After hearing Likeminded were hosting auditions for the part of Iris in radio drama One Sided Love, Kate Chappell knew this role was perfect for her.

Kate started her journey into performing by training at ALRA, The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. The institution which encompasses all recorded media, from film to tv to radio. Since then, her passion has grown into the recorded side of performing.

Kate finds herself relating to the character and believes that everybody can relate themselves by saying:

“Iris is just a hopeless romantic at heart; she watched all the Disney films as a little girl and she longs for that gushing romance to just come and sweep her off her feet. She’s grown up, and reality, as well as her mother’s advice has just brought her back down to earth with a massive bang and broken heart every time, as she’s realises that loving someone and having them actually love you back is almost impossible to find. But, she always gets her hopes up (as we’re all guilty of doing) and breaks her own heart by doing so.”

In Kate’s eyes, Iris has a beautiful innocence about her, she is a ray of sunshine, a bright, free spirited, effervescent energy to be around... but she has a feisty, fierce bite too! 

On radio dramas.

"It’s always been a medium I have liked and been interested in; I like that slightly freer element of imagination and interpretation of character it gives the audience. But as an actor, I like the challenge of working on radio, crafting and shaping our skills so that the character, relationships and dynamics, that richness and detail of work can be portrayed through the microphone, in a completely audio way."

On relating to One Sided Love

"I think the beauty of this piece is that everyone can relate to what the characters are going through in one way or another. I think a person’s primal need for love, and the purity in that, versus that craving to be wanted, being masqueraded as love, is where human nature becomes twisted and warped in the complexity of us as human beings. What I like about the writing is that it explores that blurred line between being wanted and being loved, and the notion that love the other side of love can be blind, disappointing and debilitating."

One-Sided Love was released for free last month and can be downloaded here

Listen out for Kate in the radio drama due to be released mid August early September.

We are Likeminded.

Words by Meg Kay
Photo by Tom Barker