Update

Amazing Grace by Michelle Lipton, well we knew it was a cracker of a play, and now others do too, winning the Imison Award for best Script by a new to radio writer at the 1st Audio Drama Awards

Want a sneaky  listen to the drama with behind the scenes extras from the Director?

Justine

Summer 2010

I read a lot of scripts, a lot of ok scripts, some not so ok and not nearly enough scripts that make me excited.  So when I was asked to read a script by a friend I was stunned to be gripped to my seat, moved to tears and excited to find I had discovered a gem.  The sample script – for TV was by Michelle Lipton. We spoke, I asked her for some radio drama short pitches 100 words – storyline and upto 200 words to describe what made it special / how it would sound  / about the form, the world, the style and a few days later I knew we were on to a winner.  The script I had read was clearly just the tip of the story potential from this writer.

As the programme TX’s 28th June  - 2nd July 2010 Michelle and I have decide to share with you the behind the scenes.  And the pitch can’t be left out.

Most importantly – I think you’ll see just how much things change – and somethings stay the same along the way.  This is inevitable.
A CV Just gets you the interview, the interview sells you and the combination along with proof that you can do the job – gets you the contract – writing is no different.

We went through a few phases

1. Michelle writes me a few lines of an idea
2. We both like the idea and get excited – we work it up into 100 words / 200 treatment
3. the up to 2 page version
4. What it became after script development and writing
5. the final synopsis for press and publicity.

As you’ll see they are all different – but as long as in essence it is the same – or serious revisions are agreed with the commissioner – then this is expected.

1-2 Pre Offer -Producer and Writer work up the pitch and send it to Exec and Commissioner 100 word pitch :
When Janjaweed attack Grace’s village she runs; youngest 3 children in her arms, 12 year old twins right behind – or so she thought.  Now a UK refugee, Grace desperately writes 100’s of letters to every aid organisation, Embassy, High Commission: searching  for her boys. Whilst in an Ethiopian refugee camp, the inexorable Pastor Williams  desperately writes 100’s of letters  trying to find the families of the many children he saved that day.  The Red Cross miraculously match Grace’s letter to the Pastor’s, but  Grace’s battle through the UK courts puts 3 years, and many more  letters between their final reunion.

200 WORD TREATMENT Michelle is an impressive new  to radio talent.  A TV series writer with a previous career in asylum and immigration, she tackles these subjects with real truth, wit and integrity.
Inspired by a true story. Told though letters with dramatised scenes, between Grace and Pastor Williams, the agencies and eventually her children, Grace Atto: propelled out of her old life, terrified, overwhelmed – but focused. Logical, methodical and patient, she walks the fine line between determined and desperate – not just adapting to a whole new world, but taking it on. Never loud or outspoken.  Quietly unyielding with unstoppable resolve.  The inexorable Pastor Williams: “Pastor” Williams could return to the UK whenever he wants, but since losing his faith he’s ashamed to go home.  He hides among the lost, surviving on charm and wit – and the more there are to help, the longer he gets to stay. No longer a missionary: a man on a mission.  The children can panic when he starts to panic -which is never.  Uses humour to keep the children’s hopes alive. Each formidable, together unstoppable.

3 In more detail 2 page treatment.  roughly speaking there’s a 1 sentence sum up. A paragraph synopsis – a longer version with character and plot details and a “why choose this”  if it is episodic you break down the plot ep by ep.  There’s casting suggestions and the about the writer/ producer / indie company bit at the end. Simple! These can take forever to get right depending on how clear you are on the storylining before you commence.

One refugee mother’s victorious struggle to be reunited with her children.  Inspired by a true story.
When Janjaweed militia attack Grace’s village in Darfur, she does what any mother would do.  She scoops up her youngest three children – and runs, shouting for the older two to follow.  They were right behind her – or so she thought.  Now a refugee in the UK, propelled out of her old life, the adrenaline is still pumping.  And she uses it.  Focused, logical, methodical and patient, she walks the fine line between determined and desperate – determined to find her boys alive; desperate not to show her fear to the children she can still hold in her arms.  Grace isn’t just adapting to a whole new world, she’s taking it on.
Surrounded by the lost children he’s collected, Leo is driven to locate their parents now scattered across the globe.  Among them, two young boys looking for their mother.   The “Pastor” could return to the UK whenever he wants, but since losing his faith he’s been too ashamed to go home.  Instead, he hides among the lost, surviving on charm and wit – and the more there are to help, the longer he gets to stay. No longer a missionary: he’s a man on a mission, using humour to keep the children’s hopes alive and himself distracted.

