Iffat & Anna Crawley Stories

Episode 1: Iffat & Anna

This season we are in Crawley, in West Sussex, England. A new town was created in 1947, merging the villages of Three Bridges and Ifield with the small market town of Crawley filling in the gaps.

In October 2023 we asked six local teenagers to take six local artists on a walk with them through Crawley. From their walk to school, the places they hang out, where they go to for some peace, and the places they feel most alive and connected. These journeys have unearthed how they feel about Crawley and the world around them, their hopes, and what is important to them. 

In this episode, we meet Iffat and Anna. 

Iffat is 18 and has lived in Crawley most of her life. She describes herself as vocal, distinctive, and energetic. Iffat is a spoken word artist, who has been writing since she was 14 years old and covers topics such as growing up, immigration, and identity. 

Anna worked as a session singer and backing vocalist for 25 years during which time did live Radio 2 sessions with Brian May.  Anna's first solo EP An Idiot’s Guide to Love recorded in 2019 in Nashville and produced by Grammy Award Winner Bob Britt went straight to Number 5 in the UK country charts. 

Iffat takes Anna on a journey exploring spoken word in Crawley, discussing challenges faced by teenagers in the social media era; Americana music; and the role of young voices in driving change. 

Places and artists mentioned:

Crawley High Street

Crawley WordFest

Queen Square

Memorial Gardens

Crawley Library

Anna Howie



CREDITS

Crawley Stories - a Creative Crawley, Creative Playground and Theatre Centre production

Host - Rob Watt

Producer - Ben Di Meo

Executive Producers - Louise Blackwell, Sophie Eustace, Emma Rees 

Original Music - Brandon Knights

Editor - Zach Smithson

Edited at Gatwick Production Studios

Graphic Design - Ben Lintott

Filming - Nick Atkins, Megan Melloy

Film Trailer Editor - Nick Atkins

Runners - Shawwal Ali, Matthew Holmberg, Denis Fabian Ursache

With Thanks to: AFLO. the poet, Allan, Andy, Bonnie, Ceali, Ellee, Freya, Helen, Anna Howie, Iffat, Max, Oscar, Patience, Sarah Pimenta, Sam, Hazelwick School, Shannon, Karl Singporewala, Woodzy.



Creative Crawley

Creative Director - Louise Blackwell 

Associate Director (Production) - Sam Evans 

Finance & Admin Coordinator - Lara Hockman 

Producer - Becky Jones 

Digital Content Coordinator - Ben Lintott 



Creative Playground

Community Engagement Manager - Erin Beesley 

Project Co-Director - Louise Blackwell 

Project Co-Director - Sophie Eustace

Head of Learning and Production - Sam Evans

Community Producer - Becky Jones 

Communication & Admin Assistant - Harriet McDermott 

Evaluation and Admin Assistant - Pav Randhawa 



Theatre Centre

Marketing Manager - Rachel Bellman

Future Maker Producer - Ben Di Meo

Programme & Admin Co-ordinator - Becky Ide

Finance Manager - David Lewis

Community Partnerships Producer - Moni Onojeruo

Executive Director & CEO - Emma Rees

Artistic Director - Rob Watt

 

Funded by Arts Council England




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