All the posts by Jody Medland
What made you write Good Grief?
I started an outline during the very first days of the lockdown, just because hearing everything on the news about people losing loved ones and not being able to say a proper goodbye evoked something inside of me. Of course, I had no idea that by the end of it I’d be writing something that somehow became a homage to my father.
The story gives a poignant nod to the pandemic. …
Writer Jody Medland sat down with Laura James on The Voice FM to discuss his latest play, Good Grief, which will run at The Queen’s Theatre from 24-26 June.
The interview went incredibly well . . . until she made him cry!
To listen, just hit play below.
http://penworksmedia.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/JM-Interview-The-Voice-FM.mp3
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What most appealed to you about Good Grief?
The way in which it is so emotively written, and the authenticity and layers of the characters. How the impact of grief is uniquely explored with compassion. It’s a play of its time, set during the pandemic, and we can all relate in some way to this deep sadness as we’ve lived through a shared experience and are still feeling its impact. Grief is a process we cannot …
What most appealed to you about Good Grief?
As a young adult I found myself slowly drifting away from my family in favour of my friends and social life. Yet when I got older and became a husband and a parent, I soon discovered that process quickly reversed, drawing me full circle back to being close with my family. For me, Good Grief seems to explore the pivot point of that process, with the death of …
What most appealed to you about Good Grief?
I’ve always enjoyed Jody’s writing. He has a beautiful way of finding the moments we all experience in the big and small events that we all go through.
The story gives a poignant nod to the pandemic. Like the characters, do you feel changed by what we’ve all lived through?
In hindsight, yes. I feel very grateful that it happened at a time when I had a young daughter and I’ll …
What most appealed to you about Good Grief?
I’ve worked with Jody for several years and it’s always been a pleasure to read his work. I’ve always been impressed by his writing and felt he was going places, so the chance to bring one of his plays to life was too good to pass up.
I also really like the story. A simple family drama. It’s funny and moving, and I enjoy the fact that the characters …
One of the greatest Christmas traditions is to over indulge on the host of great films and TV shows that fill the festive airways between late December and New Year. It feels like only yesterday I was trawling through the Radio Times with my highlighter praying I had enough space on my digibox to get through to January. While the shows are still available I thought I’d have my say on what’s hot and what’s …
It’s 2:45am on Sunday 16th September, and my maiden play has completed its first week at Barons Court Theatre. As tired as I am, I’m unable to sleep due to the many different feelings and emotions racing through my mind: fatigue, pride, accomplishment, excitement, worry – too many to mention, almost too many to mention.
To any writer considering working on their first play, do it. It’s a wonderful education, and one that rivals any course …
Note: This is an analytical review which, by its very nature, includes spoilers.
Whenever I attend musicals that are based on the work of famous bands or artists, I always enter the theatre with a touch of trepidation. The fear is that the producers of the show have relied too heavily on the strength of the original artist, subjecting the audience to over two hours of songs sang by (no offence) inferior artists. The result of …
In recent years there have been several heated debates over the quality of roles written for BAME actors. The Oscars in 2015 were dominated by stories and studies discussing why the Oscars are so heavily skewed in favour of white actors and filmmakers. Ever since, it has become almost inevitable that each ceremony will be sidetracked by campaigns such as #whitewashed and #OscarsSoWhite.
As the months and years roll by, such tensions show little sign of …