AATA friend, best-selling author, Mandasue Heller responded to my request for an update of life during corona with, ‘Hi Steve, I’m working flat out on a live project, so I don’t really have time to breathe at the moment. I’ll happily answer a q & a about it afterwards, if that would work? It’s actually quite huge, with plenty more in the pipeline.’
Mandasue’s live project gives us an opportunity to watch a fabulous cast of actors read her bestselling novel Broke and raise funds for the NHS Covid-19 fund.
It's a LIVE unrehearsed performance on Zoom - a one off opportunity to hear a brilliant story told by an amazing cast. Be ready for anything!
Pay the price you can afford by selecting from the ticket options £5-£100 - you will get access to all 12 episodes, being performed live on the following dates:
Episodes 1 and 2: Wed 15th April at 3pm and 4pm
Episodes 3 and 4: Thurs 16th April at 3pm and 4pm
Episodes 5 and 6: Fri 17th April at 3pm and 4pm
Episodes 7 and 8: Wed 22nd April at 3pm and 4pm
Episodes 9 and 10: Thurs 23rd April at 3pm and 4pm
Episodes 11: Fri 24th April at 3pm and 4pm*
Broke is a gritty crime drama set on the streets of Manchester. Amy (Laura McMonagle, To Be Someone, Lip Service) and Mark (Alexander Vlahos, Versailles, Merlin) marry young, seemingly the wedding of her dreams, but actually the start of a nightmare. Even at his reception with pregnant Amy about to give birth, Mark is cheating with Ginger Jenny (Olivia Brady, Top Boy, Grantchester) in the alley behind the hall. Fast forward five years and with two kids, the couple struggle daily to keep their head above water. A secret gambler, Mark loses his wages regularly on the horses and finally ends up desperate to find cash to pay the bills. Unable to tap up his mates any more, he ends up going to a loan shark. But if he thinks Lenny Yates (Gary Shail, Quadrophenia, To Be Somebody) will give him a break when it comes to repayments, he's badly mistaken. Lenny will make him pay - and worse, he'll make Amy pay using the darkest methods possible...
Also featuring Joe Gill (Emmerdale), Don Gilet (The Stranger, Holby, Eastenders), Leslie Ash (To Be Someone, Men Behaving Badly, Quadrophenia), Nicola Stephenson (Emmerdale, The Worst Witch), Amelia Bath (To Be Someone), Lainey Shaw (My Day, Speed Date) and Levon Gharibian and narrated by Brian Capron (Coronation Street, Where the Heart Is)
*The recorded performances will be available to stream for a limited period afterwards from booksoffice.com if you are unable to attend one of the sessions.