When the Archbishop of York, guides Grace to the Red Cross they miraculously match the letters.  But it takes 3 years, a battle through the courts, a lie exposed and a heartfelt plea from fellow refugee – the Archbishop to finally reunite them and in doing so restore faith to Pastor Williams.

Why Choose this drama? Ever since Enoch powell’s ‘rivers of blood’ speech, asylum has proved a hot topic of debate, and with numbers of asylum seekers rising every year, its not a topic which is going away.  Documentaries and films like ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ have shown us the dark side of asylum only too many times – as a result,  asylum seekers are often branded in the media, as either shady folk from the underworld, or as pitiful victims. This drama is determined to reject the familiar, and in Grace, we have a strong willed and charismatic lead who defies convention.  The writer, Michelle Lipton, has a previous career in asylum and immigration, and she can therefore cut through all of the myths and prejudices surrounding this world, with humour and integrity. Inspired by a true story, this is an uplifting and gripping tale of loss and discovery which will strike a chord with any parent, listening to the woman’s hour drama – whatever their background.

Casting. This is a 3 hander with a supporting cast from The Royal Exchange Theatre’s acting company of Refugees and Asylum Seekers and refugee children from Manchester schools in the classroom scenes.  The story ideally  includes the very real wonderful character of The Archbishop of York – John Sentamu.

E1 Domestic life in Grace’s Darfur village is interrupted by the thundering of distant hooves getting louder, then machine gun fire.  We are with Grace as she scoops up her 3 youngest children and shouts at the older twins to keep up. Chaos, noise Grace’s breathing gets heavier, her footfall faster and terrifyingly the voices of the twins behind fades into the background drowned out by gunfire and burning.  Later.  In the UK, domestic life in Grace’s York flat.  Grace makes a game of writing letters to every Embassy, High Commission, NGO and charity they can find an address for. Searching for her missing boys. One in charge of folding, one stuffing envelopes, one licking stamps.  A team effort.    Meanwhile, in an Ethiopian refugee camp, Pastor Williams is doing the equivalent: checking the Lost Boards, registering names, walking through miles of tents in blistering heat.  When Grace comes to the attention of the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, at a visit to the children’s school, he offers Grace a glimmer of hope in the form of a meeting with a contact at the Red Cross.

E2 Grace attends at the Red Cross.  She tells her story and describes her 9 year old boys Caleb and Elijah.  The tracing process is set in motion and Grace’s hopes are raised. But her newfound hope comes with a warning: Not all news is good news and Grace must be prepared.  Whilst the 2 youngest children settle quickly into life in the UK. Kayla finds life at home and school in Britain difficult and misses having someone her own age to play with at home.   Meanwhile, in the camp, life is tough.  Crime is rife and gangs are a law unto themselves. When Grace’s son Caleb is injured defending his brother, Leo fears for his survival if the wound becomes infected.  Tending to the boy, he almost misses the Red Cross worker, walking the tent lines, calling out names…

E3 When the Red Cross knock at Grace’s door her heart is in her mouth.  But it’s not just news that’s being delivered, it’s a letter from her boys!  Grace and the children sit down to write back – the children are so excited they can’t work out what to tell their brothers about first: the taps full of water, the supermarkets full of food, the schools they attend.  Grace vows to immediately begin the reunion application and promises they’ll all be back together again soon.  The £750 needed for the application is an impossible figure, but rallying new friends and selling their few items, Grace working at night – they find the money.   But Grace is not only worried about convincing the Home Office.  She is worried that they will discover the truth about the boys – a truth that could jeopardise everything.  Hopeful, Grace’s children write and start making plans, but it’s not the boys who reply this time: It’s Leo.  Caleb needs antibiotics which are scarce in the camp, there’s no time to lose. She must do whatever she can to speed up the reunion application.

E4 Grace attends the Home Office interview.  It goes well at first, until it comes to explaining the closeness in age of Elijah and the twins.  The twins, it turns out, are not Grace’s biological children.  They were born to a neighbour who died shortly after and the Atto family did what so many families in their village had done before – she took them in as her own. In the Sudan, official adoption papers mean nothing, and as far as Grace is concerned, she is their mother.  But the Home Office don’t share this view.  She has made the wrong application, filled out the wrong forms, and the £750 fee is non-refundable.  She will have to start again – and pay another £750.  She must prove the twins, as her “dependants”.  Grace is warned that she is unlikely to succeed as there are millions of children living in refugee camps and separated from their families.  Unfortunate and desperate as their situation, it is not “exceptional”.  In the camp, there’s nothing Leo can do but keep the children’s spirits high and care for Caleb as best he can with his limited resources.  Fearing for her son’s life, Grace prays for a miracle.  She visits an Easter/Christmas, service at York Minster and speaks again to John Sentamu.  When he hears that Grace will be going to the hearing alone, he offers to accompany her and together, as fellow refugees, they plead her case passionately before a Judge.  There’s nothing left to do but wait for the decision.  It will be the longest wait of Grace’s life.

