Elspeth Penny: Writer, Director – audio drama, memoir and creative letter writing

Working across audio drama, theatre, graphic memoir, and prose, I create multilayered narratives to tell intriguing stories that amplify the little whispers of unheard voices. My podcast dramas include “Silva Lining’s Care Plan” (featuring Shappi Khorsandi and Melissa Johns), which received five award nominations including BBC Audio Award 2022 and Women’s Prize in Playwriting 2020, and “Tobias and Syd“, which won Best Audio Fiction Standalone at Apulia Webfest and Sydney Webfest 2023, a Rocky Award nomination, plus Best Director awards at Rio Webfest and Minnesota Webfest. A sequel is in development. My portfolio includes BBC Doctors, plays which have been performed at Battersea Arts Centre, St George’s Bristol, and Bristol Old Vic Studio, and works supported by Arts Council England, Brigstow Institute, and The Wellcome Trust.

As Founder and Director of 2BU Productions and with Honorary Staff Status at University of Bristol Medical School, I specialise in innovative arts and health projects that amplify voices often unheard in healthcare. My pioneering letter-writing methodology has been developed through multiple successful projects, notably “Letter to My Kidney” (2014-2024) with Dr. Barny Hole, which reached over 450,000 viewers at online exhibition Futures2020 and evolved into “Little Whispers: Hear Me” and “Whispers in the Archive” project. As Creative Lead of AHRC-funded Creative Encounters in the Archive, facilitating a group of diverse artists to engage with archival material, working with a team including American Indian Navaho colleagues and community partners from Hartcliffe, and then writing an audio drama in response to the research.

Just as I have been supported as an artist, I love to support other artists and creative spirits, volunteering as a coach for LDComics, as well as offering communications coaching using a psychometric tool Voiceprint www.consultandtrain.co.uk. I recently published the first of a graphic memoir series. Collaboration is central to my practice. Working with medical professionals, academics, musicians, artists and puppeteers, I co-create authentic stories that blend personal narratives with broader social themes, bridging healthcare, arts, and community engagement.