“There’s no end to this tunnel,” said Phyllis, and indeed it did seem very, very long. “Stick to it,” said Peter; “everything has an end, and you get to it if you only keep all on.”
York Theatre Royal have released the full audiobook of the Railway Children, narrated by actors Beth Lilly and Rosalind Lailey. Beth says:
The Railway Children in lockdown really began as a bit of a favour to my mum. She’s a primary school teacher, and her class of year 3 children were going to need a weekly reading of their Spring term book; The Railway Children by E.Nesbit. But, in all honesty, I was more than happy to step up to the microphone; after playing Phyllis in York Theatre Royal’s production in 2015, I was excited to revisit this beautiful story. I knew my best friend/fellow cast member Rosalind Lailey (who played the role of Bobbie) would enjoy a trip down the old memory train tracks too, so we both bought some kit, did some vocal warm ups and got recording.
With the current crisis hitting the theatre industry hard, it has been amazing to have a creative project to focus our attention on. Every week since the lockdown began, we’ve been recording a chapter each at home (in cupboards and under duvets!), then sharing them with my mums class. We are so happy to now be able to share this well-loved classic with all of you too.
It’s amazing how a story written in 1905 can hold so strong in our current situation. But as I read her words out loud, I couldn’t help almost feeling as if E.Nesbit was giving us advice on how to get through this tough time.
