Romany Theatre Company’s Atching Tan Radio Drama was recognised at the first ever BBC Audio Drama Awards held on 29th January 2012. The BBC’s first ever Audio Drama Awards were held at a special ceremony hosted by actor David Tennant in the Radio Theatre at BBC Broadcasting House, London. Dan Allum, writer of Atching Tan was nominated for the Imison Award for Best Radio Drama Script and Candice Nergaard who played Luvvie in the play was nominated for Best Actess in an Audio Drama.
The winners of the awards for Best Acress award and Imison award for Best Radio Drama Script are as follows:-
• Best Actress in an Audio Drama: Rosie Cavaliero, Lost Property: A Telegram From The Queen by Katie Hims
Producer: Jessica Dromgoole, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
• Best Actress in an Audio Drama – RUNNERS UP:
- June Whitfield, A Monstrous Vitality by Andy Merriman
Producer: David Hunter, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
- Candis Nergaard, Atching Tan by Dan Allum
Producer: Charlotte Riches, BBC Audio Drama North for Radio 4
The winner of the Imison Award for Best Radio Drama Script broadcast in 2010 by a new writer is: Amazing Grace by Michelle Lipton
Award presented by: David Edgar
Judges: Society of Author’s Broadcasting Committee: Alison Joseph, Mike Bartlett, Lucy Caldwell, Nazrin Choudhury, Christopher William Hill, Karen Liebreich, Sue Limb, Karl Sabbagh, Colin Teevan and John Taylor)
Imison Award for Best Radio Drama Script – RUNNERS UP:
- Atching Tan by Dan Allum
- The Pursuit by Matt Hartley
- The Barber and the Ark by Marcia Layne
To see the full list of awards, winners and runners up go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/290112-bbc-audio-drama-awards.html
Congratulations to both Dan and Candice for their nomination.

On Tuesday 23 November, BBC Radio 4’s afternoon play will be RTC’s Atching Tan. This isn’t quite the Atching Tan that you’re used to, though. This is the back story to Neilus and Lovvie’s marriage. This is how they met, and how Lovvie had to decide whether or not a traditional Traveller marriage and life was for her. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’d like to catch the first episode of series 3 of Atching Tan, then BBC Radio Suffolk at 12:30 on Monday 4 October is where you need to be! Need a quick recap on what happened in series 2? The Atching Tan website can help you out. Enjoy!

Milton Country Park, just outside of Cambridge, is playing host to a weekend of traditional Gypsy and Country crafts on 23 and 24 October. It’s following on from the success of My Big Fat Gypsy Festival held there earlier this year, but this time around will be focusing on the rural community and their collection of skills.

There has been massive unrest—including riots and street battles—in France over the past week, following the shooting of a young French Romany by a Gendarme. As a consequence, the French government is looking to implement extensive measures aimed at controlling itinerant peoples. The left is claiming that Sarkozy’s government is stigmatising minority groups and pandering to the far right, whilst the right is saying that they need to protect France from loss of public order. We’re not permitted to pass political judgement here at RTC (but doubtless you know what we’re thinking), so instead I’ll point you in the direction of some news reports. Read the rest of this entry »

Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June 2010.

Milton Country Park, Cambridge.

As part of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month a festival celebrating traditional crafts and the culture of Gypsy/Romany/Traveller people is being held in the lush setting of Milton Country Park, just off of the A14 at Cambridge. Entry is free to this celebration of music and dancing, peg-turning and flower-making, wagons and trailers, and traditional foods. There will even be the regional final of the Travellers’ Got Talent contest!

Gates open at 10:00, with things winding down around 16:00.

Milton Country Park, Cambridge, CB24 6AZ

Welcome to our new website!

As the previous incarnation of the website was a few years old, we felt that it deserved a bit of a spring clean and a touch of modernisation.

Read the rest of this entry »

20 May 2005: Ipswich Advertiser

Friday night’s Romany Theatre Company production of Our Big Land saw a sell out audience pack the Gatacre Road auditorium, quite an achievement for a new company and a new play.

Writer Daniel Allum has weaved an epic narrative.

Director Janeena Sims uses a cast of four professional actors and four highly talented young performers to portray a vast array of characters. Aided by some stirring music by Pat Whymark and choreography by Liz Lee the many scenes and locale flow with an almost cinematic quality.

At the heart of this versatile company are commanding performances by Josephine Cooper as Oceania and Tracy Elster as Sophie. Brother and Sister Ruth and David Soanes also excel beyond their years. Richard Mainwaring among other roles, is broodingly evil as a German death camp guard.

Both communities should find interest in a story rarely told on stage in this passionate and powerful performance.

- Glen Pearce

27 May 2005: Fenland Arts

One woman’s personal story provides the background to the unfolding tale of her people’s exodus from India, the persecution and prosecution they faced when they arrived in Europe, and the atrocities they endured in the Nazi concentration camps during World War Two.

Oceania Farr, played brilliantly by Josephine Cooper, brought us both laughter and tears.

We were inspired by the talent and energy of the young people in this production.

The songs and dances were breathtakingly beautiful and held an appreciative audience spellbound throughout the show.

The show should be made compulsory viewing for those whose prejudice and lack of tolerance prevents them from accepting the Romanies’ right to uphold their ancient traditions and way of life.

– Sandie Miles and Trevor Leah