Isolated but open: Voices from across the shutdown

‘On 17 March 2020, just twelve hours after the theatres closed,’ writes Papatango's Artistic Director Chris Foxon in the introduction to this collection of monologues, ‘we launched Isolated But Open: Voices from Across The Shutdown, to create a new infrastructure that would ensure stories could continue to be told.’ This book is part of the product of that launch. Having produced the world premieres of ten monologues online free to watch, the collection was also published free online by Nick Hern Books.

There are actually twelve monologues in the book: writers Anders Lustgarten and Rachel De-Lahay wrote two in order to inspire others to submit their work, and they are included here as well: De-Lahay's ‘Balcony Bonding’ being one of the monologues which speaks very directly to the experience of lockdown and self-isolation.