Ghost Orchid – immersive audio play
Ghost Orchid is an immersive, shared, binaural audio play. Set in a close-knit rural community in the West of England, Ghost Orchid explores how trauma echoes down the generations of a farming family. It examines the themes of belonging, loyalty, and the fragility and resilience of nature.
This innovative event invites the audience to share the in-earphone binaural listening experience together and uses theatrical elements of setting and lighting to help create an immersive environment. Members of the local community have recorded the audio playing in the gallery space.
There are three separate showings of Ghost Orchid: 2pm, 5pm and 7.30pm (please select your preferred time when booking).
Each performance will include a short interval and there will be a Q&A with the creative team about the making of the piece after the 2pm and 7.30pm sharings.
The bar at Burdall’s Yard will be open. Please arrive in time to buy a drink and take your seat before the start of the performance.
Trigger warning: the audio play includes some elements that some members of the audience may find distressing and some strong language. It is not suitable for children under the age of 14.
Ghost Orchid is a new audio play written by Rachel Pownall, directed by Liz Felton, with sound design by Jan Meinema. Research lead is Dr Ruth Farrar, post doctoral researcher is Dr Amy Spencer. The set design is by Naomi Smyth, lighting by Isabel Potter and the composer and community workshop leader was Aisha Ali. Research Assistant was Elizeta Pylioti. Script consultant was Timothy X Atack. Photography by Edward J Felton.
Cast (in order of appearance): Carrie Cohen as Susan, Jocelyn Arden as Alina, Jamie De Villiers as Daniel, Kate Adams as Liz, Tamzin Khan as Freya, Noah Lukehurst as Tom and Michael Bijok as Stefan.
This is a fringe event for Bath Digital Festival 2026. It is a Bath Spa University Immersive Audio Network production in association with Agapanthus Productions supported by MyWorld and The Studio in Bath. The audio track in the gallery space was recorded by Community Immersive Audio Workshop attendees: Alice Bishrey, Andre Currie, Lucy Heard and Omari Cato.
Production photography: Edward J Felton
Cast photos (in order of appearance):
Cast biographies (in order of appearance):
Carrie Cohen
Carrie, originally from Essex but now happily living in central London, first performed with The Renegades Theatre Company in Ilford at the age of fourteen and has been on and off stage ever since. She has played leading roles at most of the capital’s fringe venues and whilst theatre has always been her passion, in the past ten years she’s been privileged to work on films ‘When She Sings’ and ‘Hungry Joe’directed by Paul Hollbrook, and Richard Hunter’s ‘Skeletons’ and the award winning ‘Something Gruesome’. Carrie’s TV comedy work includes characters in Diane Morgan’s ‘Mandy’ and ‘Ann Droid’. Carrie is a great fan of radio drama and was thrilled to be cast as Susan in ‘Ghost Orchid’, which she hopes will lead to more audio work.
Jocelyn Arden
This was Jocelyn’s first experience of an audio project and it has definitely given her a thirst for more! The immersive experience of recording in the woods and learning from the adult actors and crew was really inspiring for her. She has participated in many informal theatre projects through holiday clubs and a local amateur dramatic group and is keen to do more acting.
Jamie De Villiers
Jamie trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and studied at Oxford University. His recent credits include ‘Sycamore’ (IAMIAM), ‘Pressure’ (Playhouse East), ‘Eggs is Eggs’ (Accidental Donkey), ‘Found in Lost Places’ (OffPiste), ‘Are You Watching?’ (IAMIAM), ‘Pleading Stupidity’ (Maybe You Like It) and ‘Space Dance’ (Bristol Theatre Workshop). He is a writer, theatre maker and acting teacher at drama schools. His work has been performed at venues from the National Theatre and Oxford Playhouse to the Edinburgh Fringe. Jamie is a proud trustee of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He is their youngest ever trustee.
