Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20040418 | Embers By Sandor Marai What is the true nature of the bonds of friendship? How deep are those bonds when challenged by betrayal, passion, and a thirst for revenge? Patrick Stewart stars in this drama, adapted by Lou Stein from Sandor Marai's recent best-selling novel. Set in a vast, perfectly preserved aristocratic Hungarian castle in 1940, a 75-year old career military man, Henrik (known simply as the General by his servants) patiently waits for a guest whom he has not seen for 41 years. When his great childhood friend, Konrad, does appear, the General invites his guest to dine with him at the table which was last used 41 years ago, the day he discovered Konrad's passionate relationship with his young wife, Krisztina and his best friend's plan to kill him. The moment has come for the General to take revenge on Konrad's betrayal of their friendship. The General....Patrick Stewart Nini....Sara Kestelman Konrad....David Horovitch Young General....Jamie Glover Young Konrad/Gamekeeper/Servant....Laurence Kennedy Krisztina....Jenny Agutter Adapted by Lou Stein, from the book by Sandor Marai Translation by Carol Brown Janeway Original Music by Deirdre Gribbin Directed by Lou Stein The General.... Patrick Stewart Nini.... Sara Kestelman Konrad.... David Horovitch Young General.... Jamie Glover Young Konrad/Gamekeeper/Servant.... Laurence Kennedy Krisztina.... Jenny Agutter | |||
| 20040509 | Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Adapted for radio by Jeremy Howe With David Calder as Marlow Marlow, a sea captain, is ordered to sail up the Congo River to find out what has happened to Mr Kurtz, an ivory trader. The journey takes him into the heart of an unknowable darkness. A new version for radio of one of the 20th Century's greatest novels. Try to listen closely and undisturbed"" Gillian Reynolds Marlow....David Calder Mr Kurtz....Bill Wallis The Disciple....Kris Marshall The Company Doctor....John Webb The Manager....John MacKay The Uncle....Jon Morrison Man with a Moustache....Jeremy Swift The Helmsman....Yemi Goodman Ajibade The Stoker....Willie Jonah Steamboat Captain....John Telfer The Accountant....Mark Buffery The Intended....Kate Byers The Solicitor....Stephen Perring Music composed by David Lord Produced in Bristol by Jeremy Howe and Iain Hunter. Marlow.... David Calder Mr Kurtz.... Bill Wallis The Disciple.... Kris Marshall The Company Doctor.... John Webb The Manager.... John MacKay The Uncle.... Jon Morrison Man with a Moustache.... Jeremy Swift The Helmsman.... Yemi Goodman Ajibade The Stoker.... Willie Jonah Steamboat Captain.... John Telfer The Accountant.... Mark Buffery The Intended.... Kate Byers The Solicitor.... Stephen Perring | |||
| 20040606 | Arden of Faversham With Michael Pennington, Michael Maloney, Emma Hamilton and David Burke. Alice, the young wife of well-to-do Arden has fallen in love with Mosby, a one-time butcher with social aspirations. The solution is to murder Arden. This is the first English murder thriller written by an unknown contemporary of Shakespeare (though he himself may have provided an authorial hand). It was based on true events of the period and mixes high drama with low comedy as class-envy, greed and passion drive the story to its tragic conclusion despite many humorous pitfalls on the way. Arden, a merchant....Michael Pennington Franklin, his friend....David Burke Alice, his wife....Emily Hamilton Michael, their servant....Giles Fagan Mosby, a steward....Michael Maloney Susan, his sister....Victoria Woodward Black Will, a rogue....Anthony Jackson George Shakebag, another rogue....Matthew Morgan Greene, a smallholder....Mark Straker Clarke, a painter....Simon Treves Bradshaw/Lord Cheiny....Steve Hodson Mayor/Ferryman/Prentice....Sion Probert Adapted and directed by John Tydeman Arden, a merchant.... Michael Pennington Franklin, his friend.... David Burke Alice, his wife.... Emily Hamilton Michael, their servant.... Giles Fagan Mosby, a steward.... Michael Maloney Susan, his sister.... Victoria Woodward Black Will, a rogue.... Anthony Jackson George Shakebag, another rogue.... Matthew Morgan Greene, a smallholder.... Mark Straker Clarke, a painter.... Simon Treves Bradshaw/Lord Cheiny.... Steve Hodson Mayor/Ferryman/Prentice.... Sion Probert | |||
| 20040613 | Through a Glass Darkly: By Shelagh Stephenson. Martha Jardine obsesses over the diaries of renaissance man John Collingwood, but in the 18th century, Collingwood's family are discovering his secret. | |||
| 20040627 | Uncle Varick By John Byrne. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Anton Chekhov, Radio 3 presents a new version of Uncle Vanya by acclaimed Scottish playwright John Byrne. The action takes place on an estate in the remote North East of Scotland in the mid-sixties. Uncle Varick and his niece Shona have been running the estate, farm and the brewery for the benefit of Varick's brother-in-law, the literary critic and TV pundit Sandy Sheridan. When Sandy decides to retire to the estate with his young wife Elaine, their presence throws the lives of the inhabitants into disarray. Uncle Varick is desperate having, he believes, surrendered his chance at life and love for the benefit of a man he now knows to be a charlatan. Deeply in love with Elaine, Varick's crisis drives the action to a darkly comic, tragic finale. Uncle Varick....Paul Young Sandy....Sandy Neilson Doctor....Richard Greenwood Estate Worker....Robert Jack Shona....Vicki Masson Elaine....Selina Boyack Mother....Sheila Donald Willie John Telfer....John Shedden Kirsty Morag....Anne Lacey Guitar arranged and performed by Kevin MacKenzie The production was first staged by the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh Directed by Lu Kemp Uncle Varick.... Paul Young Sandy.... Sandy Neilson Doctor.... Richard Greenwood Estate Worker.... Robert Jack Shona.... Vicki Masson Elaine.... Selina Boyack Mother.... Sheila Donald Willie John Telfer.... John Shedden Kirsty Morag.... Anne Lacey | |||
| 20040815 | Laughter in the Dark, by Vladimir Nabokov Dramatised by Craig Higginson. Set in Berlin, in a period moving inexorably towards World War II, this is the story of the downfall of a middle-aged married man who becomes infatuated with a young woman he meets in the cinema. She uses him with startling callousness and ultimately destroys him. This darkly erotic dramatisation comes to vivid life as events unfold in the mind of a man who becomes blind and can only guess at the gross betrayals inflicted on him by a younger and more ruthless generation. Albert Albinus....Roger Allam Margot Peters....Claire Price Axel Rex....Alan Cox Elizabeth....Geraldine Alexander Irma....Lauren Bird Frieda....Sarah Badel Otto....Dale Rapley Karl Schwarz....Ewan Bailey Doctor....David Shaw-Parker Chambermaid....Tracy Wiles Composer: Howard Davidson Directed by Maria Aitken Albert Albinus.... Roger Allam Margot Peters.... Claire Price Axel Rex.... Alan Cox Elizabeth.... Geraldine Alexander Irma.... Lauren Bird Frieda.... Sarah Badel Otto.... Dale Rapley Karl Schwarz.... Ewan Bailey Doctor.... David Shaw-Parker Chambermaid.... Tracy Wiles | |||
| 20040822 | The Mrichhakatikaa: A 5th-century Sanskrit play recorded on location in India, the story of a romance between an impoverished nobleman and a beautiful courtesan. | |||
| 20040912 | Romeo and Juliet in Southwark By Georgia Finch. A play written in collaboration with the Globe Theatre Education Department and the pupils from an inner-London school, this is the story of two ordinary London teenagers, their lives, and the very special day they share. Based on real events. Stephen....Mohammed George Jessica....Petra Letang Francis....Mark Monero Jessica's Mum....Janice Acquah Bola....Troy Glasgow Mel....Medhavi Patel Jade....Aml Ameen Slick....Tyronne Lewis Driver....Nick Boulton Narrator....Georgia Fitch Directed by Marc Beeby. Stephen.... Mohammed George Jessica.... Petra Letang Francis.... Mark Monero Jessica's Mum.... Janice Acquah Bola.... Troy Glasgow Mel.... Medhavi Patel Jade.... Aml Ameen Slick.... Tyronne Lewis Driver.... Nick Boulton Narrator.... Georgia Fitch | |||
| 20040919 | Something Dark By Lemn Sissay. Fostered as a baby and brought up in care, Sissay spent most of his adult life searching for his family. This is a poetic retelling of his journey. | |||
| 20041003 | Vieux Carre Tennessee Williams's disturbing but often funny play set in a seedy boarding house in New Orleans run by a half-mad landlady. | |||
| 20041010 | Mr Puntila and His Man Matti, by Bertolt Brecht. A drunken chaotic landowner leans heavily on his stoic chauffeur in a series of ever more outrageous escapades. | |||
| 20041017 | The Moving and the Still By Howard Barker A monastery in 1450. A young scribe, the finest calligrapher of his generation, greater even than John of Damascus or Ionides of the Feathered Style, is passionately committed to his art. Then a printing press arrives in his scriptorium from Germany. Hoik....Chris Moran Slee....Neil Dudgeon Mother....Lesley Manville Tram....John Wood November....Anton Lesser Hergood/ Clerk....Damian Lynch Light....Declan Wilson Toonelhuis....John Rowe Signor/Confessor....Vincenzo Nicoli Directed by Peter Kavanagh. Hoik.... Chris Moran Slee.... Neil Dudgeon Mother.... Lesley Manville Tram.... John Wood November.... Anton Lesser Hergood/ Clerk.... Damian Lynch Light.... Declan Wilson Toonelhuis.... John Rowe Signor/Confessor.... Vincenzo Nicoli | |||
| 20041024 | Himmler's Boy A new play by Adam Thorpe, one of our leading contemporary writers. In 1931, in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum, art history student Klaus Bessel meets and falls in love with the clever and vivacious Anya Goldberger. But Anya is a Polish Jew, and in a few short years Klaus will be a member of a special SS unit, personally charged by Reichsführer Himmler to plunder occupied Poland of its priceless art. Klaus....Thomas Arnold Anya....Lesley Hart Liesl....Vicki Liddelle Himmler....Richard Greenwood Schaefer....Paul Young Muhlmann....Michael Perceval-Maxwell Aunt Maryla....Joanna Tope Directed by Patrick Rayner. Klaus.... Thomas Arnold Anya.... Lesley Hart Liesl.... Vicki Liddelle Himmler.... Richard Greenwood Schaefer.... Paul Young Muhlmann.... Michael Perceval-Maxwell Aunt Maryla.... Joanna Tope | |||
| 20041107 | A Taste Of Honey By Shelagh Delaney Adapted and directed for radio by Polly Thomas. A new radio production of one of the great stage plays of the 20th century. The powerful story of a pregnant teenage girl and her feckless mother trading insults and repartee in 1950s Salford. Helen....Siobhan Finneran Jo....Beth Squires Peter....Charles Lawson Boy....Richard Mylan Geof....Andrew Sheridan Helen.... Siobhan Finneran Jo.... Beth Squires Peter.... Charles Lawson Boy.... Richard Mylan Geof.... Andrew Sheridan | |||
| 20041114 | In Parenthesis By David Jones Private John Ball and his fellow Royal Welch Fusiliers embark for France in December 1915. Six months later, the majority of this band of comrades are killed or wounded at the Battle of the Somme. A new production of this unique prose-poem marks Remembrance Sunday and the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. Adapted by Douglas Cleverdon. Action....Sian Phillips Thought....Sara McGaughey Memory....Manon Edwards Prologue....Dorien Thomas John Ball....Steven Meo Dai Evans....Oliver Ryan Crower....Thomas Arnold Jenkins....Rhodri Hugh Lewis....Iestyn Jones Snell....Simon Ludders Quilter....David Middleton Wastebottom....Matthew Morgan Clark....Carl Prekopp Watcyn....Aled Pugh Wyatt....Keiron Self Saunders....Nathan Sussex Original Music by John Hardy Directed by Alison Hindell Action.... Sian Phillips Thought.... Sara McGaughey Memory.... Manon Edwards Prologue.... Dorien Thomas John Ball.... Steven Meo Dai Evans.... Oliver Ryan Crower.... Thomas Arnold Jenkins.... Rhodri Hugh Lewis.... Iestyn Jones Snell.... Simon Ludders Quilter.... David Middleton Wastebottom.... Matthew Morgan Clark.... Carl Prekopp Watcyn.... Aled Pugh Wyatt.... Keiron Self Saunders.... Nathan Sussex | |||
| 20041121 | Daughter of the Air, by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in a new version for radio by Sarah Woods produced in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company. | |||
| 20041128 | Pale Fire A dramatisation of Vladimir Nabokov's great novel by the Sony Award-winning playwright Robert Forrest. Published in 1962, Pale Fire ranks alongside James Joyce's Ulysses and Marcel Proust's À La Recherche du Temps Perdu as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century fiction. Comic, tragic, heartbreaking, Shakespearean in its almost infinite depth and beauty, it moves between leafy Appalachia and the mysterious far northern kingdom of Zembla, telling the story of a homely American poet and his regally demented neighbour. Charles Kinbote....Finlay Welsh John Shade....Angus MacInnes Sybil Shade....Joanna Tope Professor Hurley....Crawford Logan Odon....Richard Greenwood Disa....Gayanne Potter Directed by Patrick Rayner Charles Kinbote.... Finlay Welsh John Shade.... Angus MacInnes Sybil Shade.... Joanna Tope Professor Hurley.... Crawford Logan Odon.... Richard Greenwood Disa.... Gayanne Potter | |||
