The Spirit of Jack Cade 

You are one of the first to visit - Thanks for coming

A Shakespearian radio drama recorded in my home studio helped to keep me creative during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the hope that I can take it to a wider audience.

Much of this concoction of Verse and Prose is stolen from countless Shakespeare plays, with over half the material written by myself and my friend the late, BBC radio playwright, Peter Wolf. This production is dedicated to you, Peter. It has original music composed by the Austrian composer Norbert Zehm.

If you are here, thank you so much for coming. At 1 hour long, and with its Shakesperian language, I appreciate that in these days of tick-toc, it is quite a commitment to listen to! However, I hope you will find that as you disappear into the story, you will be transported away into a world of returning spirits and past history ... and above all will be entertained!

As a fiction podcast on an epic scale, the sound design is inspired by the terrific BBC radio drama 'Tumanbay'. To enjoy the stereo soundscapes I have created, please do listen with headphones if you can ...or in the car!

Background

Jack Cade is the leader of an English revolution that took place in 1450. London was marched on by 40,000 commoners in order to complain about misrule and corruption by King Henry VI Barons and advisers.
 

In my sound-designed radio drama, Cade is brought back to the present day by 'The three Fates' In ancient greek mythology these three spirits are the incarnations of destiny.  They reveal to Cade the ‘Complete Works of Shakespeare’ and the play Henry VI in which he features and bid him discover his ordained 'part' within. 
 

As Cade reads back over his place in English history, often described with hindsight as the precursor to the War of the roses, he realises he is gravely misrepresented. The ‘Bard’ has completely destroyed his cause and character and he is compelled to recount his true version of events.

However as his stories are recanted, shockingly, he is faced with the realisation that leading his revolution came at a cost greater than he could have ever imagined –

Panel of a 1964-1965 ceramic mural in Peckham, by Polish artist Adam Kossowski. (cc) image from Peter Gasston.

Thanks

A very special thank you to my wife Jessica, for all her help, love, and support.
 

Leona Heimfeld whom I met as a National Theatre assistant director, who's late husband Peter co-wrote this play. Thank you for continuing to provide great help.

To Julia Parr for your feedback on the project in these later months.
Robbie McCallum - Scottish screenwriter and novelist - you are always there.

Thank you to the old friends who were there the first time that this play was performed at The Edinburgh Festival. Especially Foz Allan, who directed this show the first time around. I will never forget how you all gave this project your support. "His spirited and literate performance is a veritable tour de force". Brian G Cooper: The Stage

Special thanks as always, to my agent Caroline DeWolfe at FDW - You're the best!

Music and effects

Special Thanks to all the artists, creatives, and composers included in the production, who placed their sound effects and music in the PUBLIC DOMAIN
 

This soundscape radio drama uses many effects and music from Freesound, so special thanks to them at www.Freesound.org (Donation made) – without their site, this project would have been impossible!

Special thanks for my main themes...
 

Cade's main themes.

Gates of Heaven Music by theojt  https://freesound.org/people/theojt/sounds/511195/

Synthesised choir by hardwareshaba at https://freesound.org/people/hardwareshaba/sounds/427410/

Thomas main theme 

UdoPohlmann  https://freesound.org/people/UdoPohlmann/sounds/132882/

In addition, a big THANK YOU to the artists below who kindly share their sound effects and music
under the creative commons 0 license.
 

Tomlija - https://freesound.org/people/Tomlija/sounds/100904/
Public Domain and I have let him know where the track was used.

FillMat 
Crowd Recordings Crowd/Mob/Riot Noise (Voices Only) - 14 people, 2 minutes HENRY VI           https://freesound.org/people/FillMat/sounds/384401/
Public Domain and I have let him know where the track was used.

Kevzog - Medieval Music Bear Burrow. 
https://freesound.org/people/Kevzog/sounds/362288/

Gis_Sweden –

Medieval Music by Själ on Hunehals Borg.mp3
https://freesound.org/people/gis_sweden/sounds/397211/

Market day Open game art org
https://opengameart.org/content/medieval-market-day

Brandon Morris Medieval Acid/weird strings
https://opengameart.org/content/15-min-medieval-acidweird-strings

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Medieval Battle BY KRIS KLAVENES.mp3
https://freesound.org/people/klavo1985/sounds/349382/

BeatArchive
https://freesound.org/people/BeatArchive/sounds/417321/

Special Thanks to Yap audio productions for making available their
15 sounds in their Medieval Combat Pack available for non commercial use
https://freesound.org/people/Yap_Audio_Production/packs/13842/

YAP audio Production Creative Commons 3 license

https://freesound.org/people/Yap_Audio_Production/sounds/218522/

* license: Attribution Noncommercial

76327__Timbre Choir_glissando_crescendo_reverb.wav

https://freesound.org/people/Timbre/

https://freesound.org/s/76327/

J Shaw "Hammering Nails, Close, A.wav" by InspectorJ
(www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/

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Elan Hinkler  Soundscapes: Heaven and Hell » gates-of-heaven

https://freesound.org/people/ElanHickler/sounds/108907/?page=1#

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Please let me know what you think...