Teapot Troubles // Audible
This year I am so pleased to share with you Teapot Troubles as a radio play. This project has been the outcome of the National Theatre and Audible partnership, as a result of being shortlisted from the National Theatre’s New Views competition last year I was commissioned to adapt my play for the audible platform, alongside 8 other amazing New views finalists from across 10 years. I am so incredibly grateful for the amazing work that has been put into this piece by everyone involved and hope you enjoy listening.
Teapot Troubles
Short listed in National Theatres 2022 New views competition, Teapot Troubles is my First finished play. It follows the story of a family in the events of 1999 during the war in Kosovo. All stories/chapters of the play are inspired by different retellings of personal events told to me by members of my family.
It was table read at the National Theatres Clore Learning Centre in the Dorfman theatre building in July 2022. The table read was directed by Jack Nurse and performed by professional actors. I was lucky enough to also have a majority Kosovan/Albanian cast perform this piece.
A Memory
Adriana:
I’m in the river.
Only a moment ago I was playing with my brother while my uncle watched and laughed, and my grandfather complained about my short sleeve shirt because I’m cold. I’m cold. But I’m young, so I’m smart and I reply, Babgjysh you’re silly, the May heat is strong, I’m burning, nuk jam ftohtë, I’m not cold. I’m burning.
I’m in the river, our house is burning.
And again I could swear that it was only a moment ago, the neighbour’s boy came running in. Out of breath. Breathless. Not breathless like how we used to race together from the house across the field to the river, breathless like he ran. Ran away. It all happened so fast, but not really, it was as if everything was in slow motion but I wasn’t. It was exciting. I was lost for a moment in the excitement but my mothers calls for me, no not calls, cries for me and it breaks the slow motion. We’re now running to the river, but not like racing, like running away.
Now we’re in the river
And only a moment seemed like forever ago. 4 men opened the gates, their faces blurred now not from memory but from smoke – cigarette smoke. But then everything at home normally smelled of cigarette smoke. Was it comforting? It was familiar. Familiar. What wasn’t familiar was the smell of burning. Burning like melting. Burning like gone, everything gone burnt.
In the river