A PLAY that was written to make sure the Bradford City Fire tragedy was never forgotten has been nominated for a top national award.

The 56 is a stage documentary about the disaster, and Bradford’s reaction to it, that has toured the country.

It was a critical hit, and now a radio version of the play, broadcast on Radio 4, has been shortlisted for a BBC Radio Drama Award in the “best adaptation” category.

It will face tough competition to win the award, as other nominees include radio adaptations of works by Arthur Miller and Roald Dahl.

The play was written and performed by Lung Theatre, formerly FYSA Theatre, a Yorkshire-based company founded by students from Sheffield University.

Among them was Gemma Wilson, who was born in Bradford and is a big Bradford City fan.

They collected testimonials from over 70 survivors to shape the play, and every word spoken has come from these interviews.

Proceeds from the play have been donated to the Bradford Burns Unit, set up after the fire, and so far thousands of pounds have been handed over.

Miss Wilson, from Idle, wrote the play with university friend Matt Stevens-Woodhead after a discussion about how many outside Bradford were unfamiliar with the disaster and its lasting impact.

It was first performed in Bradford at the Alhambra last April after debuting at the Edinburgh Festival the year before. The radio version was first broadcast in September.

Miss Wilson said: “It is brilliant that we have been shortlisted for such a a prestigious award. It has touched people across the country, and we’ve had amazing feedback from it.

“The purpose of the play was to get the story out to more people. One of The 56’s main messages is that Bradford looks after its own, and the city had its own way of dealing with the tragedy. It looked in on itself, and one result of that is a lot of people outside of Bradford don’t know too much about the disaster.

“However, people’s stories live on through the play.

“When we were approached to do a radio play we had to re-jig it to make it suitable for radio – it is very different writing for the stage then writing for radio.

“We were very lucky to be given the opportunity to work with the BBC on this. We’re really humbled by being shortlisted.”

The awards will be hosted by Sir Lenny Henry and held on Sunday, January 29.

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