New writing charity podcast, The Lockdown Plays, to feature Caryl Churchill, Inua Ellams and more

A new writing podcast, entitled The Lockdown Plays, has been released.

Made up of new short audio plays, the weekly podcast will unite award-winning writers with acting talent. All of the performances were recorded in isolation.

The writers involved are Robert Alan Evans, Luke Barnes, Caryl Churchill, Clint Dyer, Inua Ellams, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Rachel De-lahay, Cordelia Lynn, Athena Stephens and Simon Stephens.

Lynn's Fragments, read by Patsy Ferran and Sule Rimi, available right now here.

Episode two will feature Kate O'Flynn and Shane Zaza reading Simon Stephens' The Gap. Other actors confirmed include Fiona Button, Dyer, Paul Hilton, Jasmine Lee-Jones, Anjili Mohindra and Lydia Wilson. Further casting to be announced.

The podcast is raising money for St Mungo's homeless charity, with a fundraising page available here.

The project has been set up by Tom Mothersdale, Wilf Scolding and Anoushka Warden, with Mothersdale saying: "When the virus hit, the industry slammed shut. Overnight film and television shut down, theatres closed, radio projects were cancelled. Actors, directors, ushers, writers, crew, stage management effectively became unemployed with no income whatsoever and no idea of when the next job was going to come. It's the biggest crisis we've seen. But there are vulnerable people out there who need our help and support more than ever.

"The homeless can't self-isolate in the same way as most of us. People who are homeless are hit especially hard by the coronavirus outbreak. You can't protect yourself from a virus when you're living on the street. Rough sleepers need support as a matter of urgency. As do the homeless services who support them. A huge thank you to all the writers and actors who have donated their time for The Lockdown Plays meaning all funds raised will go straight to St Mungo's."