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Episode 16: Nobody’s Child
Morley Radio Repertory Company Present
NOBODY’S CHILD
by Marilyn Cutts
Inspired by a true story, Marilyn Cutts starts her play in Nottingham in 1959. Sis is an ordinary woman with an extraordinary story. Sis looks back at her younger self when secrets of her birth become known. As she navigates a new path resulting of these revelations, the older Sis slowly comprehends the importance of identity, the power of family and their impact on her life.
Cast in order of appearance:
SIS …… Julia Collier
RALPH ….. Stephen Parkyn
LEN ….. James Newton
MRS SHEPARD ….. Veronica Sonia
ANDY ….. Yiannis Sykovaris
CITIZENS ADVICE ADVISER ….. Veronica Sonia
CLERK ….. Saru Gurung
Mum ….. Orla Fahey
other characters were performed by the company
Sound Design – Yiannis Sykovaris
Engineer – Terra Talina
Director – Julia Lewis
A Morley Radio Repertory Company Production
Find out more about Drama courses at Morley College London
A forward from writer Marilyn Cutts:
This play came about when I was studying for a Masters in Creative Writing at the Open University. I had seen a clip on YouTube of an older woman talking in a very rational and measured way about her life, but the circumstances of her life were extraordinary. She had been dealt what most people would call a particularly difficult hand, yet here she was talking in measured terms about issues which the majority would find too difficult to contemplate. That was the germ of the play. Not the circumstances or individuals which had led to this state of affairs-which would make a sensational play all of their own- but how some individuals are left to deal with the ill-considered consequences of other peoples’ actions.
Time and other constraints meant rewriting before the script was suitable for the Morley College students to record, but that turned out to be a blessing. I was able to explore what was already there, and flesh out ideas that had lain unexplored. As the lead character discovered truths about her past, how would that impact on the understanding of her own identity. Did what she learned make her a different person? And how would this new person deal with a life that might have suited who she was, but was not such a good fit for who she was now? I did what the text books tell us, and followed where the story led. In fact, I am already thinking of extending the piece further, and seeing if the BBC Writers’ Room might show an interest. So, thank you radio students, for letting me hear what was only in my head and pushing me further than I had dared to go.
M W Cutts
17.3.2026