| 20041205 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? By Edward Albee A new production, recorded on location, of this classic American play where two married couples tear each other's lives apart in a drunken brawl after a university party. For the older couple, George and Martha, it is part of the ritual of their marriage but on this particular night things go too far... Martha....Juliet Stephenson George....Alex Jennings Honey....Anastasia Hille Nick....William Hope Directed by Cherry Cookson Martha.... Juliet Stephenson George.... Alex Jennings Honey.... Anastasia Hille Nick.... William Hope | |||
| 20050102 | Thinking Earth: Earth Mapping A nightmare journey from Kabul, a migration of birds in Greenland and a man lying on his back in a car park looking at the sky, while in Ireland Kevin tries to get lost in a wood in order to remember a day in his childhood when he first learned about mapping and why sometimes it is important to lose your way. A meditation on mapping with contributions from international artists, writers, environmentalists, composers and members of the public including: Lin Coghlan, Lyn Gardner, John Hull, Paul Heritage, Kazuko Hohki, Vivienne Jake, Silke Mansholt, Graeme Miller, David Qujaukitsoq, Shirazuddin Siddiqi, Karen Wimhurst and Paddy Woodworth. Thinking Earth is one of a trilogy of complementary programmes broadcast on Radio 4 (8.00pm January 1st) , BBC World Service (11.00pm January 1st) and Radio 3. Cleary....Jim Norton Kevin....Lloyd Hutchinson Younger Kevin....Daniel Price Music by Billy Cowie Produced by Pam Marshall Cleary.... Jim Norton Kevin.... Lloyd Hutchinson Younger Kevin.... Daniel Price | |||
| 20050109 | A new play written especially for Radio 3, from one of Britain's greatest living dramatists Ted Whitehead, about a man returning to his home town and re-examining his relationship with his father. Tony....Jonathan Pryce Bridget....Sue Johnston Dominic....Tom Bell Written by Ted Whitehead Directed by Bruce Hyman Tony.... Jonathan Pryce Bridget.... Sue Johnston Dominic.... Tom Bell | |||
| 20050116 | The Fire Raisers By Max Frisch. Translated by Michael Bullock. Adapted by Charles Wood. An intriguing, entertaining and provocative comedy, which has rightly become known as a classic of the European stage. The Biedermanns are a bourgeois family, paranoid about protecting their home. Yet when the homeless, sinister Schmitz seeks shelter, he manages to hoodwink his way into the house. Herr Biedermann....Jim Broadbent The Author....Simon McBurney Mrs Biedermann....Harriet Walter Eisenring....Phil Daniels Schmitz....Ralph Ineson Anna....Tamzin Griffin Herr Biedermann.... Jim Broadbent The Author.... Simon McBurney Mrs Biedermann.... Harriet Walter Eisenring.... Phil Daniels Schmitz.... Ralph Ineson Anna.... Tamzin Griffin | |||
| 20050123 | Embers By Sandor Marai. Adapted by Lou Stein. What is the true nature of the bonds of friendship? How deep are those bonds when challenged by betrayal, passion, and a thirst for revenge? Patrick Stewart stars in this drama, adapted by Lou Stein from Sandor Marai's recent best-selling novel. In a gripping battle of wills, two men meet after a gap of forty-one years to unlock the truth behind an act of betrayal which shattered both their lives. Set in a vast, perfectly preserved aristocratic Hungarian castle in 1940, a 75-year old career military man, Henrik (known simply as the General by his servants) patiently waits for a guest whom he has not seen for 41 years. When his great childhood friend, Konrad, does appear, the General invites his guest to dine with him at the table which was last used 41 years ago, the day he discovered Konrad's passionate relationship with his young wife, Krisztina and his best friend's plan to kill him. The moment has come for the General to take revenge on Konrad's betrayal of their friendship. The General....Patrick Stewart Nini....Sara Kestelman Konrad....David Horovitch Young General....Jamie Glover Young Konrad/Gamekeeper/Servant....Laurence Kennedy Krisztina....Jenny Agutter Translation by Carol Brown Janeway Original Music by Deirdre Gribbin Produced and directed by Lou Stein The General.... Patrick Stewart Nini.... Sara Kestelman Konrad.... David Horovitch Young General.... Jamie Glover Young Konrad/Gamekeeper/Servant.... Laurence Kennedy Krisztina.... Jenny Agutter | |||
| 20050130 | Something Dark Written and Performed by Lemn Sissay. Fostered as a baby and brought up in care from the age of 11, Lemn Sissay spent most of his adult life searching for his family. Something Dark is a poetic retelling of this dramatic journey. With music by Jim Parris. Produced by Shabina Aslam. | |||
| 20050206 | Red Razzmatazz By David Zane Mairowitz and Dominic Muldowney. A new radio opera set in Moscow, in 1949. With jazz more or less forbidden, a young and crazy unemployed musician - reputed to be the best saxophonist in Russia - imports an illegal saxophone into the Soviet Union. Crooked Jimmy....Nick Holder Rivka....Natalie Turner Jones Vinogradeff/ Chorus....Richard Morris Commissar/ Radio Voice....Stephen Boxer Chorus of comissars....Gordon Adams, Mary Carewe, Jonathan Williams Dominic Muldowney (composer) Written and directed by David Zane Mairowitz Crooked Jimmy.... Nick Holder Rivka.... Natalie Turner Jones Vinogradeff/ Chorus.... Richard Morris Commissar/ Radio Voice.... Stephen Boxer Chorus of comissars.... Gordon Adams, Mary Carewe, Jonathan Williams | |||
| 20050213 | The Beaux' Stratagem George Farquhar's Restoration comedy in which two penniless beaux flee London society for the countryside and evolve a stratagem for each to ensnare a wife of fortune and beauty. Archer, a beau....Jasper Britton Aimwell, another beau....Alex Jennings Count Bellair....Anthony Jackson Boniface, a Landlord....Anthony Jackson Cherry, his daughter....Teresa Gallagher A countrywoman....Teresa Gallagher Squire Sullen....Mark Straker Scrub, his servant....Giles Fagan Mrs Sullen, his wife....Zoë Waites Gypsy, her servant....Frances Jeater Lady Bountiful....Frances Jeater Dorinda, her daughter....Sophie Thompson Foigard, a priest....Nigel Anthony Gibbet, a highwayman....Timothy Bentinck Sir Charles Freeman....Timothy Bentinck Adapted and directed by John Tydeman. Produced by Nicolas Soames. Archer, a beau.... Jasper Britton Aimwell, another beau.... Alex Jennings Count Bellair.... Anthony Jackson Boniface, a Landlord.... Anthony Jackson Cherry, his daughter.... Teresa Gallagher A countrywoman.... Teresa Gallagher Squire Sullen.... Mark Straker Scrub, his servant.... Giles Fagan Mrs Sullen, his wife.... Zoë Waites Gypsy, her servant.... Frances Jeater Lady Bountiful.... Frances Jeater Dorinda, her daughter.... Sophie Thompson Foigard, a priest.... Nigel Anthony Gibbet, a highwayman.... Timothy Bentinck Sir Charles Freeman.... Timothy Bentinck | |||
| 20050227 | The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene By Tom Kelly. Two stories of devotion, love and death set in Palestine 2000 years ago and Britain today. Based on the documentary evidence of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, published in 1955, this historic and domestic drama offers an alternative to the current pop mysticism. Mary Magdalene....Jane Lapotaire Ruth....Claire Skinner Matthew Levi....Peter Egan Simon Peter....David Schofield Mother....Polly James Thompson....Danny Webb Ruthie....Samantha Spiro Directed by Marina Caldarone Mary Magdalene.... Jane Lapotaire Ruth.... Claire Skinner Matthew Levi.... Peter Egan Simon Peter.... David Schofield Mother.... Polly James Thompson.... Danny Webb Ruthie.... Samantha Spiro | |||
| 20050306 | A double bill of plays by August Strindberg: Playing With Fire An artist visits the home of a wealthy family and renews his romantic pursuit of his host's wife. Starring Fiona Shaw and Jonathan Coy. Directed by Peter Kavanagh The Pelican After the death of their father, two children discover disturbing truths about their mother. Starring Janet McTeer and Susan Jameson. Directed by Steven Canny. | |||
| 20050313 | Hotel Cristobel. By Caryl Phillips. A Caribbean island provides the setting for an intense and personal three-way struggle for control of a fading hotel. | |||
| 20050320 | Glengarry Glen Ross David Mamet?s radio adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama in which Chicago real-estate salesmen grind out a living in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American dream. Richard Roma....Alfred Molina George Aaronow....Stacy Keach Shelly Levene....Hector Elizondo James Lingk....Bruce Davison John Williamson....Richard Cox Dave Moss....Kristoffer Tabori Officer Baylen....Chris Hatfield Directed by Rosalind Ayres. Richard Roma.... Alfred Molina George Aaronow.... Stacy Keach Shelly Levene.... Hector Elizondo James Lingk.... Bruce Davison John Williamson.... Richard Cox Dave Moss.... Kristoffer Tabori Officer Baylen.... Chris Hatfield | |||
| 20050327 | Faustus British Premiere of David Mamet?s new play Faustus. In a timeless setting Mamet directs his own working of the Faustian legend. Neglectful of his son on his birthday, Faustus is drawn into a deadly wager with the party 'entertainer' in which logic and reason are shown to be feeble weapons against the power of chance, mystery and magic. Will intellectual pride precede the ultimate fall of man? Faustus....Ed O?Neill The Friend....Ed Begley Jr The Magus....Ricky Jay Faustus? Wife....Rebecca Pidgeon The Child....C Mamet Faustus.... Ed O?Neill The Friend.... Ed Begley Jr The Magus.... Ricky Jay Faustus? Wife.... Rebecca Pidgeon The Child.... C Mamet | |||
| 20050403 | The Don By Jeff Young. Inspired by Cervantes? Don Quixote, The Don is a gentle dreamer, dishevelled and battered by too many years spent in life?s shadows. Through the clubs and pubs of Northern England, The Don, played by Bill Nighy, staggers forever in pursuit of his imaginary lover Dulcie ? his muse, his ideal 'lady', with his neighbour Sancho in tow. The Don....Bill Nighy Sancho....Danny Webb Priest....Sam Kelly Receptionist....Rosie Cavaliero Barber....Deka Walmsley Steve....Declan Wilson Landlady....Elizabeth Bell Man....Oliver Jackson Music composed and performed by Harvey Brough, with lyrics by Jeff Young Dulcie voiced by Clara Sanabras Mike Outram (guitar) Directed by Kate Rowland. Snow By Orhan Pamuk. Ka, a poet and political exile, returns to Turkey to write an investigative piece about troubling events in the mysterious, snow shrouded city of Kars; a place haunted by the silences of its own history. Snow is a spectacular tour de force, evoking the spiritual fragility of the non -western world, its ambivalence about the godless West, and its fury. Orhan....Robert Glenister Ka....William Houston Ipek....Lia Wiliams Kadife....Jasmine Hyde Necip/Fazil....Philip Arditti Turgut Bey....Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim....Jak Klaff Funda Esser....Nina Wadia Director....Nadim Sawalha Blue....Michael Maloney Cavit/ Agent....Ben Crowe Z Demirkol....Stephen Critchlow Dramatised by James Friel Translated by Maureen Freely Additional music composed and performed by Melanie Pappenheim Directed by Marilyn Imrie " The Don.... Bill Nighy Sancho.... Danny Webb Priest.... Sam Kelly Receptionist.... Rosie Cavaliero Barber.... Deka Walmsley Steve.... Declan Wilson Landlady.... Elizabeth Bell Man.... Oliver Jackson Orhan.... Robert Glenister Ka.... William Houston Ipek.... Lia Wiliams Necip/Fazil.... Philip Arditti Turgut Bey.... Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim.... Jak Klaff Funda Esser.... Nina Wadia Director.... Nadim Sawalha Blue.... Michael Maloney Cavit/ Agent.... Ben Crowe Z Demirkol.... Stephen Critchlow | |||
| 20050410 | Snow By Orhan Pamuk. Ka, a poet and political exile, returns to Turkey to write an investigative piece about troubling events in the mysterious, snow shrouded city of Kars; a place haunted by the silences of its own history. Snow is a spectacular tour de force, evoking the spiritual fragility of the non -western world, its ambivalence about the godless West, and its fury. Orhan....Robert Glenister Ka....William Houston Ipek....Lia Wiliams Kadife....Jasmine Hyde Necip/Fazil....Philip Arditti Turgut Bey....Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim....Jak Klaff Funda Esser....Nina Wadia Director....Nadim Sawalha Blue....Michael Maloney Cavit/ Agent....Ben Crowe Z Demirkol....Stephen Critchlow Dramatised by James Friel Translated by Maureen Freely Additional music composed and performed by Melanie Pappenheim Directed by Marilyn Imrie Orhan.... Robert Glenister Ka.... William Houston Ipek.... Lia Wiliams Necip/Fazil.... Philip Arditti Turgut Bey.... Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim.... Jak Klaff Funda Esser.... Nina Wadia Director.... Nadim Sawalha Blue.... Michael Maloney Cavit/ Agent.... Ben Crowe Z Demirkol.... Stephen Critchlow | |||