Kate Adams
Kate is delighted to have been involved in the production of ‘The Ghost Orchid’. Kate grew up in Stroud and studied Classics at Kings’ College, London, where she performed many plays in Ancient Greek, played trumpet in the jazz band, violin in the orchestra and scraped a second. Theatre productions include: ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ (York Theatre Royal), ‘Thieves’ Carnival’(The Watermill), ‘Cider With Rosie’ (New Vic), ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Stamping’, ‘Shouting and Singing Home’ (Nuffield), and ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ (Birmingham Stage Company). These performances have seen her juggle, fire-breathe, Morris dance, and somersault (both forward and backwards). Productions with her own company include three Shakespeare tours around Japan, and a series of cabaret music halls at Salisbury Playhouse. TV credits include neither The Bill nor Casualty.
Tamzin Khan
Tamzin Khan is a Bristolian actor who trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BA Acting 2025) graduating as a recipient of The Luke Westlake Scholarship (2023). Prior to this, Tamzin trained with the Bristol School Of Acting on the Professional Acting Diploma. Her recent 2026 screen work includes the Bristolian-made short films ‘Why You Shouldn’t Date In Bristol’ by Myles Kamwendo and ‘Situationship’ by Chloe May Law. This July, you can catch her on stage in Bristol in the new writing theatre play ‘Behind Closed Doors’ by Andrew Parris. Tamzin is passionate about sharing comedic writing and telling working-class, female-led stories across stage, screen, and audio.
Noah Lukehurst
Having trained at RADA and The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Noah made his professional debut in ‘By Hand’ Directed by Rhys Prichard which went onto be nominated for best picture at the BFI film festival 2023. Since graduating Noah has toured internationally with the Young Shakespeare Company and shot the feature film ‘Kats Anatomy of Fear’ due to be released this year.
Michael Bijok
Michael Bijok grew up between the villages of Timsbury, Camerton, and Radstock in North Somerset. His family is German, Polish, Irish, and English, and growing up a West Country boy many of the themes in this piece struck home. He is incredibly proud to help bring it to life. He trained at Rose Bruford College, and his recent work includes performing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, where he played Rodolfo in ‘A View from the Bridge’. He is also set to appear in the upcoming Masters of the Universe film.
Creative Team:
Liz Felton – Director
Liz Felton is a director and writer working in Bristol and the South West. She is a visiting practitioner at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School training the actors of tomorrow and has been writing and directing their schools tours for the last six years. She also directs large cast devised theatre, rural tours and solo performances. This is her first foray into the world of immersive audio directing and she has loved the opportunity to direct spatially on location, but with all focus on sound. The experience has left a lasting impact, working binaurally has heightened the soundscape of everyday life!
Rachel Pownall – Writer
Rachel’s early career was in documentary filmmaking, but she has worked in the field of creative technology since finishing her MA in Scriptwriting at Bath Spa University in 2018. She set up Agapanthus Productions in 2022. Along with some creative tech projects, she has continued to write and her play ‘Tipping Point’ was staged at part of the Elevate Festival at Theatre Royal Bath (2023). ‘Ghost Orchid’ also started as a stage play, and Rachel has found the process of adapting it into an immersive audio play fascinating. She has found it has opened up a whole new area of creative possibilities.
Jan Meinema – Sound Designer
Jan is a supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, Rerecording Mixer, Immersive Audio Specialist and Field Recordist. He is the Programme Leader for the MA in Sound Design at Bath Spa University. Jan works as a Sound Designer for short and feature independent films, documentaries and animations. His practice is based on a story-driven approach to sound design. Particular interest areas are perspectival shifts and abstractions in film sound design, as well as the crossover between musical scoring and sound design. In addition to sound design / sound supervision Jan also is a field recordist, among other microphones using higher order ambisonic equipment. A list of Jan’s film credits can be found here on IMDB.
