I take responsibility for the formation of JAPE Productions.
It began as a collaboration with my long-time friend and theatre colleague, Peter Franksson. The idea was to pool our experience into writing and performing our own comedy sketches, based on the vintage BBC Radio series “Round the Horne”. We would perform live on stage, scripts in hand, being two thirds of a threesome that included actress Jacqui Padden.
Several performances were recorded, eventually resulting in sufficient material to broadcast as podcasts under the title The Red Rose Tattoo, now part of The JAPE Collective .
and yes, we DO have a darker side…
JAPE Productions began (in 2018) with a live comedy sketch show. Two years later, we were expanding to a full-blown theatre tour with a play – just as Covid-19 became a buzzword. Live events quickly became history, and we put all our efforts into podcasts and audio dramas.
Broadcasting over the internet has its advantages: a wider audience, for one.
In June 2023, Peter Franksson and I thought we would try and see if our stuff might work in the USA, submitting two of our “darker” scripts to an international competition run by Michael Mau. We were intrigued by his “Blind Play of Social Forces” – an anthology narrative podcast series.
The first two seasons were adapted from Michael’s own collected short fiction. Season 3 would be curated from submitted short fiction and narrative nonfiction of various authors.
Both THE QUIET ONE and WHO CARES? were selected for Season 3, and now the American versions of our scripts are both out there!
Details of those broadcasts follow below.
Season 3 of A BLIND PLAY opened on 4th April 2024, and you can listen to each episode as it is released by clicking HERE.
So, who is Michael Mau?
The movie database IMDb describes Michael as an actor, writer, and visual artist. You get a little more on his LinkedIn profile: Based in Atlanta, Michael Mau is a writer, teacher, father, runner, actor, tinkerer, artist, craftsman, and snappy dresser.
Like Peter and I, Michael personally favours his foremost profession as a WRITER. We are all performers, but nobody has anything to perform if they don’t have a script! Somebody has to put those words on the page first, and that is where the seeds of creation truly begin.
Question: What does JAPE mean?
Answer: Jacqui : Alan : Peter = Entertainment!
Thursday 18th April 2024, and a little over two years since I wrote The Quiet One as a short story, it is currently broadcast in TWO versions worldwide!
The American version is now live HERE, but you can still access the original version below. The story is the same, most of the words are identical, but see if you can recognise the biggest change between the two. It all begins when an old lady looks for help to “get rid of my husband”, and her neighbour Elsie takes her into town to speak to someone who can give her the right kind of advice. In Britain we are fortunate in having Citizens Advice Bureaux available, both online and in the High Street. But there is no equivalent organisation in the USA, so what did producer Michael Mau do to make the script work? You have to listen to find out!
(Don’t forget to check out the live interview that follows the broadcast, featuring myself, Michael Mau and cast members Toni Poe, Ryan Gaiser and Malya Muth.)
Thursday 25th April 2024, and Peter Franksson’s play about a care worker is the second of our stories to have the American treatment HERE.
Unlike The Quiet One, very little has changed between the two, and that reflects the strength of the original writing. When Peter first showed me his script, I had very little to do to prepare it for performance, and the same applied for Michael Mau when he adapted it for a USA audience.
Julie works in a care home, and after “a bear of a day”, she wants nothing more than a few drinks and a cuddle (or “snuggle”, as she says in this version). As we listen to anecdotes that are frequently hilarious, we become intrigued by the apparent disinterest from the other member of the household. No matter where you live in the world, you will still appreciate Julie’s lonely frustration.
(Don’t forget to check out the live interview that follows the broadcast, featuring Peter Franksson, Michael Mau, myself and actress Irene Santiago.)
About Us
I first met PETER in 1991, when we acted together in several projects. Curiously, as children we once lived within 500 metres of each other in Lytham, but only discovered the fact in 2020!
JACQUI has now grown accustomed to acting as our referee, as well as taking on multiple female roles in our scripts. A professional actress with more experience on her CV than she’s prepared to say, she readily admits keeping a straight face while working with Peter and I is her most challenging role.
Our Audio Dramas
Below are some recent examples from The JAPE Collective:
(Clicking on the images will take you directly to a host page where you can listen to what we do!)
Drama
Seventy-six-year-old Madeleine McGlyn is confined to a secure institution under the Mental Health Act. She’s been there for over 35 years, but listen carefully to her story. Why does Dr Bailey figure so strongly in her life? How does an innocent kiss from a Sleeping Beauty lead to such trauma? The Signs were already there in the beginning…
Drama, adapted from a short story
An elderly woman wants to get rid of her husband. Why won’t the man at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau help her out? And why on earth won’t Bernie eat his bacon butty?
A Play on Words
Scott and Val have come to a posh restaurant for a “special” occasion – but their anniversary dinner does NOT go to plan. While Scott’s attempt to pop the question is initially foiled by an old flame, Val’s man-y previous relationships provoke more questions than there are items on the menu!
Drama
Julie has had a gruelling day at the care home where she works. She just wants a glass of wine and a cuddle – not necessarily in that order. She has a colourful story to tell, but why won’t David come out of the kitchen and help Julie unwind?