| 20050417 | Volpone By Ben Jonson: In this classic satirical comedy of the English Renaissance, the wealthy Volpone pretends to be old and infirm, attracting greedy Venetians to his bedside. Volpone....Ian McDiarmid Mosca....Tom Hollander Celia....Olivia Williams Corvino....Malcolm Sinclair Voltore....Patrick Barlow Corbaccio....John Rowe Bonario....Chris Moran Androgyno....Declan Wilson Nano....David Thorpe Castrone....aimi Barbakoff Avoc 1....Ioan Meredith Avoc 2....Philip Fox Avoc 3....John Paul Ryan Music performed by Mia Soteriou and Steve Bentley-Klein Music by Mia Soteriou Directed by Peter Kavanagh Volpone.... Ian McDiarmid Mosca.... Tom Hollander Celia.... Olivia Williams Corvino.... Malcolm Sinclair Voltore.... Patrick Barlow Corbaccio.... John Rowe Bonario.... Chris Moran Androgyno.... Declan Wilson Nano.... David Thorpe Castrone.... aimi Barbakoff Avoc 1.... Ioan Meredith Avoc 2.... Philip Fox Avoc 3.... John Paul Ryan | |||
| 20050424 | Festen Director Rufus Norris introduces David Eldridge's multi-award winning adaptation of Festen - an uncompromising story of denial set over one weekend in a remote Danish mansion. The original West End cast have recreated their performances for Drama on 3. Actors include Jane Asher, Stephen Moore, Claire Rushbrook, Luke Mably and Patrick Robinson. This landmark production contains strong language and descriptions of sexual violence. Festen was originally a Dogme film and play by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov and Bo hr. Hansen Christian....Luke Mably Michael....Rory Kinnear Helene....Claire Rushbrook Mette....Lisa Palfrey Helge....Stephen Moore Else....Jane Asher Helmut....Michael Thomas Poul....Sam Cox Grandfather....Sam Beazley Pia....Ruth Millar Kim....Andrew Frame Lars....Andrew Maude. Gbatokai....Patrick Robinson Music by Orlando Gough Directed by Rufus Norris. Christian.... Luke Mably Michael.... Rory Kinnear Helene.... Claire Rushbrook Mette.... Lisa Palfrey Helge.... Stephen Moore Else.... Jane Asher Helmut.... Michael Thomas Poul.... Sam Cox Grandfather.... Sam Beazley Pia.... Ruth Millar Kim.... Andrew Frame Lars.... Andrew Maude. Gbatokai.... Patrick Robinson | |||
| 20050501 | Don Carlos By Friedrich Schiller. Derek Jacobi stars in the acclaimed Sheffield Theatre production of the play by Friedrich Schiller in a new translation by Mike Poulton. King Philip II of Spain holds on to power through the terror of the Inquisition and his spies at Court. His son Don Carlos seeks his father's trust yet hides his feelings for his father's wife, Elizabeth of France, to whom he was betrothed before Philip married her. The Court watches and listens. King Philip II....Derek Jacobi Don Carlos....Richard Coyle Queen Elizabeth....Claire Price Rodrigo Marquis of Posa....Elliot Cowan Duke of Alba....Ian Hogg Domingo....Michael Hadley Princess Eboli....Charlotte Randle Count Lerma....Roger Swaine Duchess of Olivarez....Una Stubbs The Grand Inquisitor....Peter Eyre Page to the Queen....Stuart Burt Duke of Medina Sidonia....Brian Poyser Count Cordua....Andrew McDonald Prince of Parma....Paul Keating Translation/Adaptation by Mike Poulton Original music by Adam Cork Directed by Michael Grandage and Andy Jordan. King Philip II.... Derek Jacobi Don Carlos.... Richard Coyle Queen Elizabeth.... Claire Price Rodrigo Marquis of Posa.... Elliot Cowan Duke of Alba.... Ian Hogg Domingo.... Michael Hadley Princess Eboli.... Charlotte Randle Count Lerma.... Roger Swaine Duchess of Olivarez.... Una Stubbs The Grand Inquisitor.... Peter Eyre Page to the Queen.... Stuart Burt Duke of Medina Sidonia.... Brian Poyser Count Cordua.... Andrew McDonald Prince of Parma.... Paul Keating | |||
| 20050508 | If Not Now, When? By Primo Levi. To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a radio version of this extraordinary play about a group of Jewish partisans making their way across war torn Europe, fighting their way west from Russia. Narrator....Corin Redgrave Mendel....Mark Meadows Gedaleh....Jonathan Tafler Dov/Captain Smirnov....Kenneth Collard Ulybin/Edek....Carl Prekopp Pavel....Chris MacDonnell Jozek/Chaim....Chris Donnelly Piotr....Nitzan Sharron Leonid....Jonathan Gunning Mottel....Chris Garner Line....Hayley Doherty Rokhele....Amy Clifton Original music composed by Gary Yershon and played by Graeme Taylor, Giles Broadbent and Gary Yershon. Adapted for radio by Jeremy Howe and produced by Iain Hunter and Jeremy Howe. Narrator.... Corin Redgrave Mendel.... Mark Meadows Gedaleh.... Jonathan Tafler Dov/Captain Smirnov.... Kenneth Collard Ulybin/Edek.... Carl Prekopp Pavel.... Chris MacDonnell Jozek/Chaim.... Chris Donnelly Piotr.... Nitzan Sharron Leonid.... Jonathan Gunning Mottel.... Chris Garner Line.... Hayley Doherty Rokhele.... Amy Clifton | |||
| 20050515 | Portugal By Zoltan Egressy, translated and adapted by Ryan Craig from a literal translation by Katalin Trencsenyi. In a pub in a rural village in Hungary, the regulars are looking forward to the annual funfair and the prospect of a visit by a famous football team - real diversions from the only constant one of alcohol. Instead Nick, a stranger from Budapest on his way to Portugal, appears and triggers mayhem, capturing the heart of the landlord's daughter and provoking intense jealousy in Turnip, her 'fianc退'. The little world of Ergacs is turned upside-down. Landlord....Alun Armstrong Ribbon....Sheridan Smith Turnip....Darryl Clark Peg....Pearce Quigley Woman/Wife....Sally Rogers Priest....Philip Fox Nick....Bertie Carvel Satan....Jon Glover Director....Anastasia Tolstoy Landlord.... Alun Armstrong Ribbon.... Sheridan Smith Turnip.... Darryl Clark Peg.... Pearce Quigley Woman/Wife.... Sally Rogers Priest.... Philip Fox Nick.... Bertie Carvel Satan.... Jon Glover Director.... Anastasia Tolstoy | |||
| 20050612 | The Maids By Jean Genet In a new translation for radio by Neil Bartlett, Genet's darkly disturbing play about suppressed hatred and oppression. Set in 1940s Paris, two sisters indulge in erotic and secret rituals of revenge against their wealthy employers - with fatal consequences. Claire....Victoria Hamilton Solange....Janet McTeer Madame....Rebecca Johnson Music composed by David Pickvance Directed by Gemma Jenkins Claire.... Victoria Hamilton Solange.... Janet McTeer Madame.... Rebecca Johnson | |||
| 20050626 | The Lion Of Chechnya By Leila Aboulela. In the 19th century, the warrior Imam Shamyl united the tribes of the Caucasus to fight Russian colonial expansion. Shamyl became a legendary figure and attracted the support of Queen Victoria who feared Russia's increasing power would threaten Britain's interests in India. After an early military defeat, Shamyl was forced to hand over his eight-year-old son Jamal to the Russians. Jamal grew up devoted to Russia and the Tsar. Years later, in an attempt to win the release of his son, Shamyl kidnapped a Georgian princess. Shamyl....Raad Rawi Princess Anna....Katherine Igoe Prince David....Matthew Pidgeon Tsar....Michael Cochrane Madame Drancy....Caroline Loncq Alexander....Jordan Waller Jamal....Shiv Grewal Khazi....Ben Onwukwe Chouanette....Abigail Thaw Ameena....Sarah Ozeke Zaidette....Nina Wadia Jamaluddin....Renu Setna Lezgin....Harry Myers Cousin/Sergeant/Russian General....Richard Katz Producer/Director Bruce Young. Shamyl.... Raad Rawi Princess Anna.... Katherine Igoe Prince David.... Matthew Pidgeon Tsar.... Michael Cochrane Madame Drancy.... Caroline Loncq Alexander.... Jordan Waller Jamal.... Shiv Grewal Khazi.... Ben Onwukwe Chouanette.... Abigail Thaw Ameena.... Sarah Ozeke Zaidette.... Nina Wadia Jamaluddin.... Renu Setna Lezgin.... Harry Myers Cousin/Sergeant/Russian General.... Richard Katz | |||
| 20050703 | A Day in the Death of Joe Egg This 1967 play by Peter Nicholls is a groundbreaking work that retains an undiminished capacity to disconcert - a brilliant, heartbreaking and comic drama about a couple's relationship as parents of a profoundly mentally disabled child. Brian....Christopher Eccleston Sheila....Kaye Wragg Joe....Chloe Pabst-Bohan Pam....Julia Rounthwaite Freddie....Michael Maloney Grace....Lynda Baron Produced, adapted and directed by Pauline Harris Brian.... Christopher Eccleston Sheila.... Kaye Wragg Joe.... Chloe Pabst-Bohan Pam.... Julia Rounthwaite Freddie.... Michael Maloney Grace.... Lynda Baron | |||
| 20050710 | Bloodlines A dynamic gathering of Black British spoken word artists exploring blood, lineage and Africa. It was recorded live at the Albany Theatre, Deptford as part of the Africa Lives on the BBC season and was developed in association with Apples and Snakes. Cast includes: Zena Edwards Malika Booker Charlie Dark Jan Blake Tuup Ebele Jason Grant Janine La Rosa Jay Bernard Marque Gilmore (composer) Shabina Aslam (producer) | |||
| 20050731 | Venus and Adonis By William Shakespeare. The Bard's exquisite retelling of a classical myth concerning desire and loss. Narrator....Nicholas Boulton Venus....Claire Skinner Adonis....Chris Moran Directed by Sara Benaim. Narrator.... Nicholas Boulton Venus.... Claire Skinner Adonis.... Chris Moran | |||
| 20050814 | 20050821 | Arden of Faversham The first English murder thriller written by an unknown contemporary of Shakespeare (though he himself may have provided an authorial hand). It was based on true events of the period and mixes high drama with low comedy as class-envy, greed and passion drive the story to its tragic conclusion, despite many humorous pitfalls on the way. Alice, the young wife of well-to-do Arden, has fallen in love with Mosby, a one-time butcher with social aspirations. The solution is to murder Arden. Arden, a merchant.... Michael Pennington Franklin, his friend.... David Burke Alice, his wife.... Emily Hamilton Michael, their servant.... Giles Fagan Mosby, a steward.... Michael Maloney Susan, his sister.... Victoria Woodward Black Will, a rogue.... Anthony Jackson Adapted and directed by John Tydeman. Arden, a merchant....Michael Pennington Franklin, his friend....David Burke Alice, his wife....Emily Hamilton Michael, their servant....Giles Fagan Mosby, a steward....Michael Maloney Susan, his sister....Victoria Woodward Black Will, a rogue....Anthony Jackson | ||
| 20050828 | Women Beware Women Thomas Middleton's Jacobean classic in which the women are the worst betrayers. When Leantio's beautiful wife Bianca catches the eye of the Duke, the worldly Livia arranges an assignation, plunging Bianca into the vice and corruption of the court. Livia....Penny Downie Bianca....Beth Chalmers Leantio....John McAndrew Mother....Manon Edwards Guardiano....Bill Wallis Isabella....Sara McGaughey Hippolito....Andrew Wincott Fabritio....James Greene Duke....Nigel Terry Cardinal....Dorien Thomas Ward....Robert Harper Sordido....Simon Ludders Directed by Alison Hindell. Livia.... Penny Downie Bianca.... Beth Chalmers Leantio.... John McAndrew Mother.... Manon Edwards Guardiano.... Bill Wallis Isabella.... Sara McGaughey Hippolito.... Andrew Wincott Fabritio.... James Greene Duke.... Nigel Terry Cardinal.... Dorien Thomas Ward.... Robert Harper Sordido.... Simon Ludders | |||
| 20050911 | The Orchid Grower In 1964, KGB officer Yuri Nosenko defected to the USA in what should have been a major coup for the CIA. Sebastian Baczkiewicz tells the incredible story of Nosenko's four years of torture and imprisonment without trial as civil war raged within the CIA over his bona fides. A co-production with CBC, Canada, and based on an idea by journalist and Cold War expert Tom Mangold. Phil Kovacs (old)....Kenneth Welsh Phil Kovacs (young)....John Cleland James Angleton....Michael Murphy Yuri Nosenko....Leo Vernik Fran Kovacs....Emma Campbell Andy Dawson....Greg Ellwand Stan Forbes....Rod Wilson Frank Holmes....John Robinson Stacey....Tara Samuels Richard Helms....Chuck Shamata Dr Delamore....Michael Caruana Cal....Patrick McManus Bruce Solie....Barry Flatman Durand....Jonathan Higgins CIA Doctor....Gerry Mendicino Directed by Toby Swift Phil Kovacs (old).... Kenneth Welsh Phil Kovacs (young).... John Cleland James Angleton.... Michael Murphy Yuri Nosenko.... Leo Vernik Fran Kovacs.... Emma Campbell Andy Dawson.... Greg Ellwand Stan Forbes.... Rod Wilson Frank Holmes.... John Robinson Stacey.... Tara Samuels Richard Helms.... Chuck Shamata Dr Delamore.... Michael Caruana Cal.... Patrick McManus Bruce Solie.... Barry Flatman Durand.... Jonathan Higgins CIA Doctor.... Gerry Mendicino | |||
