Spaces Audio Plays: Hello Agnieszka

One of the wonderful aspects of the Watford Fringe Festival is the way boundaries of performance and expectation are challenged and stretched. Although audio drama is by no means a new medium, it's inclusion in a fringe festival is a brave and intriguing treat.

So it was with curiosity and keenness I approached 'Spaces', an anthology of audio plays where each immersive story draws you into a different location. There are five plays in total, exploring ordinary spaces from a car to a corridor, with a toilet somewhere in between. I dipped my toe into the hydrophobic landscape of just one of them, 'Hello Agnieszka', set in a bath.

Written by Anna Whealing, the 20 minute drama explores the story of a first-time mother struggling to come to terms with her pregnancy and the way it changes her body, her relationships and her sense of identity. She describes pain with resignation and clarity, her changing body as a 'lumpy marinating potato', and the fleeting nature of memory and love with delicacy.

There is clearly character, and to a lesser degree plot, driving this piece forward, but what I found truly arresting was the simple power of the soundscape to utterly envelope the listener. Beautifully rhythmic drips from a bath tap created a claustrophobic atmosphere, aural bars to a self-imposed cage. A rich bed of hypnotic synthetic sounds created a meditative tone which took my imagination to a spiritual place. And the English narration of expectant mother Camilla (played with careful understatement by Elizabeth Grace), complimented with asides from the Polish speaking grandmother, brings you back into the earthly, human story.

In all honesty, I would struggle to tell you precisely what that story was. But what I can say without any struggle is that 'Hello Agnieszka' was one of the most arresting, perplexing and delightful 20 minutes I've spent at the fringe. Poetic, charming, and hauntingly atmospheric. Camilla remarks that crying is the same in Polish and in English. Similarly, this was an experience that bypassed traditional narrative storytelling and tapped straight into deep emotion.

Your ticket purchase provides access to the full collection of audio plays. If they're anything like the bath, they'll be worth the visit.