E5 The appeal is allowed. Leo brings the children to the UK and the family have an emotional reunion.  Grace is so grateful to Leo, and the Archbishop praises the young man’s work.  Conversation between the two men on the nature of faith causes Leo to re-evaluate his role as Missionary.  There is more to proselytising than simply urging people to believe in one thing or another; it’s about converting to a way of life, about humanity and the kindness of strangers.  Something Leo has never lost.  Leo decides to return to the camp.  There are many more children whose parents are still missing.  He tells Grace if any of them turn up in the UK, he’ll be in touch.  He thinks they’d make a good team.  Individually, they’re formidable.  Together they could be unstoppable…

Additional Material Michelle Lipton Sample TV Script  focuses on the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.  A look at the 1^st few pages alone demonstrates her talent for this kind of drama.

And the commissoners comments? An instant Yes – he felt that in a sea of life is terrible immigration and asylum / refugee offers he regularly gets, this was a refreshing positive take on the subject  - and therefore welcomed!.

So as you can see if you have followed  / hear the drama – it is quite different.  The letter format disappeared before draft 1, The Pastor became a journalist after Draft 1, The Archbishop of York did not cameo, Leo never leaves Africa and Grace’s children and their life span altered.  But the basics remain the same.  Decisions were made due to everything from truth in a role / budgetary and casting issues, but in the main – to support the best possible dramatic structure.

In the end?

The plots  - without spoilers became something like these – as you may have heard:

Short Description 90 characters: Separated by Sudanese war; 1 refugee mother’s  fight to find & bring her children home (87)

Medium Description: upto 180 characters  When Grace’s village is attacked they run, but 2 of her 4 children are lost in the chaos & she must choose: to stay with the girls she has or abandon them for her missing boys. (176)

Long Description: upto 1800 characters Inspired by a true story.  When Grace’s Sudanese village is attacked, she scoops up her children, 2 year old in her arms, 9 year old holding her hand and the 10 year old twins running behind and they flee, running for their lives; – thankfully safety is within reach as a truck full of displaced villagers lets her on board.  She loads her 2 daughters on to the truck and turns to lift the boys up: but  they aren’t there; they’re gone.  She can’t see them anywhere in the smoke, gunfire, screams and flames and  the truck must go.

Grace (Wunmi Mosaku) must make any parents most feared decision, a choice that is no choice: to save the children she has with her or abandon them to look for the 2 who are somewhere, left behind.

7 years on, in a refugee Camp, Kakuma, Kenya, surrounded by the lost children he’s collected, Leo (Greg Wise), a displaced, widowed journalist is driven to locate their parents now scattered across the globe.  Among them, twin boys(Beru Tessema)  looking for their mother.

This is the story of Grace – a refugee now in the UK and her battle along with her choir friend Bonnie (Patricia Routledge) and surviving daughter Kyla, (Yusra Warsama)  to find and bring her children back to her……….

The writer Michelle Lipton had a previous career in asylum and immigration where she learnt of the story that inspired the drama and indeed a number of the cast shared personal experiences that mirror aspects of this drama.

Episode 1 (Short and medium the same) Inspired by a true story.  When Grace’s Sudanese village is attacked, she scoops up her children, 2 year old in her arms, 9 year old holding her hand and the 10 year old twins running behind and they flee, running for their lives; – thankfully safety is within reach as a truck full of displaced villagers lets her on board.  She loads her 2 daughters on to the truck and turns to lift the boys up: but  they aren’t there; they’re gone.  She can’t see them anywhere in the smoke, gunfire, screams and flames and  the truck must go.

Grace (Wunmi Mosaku) must make any parents most feared decision, a choice that is no choice: to save the children she has with her or abandon them to look for the 2 who are somewhere, left behind.

This is the story of Grace  Atto – 7 years on and now a refugee in the UK and her battle along with her choir friend Bonnie (Patricia Routledge) and surviving daughter Kyla, (Yusra Wasrama)  to find and bring her missing children back to her……….