| 20050918 | War with the Newts By Karel Capek. Dramatised by George Poles. When humanity encounters another race of intelligent bipeds sharing the Earth, what choice is there but to exploit it? When the existence of a group of speaking newts comes to the attention of ruthless GH Bondy and his Salamander Syndicate the newts find themselves turned into a commodity, and fought over by nations. At its heart, this joyously funny satire is a plea for decency and tolerance towards others, as relevant now as when it was first written in the 1930s. Capek....Dermot Crowley Olga....Sally Hawkins Van Toch....Henry Goodman Povondra....Geoffrey Beevers Mrs Povondra....Tina Gray GH Bondy....Adrian Scarborough Ensemble....Ben Crowe, Martin Hyder and Geoff McGivern Capek.... Dermot Crowley Olga.... Sally Hawkins Van Toch.... Henry Goodman Povondra.... Geoffrey Beevers Mrs Povondra.... Tina Gray GH Bondy.... Adrian Scarborough Ensemble.... Ben Crowe, Martin Hyder and Geoff McGivern | |||
| 20050925 | The Rivals By Richard Brinsley Sheridan. 1775: The fashionable world descends on Bath, to take the waters and embroil themselves in a little romantic intrigue. Miss Lydia Languish, with a face and a fortune, is being wooed by no less than three rivals for her hand. Mrs Malaprop....Patricia Routledge Sir Anthony Absolute....Geoffrey Palmer Jack Absolute....Michael Maloney Lydia Languish....Sarah Crowe Faulkland....David Bamber Bob Acres....Peter Gunn Julia....Lucy Whybrow Sir Lucius O'Trigger....Sean Barrett Lucy....Clare Corbett Fag....Nick Fletcher David....Stephen Critchlow Thomas, the coachman....Barrie Jaimeson David Timson (adaptor/director) Mrs Malaprop.... Patricia Routledge Sir Anthony Absolute.... Geoffrey Palmer Jack Absolute.... Michael Maloney Lydia Languish.... Sarah Crowe Faulkland.... David Bamber Bob Acres.... Peter Gunn Julia.... Lucy Whybrow Sir Lucius O'Trigger.... Sean Barrett Lucy.... Clare Corbett Fag.... Nick Fletcher David.... Stephen Critchlow Thomas, the coachman.... Barrie Jaimeson | |||
| 20051002 | Days and Nights in Bedlam By Fred D'Aguiar. Set in a London mental hospital in the early 1980s. When Otis is taken to the closed ward, he is desperate to return to his Queen Penelope, and his Kingdom. While the staff diagnose him as delusional, fellow patients Larry and Harry plot to reach this Kingdom first - and take Otis' Queen as their own. Otis....Mo Sesay Gary....Don Gilet Deirdre....Daniela Nardini April....Alex Tregear Harry....Stephen Critchlow Larry....Carl Prekopp Penelope....Janice Acquah Carol Bayne (director/producer) Otis.... Mo Sesay Gary.... Don Gilet Deirdre.... Daniela Nardini April.... Alex Tregear Harry.... Stephen Critchlow Larry.... Carl Prekopp Penelope.... Janice Acquah | |||
| 20051005 | Betrayal By Harold Pinter. Pinter himself plays Robert, Patricia Hodge is Emma, and Michael Gambon is Jerry in the 1990 production of the celebrated study of infidelity and friendship. With Christopher Good and Elizabeth Mansfield. Directed by Ned Chaillet. | |||
| 20051009 | The Radetzky March By Joseph Roth. Adapted by Mike Walker, from the English translation of the novel by Michael Hofmann. The story of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, told through three generations of loyal servants to the Emperor - the men of the Trotta family. From the second half of the 19th Century when a Trotta saves the life of Franz Joseph on the battlefield, to the beginning of the 20th Century when world war and old age wipe the Trottas and their Empire from the map of Europe. Joseph Roth....Bill Wallis Emperor Franz Joseph....John Woodvine Joseph Trotta/Chojnicki/postman....Brian Pettifer Franz Trotta....Richard Bremmer Carl Joseph Trotta....Elliot Levey Moser/Wagner....Nicky Henson Jacques/Dr Skvoronnek....Clive Swift Frau Slama/Valli von Taussig....Eleanor Tremain With Paul Nicolson, Paul Dodgson, David Collins and Chris Garner. Music arranged and performed by Alexander Balanescu. Directed by Tim Dee. Joseph Roth.... Bill Wallis Emperor Franz Joseph.... John Woodvine Joseph Trotta/Chojnicki/postman.... Brian Pettifer Franz Trotta.... Richard Bremmer Carl Joseph Trotta.... Elliot Levey Moser/Wagner.... Nicky Henson Jacques/Dr Skvoronnek.... Clive Swift Frau Slama/Valli von Taussig.... Eleanor Tremain | |||
| 20051016 | A Bequest to the Nation By Terence Rattigan, with Kenneth Branagh, Janet McTeer, Amanda Root and John Shrapnel. The passionate relationship between Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton causes tensions and friction amongst Nelson's family and colleagues. What does the greatest naval hero of the day see in this drunken, vulgar woman? Rattigan's play sets out to explain this enigma. Set in Bath and London, Autumn 1805. Lord Nelson....Kenneth Branagh Emma Hamilton....Janet McTeer Frances, Lady Nelson....Amanda Root Lord Minto....John Shrapnel George Matcham, Junior....Steven France Captain Hardy....Gerard Horan Lord Barham....Stephen Thorne George Matcham, Senior....Anthony Jackson Katherine Matcham....Patience Tomlinson Lord Nelson.... Kenneth Branagh Emma Hamilton.... Janet McTeer Frances, Lady Nelson.... Amanda Root Lord Minto.... John Shrapnel George Matcham, Junior.... Steven France Captain Hardy.... Gerard Horan Lord Barham.... Stephen Thorne George Matcham, Senior.... Anthony Jackson Katherine Matcham.... Patience Tomlinson | |||
| 20051023 | Talking to Terrorists By Robin Soans. A play based on interviews with people involved in terrorism around the globe, and those seeking to counter it. The writer, director and actors involved carried out the interviews to try to discover what makes ordinary people do extreme things. Plus contributions from peacemakers, politicians, warriors, journalists, hostages and psychologists. The stories take us from Uganda, Israel, Turkey, Iraq and Ireland to the heart of the British establishment. An ex-member of the National Resistance Army, Uganda....Chip Chung An ex-member of the UVF....Jonathan Cullen Edward, a psychologist....Christopher Ettridge An ex-member of the Kurdish Workers' Party....Alexander Hanson An ex-member of the IRA....Lloyd Hutchinson Rima, a journalist....Catherine Russell The ex-head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Bethlehem....Chris Ryman An ex-Secretary of State....June Watson Directed by Max Stafford-Clark. An ex-member of the National Resistance Army, Uganda.... Chip Chung An ex-member of the UVF.... Jonathan Cullen Edward, a psychologist.... Christopher Ettridge An ex-member of the Kurdish Workers' Party.... Alexander Hanson An ex-member of the IRA.... Lloyd Hutchinson Rima, a journalist.... Catherine Russell The ex-head of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Bethlehem.... Chris Ryman An ex-Secretary of State.... June Watson | |||
| 20051030 | Troilus and Cressida By William Shakespeare. Set during the Trojan War, Shakespeare's hugely powerful drama is both the story of doomed love and a representation of the futility of war. It is also an extraordinarily topical enquiry into ethics, value and the slippery nature of truth. This production is the first on radio for more than 20 years. Troilus....Paterson Joseph Pandarus....Derek Griffiths Aeneas....Jimmy Akingbola Cressida....Nikki Amuka-Bird Agamemnon....Gerard McDermott Menelaus....John Cummins Nestor....John Rowe Ajax....Harry Myers Thersites....Toby Jones Achilles....Neil Dudgeon Patroclus....Jim Sturgess Ulysses....Paul Rhys Diomedes....Jonathan Keeble Helen....Colleen Prendergast Hector....Ray Fearon Paris....Chu Omambala Cassandra....Gbemisola Ikumelo Priam....Burt Caesar Andromache....Ndidi Ama Directed by Marc Beeby. Troilus.... Paterson Joseph Pandarus.... Derek Griffiths Aeneas.... Jimmy Akingbola Cressida.... Nikki Amuka-Bird Agamemnon.... Gerard McDermott Menelaus.... John Cummins Nestor.... John Rowe Ajax.... Harry Myers Thersites.... Toby Jones Achilles.... Neil Dudgeon Patroclus.... Jim Sturgess Ulysses.... Paul Rhys Diomedes.... Jonathan Keeble Helen.... Colleen Prendergast Hector.... Ray Fearon Paris.... Chu Omambala Cassandra.... Gbemisola Ikumelo Priam.... Burt Caesar Andromache.... Ndidi Ama | |||
| 20051106 | Radio 3 marks the 400th anniversary of the plot to blow up King James I and his Parliament with a play that looks at how the Establishment deals with a terrorist threat. The Gunpowder Plot By Jonathan Davidson. Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, ruthlessly and efficiently conducts the hunt for the plotters - but his real target is Father Henry Garnet, leader of the Jesuits. Lord Salisbury....David Calder Lord Popham....Sean Arnold King James....Cal Macaninch Father Garnet....John Henshaw Father Oldcorn....Hugh Dickson Anne Vaux....Helen Longworth Nicholas Owen....Ben Crowe Thomas Bromley....Trevor Cuthbertson Carey....Gary McFarlane Adviser....Chris Moran Servant 1....Anthony Glennon Directed by David Hunter. Lord Salisbury.... David Calder Lord Popham.... Sean Arnold King James.... Cal Macaninch Father Garnet.... John Henshaw Father Oldcorn.... Hugh Dickson Anne Vaux.... Helen Longworth Nicholas Owen.... Ben Crowe Thomas Bromley.... Trevor Cuthbertson Carey.... Gary McFarlane Adviser.... Chris Moran Servant 1.... Anthony Glennon | |||
| 20051113 | Much Ado about Nothing Shakespeare's delightful comedy sparkles with the verbal sparring of our two reluctant lovers in a world where nothing is quite what it seems. David Tennant and Samantha Spiro star as Benedick and Beatrice, with an introduction by Sir Richard Eyre. Leonato....David Swift Beatrice....Samantha Spiro Hero....Emilia Fox Antonio/Sexton....Sean Baker Don Pedro....David Westhead Claudio....Chiwetel Ejiofor Benedick....David Tennant Don John....Julian Rhind-Tutt Borachio....Stephen Critchlow Conrade....Jonathan Keeble Dogberry....David Haig Verges....Peter Gunn Margaret....Maxine Peake Ursula....Helen Ayres Friar Francis....Dermot Crowley Original music written and performed Simon Oakes and Adam Wolters. Directed by Sally Avens. Leonato.... David Swift Beatrice.... Samantha Spiro Hero.... Emilia Fox Antonio/Sexton.... Sean Baker Don Pedro.... David Westhead Claudio.... Chiwetel Ejiofor Benedick.... David Tennant Don John.... Julian Rhind-Tutt Conrade.... Jonathan Keeble Dogberry.... David Haig Verges.... Peter Gunn Margaret.... Maxine Peake Ursula.... Helen Ayres Friar Francis.... Dermot Crowley | |||
| 20051120 | Macbeth By William Shakespeare. Sir Richard Eyre made his radio directorial debut for this version of The Bard's tale of power and jealousy. Macbeth....Ken Stott Lady Macbeth/Third Witch....Phyllis Logan Macduff....Tom Mannion Banquo....Liam Brennan Duncan....Hugh Ross Malcolm....Alan Cox Lennox....Paul Higgins Ross....Alastair Galbraith Porter....Kenny Ireland Old Man....Graham Crowden Doctor....Ken Drury Seyton....Iain Stuart Robertson First Witch/Lady Macduff....Tracy Wiles Second Witch/Gentlewoman....Kathleen McGoldrick Macbeth.... Ken Stott Lady Macbeth/Third Witch.... Phyllis Logan Macduff.... Tom Mannion Banquo.... Liam Brennan Duncan.... Hugh Ross Malcolm.... Alan Cox Lennox.... Paul Higgins Ross.... Alastair Galbraith Porter.... Kenny Ireland Old Man.... Graham Crowden Doctor.... Ken Drury Seyton.... Iain Stuart Robertson First Witch/Lady Macduff.... Tracy Wiles Second Witch/Gentlewoman.... Kathleen McGoldrick | |||
| 20051204 | The Sicilian Expedition By John Fletcher. Almost 2500 years ago, a confident young general persuaded Athens to launch an attack on Sicily. Alcibiades was a member of the Athenian baby boomer generation, whose elders had fought to give their children a society of justice, wealth and education. The baby boomers explored every sexual avenue, took drugs to excess, and became the greatest consumers of the most exotic products in human history. Then it all went wrong. Within two years of the defeat in Sicily, imperial, democratic Athens, the pinnacle of human civilisation, lay in ruins. Yet, as the city endured its death agonies, something new and wonderful was born: the Socratic idea of universal love. Socrates....James Laurenson Alcibiades....Julian Rhind-Tutt Callias....Richard Nichols Theodote....Mia Soteriou Nicias....Jonathan Nibbs Taureas....Matthew Morgan Agathon....Richard Mitchley Spartan Soldier....Nathan Sussex Bagoas....Brendan Charleson Mantitheus....Jonathan Floyd Mother....Christine Pritchard Original Music by John Hardy. Directed by Kate McAll. Socrates.... James Laurenson Alcibiades.... Julian Rhind-Tutt Callias.... Richard Nichols Theodote.... Mia Soteriou Nicias.... Jonathan Nibbs Taureas.... Matthew Morgan Agathon.... Richard Mitchley Spartan Soldier.... Nathan Sussex Bagoas.... Brendan Charleson Mantitheus.... Jonathan Floyd Mother.... Christine Pritchard | |||
