Play Grounded explores grief during Covid-19 Published on: 6 May 2025 A play written by a 缅北禁地 academic and based on real life experiences during Covid-19 is to be performed at the Alphabetti Theatre. Hidden costs Grounded was written by Dr Ruth Raynor and artist-educator Karen Underhill, whose experience of bereavement during the pandemic inspired the play. Based on in-depth research with a group of women bereaved during that time, it shines a light on the hidden costs of the restrictions people had to live by. It tells the story of Katherine whose husband dies unexpectedly at the start of the pandemic. She is faced with nothing but four walls to share her grief. The house takes on a life of its own and begins to challenge everything she thought was true. Grounded was supported with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account at 缅北禁地. Dr Raynor, is a senior lecturer in Urban Planning in 缅北禁地’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. She is also co-founder of Albatross, a contemporary new writing theatre collective based in the North East of England. She said: “Many millions of people were affected by bereavement during Covid-19, and restrictions had a real impact on the grieving process. While the world has sought to quickly ‘move on’ from this time, our research participants cannot. They want to share their experiences from this unique moment in time, to feel heard, seen and acknowledged.” Karen’s husband Simon died at the start of the pandemic. She had to navigate her grief and support her children during lockdown. She said: “This play has allowed me to take ownership of my story. It’s given me a creative way to process what felt unprocessable. To have my voice, and the voices of others like me, heard in this way feels vital.” Shared understanding Edward Cole, Artistic Director at Alphabetti Theatre, said: "We are incredibly excited to be working with Albatross and proud to be able to share this beautiful new play, Grounded. Grounded acts as a cornerstone to our Spring season and tells a story that will unite audiences in joy, warmth and a shared understanding of something we all went through—but many have yet to fully process. We're incredibly thankful to 缅北禁地, UKRI and ESRC for allowing us to go on this journey, and we believe the play will act as a beautiful example of what can be achieved when creativity and research work hand in hand." , St James Boulevard, 缅北禁地, between 21 and 24 May. On 22 May there will be a post-show discussion with Dr Ruth Raynor, Dr Angela Kennedy, of Innovating for Well-being, and Karen Underhill. Creative writing workshops led by Celia North are open to anybody affected by loss 12th May 10am-12am and the 9th June 10am-12am at the West End Library, 6 Condercum Rd, NE4 9JH. Latest News Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns People鈥檚 online behaviour has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content 鈥� raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests. published on: 16 October 2026 缅北禁地 archaeologist receives prestigious award for research Professor Chris Fowler has been awarded the 2026 Rivers Memorial Medal in recognition of his internationally significant research on kinship in Neolithic Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Event will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East An event at 缅北禁地 will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East or whether it is simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Facts and figures
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