7 years on, in a refugee Camp, Kakuma, Kenya, surrounded by the lost children he’s collected, Leo (Greg Wise), a displaced, widowed journalist is driven to locate their parents now scattered across the globe.  Among them, twin boys Caleb and Elijah Atto (Beru Tessema)  looking for their mother.

The writer Michelle Lipton had a previous career in asylum and immigration where she learnt of the story that inspired the drama and indeed a number of the cast shared personal experiences that mirror aspects of this drama.

Episode 2 Short   From the UK Grace searches for her lost boys whilst in Kenya Leo fights for their survival

Medium  From the UK Grace searches for her 2 boys, Caleb and Elijah: lost when her Sudanese village came under attack. in Camp Kakuma a refugee camp in Kenya,  Leo fights for survival.

Long (Short and medium the same) Inspired by a true story.  When Grace’s Sudanese village was attacked, she scooped up her children, 2 year old in her arms, 9 year old holding her hand and the 10 year old twins running behind and they fled; for their lives.  Thankfully, safety in the form of a truck full of displaced villagers arrived to help.  She loaded her 2 daughters on to the truck and turned  to lift the boys up: but  they weren’t there; they had gone.  She couldn’t see them anywhere in the smoke, gunfire, screams and flames and the truck had to go.

Grace (Wunmi Mosaku) had to make any parents most feared decision, a choice that is no choice: to save the children she had with her or abandon them to look for the 2 who, dead or alive had got  left behind.

This is the story of Grace  Atto – 7 years on and now a refugee in the UK.  This is her battle along with her choir friend Bonnie (Patricia Routledge) and surviving daughter Kyla, (Yusra Wasrama)  to find and bring her missing children back to her……….

7 years on, in a refugee Camp Kakuma, Kenya, surrounded by the lost children he’s collected, Leo (Greg Wise), a displaced, widowed journalist is driven to locate their parents now scattered across the globe.  Among them, twin boys Caleb and Elijah Atto (Beru Tessema)  looking for their mother.

But today, the fight to survive life in the camp takes a desperate turn when their school tent is invaded.

Episode 3 A phone call from the Red Cross brings news from Kenya  that will cost Grace dearly

Medium A phone call from the Red Cross brings news to the UK that will cost Grace dearly; whilst in Africa, a shortage of medical supplies forces Leo into corruption to save lives

Long    7 years ago Grace had to choose, in an impossible situation,  to save the life of her daughters and leave her lost twin boys behind as her Sudanese village was attacked.  Since then Grace has vowed to find and return the boys to her family – at the expense of everything else.

When the Red Cross call on the morning of Kyla’s 18^th birthday  – yet again Grace puts the boys before her daughter.  But the call will cost Grace dearly and time is running out.

Grace must find a way to raise thousands of pounds and quickly. But How?

In Africa, unaware yet that Grace is looking for the boys,  Leo turns to bribery and the black market in an attempt to provide medical supplies for the injured boys.  Despite his connections and irresistible charm, he lacks the influence  he needs and tough decisions must be made.

Episode 4 The fundraiser is a success, but there is devastating news  waiting that risks everything.

Medium: The fundraiser is a success, but there is devastating news to come that risks everything.   A death and an innocent lie will shatter all their hopes for a family reunion.

The fundraising event at the Cathedral turns into a huge success and Grace and Bonnie,  begin to prepare for the boys arrival in England.

Kyla, meanwhile has given up all hope that things will change for the better even if her brothers do make it to the UK.  Tired of forever being put last, she must tell Grace how she is feeling or threaten the family in a way that Grace doesn’t see coming.

In Kakuma Leo has kept the news that their mother has found them hidden, for the boys own good;

A death is about to change their future  and an innocent lie is uncovered that risks everything.

Episode 5

Short The Court Case: Judgement Day

Medium The Immigration Court Case.   It takes Kyla to speak her mind  in the witness box for Grace to finally hear the truth from the one child she still has with her.

Long

The Court case is here and Grace must convince the judge that her failure to acknowledge that the boys were not her biological children, sheds serious doubt on the credibility of her claims of a de facto adoption.

It takes Kyla to speak her mind in the witness box for Grace to finally hear the truth from the one child she still has with her.

What can Grace Atto say to convince the courts that her case is more exceptional than those of the hundreds of thousands of families separated by conflict, the hundreds of thousands of children all over the world living in poor conditions in refugee camps?  What could she possibly say that would make the difference?

The knowledge that “Amazing Grace” is inspired by a true story makes the outcome all the more dramatic.