| 20051211 | Andalus By Jason Webster, dramatised by Tina Pepler. A young English writer sets out to discover Spain's hidden Moorish past. He visits an enormous, plastic-sheeted farm and witnesses farmers terrorising the largely North African workforce. His life is threatened as he covertly tours this agricultural gulag, but is saved by an illegal immigrant. The unlikely pair of writer and desperado take off on a rollercoaster ride through Andalucía. Jason....Joe McFadden Zine....Omar Berdouni Lucia....Azucena Duran Salud, Carmen....Nuria Benet Mother, doctor....Montserrat Gili Amadeo, priest....Javier Marzan Pedro, Sergio....Luis Soto Old man....Nayef Rashed Produced by Steven Canny. Jason.... Joe McFadden Zine.... Omar Berdouni Lucia.... Azucena Duran Salud, Carmen.... Nuria Benet Mother, doctor.... Montserrat Gili Amadeo, priest.... Javier Marzan Pedro, Sergio.... Luis Soto Old man.... Nayef Rashed | |||
| 20051225 | Mr Fielding's Scandal Shop By Liz Kuti. In 1737, Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones and scourge of Walpole's corrupt parliament, astonished the world by rejoining the Establishment. London's most infamous libertine became a magistrate - outlawing plays and players. But at what cost, to himself and to those who had loved and admired him? Henry Fielding....Richard McCabe Charlotte Charke....Lizzie McInnerny Robert Walpole....Ron Cook Richard Yates....Nickolas Grace Eliza Hayward....Frances Tomelty Mary Fielding....Alison Pettitt The Ale House maid....Amy Marston Mr Ravenhill....Christopher Adlington Colley Cibber....Robert Price Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan. Henry Fielding.... Richard McCabe Charlotte Charke.... Lizzie McInnerny Robert Walpole.... Ron Cook Richard Yates.... Nickolas Grace Eliza Hayward.... Frances Tomelty Mary Fielding.... Alison Pettitt The Ale House maid.... Amy Marston Mr Ravenhill.... Christopher Adlington Colley Cibber.... Robert Price | |||
| 20060101 | The Club By Gregory Whitehead. At the height of the American 'Gilded Age', members of an elegant New England social and croquet club performed an elaborate if somewhat distasteful ritual. In 1915, sculptress Frieda Hopkins created Seven Feet With Four Toes in solid alabaster. Almost a century later the sculptures now act as iconic magnets for post-feminists and foot fetishists from around the globe. Queen of Clubs....Elizabeth Aspenlieder Genealogist....George Bergen The Curator....Hillary Deeley Mushroom Mike....Mike Dowling Marilyn Mathiessen....Marilyn Hunter Jacqui Rivers....Karen Lee Sarah Fitzgibbons....Sara Paul Mira....Anne Undeland Charles Dove....Jon Swan Brace Winter....Gregory Whitehead Songs composed and performed by Richard Busch. Queen of Clubs.... Elizabeth Aspenlieder Genealogist.... George Bergen The Curator.... Hillary Deeley Mushroom Mike.... Mike Dowling Marilyn Mathiessen.... Marilyn Hunter Jacqui Rivers.... Karen Lee Sarah Fitzgibbons.... Sara Paul Mira.... Anne Undeland Charles Dove.... Jon Swan Brace Winter.... Gregory Whitehead | |||
| 20060108 | Black Dirt By Nell Leyshon. Frank Lovell lies ill in bed, surrounded by his son who has learning difficulties, his daughter and son- in law. As the morphine enters his bloodstream, suppressed memories of a past tragedy resurface. Entwined with the story of the young Frank and his sister Iris are fables - Bible stories and the legends of Kings Arthur and Alfred. Amongst the portrait of a family and the secrets and lies that bind them together, is an examination of Englishness and a rural landscape which is fast disappearing. Father....Peter Hamilton Dyer Mother....Rosalind March Young Frank Lovell....Jack Thompson Rylance Iris....Carly Bawden Frank Lovell....Ewan Hopper Margaret Lovell....Helen Slesinger George Lovell....Alan Williams Brian....Robert Pickavance Directed in Manchester by Susan Roberts Father.... Peter Hamilton Dyer Mother.... Rosalind March Young Frank Lovell.... Jack Thompson Rylance Iris.... Carly Bawden Frank Lovell.... Ewan Hopper Margaret Lovell.... Helen Slesinger George Lovell.... Alan Williams Brian.... Robert Pickavance | |||
| 20060115 | Writing the City: New plays celebrating Leeds by Tajinder Hayer, Jodie Marshall, Alan Plater, Jane Rogers and Eamon Rooney; with Simon Armitage and Michelle Scally-Clarke performing new poems. | |||
| 20060122 | Hold My Breath By Ryan Craig. The life of a young Black school teacher with a profound love of life, her students and Plato, is turned upside down by an unexpected and appalling accusation. This and the lack of support from her boyfriend is enough to set her off on an odyssey from her East London flat to a bizarre encounter in Oxford Circus with a man she meets over the internet. Tessa....Ayesha Antoine Russ....Nick Sayce Tony....Delroy Brown Sparks....John Cummins Sadie....Ella Smith Fran....Sophie Roberts Luke....Carl Prekopp Linda....Claire Louise Cordwell Norris....Philip Fox David Pickvance (original music) Produced by Steven Canny. Tessa.... Ayesha Antoine Russ.... Nick Sayce Tony.... Delroy Brown Sparks.... John Cummins Sadie.... Ella Smith Fran.... Sophie Roberts Luke.... Carl Prekopp Linda.... Claire Louise Cordwell Norris.... Philip Fox | |||
| 20060129 | Pale Fire A dramatisation of Vladimir Nabokov's great novel by the Sony Award-winning playwright Robert Forrest. Published in 1962, Pale Fire ranks alongside James Joyce's Ulysses and Marcel Proust's À La Recherche du Temps Perdu as one of the masterpieces of 20th century fiction. Comic, tragic, heartbreaking, Shakespearean in its almost infinite depth and beauty, it moves between leafy Appalachia and the mysterious far northern kingdom of Zembla, telling the story of a homely American poet and his regally demented neighbour. Charles Kinbote....Finlay Welsh John Shade....Angus MacInnes Sybil Shade....Joanna Tope Professor Hurley....Crawford Logan Odon....Richard Greenwood Disa....Gayanne Potter Director Patrick Rayner. Charles Kinbote.... Finlay Welsh John Shade.... Angus MacInnes Sybil Shade.... Joanna Tope Professor Hurley.... Crawford Logan Odon.... Richard Greenwood Disa.... Gayanne Potter | |||
| 20060205 | Snow By Orhan Pamuk, dramatised by James Friel and translated by Maureen Freely. Ka, a poet and political exile, returns to Turkey to write an investigative piece about troubling events in the mysterious, snow-shrouded city of Kars - a place haunted by the silences of its own history. Orhan....Robert Glenister Ka....William Houston Ipek....Lia Williams Kadife....Jasmine Hyde Necip/Fazil....Philip Arditti Turgut Bey....Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim....Jack Klaff Funda Esser....Nina Wadia Director....Nadim Sawalha Blue....Michael Maloney Cavit/Agent....Ben Crowe Z Demirkol....Stephen Critchlow Director Marilyn Imrie. Orhan.... Robert Glenister Ka.... William Houston Ipek.... Lia Williams Kadife.... Jasmine Hyde Necip/Fazil.... Philip Arditti Turgut Bey.... Philip Jackson Sunay Zaim.... Jack Klaff Funda Esser.... Nina Wadia Director.... Nadim Sawalha Blue.... Michael Maloney Cavit/Agent.... Ben Crowe Z Demirkol.... Stephen Critchlow | |||
| 20060212 | I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Shout By Laurence Allan. Summertime Jones, an old time jazz enthusiast, sets off on a quest from Tiger Bay in Cardiff to the US. As Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, Summertime tries to reach his city of dreams. Buddy Bolden is one of the original greats of the American jazz scene and this musical road movie captures the spirit of Bolden. Summertime....Lennie James Buzz....Joanna Griffiths Cordelli....Kerry Shale Brady....Colin Stinton Lips....Ram John Holder Freddie....Jim Findley Elaine/Susan....Carolyn Pickles Dermot/Willy....Patrick Brennan Kid....Benjamin Mackenzie Original jazz music composed by Rob Smith. Claude Deppa (cornet/trumpet/flugel horn) Gareth Roberts (trombone) Rob Smith (saxophone, clarinet) Director Kate Rowland. Summertime.... Lennie James Buzz.... Joanna Griffiths Cordelli.... Kerry Shale Brady.... Colin Stinton Lips.... Ram John Holder Freddie.... Jim Findley Elaine/Susan.... Carolyn Pickles Dermot/Willy.... Patrick Brennan Kid.... Benjamin Mackenzie | |||
| 20060219 | Revenge A production for radio of Michael Duke's acclaimed play for Tinderbox Theatre Company about lives shattered by tragic, violent loss during the conflict in Northern Ireland. Finding themselves left behind by the peace process, one family is suddenly faced with an agonising moral choice. It's Samhain, the Celtic festival of New Year, when during the hours of darkness the veil between the living and the dead is lifted. On this night, they can bring back to life those they lost and long for, but there will be a high price to pay. Old Woman....Barbara Adair Boy....Daniel McGrady Father....Lalor Roddy Mother....Marcella Riordan Grandfather....Al Logan Bride....Abigail McGibbon Woman 1....Libby Smyth Woman 2....Brigid Erin Bates Son/David....Michael Condron Peter....Packy Lee Mae....Gemma Burns Angela....Carol Moore Bomber....Richard Dormer Music composed by Neil Martin, and performed by Neil Martin, Colin Stark and Mary Dillon. Directed by Anna Newell. Old Woman.... Barbara Adair Boy.... Daniel McGrady Father.... Lalor Roddy Mother.... Marcella Riordan Grandfather.... Al Logan Bride.... Abigail McGibbon Woman 1.... Libby Smyth Woman 2.... Brigid Erin Bates Son/David.... Michael Condron Peter.... Packy Lee Mae.... Gemma Burns Angela.... Carol Moore Bomber.... Richard Dormer | |||
| 20060226 | Lost in Liverpool Storylined by Val McDermid, written by Martin O'Brien, Christine Marshall, Barbara Phillips, Jonathan Larkin, Charlotte Allan and Paul Butler. A tense thriller recorded on location in the famous Williamson tunnels under Liverpool. Morgan McCarthy is missing; so is a priceless map of the Williamson tunnels. Why has she taken it? Who is after her? Why do they want the map so badly? Williamson....Stuart Richman Jerry/Anthony....Samuel James Hudson Morgan....Katy Cavanagh Radio reporter/Passenger 1/Slave....Danielle Henry Dermot....John McArdle Michael....Matthew Lewney Tommy....Paul Regan Mary/Jo....Ann Rye Producers Gary Brown and Polly Thomas. Williamson.... Stuart Richman Jerry/Anthony.... Samuel James Hudson Morgan.... Katy Cavanagh Radio reporter/Passenger 1/Slave.... Danielle Henry Dermot.... John McArdle Michael.... Matthew Lewney Tommy.... Paul Regan Mary/Jo.... Ann Rye | |||
| 20060305 | Shylock By Arnold Wesker. One of the foremost playwrights of his generation creates a startling new perspective on an age-old story. Shylock's close friend Antonio needs a loan, but 16th-century Venetian law discriminates against Jews. For Shylock's own protection, Antonio persuades him to agree a bond. They laugh as Shylock invents the absurd forfeit of a pound of flesh - but their mockery of the law may easily turn to tragedy. Shylock Kolner....Henry Goodman Antonio....Ronald Pickup Portia Contarini....Juliet Stevenson Nerissa....Noma Dumezweni Bassanio....Toby Stephens Rivka....Sheila Steafel Jessica....Lydia Leonard Tubal di Ponti....Jonathan Tafler Lorenzo....Geoffrey Streatfeild Graziano....Nicholas Boulton Rebecca da Mendes....Jennie Stoller The Doge/Solomon Usque....Geoffrey Beevers Roderigues da Cunha....Anthony Glennon Singer....Annette Ross Producer/Director David Hitchinson. Shylock Kolner.... Henry Goodman Antonio.... Ronald Pickup Portia Contarini.... Juliet Stevenson Nerissa.... Noma Dumezweni Bassanio.... Toby Stephens Rivka.... Sheila Steafel Jessica.... Lydia Leonard Tubal di Ponti.... Jonathan Tafler Lorenzo.... Geoffrey Streatfeild Graziano.... Nicholas Boulton Rebecca da Mendes.... Jennie Stoller The Doge/Solomon Usque.... Geoffrey Beevers Roderigues da Cunha.... Anthony Glennon Singer.... Annette Ross | |||
| 20060312 | The History Boys By Alan Bennett, adapted for radio by Richard Wortley from Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre production. More than three decades on from Forty Years On, Bennett turns his attention once more to education - encompassing both the tussles of staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence. Hector....Richard Griffiths Irwin....Geoffrey Streatfeild Mrs Lintott....Frances de la Tour The Headmaster....Clive Merrison Crowther....Samuel Anderson Posner....Samuel Barnett Dakin....Dominic Cooper Timms....James Corden Akthar....Sacha Dhawan Lockwood....Andrew Knott Scripps....Jamie Parker Rudge....Russell Tovey Samuel Barnett (singer) Jamie Parker, Tom Attwood (piano) Producer David Hunter. Swan Song By Anton Chekhov, translated by Michael Frayn. Following his final performance in a run-down provincial theatre, an elderly Russian actor confronts his ghosts. Did he ever really have talent? The actor....Paul Scofield The prompter....Alec McCowen Director Martin Jenkins. Hector.... Richard Griffiths Irwin.... Geoffrey Streatfeild Mrs Lintott.... Frances de la Tour The Headmaster.... Clive Merrison Crowther.... Samuel Anderson Posner.... Samuel Barnett Dakin.... Dominic Cooper Timms.... James Corden Akthar.... Sacha Dhawan Lockwood.... Andrew Knott Scripps.... Jamie Parker Rudge.... Russell Tovey The actor.... Paul Scofield The prompter.... Alec McCowen | |||
