The renowned War Blind Radio Play Prize this year goes to the production of “Working on the Role” by Noam Brusilovsky and Lucia Lucas. The radio play of Südwestrundfunk from 2021 was awarded in Cologne, as the Film and Media Foundation NRW announced on Tuesday. This year, for the first time, the award for radio art comes with prize money of 5,000 euros.
The award-winning work is about the life of the opera singer Lucia Lucas, who is also a co-author. For years Lucas was perceived as a man, singing and playing only male roles. Then she came out as trans in 2014. The outward appearance changed a lot, her baritone voice remained unchanged.
“With a friendly gesture, the piece offers its listeners the opportunity to immerse themselves in the intricate inner world of a partly forced role-playing game,” was the verdict of the jury. The suppleness, nonchalance and permeability of Lucia Lucas’ speaking voice are a perfect means of transport not only for the arias, which can also be heard in the radio play, but above all for the many stations in her life story.
The radio play “The Work on the Role” prevailed over the documentary radio play “Adolf Eichmann – A Listening Process” by Noam Brusilovsky and Ofer Waldman (RBB, DLF) and against the documentary radio play “Saal 101” on the NSU trial by Katarina Agathos , Julian Wiprich, Katja Huber and Ulrich Lamps.
