Juice Radio Goes Live
Lockdown has sparked creativity in a number of ways, including the launch of a new school radio show by two Sixth Form Drama Scholars.
Despite the current restrictions, students are finding new ways to ensure their voices are heard. Last week, pupils and staff tuned into the first school radio show, to hear about the strangest things girls have witnessed online during guided home learning (“Mr Poza in a lilac bee-keeping suit”) and what they miss most about school – “the pasta bake.”
The inaugural show featured an interview with the “High Countess herself”, with Mrs Bingham revealing the naughtiest thing she did at school and what made her giggle in the classroom. Lower Sixth student, Iona, initiated the idea for the show, joined by one of her fellow Drama Scholars, Rose: “I was voted ‘Worst Presenting Voice’ of the family so I had to prove them wrong.”
Why Juice Radio?
I: We thought ‘Juice’ sounded catchy; we liked the idea of ‘spilling the tea’ and juicy conversation.
Has producing the show been harder than expected?
I: It’s definitely been a struggle doing this in quarantine, because Rose and I obviously weren’t able to record in the same place. We had to cut together separate audios and make them sound like a fluid conversation – which, as expected, was really difficult and took a long time.
R: It has taken every ounce of our technical abilities to pull together this one episode. We really wanted to do a jingle – but Iona and I are actually inept at writing them, so we have reverted to our very own music legend, Mr Beecroft, to write one for us.
Who are your radio/comedy/writing icons and do you have aspirations to pursue a career in that direction?
R: Definitely my family – I do sort of laugh at them not with them, but I have to say some of the lines that they come up with are amazing. During lockdown I have also become minorly obsessed with This Country and Daisy May Cooper’s ideas on mockumentaries, which I think are hilarious.
I: Family banter is definitely a huge influence. Rose and I wanted to make it sound like a casual banterous conversation that the audience can feel a part of.
R: I mean I think we both sort of hope that one day a world director will watch one of the school performances or listen to the show and we will be whisked away into the world of Hollywood and show up to the MET Gala.
I: However, unfortunately that’s never going to happen… But hey, a girl can dream.
What have we got to look forward to in forthcoming episodes?
I: We are definitely planning to keep the comedy in the show, but we feel a responsibility to use the platform as a way of talking about issues such as the political state of China and America, as well as the amazing Black Lives Matter movements going on right now.
R: We are aiming for a release every two to three weeks. We also planning to make our way around the school’s staff in funny interviews and setting them radio challenges that everyone can enjoy listening to!
Thank you to the girls, with the support of Mr Beecroft, for bringing ‘Mehr Licht’ to lockdown.