Playwright Jody Medland teams up with Barnstaple educational charity

Local playwright Jody Medland, whose recent play Silo had a five-day run at The Plough Arts Centre and The Queen’s Theatre, has just been commissioned to create an original play for SOL (Share One Language) in Barnstaple.

SOL has a 30-year history of working with international schools and training centres, using its base at Bridge Chambers in Barnstaple to bring teachers and students to the area on an annual basis. After sponsoring Jody’s recent production of Silo, they have now acquired his services to create a culturally relevant play around the area of North Devon, which will be used to teach English and Drama to a new group of students this September.

“I’ve known about SOL for many years now,” Jody begins. “And it’s a great feeling to be working with them on a project that will engage the next generation of European students, teaching them something about creative writing, drama, and the local area in the process.”

The new one act play, titled The Lady by the Water, follows a young orphan named Eve who is taken from her war-torn country and adopted by a loving couple in North Devon. As a young immigrant, Eve’s integration to England is made much harder by the fact the trauma leaves her unable to speak, until she encounters a mystical sea creature named Verity. It’s a play that tackles themes such as the challenges of immigration, untraditional families, and coping with trauma and loss.

“SOL’s relationship with Jody will be a positive experience for our learners of English,” says Kirsty Bowie, Managing Director of SOL. “It is considered through the process of drama that our students will not only gain added speaking confidence but will also further develop their thematic language knowledge and key aspects of cultural development. Additionally, it is hoped that students can find personal development in exploring the perspectives and views of characters that will stretch themselves out of their comfort zones and belief systems.”

For anyone who would be willing to open their homes to international teachers and students for the duration of their studies in Barnstaple, SOL offer a reasonable weekly rate to local hosts.

To express your interest at being a host, please send an email to sol@sol.co.uk or call 01271 327 319 in the first instance.