| 20060319 | When You Cure Me By Jack Thorne. Rachel and Peter are 17 and in love. It's love's young dream, but then Rachel gets ill - seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss. She doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend, and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. The only person she wants is Peter, but Peter doesn't know what he wants. Produced in association with The Bush Theatre, London. Rachel....Morven Christie Peter....Samuel Barnett James....Daniel Bayle Alice....Lisa McDonald Angela....Gwyneth Strong Producer Steven Canny. Rachel.... Morven Christie Peter.... Samuel Barnett James.... Daniel Bayle Alice.... Lisa McDonald Angela.... Gwyneth Strong | |||
| 20060326 | Handprint By Debbie Tucker Green. Every tiny nuance is captured in an intense encounter between a man and a woman in a bar. Over the course of one evening, we discover what led them both here and what compels them to keep talking to each other. Woman....Nadine Marshall Man....Paterson Joseph Wife....Angela Wynter Narrator....Noma Dumezweni Sister....Jo Martin Dad....Ram John Holder Vocalist....Sharon D Clarke Director Mary Peate. Woman.... Nadine Marshall Man.... Paterson Joseph Wife.... Angela Wynter Narrator.... Noma Dumezweni Sister.... Jo Martin Dad.... Ram John Holder Vocalist.... Sharon D Clarke | |||
| 20060416 | As part of Radio 3's Samuel Beckett season, a performance of his classic, Waiting for Godot. Two tramps wait on a lonely road for the elusive Godot. They pass the time with storytelling, and their everyday conversation takes on a universal significance. Vladimir....Sean Barrett Estragon....David Burke Lucky/narrator....Nigel Anthony Pozzo....Terence Rigby Boy....Zachary Fox Director John Tydeman. Vladimir.... Sean Barrett Estragon.... David Burke Lucky/narrator.... Nigel Anthony Pozzo.... Terence Rigby Boy.... Zachary Fox | |||
| 20060430 | Billiards at Half Past Nine By Heinrich Böll. Dramatised by Claire Luckham. The action takes place in Germany in the summer of 1958 when the Faehmel family meet to celebrate Heinrich Faehmel's eightieth birthday. In the course of one day Böll reveals the crucial incidents in the past of a family of architects, from the Wilhelminian empire through Weimar and Hitler to the prosperous West Germany of the 1950s. Based on Böll's novel of the same name, it is a searing examination of the moral crises of post war Germany. Billiards at Half Past Nine is considered to be the novel which won Böll the Nobel Prize. Robert....Michael Maloney Jochen....Sam Beazley Schrella....Kenneth Cranham Nettlinger....Henry Goodman Ruth....Jasmine Hyde Joanna....Dilys Laye Heinrich....Geoffrey Palmer Hugo....Paul Ready Joseph....Daniel Weyman Young Heinrich....Oscar Fletcher Composer/Music Arranger....Orlando Gough Solo Songs....Melanie Pappenheim Choir....Christ Church, Knightsbridge German Speaking Church Choir Director....Roxana Silbert Robert.... Michael Maloney Jochen.... Sam Beazley Schrella.... Kenneth Cranham Nettlinger.... Henry Goodman Ruth.... Jasmine Hyde Joanna.... Dilys Laye Heinrich.... Geoffrey Palmer Hugo.... Paul Ready Joseph.... Daniel Weyman Young Heinrich.... Oscar Fletcher Composer/Music Arranger.... Orlando Gough Solo Songs.... Melanie Pappenheim Choir.... Christ Church, Knightsbridge Director.... Roxana Silbert | |||
| 20060507 | The Possessed By Lou Stein, from the book by Fyodor Dostoevsky. A group of dissidents and self-proclaimed revolutionaries are intent on causing chaos in a small town in 1870s Russia - spurred on by a demonic and manipulative ringleader. Govorov....John Sessions Varvara Petrovna....Susannah York Peter Verhovensky....Paul McGann Nikolai Stavrogin....Benedict Cumberbatch Liza/Marya....Anne-Marie Duff Virginsky/Kirillov....Dexter Fletcher Liputin/Stepan....Roger Lloyd Pack Shatov....Brian Bovell English translation by Tatiana Bazhenova. Original music by Deirdre Gribbin and produced by Lou Stein. Govorov.... John Sessions Varvara Petrovna.... Susannah York Peter Verhovensky.... Paul McGann Nikolai Stavrogin.... Benedict Cumberbatch Liza/Marya.... Anne-Marie Duff Virginsky/Kirillov.... Dexter Fletcher Liputin/Stepan.... Roger Lloyd Pack Shatov.... Brian Bovell | |||
| 20060514 | The Maids By Jean Genet. In 1940s Paris, two sisters indulge in erotic and secret rituals of revenge against their wealthy employers - with fatal consequences. A new translation for radio by Neil Bartlett of Genet's darkly disturbing play about suppressed hatred and oppression. Claire....Victoria Hamilton Solange....Janet McTeer Madame....Rebecca Johnson Music composed by David Pickvance. Directed by Gemma Jenkins. Claire.... Victoria Hamilton Solange.... Janet McTeer Madame.... Rebecca Johnson | |||
| 20060521 | The Pretenders By Henrik Ibsen, translated by Michael Meyer. In a bitter struggle for absolute power, three single minded and self-centred men drag their country into bloody civil war. Haakon....Michael Sheen Nicholas....Paul Scofield Skule....Gerard Murphy Ragnhild, his wife....Sarah Badel Margaret, his daughter....Jasmine Hyde Sigrid, his sister....Maureen O'Brien Dagfinn....David Bannerman Gregorious....John Evitts Paul Flida....Carl Prekopp Ivar Bodde....Ian Masters Peter....James D'Arcy Jatgheir....Ben Crowe Baard Bratte....David Collings Sigard....Sam Crane Director Martin Jenkins. Haakon.... Michael Sheen Nicholas.... Paul Scofield Skule.... Gerard Murphy Ragnhild, his wife.... Sarah Badel Margaret, his daughter.... Jasmine Hyde Sigrid, his sister.... Maureen O'Brien Dagfinn.... David Bannerman Gregorious.... John Evitts Paul Flida.... Carl Prekopp Ivar Bodde.... Ian Masters Peter.... James D'Arcy Jatgheir.... Ben Crowe Baard Bratte.... David Collings Sigard.... Sam Crane | |||
| 20060528 | The Lysistrata Project By Ryan Craig. A contemporary re-working of Aristophanes' classic play, developed with the help of young people living and studying in London. Lacy....Ayesha Antoine Lucas....Javone Prince Mike....Mohammed George Kelly....Gbemisola Ikumelo Colin....Carl Prekopp Maria/Tanya....Claire Louise Cordwell Jake/Dave....Mark Monero Director Marc Beeby. Lacy.... Ayesha Antoine Lucas.... Javone Prince Mike.... Mohammed George Kelly.... Gbemisola Ikumelo Colin.... Carl Prekopp Maria/Tanya.... Claire Louise Cordwell Jake/Dave.... Mark Monero | |||
| 20060604 | Breakfast With Mugabe By Fraser Grace. The year is 2001. President Mugabe and his wife are holed up in the State House in Harare, in paranoid terror. He is being stalked by an ngozi or bitter spirit - the murderous ghost of a long-dead comrade. Fearing for his sanity, Mugabe turns to a white psychiatrist for help. Witty and provocative, Fraser Grace's new play imagines the combative relationship between the black president and his white psychiatrist. In a series of bruising encounters, Breakfast with Mugabe explores the conflict between despotism and liberalism in modern Zimbabwe. Grace Mugabe....Noma Dumezweni Robert Mugabe....Joseph Mydell Gabriel Marunda....Christopher Obi Andrew Peric....David Rintoul Director Antony Sher. Grace Mugabe.... Noma Dumezweni Robert Mugabe.... Joseph Mydell Gabriel Marunda.... Christopher Obi Andrew Peric.... David Rintoul | |||
| 20060611 | Gilgamesh A radio drama version of Gilgamesh, adapted by Jeremy Howe, from the English version by Stephen Mitchell. Music by Paul Dodgson. The epic of Gilgamesh was written in ancient Mesopotamia over 4000 years ago. Many people think it was the first story to be written down. It tells of the prowess of King Gilgamesh and his acquisition of a friend, Enkidu, and their adventures in the wilderness, battling monsters, in search of immortality. Gilgamesh....Joe Dixon Enkidu....Adam Levy Narrator....Kenneth Cranham Shamhat, Ishtar....Kananu Kirimi Lady Ninsun, Scorpion woman....Eve Matheson Prologue, Anu....Robert Gwilym Soldier, Utnapishtim....Bill Wallis Humbaba, Ninurta....David Collins Scorpion man; Ea....Chris Donnelly Urshanabi; Enlil....Paul Nicholson Producer Tim Dee. Gilgamesh.... Joe Dixon Enkidu.... Adam Levy Narrator.... Kenneth Cranham Shamhat, Ishtar.... Kananu Kirimi Lady Ninsun, Scorpion woman.... Eve Matheson Prologue, Anu.... Robert Gwilym Soldier, Utnapishtim.... Bill Wallis Humbaba, Ninurta.... David Collins Scorpion man; Ea.... Chris Donnelly Urshanabi; Enlil.... Paul Nicholson | |||
| 20060612 | Features Like Mine By Ted Whitehead. A man returns to his home town and re-examines his relationship with his father. Tony....Jonathan Pryce Bridget....Sue Johnston Dominic....Tom Bell Director Bruce Hyman. Producer Helen Chattwell. Tony.... Jonathan Pryce Bridget.... Sue Johnston Dominic.... Tom Bell | |||
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| 20060702 | The Lion of Chechnya In the middle of the 19th Century, Chechen leader Shamyl united the Muslim tribes of the Caucasus against the Russian empire. But, after an early military defeat, Shamyl was forced to hand over one of his sons to the Russian army. The boy grew up devoted to Russia and the tsar. Leila Aboulela's play focuses on Shamyl's fateful decision to kidnap a Georgian princess in retaliation for the loss of his son. Shamyl....Raad Rawi Princess Anna....Katherine Igoe Prince David....Matthew Pidgeon Tsar....Michael Cochrane Madame Drancy....Caroline Loncq Alexander....Jordan Waller Jamal....Shiv Grewal Khazi....Ben Onwukwe Chouanette....Abigail Thaw Ameena....Sarah Ozeke Zaidette....Nina Wadia Jamaluddin....Renu Setna Lezgin....Harry Myers Cousin/sergeant/Russian general....Richard Katz Producer/director Bruce Young. The Lion of Chechnya In the middle of the 19th Century, Chechen leader Shamyl united the Muslim tribes of the Caucasus against the Russian empire. But, after an early military defeat, Shamyl was forced to hand over one of his sons to the Russian army. The boy grew up devoted to Russia and the tsar. Leila Aboulela's play focuses on Shamyl's fateful decision to kidnap a Georgian princess in retaliation for the loss of his son. Shamyl.... Raad Rawi Princess Anna.... Katherine Igoe Prince David.... Matthew Pidgeon Tsar.... Michael Cochrane Madame Drancy.... Caroline Loncq Alexander.... Jordan Waller Jamal.... Shiv Grewal Khazi.... Ben Onwukwe Chouanette.... Abigail Thaw Ameena.... Sarah Ozeke Zaidette.... Nina Wadia Jamaluddin.... Renu Setna Lezgin.... Harry Myers Cousin/sergeant/Russian general.... Richard Katz Producer/director Bruce Young. | |||
| 20060709 | Hotel Cristobel By Caryl Phillips. Caribbean independence is re-imagined in a struggle for control of a fading hotel on a small and beautiful island. The English woman who has always managed and owned Hotel Cristobel cannot accept that her era is over and that her servant John and the mysterious visitor Mr Schultz from New York might take her hotel away. The play, recorded in New York, is a gripping drama of power, and perhaps love. Kathleen....Rosemary Harris John.... Michael Potts Schultz....Stephen Spinella Director Ned Chaillet. Kathleen.... Rosemary Harris Schultz.... Stephen Spinella | |||
| 20060723 | Doggies Nirvana By Jin Yun Original translation by Ying Ruocheng In a new version for radio by Kevin Wong Jin Yun's 1986 play for the Beijing People's Arts Theatre has become a modern classic of Chinese theatre: a broad, bitter comedy which takes a sideways look at Chinese history through the tortured relationship of one man and a patch of land. This new production for BBC Radio 3 marks the play's first ever performance in the UK. Doggie's a nobody. A peasant farmer, his simple desire for a harvest of his own condemns him to 40 years of chaos, as history takes him on a wild switchback of fortunes. Doggie....Duncan Preston Qi....Tony Haygarth Wang....Benedict Wong Shu....Paul Courtney-Hyu Jinhua....Su-Lin Looi Dahu....Daniel York Meng....Liz Sutherland Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. Doggie.... Duncan Preston Qi.... Tony Haygarth Wang.... Benedict Wong Shu.... Paul Courtney-Hyu Jinhua.... Su-Lin Looi Dahu.... Daniel York Meng.... Liz Sutherland | |||
| 20060730 | Salome A new version by Lizzie Hopley. The myth of Salome and the dance of the seven veils began as a brief reference in the bible. It was later popularised in Wilde's highly sexual rendering of the tale. This new version focuses on the tense family drama at the centre of the myth. Set on the brink of a new era - while a young carpenter is travelling across Israel propagating his new religion - this story revolves around a girl on the threshold of womanhood, who has been torn from her father and the world she knows, when her mother falls in love with Salome's Uncle, Herod Antipas. Pharisee....Ian Brooker Herod....Kenneth Cranham John The Baptist....Tony Curran Mannai/Saducee....Paul Dinnen Salome....Florence Hoath Joanna....Sally Hawkins Chuza....Karl Johnson Sejanus....Gerrard McArthur Herodias....Fenella Woolgar All other parts played by members of the cast. Directed by Lu Kemp Pharisee.... Ian Brooker Herod.... Kenneth Cranham John The Baptist.... Tony Curran Mannai/Saducee.... Paul Dinnen Salome.... Florence Hoath Joanna.... Sally Hawkins Chuza.... Karl Johnson Sejanus.... Gerrard McArthur Herodias.... Fenella Woolgar | |||
