Sound Escape Theatre

A bonus episode where the author, Jill Korn, talks about how she came to write and produce her audio drama about Julian of Norwich. 

Julian of Norwich is an old woman who has lived walled up in her stone cell for more than forty years. When she was thirty, she received sixteen visions or 'shewings' which she believed came from God, and she spent the rest of her life contemplating and writing about them. Julian's book, Revelations of Divine Love, is the first book we have in English that was written by a woman.

The play is set in 1413 and imagines the daily life of Julian at 70. She has already completed her book but her life is by no means empty. Her cell is very near the river and its busy docks, whose comings and goings pass by her exterior window. Another window gives onto the church itself, where services and other business are conducted daily and a third window communicates with her kindly servant, Sarah. Julian’s meditations are sometimes interrupted by visitors, to whom she is always gracious, but about whom she can only share her thoughts with God. 

The play was written to celebrate the 650th anniversary of Julian's visions and was featured in the exhibition 'Love is the Meaning'. It was recorded in Norwhich, England by local actors, and was produced in Scotland by John Boyd.

In 1429 Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for witchcraft. Gilles de Rais, her captain and a medieval super-hero, was convicted of child-murder and sorcery. He followed her to the stake and burned a decade later. 'Confessional' explores the link between the two events, and examines how powerful men can seem to be untouchable and unstoppable. The play contains strong language and explicit content; listener discretion is advised. SFX sourced under the BBC Rem Arc Licence: bbc.co.uk - © Copyright 2019 BBC