First Post of 2014, By Jack Bowman

Happy New Year! And that, was 2013 and in comes 2014. It’s always an exciting time at Wireless Theatre when the calendar starts over, particularly as one begins to wonder what might happen next. A lot of people tend to use January 1^st for a fresh start, all those resolutions – the gym, dieting, new job, less drinking, smoking and so on. However, January for me is a time to actually get organised for the New Year, take stock of the previous one and then move on, after pondering what’s happened in the the twelve previous months. No resolutions – just a considered look back before moving on.

I look at everything. And as a result, one of the questions I always ask myself, and have done for seven years (yes, Mariele, nearly SEVEN years), is what happens next at Wireless? Was that as good as it ever going to get? And, amazingly, each milestone never seems to be a peak, but just another checkpoint, another corner turned in an amazing and extraordinary journey that began (for me, anyway) with a conversation about FROZEN in the Oxford Arms, Camden, back in the winter of 2006.

So, how was 2013 and where does that leave 2014? Yes certainly, you can measure these things in terms of the more obvious achievements – our SF Showcase, Dead London, the British Public Radio Awards, our first BBC Radio 4 broadcast, the London Horror Festival, the 36 Hour Challenge. However, the highlight of 2013 for me is something that might slip by unnoticed. Wireless Theatre continues to quietly work to support new talent, and most importantly, inspire people, young and old to engage with radio as a medium, challenging their views on they think they know as an audience. Last year, there were talks, workshops and classes at RADA, LAMDA, New College Worcester, The Actor’s Guild, Southbank University, Fringe Mondays and the London College of Communication, just to name a few. That’s extraordinary, when you think it originally all began as a bunch of mates making radio plays for fun. Yet somehow, because everyone one of you reading this found out about Wireless Theatre over the years, and thanks of your continued support, all of the ground work we do outside of the studio has become possible.

And it’s this support and growth from you which means we can, excitingly, head into 2014. As you noticed, we’ve redecorated – a small part of a big change for Wireless Theatre. Much change lies ahead – all of this needed to to help Wireless Theatre keep producing its output but also so that less-glamourous, but vital support work can continue. We believe that radio drama and comedy has a place in today’s world, and with your help we’ll keep proving that in 2014.

Last year, all your support of Wireless Theatre’s output meant we could also do more behind the scenes than ever before. So thank you, faithful reader – you make these things possible, because without you, these smaller, unseen things wouldn’t happen. I wish you all the best in 2014.

~ by wirelesstc on January 6, 2014.