Wendigo Water by Arthur Chappell. Dir. Gina T. Frost and John Topliff. Perf. Steve Cain, Phil Chadwick, Arthur Chappell. 3MT Radio, March 2015. Download from https://soundcloud.com/john-topliff/wendigo-water-by-arthur-chappell

Set in America's Midwest, this is a macabre tale involving a Native Indian, who is taken for granted by the white majority - to such an extent that he is nothing more than an object of curiosity. No one takes him seriously; like the Elephant Man in the play and film, he is put on display to give occasional performances for rich bourgeois guests on a ship.

Everything appears to be going swimmingly, so to speak, until the ship sinks. The Indian is cast adrift on a boat with other survivors. They end up fighting with one another; there are some unexpected deaths, and the Indian is accused of murder and even more serious crimes.

Recorded in front of a live audience, "Wendigo Water" takes as its basic premise the idea that water is not only the stuff of life, but it can also be associated with death. The Indian understands the sacred nature of water, but none of his fellow-survivors actually do, with tragic consequences.

The action moves swiftly towards an horrific conclusion, performed enthusiastically by a seven-strong cast. They help to maintain the attention throughout, so long as listeners overlook the rather faux-Américain accents, redolent of Manchester, Lancashire rather than Manchester, New Hampshire.