| 20060806 | Mrs Warren's Profession By Bernard Shaw The issue of Victorian prostitution and double standards are examined in dramatic form as Mrs Warren reveals to her daughter the source of her income and admits her daughter's own parentage. Having completed her studies at Cambridge, Vivie Warren intends to become a lawyer. She has two suitors, Frank Gardiner, the son of the local rector and an older man-about-town, Sir George Croft. She is shocked when her mother reveals that the source of the family income is from European brothels, and that Croft is involved in the business. Vivie rejects Croft, who reveals that she cannot marry Frank Gardiner because he is her half-brother. Vivie rejects her mother and pursues an independent life. This is an important play - effectively banned by the Royal Chamberlain for 30 years because of its subject matter. It still raises issues of morality and fair trade, as well as the role of women in the workplace. Mrs Warren....Diana Quick Vivie....Claire Skinner Frank Gardner....Scott Handy Sir George Croft....Geoffrey Whitehead Praed....John Rowe Rev Samuel Gardner....Roger Hammond Adapted and directed by John Tydeman Produced by Nicolas Soames Mrs Warren.... Diana Quick Vivie.... Claire Skinner Frank Gardner.... Scott Handy Sir George Croft.... Geoffrey Whitehead Praed.... John Rowe Rev Samuel Gardner.... Roger Hammond | |||
| 20060813 | Mr Puntila and His Man Matti By Bertolt Brecht Adapted by Lee Hall One of Brecht's best comedies, adapted and updated by award winning writer Lee Hall. A drunken chaotic landowner leans heavily on his stoic chauffeur in a series of ever more outrageous escapades. A witty modern musical version of a comedy classic. Mr Puntila....Vincent Ebrahim Matti....Derek Riddell Judge....Robert Pickavance Eva/Milkmaid....Emma Cunniffe Attache....Mark Chatterton Moonshine....Emma Julia Rounthwaite Chemist's Assistant....Vashti Maclachlan Telephonist....Paula Sims Lawyer....Graeme Hawley Parson....Declan Wilson Mark Cresswell (ukelele) Sian Hicks (double bass) Chris Larner (composer/musical director) Director Polly Thomas. Mr Puntila.... Vincent Ebrahim Matti.... Derek Riddell Judge.... Robert Pickavance Eva/Milkmaid.... Emma Cunniffe Attache.... Mark Chatterton Moonshine.... Emma Julia Rounthwaite Chemist's Assistant.... Vashti Maclachlan Telephonist.... Paula Sims Lawyer.... Graeme Hawley Parson.... Declan Wilson | |||
| 20060910 | Hippomania By Snoo Wilson. With Laurence Olivier preparing to film the patriotic epic Henry V in neutral Ireland during the Second World War, and the poet John Betjeman attracting the suspicious attentions of the IRA, it is a heady time in Dublin. Snoo Wilson's astonishing fantasia that springs from real events in Betjeman's life conjures up Nazis, assassins and fairies - as the poet wanders blithely through seats of power, pubs and a cemetery. John Betjeman....Anthony Calf Penelope....Anastasia Hille Edna....Patricia Leventon Sir Oswald Mosley....Andrew Woodall Diana Mosley....Victoria Woodward Betterton/Lord Powerscourt....Ian Masters Officer, MI6/Sweeney....Owen Sharpe Susan Hilton....Katherine Igoe James Blair/Declan....Stephen Hogan Dannan....Renee Weldon Bridy....Aoife McMahon Titannicus....Gerard Murphy Eammon de Valera/MacNamara....John Rogan Laurence Olivier....Nicholas Boulton Olawalu....Jimmy Akingbola Princess Sobietska....Ndidi del Fatti Conor....Andrew Scott Guy Burgess....Tam Williams Evelyn Waugh....Snoo Wilson Music direction by Jay Owen. Director Ned Chaillet. John Betjeman.... Anthony Calf Penelope.... Anastasia Hille Edna.... Patricia Leventon Sir Oswald Mosley.... Andrew Woodall Diana Mosley.... Victoria Woodward Betterton/Lord Powerscourt.... Ian Masters Officer, MI6/Sweeney.... Owen Sharpe Susan Hilton.... Katherine Igoe James Blair/Declan.... Stephen Hogan Dannan.... Renee Weldon Bridy.... Aoife McMahon Titannicus.... Gerard Murphy Eammon de Valera/MacNamara.... John Rogan Laurence Olivier.... Nicholas Boulton Olawalu.... Jimmy Akingbola Princess Sobietska.... Ndidi del Fatti Conor.... Andrew Scott Guy Burgess.... Tam Williams Evelyn Waugh.... Snoo Wilson | |||
| 20060917 | A Day in the Death of Joe Egg By Peter Nichols, adapted by Pauline Harris. Comic drama about a couple's relationship as parents of a profoundly mentally disabled child. Written in 1967, Joe Egg is a groundbreaking work that retains an undiminished capacity to disconcert. Brian....Christopher Eccleston Sheila....Kaye Wragg Joe....Chloe Pabst-Bohan Pam....Julia Rounthwaite Freddie....Michael Maloney Grace....Lynda Baron Brian.... Christopher Eccleston Sheila.... Kaye Wragg Joe.... Chloe Pabst-Bohan Pam.... Julia Rounthwaite Freddie.... Michael Maloney Grace.... Lynda Baron | |||
| 20060924 | A Bequest to the Nation By Terence Rattigan, and starring Kenneth Branagh. 1805 - the passionate relationship between Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton causes tensions and friction among Nelson's family and colleagues. What does the greatest naval hero of the day see in this drunken, vulgar and blowsy woman? Lord Nelson....Kenneth Branagh Emma Hamilton....Janet McTeer Frances, Lady Nelson....Amanda Root Lord Minto....John Shrapnel George Matcham, Junior....Steven France Captain Hardy....Gerard Horan Lord Barham....Stephen Thorne George Matcham, Senior....Anthony Jackson Katherine Matcham....Patience Tomlinson Captain Blackwood....Roger May Rev William Nelson....Roy Spencer Betsy/Francesca....Alison Pettitt Emily....Tilly Gaunt Adapted and directed by David Timson. Produced by Nicolas Soames. Lord Nelson.... Kenneth Branagh Emma Hamilton.... Janet McTeer Frances, Lady Nelson.... Amanda Root Lord Minto.... John Shrapnel George Matcham, Junior.... Steven France Captain Hardy.... Gerard Horan Lord Barham.... Stephen Thorne George Matcham, Senior.... Anthony Jackson Katherine Matcham.... Patience Tomlinson Captain Blackwood.... Roger May Rev William Nelson.... Roy Spencer Betsy/Francesca.... Alison Pettitt Emily.... Tilly Gaunt | |||
| 20061001 | Let Me By Howard Barker. At the height of the Barbarian invasions, a Roman land owner finds his home surrounded by the invaders. The elderly patrician was never a warrior, but can he bring himself to surrender and betray centuries of tradition and culture? The drama - a new commission from Howard Barker (also born in 1946) - helps to mark the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Third Programme (the original name for Radio 3). Copolla....Edward Petherbridge Aphrodite....Barbara Jefford Euclid....Andrew Woodall Agricola....Sam Dale Barbarian child....Emma Noakes Producer/director Peter Kavanagh. Copolla.... Edward Petherbridge Aphrodite.... Barbara Jefford Euclid.... Andrew Woodall Agricola.... Sam Dale Barbarian child.... Emma Noakes | |||
| 20061008 | Hold My Breath By Ryan Craig. The life of an idealistic young black school teacher is turned upside down by an unexpected and appalling accusation. She sets off on a chaotic odyssey from her East London flat to a bizarre encounter in Oxford Circus with a man she meets in a chatroom. Tessa....Ayesha Antoine Russ....Nick Sayce Sparks....John Cummins Sadie....Ella Smith Fran....Sophie Roberts Tony....Delroy Brown Luke....Carl Prekopp Linda....Claire Louise Cordwell Norris....Philip Fox Original music by David Pickvance. Producer Steven Canny. Tessa.... Ayesha Antoine Russ.... Nick Sayce Sparks.... John Cummins Sadie.... Ella Smith Fran.... Sophie Roberts Tony.... Delroy Brown Luke.... Carl Prekopp Linda.... Claire Louise Cordwell Norris.... Philip Fox | |||
| 20061015 | An Enemy of the People: Martin Lynch's version of Ibsen's classic drama is set in contemporary Belfast. The killing of a Catholic man leads to his own community struggling to come to terms with the truth. However, one woman is determined to get justice for her murdered brother-in-law. But at what cost? Moya McGovern....Susan Lynch Caroline McGovern....Seainin Brennan Sean Gillen....Charles Lawson Mr Gillen/Solicitor....Harry Towb Dominic/Frankie....Patrick O?Kane Manus....Lloyd Hutchinson Mrs McGovern....Eileen Pollock Director Roland Jaquarello Moya McGovern.... Susan Lynch Caroline McGovern.... Seainin Brennan Sean Gillen.... Charles Lawson Mr Gillen/Solicitor.... Harry Towb Dominic/Frankie.... Patrick O?Kane Manus.... Lloyd Hutchinson Mrs McGovern.... Eileen Pollock | |||
| 20061022 | Days and Nights in Bedlam By Fred D'Aguiar. When Otis is taken to the closed ward of a London mental hospital, he is desperate to return to his Queen Penelope, and his Kingdom. Whilst the staff diagnose him as delusional, fellow patients Larry and Harry plot to reach this Kingdom first and take his queen for their own. Otis....Mo Sesay Gary....Don Gilet Deirdre....Daniela Nardini April....Alex Tregear Harry....Stephen Critchlow Larry....Carl Prekopp Penelope....Janice Acquah Music composed by David Pickvance. Director Carol Bayne Otis.... Mo Sesay Gary.... Don Gilet Deirdre.... Daniela Nardini April.... Alex Tregear Harry.... Stephen Critchlow Larry.... Carl Prekopp Penelope.... Janice Acquah | |||
| 20061029 | Death and the Penguin By Andrei Kurkov Andrei Kurkov's memorable satire about an obituarist and his relationship with a penguin, set in post-Soviet Ukraine. Matt Thompson's adaptation was largely recorded on location in Kiev. Viktor....Paul Ewing Igor....James Bryce Sonya....Kate Bennett Nina....Katrina Bryan Sergey....Jimmy Harrison Pidpaly....John McKie Misha Non-Penguin....Stewart Potter Lyosha....Andrei Kurkov Music and effects by Joe Acheson. Translated by George Bird. Director Matt Thompson Viktor.... Paul Ewing Igor.... James Bryce Sonya.... Kate Bennett Nina.... Katrina Bryan Sergey.... Jimmy Harrison Pidpaly.... John McKie Misha Non-Penguin.... Stewart Potter Lyosha.... Andrei Kurkov | |||
| 20061112 | In Parenthesis By David Jones. Private John Ball and his fellow Royal Welch Fusiliers embark for France in December 1915. Six months later, the majority of this band of comrades are killed or wounded at the Battle of the Somme. A dramatisation of this unique prose-poem to mark Remembrance Sunday. Action....Sian Phillips Thought....Sara McGaughey Memory....Manon Edwards Prologue....Dorien Thomas John Ball....Steven Meo Dai Evans....Oliver Ryan Crower....Thomas Arnold Jenkins....Rhodri Hugh Lewis....Iestyn Jones Snell....Simon Ludders Quilter....David Middleton Wastebottom....Matthew Morgan Clark....Carl Prekopp Watcyn....Aled Pugh Wyatt....Keiron Self Saunders....Nathan Sussex Adapted by Douglas Cleverdon. Music by John Hardy. Director Alison Hindell Action.... Sian Phillips Thought.... Sara McGaughey Memory.... Manon Edwards Prologue.... Dorien Thomas John Ball.... Steven Meo Dai Evans.... Oliver Ryan Crower.... Thomas Arnold Jenkins.... Rhodri Hugh Lewis.... Iestyn Jones Snell.... Simon Ludders Quilter.... David Middleton Wastebottom.... Matthew Morgan Clark.... Carl Prekopp Watcyn.... Aled Pugh Wyatt.... Keiron Self Saunders.... Nathan Sussex | |||
| 20061119 | True West By Sam Shepard. Screenwriter Austin's work on a film script is disrupted by the arrival of his elder brother Lee. The differences between successful, creative professional Austin and brutish, desert-living Lee could not be more marked. Or could they? Lee....David Soul Austin....Richard Laing Saul....Kenneth Jay Mom....Liza Ross Director Peter Kavanagh. Lee.... David Soul Austin.... Richard Laing Saul.... Kenneth Jay Mom.... Liza Ross | |||
| 20061126 | The Violence of Silence, by Marida Chheang and Sotheavy At. A compelling, soul-searching drama documentary that explores the human cost of the genocide in Cambodia as the past and the present collide. Featuring personal testimonies from Khmer Rouge survivors recorded on location in Phnom Penh. Poetry by Simon Armitage, read by Mark Strong. Sophal....Kulikar Sotho Chhun....Sylyvann Borei Yin....Saveth Dy San....Sonak Kouv Thida....Rebecca Phouek Translated by Kunthy Sok. Directed by Kate Rowland. Sophal.... Kulikar Sotho Chhun.... Sylyvann Borei Yin.... Saveth Dy San.... Sonak Kouv Thida.... Rebecca Phouek | |||
| 20061203 | Fuente Ovejuna. Lope de Vega's play is based on real events in 15th-century Spain, in which the people of a small village rose up against a tyrannical overlord and exacted a savage and brutal revenge for years of repression. When called to account by the reigning monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, the village stood together. Commander....Brian Cox Laurencia....Maxine Peake Esteban....Clive Swift Captain Flores....Jonathan Keeble Sergeant Ortuno....Martin George Grand Master Rodrigo....Oliver Le Sueur Pascuala....Alison Pettit Frondoso....Carl Prekopp Mengo....Stephen Critchlow Adapted for radio and directed by David Timson Commander.... Brian Cox Laurencia.... Maxine Peake Esteban.... Clive Swift Captain Flores.... Jonathan Keeble Sergeant Ortuno.... Martin George Grand Master Rodrigo.... Oliver Le Sueur Pascuala.... Alison Pettit Frondoso.... Carl Prekopp Mengo.... Stephen Critchlow | |||
