Books
Novelist Miriam Halahmy: Adapting isn't always easy
Miriam Halahmy's novel for teenagers Hidden is to be a play. But how would it feel, handing it over to a playwright?
March 27, 2017 12:26
Miriam Halahmy's novel for teenagers Hidden is to be a play. But how would it feel, handing it over to a playwright?
March 27, 2017 12:26Publishing a novel and sending it out into the world is like launching a boat and pushing it gently out to sea. Having a book adapted for the stage is more like watching a child grow up and leave home; at times an agonising process of letting go and trusting that the playwright, director and actors can create a piece the author can live with.
My novel, Hidden, tells the story of two teenagers who pull an asylum seeker out of the sea and hide him to save him from being deported. It was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and called, “a book to counter bigotry,” by the Sunday Times. Recent horrific scenes of refugees drowning at sea have meant a huge surge of interest in my book and it is often a recommended read on the subject.
Hidden was published in America last year and now, in the Trump era, American teens tell me how the book inspires them. “I hope in the future our world will have more tolerance and acceptance to other people around them,” wrote one Muslim student.
Last year, Hidden was optioned for the stage by director/producer, Stuart Mullins, who told me, “You’ve got a hot piece of property there, Miriam.” Stuart has many years of experience making theatre for young audiences. His vision was to tour the adaptation of Hidden with three professional actors to schools, community centres and small theatres, challenging perceived notions about asylum seekers in the UK today. “This is not a commercial proposal,” he told me. “This is an educational project.” Rebecca Hayes Laughton, producer, has joined the project and playwright Vickie Donoghue, (Mudlarks) was commissioned to write the script.