Naomi Smyth – Set Designer
Naomi Smyth is a multi disciplinary artist, PhD researcher and facilitator working in immersive and digital experiences and performances. Since 2007 she has combined the creation of playful and poetic immersive environments with engaging participatory performance and videography, working with companies like The Invisible Circus, Cat and Mouse Theatre, Common Wealth, Boomtown Fair and Shangri La at Glastonbury Festival. In 2018, Naomi’s toolset expanded to writing and performing for binaural audio, and incorporating playable digital elements into her work through collaborations with creative technologists. During the pandemic, she improvised immersive theatre shows as an avatar in her own multiplayer virtual reality environments. Her new company Smish Theatre is developing a new show about AI driven self optimisation called ‘Winning at Life’, funded by the Forkbeard Fantasy Award. As set designer for the ‘Ghost Orchid’ listening event, Naomi returned to environmental storytelling through physical materials, creating a surreal blend of forest and domestic environments and seeding personal items that could belong to each of the characters throughout. Instagram: @naomishowme
Isabel Potter – Lighting Design
Isabel Potter is a PhD Researcher at Bath Spa currently researching the intersection between immersive technology, scenography and accessibility as part of the MyWorld research group. Prior to and alongside current academic research they are a Production Manager particularly focusing on developing work that strives to leave a positive impact. Notable work includes ‘Sensory Cinders, 2024’, The West End’s first show created for audiences with PMLD, Production Manager of Oldham Coliseum, and SICK! Festival. Isabel uses a combination of their passion for performance and their Masters in Aerospace Engineering to bring a unique approach to their work and research. The lighting design for ,Ghost Orchid, is being developed as part of Isabel’s PhD practice, informing the outcomes of their research.
Aisha Ali – Sound Artist
Aisha is a Sound Artist, Improviser, Composer, Theatre Maker, Inclusion Producer and Workshop Facilitator. They love to work with the voice and create close harmony layers with interesting beats and Foley. They have composed for theatre shows and installations and are passionate about where Art meets Activism. A huge advocate for group process, they regularly run workshops for voice and improvisation. Radical Inclusion in the Arts is an important part of their practice, using Embodied Social Justice Methodology in workshops and policy making. Their company, Kiota, has created a space for Artists from the Global Majority to showcase in Bristol, currently working with an artist to make their first solo show, ‘Blessed Hands’. Credits include Bristol Old Vic, Kew Gardens, Little Lost Robot, Watershed, Bath Spa University, MyWorld, Beyond Face, Beyond The Ridiculous, The Tobacco Factory Theatre, Verity Standen, The Mechanical Animal Corporation, 600 Highwaymen, Stomping Ground, Red Rope Theatre, SanaRt Theatre, Monkey Trousers Theatre, Shitv, Theatre Bristol, The Brewhouse Theatre, The Wardrobe Ensemble, Cat and Mouse Theatre, The Last Baguette, Liz Clarke Productions, The Wardrobe Theatre and The Bristol Improv Theatre.
Photography by Edward J Felton and poster design by Rhona Iris.
Research Team:
Dr Ruth Farrar – Research Lead
Dr Ruth Farrar is a sound artist, practice-based researcher. She is Co-Director of the university-wide strategy research centre, the Centre for Culture and Creative Industries at Bath Spa University. As co-investigator on MyWorld, Dr Farrar was academic lead on the research project ‘Flow’, working with Real World Studios to research and develop immersive music production workflows. Dr Farrar’s binaural research has resulted in international sound art exhibitions like ‘From Austria to America’ and app commissions such as ‘Dear Carnegie Hall’ for the Carnegie Hall in New York. Her ongoing immersive audio research has led to co-creating an audio-first approach to making immersive experiences collaborating with industry partners such as the Roman Baths. Listening to industry and community needs, she founded the Immersive Audio Network in the West of England.
Dr Amy Spencer – Post Doctoral Researcher
Dr Amy Spencer is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Centre for Cultural and Creative Industries. Previously, she worked at UWE Bristol as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the Ambient Literature project. Her research interests include digital writing, artificial intelligence, ambient literature, collaborative authorship and do-it-yourself cultural production. Amy is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and is the author of ‘DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture’.
Trigger warning: the audio play includes flashing lights, some elements that some members of the audience may find distressing and some strong language. It is not suitable for children under the age of 14.
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Ghost Orchid includes flashing lights, some strong language and a description of a sexual assault.