On the Exhale cover art

On the Exhale

An Audible Original

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

On the Exhale

By: Martin Zimmerman
Narrated by: Polly Frame
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £7.99

Buy Now for £7.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

In this savage and devastating rumination on fear, tragedy, loss, and revenge, Polly Frame’s captivating, gut-wrenching performance in playwright Martin Zimmerman’s unpredictable one-woman show will leave you breathless.

A humanities professor at a liberal arts college is terrified of what she feels is an inevitable act of violence, fearing that one day, she will be the victim of a disgruntled student’s aggression. As a single mother, no one matters more than her little boy. So when a senseless act of violence changes her life forever, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the very weapon used to perpetrate the crime—and to the irresistible feeling of power that comes from holding life and death in her hands.

A play that The New York Times called startingly original, this Edinburgh First Fringe Award-winning production was staged in the UK by China Plate and Audible, in association with New Theatre Royal Portsmouth in August 2018. A compulsive and visceral examination of gun violence, On the Exhale is stunning, jarring, and unforgettable.

Note: Be aware that this audio drama contains mature language, content, and themes that may be upsetting for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

©2018 Martin Zimmerman (P)2018 AO Media LLC
Drama & Plays Entertainment & Performing Arts United States Violence in Society
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

The mesmerizing performance of Polly Frame...still, matter-of-fact and measured, her delivery is gripping in its economy and hits home like a bullet.

- The Guardian

Listeners also enjoyed...

Deadly Messengers cover art
The Shadow Writer cover art
Dark Side cover art
A Thousand Doors cover art
Against All Odds cover art
Shadow Campus cover art
Sleepwalker cover art
No Safe Place cover art
Bee Season cover art
Brutal Obsession cover art
Sparrow's Song cover art
Hellbound: The Tally Man cover art
Poison cover art
Girls & Boys cover art
The Troubles Keeper cover art
Dawn Girl cover art

About the Author

Martin Zimmerman is a multi-ethnic, bilingual playwright and screenwriter. His plays, which include Seven Spots on the Sun, White Tie Ball, The Making of a Modern Folk Hero, and The Solid Sand Below, have been awarded several prestigious honors including the Terrence McNally New Play Award and the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ACTA New Play Award. His works have been produced and performed at venues ranging from The Kennedy Center to the Goodman Theatre to the New York Theatre Workshop. Zimmerman, who has an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, has also worked extensively with Netflix on original programming—he is billed as the creator and showrunner of Puerta 7, a producer on Ozark, and a staff writer on Narcos.

About the Performer

Scottish actress Polly Frame has starred in over thirty stage productions and dozens of television, radio, and film performances. A classically trained thespian from Bristol University, Frame’s theater credits include performances of Macbeth (both on Broadway and West End), Henry V, The Odyssey, Twelfth Night, Thick as Thieves, Jekyll & Hyde, and The Count of Monte Cristo. On television, she has had roles on shows varying from Disney’s Bunnytown to BBC One’s EastEnders, and her film careers boasts parts in Macbeth (2009), Half Light (2006), and Duplicity (2004). Her show-stopping portrayal of Martin Zimmerman’s protagonist in On the Exhale is her first venture with Audible—an acclaimed performance honored with the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award.

What listeners say about On the Exhale

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Crackling Performance

Polly Frame gives a performance, and it is a performance rather than a narration, that will at times send shivers down your spine. Backed by a sparse but extremely effective soundscape Frame delivers this short play with real vigour. I wasn't totally taken in by the story but in this very brief production there were a couple of moments that sent real chills down my spine. The ending is extremely good and the journey there is quick and emotional. Okay it is very short but I felt has the quality to make it more than worthwhile.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful