Jaye Swift
Jaye L Swift, born in Malawi, but moved to England when she was six, now lives in the Vale of Glamorgan. She ran her own photography business for eighteen years before turning to her first love, writing. She has successfully written for stage and screen, and has produced several short films. She is now writing her first novel set five years after World War 2.
Wales
Theatre:
Screen:
- The Missing of Mametz - produced by Fluellen Theatre - IN DEVELOPMENT
- The Balloon Girl - produced by Fluellen Theatre - Swansea Grand Theatre, Porthcawl Grand Pavillion, Abertillery Met - Autumn 2022
- The Bevin Boy - produced by Fluellen Theatre - Swansea Grand Theatre, Maesteg Town Hall - Autumn 2019
- Inside Out – produced by Fluellen Theatre – Swansea Grand Theatre, Maesteg Town Hall, Porthcawl Grand Pavillion - Spring 2018.
- Cefn Golau – produced by Fluellen Theatre – Swansea Grand Theatre, May 2016/Porthcawl Grand Pavilion - June 2016
- No Known Grave – produced by Fluellen Theatre – Swansea Grand Theatre – Feb/Oct 2015/Porthcawl Grand Pavilion. Ongoing performances into 2016.
- Beam Me Up Doctor – Finalist Pint Sized Plays, Oct 2015.
- Anamnesis 25.12 – Collaborative Writer, Mercury Theatre Wales Dec 14/Dec15
- Ruby and Pearl – Finalist Pint Sized Plays, Oct 2014. (Third Place)
- FallOut 84 – Collaborative writer, Jul 2014 Pontardawe Arts Centre.
- Fettered – produced by Fluellen Theatre - Swansea Grand Theatre , June 2014/ Porthcawl Grand Pavilion Aug 2014
- Catch the Echoes Collaborative writer, April 2014 Pontardawe Arts Centre.
- Letters Home – Audience Award – Pontardawe ScriptSlam, Nov 2012.
- A Life Lost – Rehearsed Reading - Spread the Word (Sherman Cymru Theatre) - Oct 2012
Screen:
- Moving On – short film. Produced by It’s My Shout/Made in Wales – Oct 2014 (Awarded Best Film/Best Actor/Best Lighting)
- Letters Home - short film. Written and produced by Jaye. Screened various venues over two years including Vue Cinema Cardiff during the Cardiff International Film Festival where it went on to win Best Welsh Short, 2017
Books, Film, Radio, Short story, Television, Theatre
Extract from the radio play The Balloon Girl.
SCENE 26. FINE ARTS EXHIBITION - NIGHT
F/X: HUBBUB OF ONLOOKERS
JOHN: And then she did it. She jumped.
Down and down she fell with no sign of a parachute. Just Louisa hurtling towards the ground.
It seemed like an eternity. I swear to God I stopped breathing, b finally there it was, the shute.
F/X: HEARTY CHEERS FROM ONLOOKERS.
JOHN: I never want to live through anything like that again; I was going to give her what for when I saw her. Bleeding frightening the living daylights out of me like that.
GUADRON: She didn’t drop over the infirmary; she’s gone too far south-east. I told her to drop over the infirmary. Silly, silly girl.
JOHN: Silly girl?
JOHN: Gaudron took off in the direction the balloon had gone, pushing through the gawping crowd.
JOHN: South east? Gaudron! That’s towards the Bristol Channel.
JOHN: I took off after him; Louisa’s sodding milk could wait.
F/X: PUSHING AND BARGING THROUGH CROWDS; A HORSE WHINNEYS
JOHN: Gaudron commandeered a horse and carriage.
JOHN: Guadron! You got boats standing by ain’t you?
JOHN: Gaudron, ignored me, he climbed into the carriage and made haste towards the sea, leaving me behind.
F/X: HORSE AND CARRIAGE OVER COBBLESTONES - FADES OUT THEN BACK IN
JOHN: He returned forty five minutes later without Louisa. He climbed out of that carriage looking like a condemned man.
JOHN: Guadron? Where is she? You found her right?
JOHN: Guadron ignored me. He pushed his way through the waiting crowds.
JOHN: Gaudron! You found her right?
JOHN: Then the nightmare began.
It turned into the waiting game.
F/X: QUIET DRUM ROLL WHICH INCREASES AS JOHN RECITES THE QUOTES
JOHN: Roll up, roll up... hear all about it, rumours, speculation, misjudged opinions. Gossip, heresay, and fancy conclusions.
