Salford students star in and produce new audiobook for award-winning novelist

BA Theatre and Performance student Molly Hannan and BA Creative Music Technology student Emily Zurowski have teamed up with the Salford-based publisher Saraband to record the audiobook version of Ajay Close’s thriller What Doesn’t Kill Us.

All recordings were done in the Music Recording studios within the New Adelphi building on our Peel Park campus with Molly lending her voice to bring many of the book’s characters to life whilst Emily took on a sound engineer and audio producer role with the team from Saraband.

Molly, a third-year student said: “I absolutely loved recording my first ever audiobook, even though it was nearly 400 pages long! I felt encouraged and supported the whole way through. It also helped that the book is amazing and something I would absolutely have read regardless of the recording. I’ve learned a lot of new skills throughout this process.”

Emily, also a third-year student, added: “Despite being quite nervous about taking the project on to begin with, I relaxed into my role quite quickly and was pleased that I could feel confident as a producer and engineer. I hope to take on similar roles in the future.”

The project was initiated after David Savill, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the Creative Writing Multidiscipline programme connected with Saraband director, Sara Hunt, and suggested that the business look at the New Adelphi Studios as a recording space and amongst our student personnel for potential actors and production staff.

Sara said: “The work is of the highest standards and testament to the University’s strengths in creative industry. The students are so talented and utterly professional.”

Simon Connor, Lecturer in Music Technology supported both students every step of the way during the recording.

He said: “It was a whopper of a project. A high profile book with a truly engaging story that’s been praised in literary circles and a really positive thing for our students to get involved in.

“It is encouraging to know that we’ve got very talented and responsible students that can act professionally, are technically minded and that we can rely on them to work well with those in the industry. It was a very slick and streamlined production. I am very proud of them and it is a fantastic thing for them to have on their CV.”

What Doesn’t Kills Us is a crime thriller set in the 1970s which follows PC Liz Seeley joining the squad investigating a series of murders in Leeds who is drawn to a feminist collective.

The audiobook is set to be released later this year.