Accidental Radical
(in development)

“I wondered why somebody didn’t do something. Then I realized that I am somebody.”

In a 1970s East Berlin surveillance room, reimagined as now, Rosa — an obedient code breaker who works for The System — accidentally stumbles upon a file detailing a shocking biowarfare experiment with global consequences.

Her worldview now shattered, Rosa is driven underground, where she meets The Accidental Radicals, a courageous network of time-travelling spies who live outside the system and send her on a mission through history to awaken people to the truth. In a future timeline, Rosa meets another version of herself, which comes with a jaw-dropping meta twist — one that places writer/performer Andi Snelling’s real life at the centre of the web.

But when Rosa is declared an Enemy of the State, she must decide which version of the truth she will live or die by…

Accidental Radical is a multilingual, fantasy, spy-thriller theatre work that playfully weaves embedded access to examine how we discern truth and claim our sovereignty in a world of dark, hidden agendas.

As a pioneering work in creatively embedded access, Accidental Radical pushes beyond tokenistic inclusion to make access the dramatic engine; indeed, the whole show cannot work without it. Braille clues, live-captioned “whispering” walls, Auslan-animated portraits, and audio-description headsets with bonus intel invite audience complicity, with not all audience members receiving the same version of the story, ultimately leaving how the show ends in their hands.

Accidental Radical combines physical and visual theatre, with a poetic fantasy language comprised of diverse codes (the access elements), and verbatim text taken from Andi’s interviews with real life ‘accidental radicals’ - ordinary people who accidentally became entangled in extraordinary moments of controversy and cover-up.

Based on the true story of how Andi discovered one day that she had become embroiled in a huge medico-political cover-up, this out-of-the box exposé takes the audience on a mind-bending journey to reclaim a sense of hope and agency through their own inner authority, and the power of staying true to your heart, in a world that can often leave us feeling powerless.

Funding history: Creative Victoria (2020) supported the initial research; Adelaide Fringe Fund (2021) covered access mentorship; Arts SA (2021) funded further research, interviews, script drafting, and a development showing at The Mill, Adelaide.

In 2026, after completing the La Mama IMMERSE Playwriting Program, Accidental Radical now seeks a commission and/or development partnerships and collaborations, and ultimately, programming.

2021 Creative Development Team:
Written, Directed and Performed by Andi Snelling
Access Mentors - Jamila Main, Martin Sawtell and Tom Middleditch & Jacinta Anderson (A_tistic Theatre)
Artistic Mentor - Emma Beech
Access Ensemble - Gerry Shearim (live Auslan), Caroline Conlon (pre-recorded Auslan), Emma Bedford (audio description), Jamila Main (captioning)

Andi would like to acknowledge the support of: The Mill, Goodwood Theatre, La Mama Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne New Writer’s Collective, Britt Plummer, Ellie Ann Deighton and Danielle Micich.

Accidental Radical Development Showing at The Mill, Adelaide, December 2021.
(Photography by Jamois)