Antoine
Sophia - Mya Lima
Fred Petersen - Kieron Self
Director - Kyle Lima
Sound design - Farokh Soltani
Dramaturgy and production - Fin Kennedy
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Rebecca Eversley-Dawes, Fio, Radio Platform, Rhian Diggins, Sara Griffiths and Iqbal Singh.