The Archive
Recordings from May 2005
Total Number of Recordings from this month: 16
- ELECTION 2005 Ian Brown, artistic director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds assesses Labour's record in relation to theatre and the arts and looks to the future. Dominic Cavendish quizzes
“What the Labour government did was get us moving forwards again. Now we're sliding backwards.”
- Recording Date: 03-May-2005
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- ELECTION 2005 Simon Reade, artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic, gives his verdict on Labour on the eve of the election, and argues for reform of the Arts Council. Dominic Cavendish quizzes.
“What would be brilliant is for politicians just to back off completely from any cultural agenda.”
- Recording Date: 04-May-2005
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- THE BIRTHDAY PARTY Has Pinter's 1958 drama of seaside menace stood the test of time? David Benedict, Jane Edwardes and Mark Shenton reflect. Heather Neill hosts.
“I'm not sure that this play merits that much attention - for my money there are far better Pinter plays.”
- Play: The Birthday Party
- Theatre: Duchess Theatre
- Recording Date: 06-May-2005
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- POLITICAL SHAKESPEARE Deborah Warner's Julius Caesar (Barbican) and Nicholas Hytner's Henry IV (National). David Benedict, Jane Edwardes and Heather Neill discuss them together. Dominic Cavendish hosts.
“In both plays there's illegal regime change and both have to cope with the consequences of that.”
- Recording Date: 06-May-2005
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- THE PHILADELPHIA STORY/BILLY ELLIOT Kate Bassett, Patrick Marmion and Matt Wolf assess two theatrical events that stand in the shadow of celluloid triumphs. Mark Shenton hosts.
“Spacey is manic and ironic and deadpan and sardonic - all very funny but it's never sexy.”
- Play: The Philadelphia Story
- Theatre: Old Vic
- Recording Date: 13-May-2005
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- REPUTATIONS: MARTIN CRIMP (2/2) Lindsay Posner, Dan Rebellato, Auriol Smith and Anne Tipton conclude their reflections on Crimp's varied body of work. Aleks Sierz hosts. Recorded live.
“He's working with an audience's desire to put fragments together so there's a productive tension.”
- Recording Date: 13-May-2005
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- REPUTATIONS: MARTIN CRIMP (1/2) Lindsay Posner, Dan Rebellato, Auriol Smith and Anne Tipton begin their comprehensive survey of Crimp's formidable dramatic output. Aleks Sierz hosts. Recorded live.
“As an actor playing it, it's extremely demanding - Martin's work - there's a rhythm you cannot ignore.”
- Recording Date: 13-May-2005
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- RAISING THE BAR: RENEWAL Charles Leadbetter, Senior Research Associate with the independent think-tank Demos, floats some provocative ideas about the future.
“More partners, more audiences, more competition, more opportunity - how do you navigate that?”
- Recording Date: 19-May-2005
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- RAISING THE BAR: RELEVANCE Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of the National Theatre, asks whether theatre's ever-evolving relevance could be better communicated. Kirsty Wark chairs.
“Every element of the experience has to be as well looked after as what we do to entertain on stage.”
- Recording Date: 19-May-2005
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- RAISING THE BAR: RELEVANCE Opening the Theatre 2005 Conference sessions, Lyn Gardner, Guardian critic, challenges the notion that theatre is a dying art form.
“The assumptions that theatre could once make about its audiences have broken down.”
- Recording Date: 19-May-2005
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- RAISING THE BAR: RENEWAL Vicky Featherstone, new artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland, asks whether it is possible to measure success.
“As a director, I perfectly understand that the agents of renewal in the theatre are artists.”
- Recording Date: 19-May-2005
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- RAISING THE BAR: LEADERSHIP Michael Attenborough, artistic director of the Almeida, shares his thoughts on leadership for the Theatre 2005 Conference.
“The point about leadership is to begin to imagine what could be, and then where we might go.”
- Recording Date: 20-May-2005
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- THEATRE OF BLOOD Jane Edwardes, Mark Shenton and Charles Spencer dissect the National's remake of the 1973 MGM shocker about an actor who butchers his critics. Heather Neill hosts.
“There were large chunks of this that simply weren't funny enough.”
- Play: Theatre of Blood
- Theatre: National Theatre, Lyttelton
- Recording Date: 20-May-2005
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- DEATH OF A SALESMAN Robert Falls' Tony-winning revival, starring Brian Dennehy, finally makes it to London. David Benedict, Jane Edwardes and Charles Spencer dissent on its virtues. Heather Neill hosts.
“I'd always thought of Willy Loman as a little man - but Dennehy is gigantic in personality, and corporeally.”
- Play: Death of a Salesman
- Theatre: Lyric Shaftesbury
- Recording Date: 20-May-2005
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- INTERNATIONAL THEATRE: BERLIN (2/2) Elyse Dodgson talks to Alexander Menden, Peter Michalzik and Johanna Freiburg about German theatre. Recorded live.
“There was this burst of energy from German playwrights, and that now seems to have faded.”
- Recording Date: 26-May-2005
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- INTERNATIONAL THEATRE: BERLIN (1/2) Elyse Dodgson of the Royal Court talks to Alexander Menden, Peter Michalzik and Johanna Freiburg about German theatre. Recorded live.
“In terms of experimental theatre, you lead the way, Germany has influenced our companies here.”
- Recording Date: 26-May-2005
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