F/X: JOHN IMITATES DIFFERENT VOICES
JOHN: (VOICE 1) A telegram has been received at the exhibition. The Balloon Girl has fallen into the sea, a boat went after her, she waved her hand to say she was alright.
(VOICE 2) The fair young parachutist has been picked up and taken to Cardiff Infirmary, in an exhausted condition.
(VOICE 3) The balloon, in a damaged state, has been retrieved by a larger crowd, three quarters of a mile away from where Mademoiselle had landed in the sea.
(VOICE 4) A three mast schooner has sailed to the spot where Mademoiselle Albertina landed and rescued her.
F/X: DRUM ROLL REACHES ITS CLIMAX - THEN SILENCE
JOHN: None of these rumours or sightings were true. So where was she? Where was my Louisa? I went to look for the Frenchman.
F/X: HUBBUB OF FINE ARTS FAIR
JOHN: I found Gaudron under siege by the townspeople, warding off the press and the mob.
JOHN: What’ve you done, Gaudron? What have you bloody well done?!
JOHN: He looked at me over the heads of the crowd, his face stricken. Then he was gone, scuttled away, the press hard on his heels.
JOHN: I summoned a cab and asked to be taken to the mouth of the Rumney River.
SCENE 26. FINE ARTS EXHIBITION - NIGHT
F/X: HUBBUB OF ONLOOKERS
JOHN: And then she did it. She jumped.
Down and down she fell with no sign of a parachute. Just Louisa hurtling towards the ground.
It seemed like an eternity. I swear to God I stopped breathing, b finally there it was, the shute.
F/X: HEARTY CHEERS FROM ONLOOKERS.
JOHN: I never want to live through anything like that again; I was going to give her what for when I saw her. Bleeding frightening the living daylights out of me like that.
GUADRON: She didn’t drop over the infirmary; she’s gone too far south-east. I told her to drop over the infirmary. Silly, silly girl.
JOHN: Silly girl?
JOHN: Gaudron took off in the direction the balloon had gone, pushing through the gawping crowd.
JOHN: South east? Gaudron! That’s towards the Bristol Channel.
JOHN: I took off after him; Louisa’s sodding milk could wait.
F/X: PUSHING AND BARGING THROUGH CROWDS; A HORSE WHINNEYS
JOHN: Gaudron commandeered a horse and carriage.
JOHN: Guadron! You got boats standing by ain’t you?
JOHN: Gaudron, ignored me, he climbed into the carriage and made haste towards the sea, leaving me behind.
F/X: HORSE AND CARRIAGE OVER COBBLESTONES - FADES OUT THEN BACK IN
JOHN: He returned forty five minutes later without Louisa. He climbed out of that carriage looking like a condemned man.
JOHN: Guadron? Where is she? You found her right?
JOHN: Guadron ignored me. He pushed his way through the waiting crowds.
JOHN: Gaudron! You found her right?
JOHN: Then the nightmare began.
It turned into the waiting game.
F/X: QUIET DRUM ROLL WHICH INCREASES AS JOHN RECITES THE QUOTES
JOHN: Roll up, roll up... hear all about it, rumours, speculation, misjudged opinions. Gossip, heresay, and fancy conclusions.
F/X: JOHN IMITATES DIFFERENT VOICES
JOHN: (VOICE 1) A telegram has been received at the exhibition. The Balloon Girl has fallen into the sea, a boat went after her, she waved her hand to say she was alright.
(VOICE 2) The fair young parachutist has been picked up and taken to Cardiff Infirmary, in an exhausted condition.
(VOICE 3) The balloon, in a damaged state, has been retrieved by a larger crowd, three quarters of a mile away from where Mademoiselle had landed in the sea.
(VOICE 4) A three mast schooner has sailed to the spot where Mademoiselle Albertina landed and rescued her.
F/X: DRUM ROLL REACHES ITS CLIMAX - THEN SILENCE
JOHN: None of these rumours or sightings were true. So where was she? Where was my Louisa? I went to look for the Frenchman.
F/X: HUBBUB OF FINE ARTS FAIR
JOHN: I found Gaudron under siege by the townspeople, warding off the press and the mob.
JOHN: What’ve you done, Gaudron? What have you bloody well done?!
JOHN: He looked at me over the heads of the crowd, his face stricken. Then he was gone, scuttled away, the press hard on his heels.
JOHN: I summoned a cab and asked to be taken to the mouth of the Rumney River.