Gibson based the text for this scene on talks with his father, and with his sons, together with conversations conducted with other Black men with and without sons who wanted to pass on advice to Black boys coming of age in America. Gibson and Mendilow chose to conclude Episode 1 with this scene both because it speaks to realities lived by Black/Brown children and parents and because it feels especially important for this piece to be heard by audiences whose skin colour means they are neither required to give nor receive such guidance.

Artistic decisions about this piece emerged from deliberative reflection. The choice to have Mendilow, an immigrant considered White, score for Gibson’s words, and accompany Gibson onstage, was itself partially an effort to stir questioning by holding similarities and differences in tension: Like Gibson, Mendilow is a father. Yet Mendilow’s son grows up with privilege and protection not shared by Gibson’s sons, or the child in the scene.

In a time of increasing racial tensions, it is important to consider the lived experiences and mindsets portrayed in this scene on a variety of levels. What are moments from other times and places in which entire groups have had to give versions of “The Talk” to children growing up in societies in which they are perceived as “enemy” by members of other, more powerful, groups? European Jewish ordeals, or even the assimilationist pressures faced by Levantine Jewish immigrants in the US, may appear quite different on the face of it. But, beneath the surface, in what ways do they thematically relate?

What is Radio Play(s)?

What purpose does the series serve?

What do scenes sound and look like?

Through directors' words and brief samples of the music, spoken word and theatrically projected sand animation, this video offers an overview addressing these questions.

Words: Guy Mendilow & Alison James
Music: Guy Mendilow, Arranged by Guy Mendilow & Chris Baum. Includes El Amor Yo No Sabía, Trad. Ottoman Sephardi, Arr. Mendilow & Baum

A meditation on inspiring abilities to choose wonder, curiousity and kindness even in difficulty.
Based on the true story of Guy’s grandparents, Nahum and Sara Gush Halav. In 1943, Nahum, Guy’s grandfather, broke out of a Hungarian Arrow Cross work camp to make his wedding. Both Sara and Nahum been working as part of the underground, helping Jews escape to safety. Among other duties, Sara was responsible for obtaining and relaying information from Arrow Cross soldiers and guards. Nahum ran the “art department” — forging identity papers and other documents. Ultimately, Sara and Nahum escaped to Palestine, then under the British Mandate, aboard a Polish fishing boat. Three boats set out. Theirs was the only one to make it. The other two were torpedoed, and survivors where machine-gunned.

In post-show community conversations, questions are posed about the ways this scene relates to others in the episode. For example, in what ways does the resistance of these Jewish Hungarian teenagers compare/contrast with the resistance of the Black American teenager growing up on the Southside of Chicago depicted in the next scene? The courage to find joy and humanity even in the midst of difficulty is more than Jewish. It is human. In post-episode conversations, audiences are invited to consider other instances of this sort of strength. For example, Gibson relates this wedding narrative with accounts of Black American slaves separated from spouses working on different plantations, or accounts of freed slaves choosing to stay on the plantation because their loved one remained in bondage. In what ways is seeking, and practicing, joy and generousity a survival tactic?

Music: Gillian Welch & David Rawlins, Arranged by Guy Mendilow, Chris Baum, Courtney Swain • Courtney Swain, Voice, Piano • Guy Mendilow, Voice, Guitar • Abigale Reisman, Violin • David Rubin, Violin • Ashleigh Gordon, Viola • Valerie Thompson, Cello

Hard Times depicts struggles and resilience in rural and industrial America to point to the strengths required to keep ourselves going, especially now.

Music is continuous in Radio Play(s). Musical connective segments, smoothly modulating from one scene’s key to that of the next scene, provide a seamless experience for audiences, maintaining momentum and continuity.

In filming Episode 1, the Radio Play(s) was undeterred by Courtney Swain’s inability to join the other artists in the theatre, for COViD reasons. The resulting performance demonstrates the team’s ability to persevere in the face of challenges.