The Wall in the Mind is an original radio drama series, scheduled to broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm over the next three weeks.
The drama explores the consequences of the imprisonment of an Irish woman in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin wall. The series combines a variety of innovative storytelling and sound production techniques to create a thrilling drama linked to real historic events. Listeners travel back and forth in time, as Irish woman Claire O’Hanlon tries to make sense of her experiences as a teenager in communist East Berlin and to solve the mystery of her vanished first love, Emil.
Writer / Director Gareth Stack travelled to Berlin to research the historic locations featured in the series. There he explored the ruins of the paramilitary police barracks, where on 7th and 8th October 1989 hundreds of East German protestors were held in one of the last desperate acts of a tyrannical regime. Thousands marched as the communist government faced revolution on the streets. Those unlucky enough to be arrested were tortured by the notorious ‘Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft’ paramilitary police. These events inspired a story that explores the marks history leaves on the lives of ordinary people.
The drama is brought to life by stunning performances by the leads Mia Gallagher as Claire in 2014 and Jasmin Gleeson as Claire in 1989. These roles were developed over weeks of rehearsals with the cast, who all worked off book to create a naturalistic compelling drama.
Using extensive foley, on location recording, and binaural microphones and cassette recordings, The Wall in the Mind captures the paranoia of one of the darkest moments in the Cold War. This is a mystery that brings us right into the minds of citizens of the most surveiled society in history. The Wall in the Mind is a richly developed story, featuring strong female lead characters, leading to a shocking conclusion.
‘The Wall in the Mind’ Series will be broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm over three weeks. We'll be airing two episodes per week, starting with Episodes 1 & 2, this weekend on Saturday 16th April at 7am, repeated 10pm.
Episodes 3 & 4 broadcast dates: Saturday 23rd April at 7am, repeated 10pm
Episodes 5 & 6 broadcast dates: Saturday 30th April at 7am, repeated 10pm.
BROADCAST NOTES:
BROADCAST DETAILS: ‘The Wall in the Mind is part of the Spring Season of Drama on Newstalk.
LISTEN LIVE ONLINE: ‘The Wall in the Mind’ can also be listened to live online at: www.newstalk.com
PODCAST: Podcast available at www.newstalk.com/documentaryonnewstalk after the broadcast.
CREDITS: ‘The Wall in the Mind’ was written, produced and edited by Gareth Stack, sound recording by Colm Coyne and narration by Roger Gregg.
The cast were Jasmin Gleeson as 1989 Claire, Mia Gallagher as 2014 Claire, Sebastian Connellan as Gunter, Janine Durkop as Nicole, James O'Connor as Emil, Dominik Turkowski as 1989 Matthaus, Sven Moritz as 2014 Matthaus, Aidan Jordan as Stewart, Andrew Deering as Kurt Becke, Dagmar Baar as Hannah Bauman, Helena Clarke as Claire's mother.
Music by Ewan Hennelly (HERV, ZPG), and by DDR era punk bands Die Anderan & Sandow.
Funded by the Broadcast Authority of Ireland with the television license fee.
Writer/Producer Bio:
Gareth Stack is as an independent radio producer – creating documentaries, drama series and packages. He’s a regular arts correspondent for RTE Lyric FM’s Culture File programme; as well as Communications Officer for the Association of Radio Producers Ireland. He is an active member of The Attic, A4 Sounds collective. His work uses sound in a cinematic textural way, to explore unique perspectives and lived experiences. He is currently producing another one off drama for newstalk, as well as a poetry series for RTE Lyric.
