Play hits the world water web

The Singapore segment focuses on loss

A groundbreaking new play written entirely over the internet by 12 writers in 10 countries has been aired on BBC World Service.

The play - entitled We Are Water - came about as a result of a joint project between the BBC and the Royal Court Young Writers Programme, who were keen to build on a similar but smaller-scale project in 2000 to develop the next level in "cyber-generated arts."

After making their selections of the writers involved the two organisations brought them together into the International Young Writers Group.

This small online community, which only ever communicated by the internet, then created the final hour-long radio drama, which consists of 12 one-scene plays.

The overall project was intended to create a "truly international piece of new writing" to tie into a BBC-wide season on water.

Creativity

"It was very exciting in the sense that it didn't just focus on what water is traditionally associated with - washing and cooking," Solomon Omollo, one of the actors in the Kenya-set first section, told BBC News Online.

"The setting alongside Lake Victoria reflected the livelihood of the family, how it depended on the lake."

Omollo added that the internet's ability to bring people together from all over the world had helped inspire fertile writing.

"The impression that the series created was one of great deal of creativity, imagination, and diversity," he said.

The play ends in Lima - where it never rains

"You could tackle the subject from whatever eyes you wanted.

"The importance what it means to various communities worldwide."

The play begins in Kenya, a country badly affected by the El Nino phenomenon in 1997 that brought unpredictable weather to many places worldwide.

It then switches to India, Singapore and Australia, and continues east around the globe.

Although all of the scenes are set on the same night, they are very different, the only connection being the central role of water in each of them.

Connecting the planet

The Royal Court Young Writer's Programme had previously tried a smaller project in 2000, called Crossing The Boarders, where a chatroom with writing workshops was set up online.

This time around - after six months spent narrowing down the 12 writers - BBC World Service Drama fully produced the play.

The play highlights the importance of water worldwide, although it plays many different roles in many different cultures.

Kenneth Cranham provides the voice of the narrator, binding the plays together

"I am fascinated by the theory of the memory of water," explained Deelon Weeasinge, author of the Sri Lanka segment of the play.

"It's like homeopathic medicine - the remedy goes through a series of dilutions until it chemically contains almost no trace of the original medicine.

"The resulting solution, though water, is given to the patient.

"Theoretically, this water should work just as well as the medicine because the water has maintained the memory of it."