Essential Work Only by Alyssa Osieki - Episode 3

After years of estrangement, sisters Amy and Kate reconnect amidst the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though their video calls are initially awkward, necessity and loneliness draw them together to work through long-held resentments. Flashbacks reveal their fraught family history - a charismatic mother who struggled with alcoholism and postpartum depression, a stoic father left picking up the pieces, and two sisters who grew up in entirely different emotional worlds. As the pandemic rages on, Amy and Kate continue to rebuild their relationship. They laugh, cry, and squabble, slowly bridging the gulf between them. When travel restrictions finally lift, they embark on a cathartic journey to honour their late father by scattering his ashes. The trip proves revelatory and recasts old memories in a new light. In the end, planting a tree on a windswept island beach doesn't just memorialize their dad - it roots this fragmented family back together. Episodes 2-4 are available as part of our podcast subscription or purchased as an audiobook via ⁠⁠Ayr Gaiety⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Theatre Royal Dumfries⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠About Stories From The Grey Hill Podcast:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Is a podcast supporting and showcasing new Audio Theatre writing. Showcasing 12 playwrights and 14 actors, season 1 will last for one year! By subscribing, you support The Grey Hill in producing more new writing here in Scotland. Season 1 Dates: MAR - Alyssa Osiecki - EssentialWork Only APR - Crystal Galbraith – Prides a Riot MAY - Fiona Black – Super Seniors JUN - Liam Alexandru – Waiting for Mary, The Eulogy and A Matter of Time JUL - Lila Malkonen – Tales of the Ferry Girl AUG - Amy Hawes - Gameshow SEP - Vincent Maguire – Passport for a Terrorist, Leaving This Shore, Mick McGrory and The Crickets Stayed Home in Lubbock Plays available in full: OCT 23 - Sarah Hauck – Starr CrossedNOV - Phil Baarda – Bone Cave ManDEC - Birgit Itse – What is it we keep talking about, Pure Baltic and Time of Our LivesJAN 24 - Benjamin Harris- The Wolf of BadenochFEB - Susan Chaney – Beyond Ash Lagoon, First Love and The Precptory