| 20061210 | The Thebans: Oedipus Tyrannos; Oedipus at Kolonos; Antigone. Timberlake Wertenbaker's translation of Sophocles's trilogy of three passionate and tragic tales of bloody deeds, family feuds, justice, power and fate. Oedipus....John Lynch Jocasta....Fiona Shaw Kreon....Michael Feast Teiresias....Kenneth Cranham Antigone....Nadine Marshal Ismene....Vinette Robinson Theseus....Jude Akuwudike Polyneikes....William Ash Haimon....Adrian Bower Messenger from Corinth ? Russell Dixon Chorus....Brigit Forsyth, Deborah McAndrew, James Nickerson, Sarah Parks, Stuart Richman and Declan Wilson Singer/oboist....Belinda Sykes Percussionist....Martin Allen Original music by Gary Yershon. Director Nadia Molinari. Oedipus.... John Lynch Jocasta.... Fiona Shaw Kreon.... Michael Feast Teiresias.... Kenneth Cranham Antigone.... Nadine Marshal Ismene.... Vinette Robinson Theseus.... Jude Akuwudike Polyneikes.... William Ash Haimon.... Adrian Bower Chorus.... Brigit Forsyth, Deborah McAndrew, James Nickerson, Sarah Parks, Stuart Richman and Declan Wilson Singer/oboist.... Belinda Sykes Percussionist.... Martin Allen | |||
| 20061217 | Cymbeline Shakespeare's play, set during the Roman invasion of Britain, centres around the banishment of the man who has incurred the wrath of the king by secretly marrying his daughter. Confusion follows in an intricate plot in which nobody is quite who they seem to be. Cymbeline....Bill Wallis Imogen....Nia Roberts Posthumus....William Houston Queen....Sian Phillips Iachimo....Andrew Wincott Cloten....Russell Gomer Pisanio....Joseph Kloska Belarius....Gareth Armstrong Guiderius....Christian Shaw Arviragus....Meilyr Sion Caius Lucius....John Labanowski Cornelius....Richard Elfyn Philario....Dorien Thomas Lady....Manon Edwards Original music by John Hardy. Directed by Alison Hindell. Cymbeline.... Bill Wallis Imogen.... Nia Roberts Posthumus.... William Houston Queen.... Sian Phillips Iachimo.... Andrew Wincott Cloten.... Russell Gomer Pisanio.... Joseph Kloska Belarius.... Gareth Armstrong Guiderius.... Christian Shaw Arviragus.... Meilyr Sion Caius Lucius.... John Labanowski Cornelius.... Richard Elfyn Philario.... Dorien Thomas Lady.... Manon Edwards | |||
| 20061224 | For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio. WH Auden's postwar passion play is a modern mystery cycle which reinterprets faith for those exposed to the horrors of the Second World War. Narrator....Rufus Sewell Mary....Emma Noakes Joseph....John Dougall Gabriel....Saikat Ahamed Herod....Joseph Kloska Wise Man 1....John Rowe Wise Man 2....Rudolph Walker Wise Man 3....Peter Marinker Shepherd 1....Gerard McDermott Shepherd 2....Mark Straker Shepherd 3....Paul Richard Biggin Rachel....Bethan Walker Fugal-Chorus....Tracy Wiles Recitative....Damian Lynch Child....Grainne Hails Directed by Jessica Dromgoole, David Hunter and Conor Lennon. Narrator.... Rufus Sewell Mary.... Emma Noakes Joseph.... John Dougall Gabriel.... Saikat Ahamed Herod.... Joseph Kloska Wise Man 1.... John Rowe Wise Man 2.... Rudolph Walker Wise Man 3.... Peter Marinker Shepherd 1.... Gerard McDermott Shepherd 2.... Mark Straker Shepherd 3.... Paul Richard Biggin Rachel.... Bethan Walker Fugal-Chorus.... Tracy Wiles Recitative.... Damian Lynch Child.... Grainne Hails | |||
| 20061231 | The History Boys By Alan Bennett. Adapted for radio by Richard Wortley from Nicholas Hytner's National Theatre production. More than three decades on from Forty Years On, Alan Bennett turns his attention once more to education, encompassing both the tussles of staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence. Hector....Richard Griffiths Irwin....Geoffrey Streatfeild Mrs Lintott....Frances de la Tour The Headmaster....Clive Merrison Crowther....Samuel Anderson Posner....Samuel Barnett Dakin....Dominic Cooper Timms....James Corden Akthar....Sacha Dhawan Lockwood....Andrew Knott Scripps....Jamie Parker Rudge....Russell Tovey Solo singer....Samuel Barnett Pianists....Jamie Parker and Tom Attwood Produced by David Hunter. Musical arrangement by Richard Sissons. Director Richard Wortley. Hector.... Richard Griffiths Irwin.... Geoffrey Streatfeild Mrs Lintott.... Frances de la Tour The Headmaster.... Clive Merrison Crowther.... Samuel Anderson Posner.... Samuel Barnett Dakin.... Dominic Cooper Timms.... James Corden Akthar.... Sacha Dhawan Lockwood.... Andrew Knott Scripps.... Jamie Parker Rudge.... Russell Tovey Solo singer.... Samuel Barnett Pianists.... Jamie Parker and Tom Attwood | |||
| 20070107 | King Lear Shakespeare's classic tale of treachery and betrayal illustrates the consequences of evil triumphing over truth and the vanity of old age. King Lear....Corin Redgrave Duke of Kent....David Troughton Duke of Gloucester....John Carlisle Goneril....Geraldine James Regan....Kika Markham Cordelia....Justine Waddell Edmund....William Houston Edgar....Robert Glenister Duke of Albany....John Rowe Duke of Cornwall....Clive Francis Fool....Paul Copley Oswald....Struan Rodger King of France....Sean Baker Old Man/Gentleman....Gavin Muir Music specially composed by Elizabeth Parker. Directed by Cherry Cookson. King Lear.... Corin Redgrave Duke of Kent.... David Troughton Duke of Gloucester.... John Carlisle Goneril.... Geraldine James Regan.... Kika Markham Cordelia.... Justine Waddell Edmund.... William Houston Edgar.... Robert Glenister Duke of Albany.... John Rowe Duke of Cornwall.... Clive Francis Fool.... Paul Copley Oswald.... Struan Rodger King of France.... Sean Baker Old Man/Gentleman.... Gavin Muir | |||
| 20070114 | Regime Change Peter Straughan's wickedly dark comedy is inspired by Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and produced in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In a run-down apartment block in Istanbul, Lutz is in hiding. He is preparing to seize power in his former state, just as soon as he is allowed to. Lutz....Henry Goodman Coiler....Joseph Alessi Dreyer....David Rubin Jean....Golda Rosheuvel Vlas....Julian Bleach Ahmet....John Hopkins Natascha....Mariah Gale Umit....Ali Barisik Music composed by Adrian Lee, performed by Adrian Lee and George Hadjineophytou. Director Jonquil Panting. Lutz.... Henry Goodman Coiler.... Joseph Alessi Dreyer.... David Rubin Jean.... Golda Rosheuvel Vlas.... Julian Bleach Ahmet.... John Hopkins Natascha.... Mariah Gale Umit.... Ali Barisik | |||
| 20070121 | Three Japanese Gothic Tales by Izumi Kyoka, dramatised by Georgia Pritchett. 1. The Holy Man of Mount Koya Sakagami....Simon Russell Beale Monk....Adrian Scarborough Wanderer....Paul Rhys Peddler....Iain Robertson Farmer....Neil Dudgeon Woman....Lia Williams Old Man....Geoffrey Palmer 2. A Tale of Three who were Blind Blind Man....Toby Jones Older Blind Man....Geoffrey Palmer Blind Woman....Lia Williams 3. One Day in Spring Tamawaki Mio....Mairead McKinley Priest....Neil Dudgeon Man....Iain Robertson Lion Boy....Oscar Fletcher Director Roxana Silbert. Composer Howard Davidson. Sakagami.... Simon Russell Beale Monk.... Adrian Scarborough Wanderer.... Paul Rhys Peddler.... Iain Robertson Farmer.... Neil Dudgeon Woman.... Lia Williams Old Man.... Geoffrey Palmer Blind Man.... Toby Jones Older Blind Man.... Geoffrey Palmer Blind Woman.... Lia Williams Tamawaki Mio.... Mairead McKinley Priest.... Neil Dudgeon Man.... Iain Robertson Lion Boy.... Oscar Fletcher | |||
| 20070128 | Professor Bernhardi, by Arthur Schnitzler. In Vienna in 1900, a distinguished Jewish doctor prevents a Catholic priest from administering last rites to a dying patient. His actions provoke a political witch-hunt, leading to the professor's trial and imprisonment. This new version of a play which had been unseen in London for over 70 years was produced for the stage by Dumbfounded Theatre Company in 2005 by National Theatre playwright Samuel Adamson. | |||
| 20070204 | Two Men from Delft By Stephen Wakelam. In 1675, at the time of the death of his close friend Johannes Vermeer, Antony Van Leeuwenhoek made an astonishing discovery. He was the first person to identity bacteria. Antony Van Leeuwenhooek....Stephen Tompkinson Christiaan Huygens....Alex Jennings Maria Van Leeuwenhoek....Emma Noakes Elisabeth Vermeer....Alex Tregear Music by Sylvia Hallett. Viol played by Vanessa Coode. Directed and produced by Jeremy Mortimer. Antony Van Leeuwenhooek.... Stephen Tompkinson Christiaan Huygens.... Alex Jennings Maria Van Leeuwenhoek.... Emma Noakes Elisabeth Vermeer.... Alex Tregear | |||
| 20070218 | Hooligan Nights The brutal world of London gangland in the 1890s is brought vividly to life in an innovative new musical created by writer Mike Walker and composer Mike Woolmans. Loosely based on the book by Clarence Rook, it recounts the criminal career of Alf, a self-styled Lambeth hooligan. Alf....James Daley Ally....Pamela Banks P.C. 91....Stephen Greif Harry....Carl Prekopp Billy the Snide/Patrick Hooligan....Gerard Horan Frenchy....Freddy White Shop Assistant/Izzy/Judge....Gerard McDermott Young Alf....Jamie Borthwick The Great Reboundo....David O'Dell Referee/Barman....Sam Dale Alf's Ma....Bethan Walker Other parts played by Paul Richard Biggin, Joseph Kloska, Emma Noakes and Saikat Ahamed. Director Toby Swift. Alf.... James Daley Ally.... Pamela Banks P.C. 91.... Stephen Greif Harry.... Carl Prekopp Billy the Snide/Patrick Hooligan.... Gerard Horan Frenchy.... Freddy White Shop Assistant/Izzy/Judge.... Gerard McDermott Young Alf.... Jamie Borthwick The Great Reboundo.... David O'Dell Referee/Barman.... Sam Dale Alf's Ma.... Bethan Walker | |||
| 20070225 | Love and Money By Dennis Kelly. A radio adaptation of the Young Vic/Royal Exchange co-production of Kelly's funny and heart-wrenching exploration of the devastating impact of debt and desire in the modern world. Jess, who is in love with David, believes that happiness can be bought - but in a world of easy credit, it doesn't come cheap. Jess....Kellie Bright David....John Kirk Mother....Joanna Bacon Father/Duncan....Paul Moriarty Val/Debbie....Claudie Blakley Paul/Doctor....Graeme Hawley Original Music by Olly Fox. Sound Design by Ian Dickinson. Directed by Matthew Dunster and produced by Nadia Molinari. Jess.... Kellie Bright David.... John Kirk Mother.... Joanna Bacon Father/Duncan.... Paul Moriarty Val/Debbie.... Claudie Blakley Paul/Doctor.... Graeme Hawley | |||
| 20070304 | The Fiery World In this Radio 3 special commission, Peter Ackroyd dramatises the life of William Blake. In 1805, with England at war and in constant fear of invasion, radicalism was the equivalent of treason. Blake was never afraid of speaking his mind, but as a poet and visionary he was at odds with the spirit of his age - so much so that his life was in danger. William Blake....Robert Glenister James Deville....David Warner Catherine Blake....Miriam Margolyes Kedges....David Timson Mrs Deville....Alison Pettitt Samuel Rose....Sean Barrett Billy Cosway....Hugh Ross Scofield....Mark Gillis Armitage....Brian Croucher Boy....Deo Simcox Directed by Roy McMillan. William Blake.... Robert Glenister James Deville.... David Warner Catherine Blake.... Miriam Margolyes Kedges.... David Timson Mrs Deville.... Alison Pettitt Samuel Rose.... Sean Barrett Billy Cosway.... Hugh Ross Scofield.... Mark Gillis Armitage.... Brian Croucher Boy.... Deo Simcox | |||
| 20070311 | Crossing the Bar A headlong plunge into the sea-narratives of Alfred Lord Tennyson, with sea-songs from the acclaimed acappella trio Coope, Boyes and Simpson, centred around his most popular work Enoch Arden, written in the space of two weeks in 1864. The Kraken, read by John Dougall. The Sea Fairies, read by Rachel Bavidge and Jasmine Callan. Enoch Arden, read by Sam Dale, Jasmine Callan, Stuart McLoughlin and Joseph Kloska. The Voyage of Maeldune, read by John Dougall. Crossing the Bar, read by Sam Dale. With original music by Nicolai Abrahamsen. | |||
| 20070318 | The Homecoming By Harold Pinter. A new production for BBC Radio 3 of Pinter's play that sees the playwright himself heading up a star cast in the role of Max, the head of the Hackney family to which a professor and his wife return one night from America. Max, a man of 70....Harold Pinter Lenny, a man in his early 30s....Samuel West Sam, a man of 63....Michael Gambon Joey, a man in his middle 20s....James Alexandrou Teddy, a man in his middle 30s....Rupert Graves Ruth, a woman in her early 30s....Gina McKee Director Thea Sharrock. Max, a man of 70.... Harold Pinter Lenny, a man in his early 30s.... Samuel West Sam, a man of 63.... Michael Gambon Joey, a man in his middle 20s.... James Alexandrou Teddy, a man in his middle 30s.... Rupert Graves Ruth, a woman in her early 30s.... Gina McKee | |||
| 20070325 | The Lamplighters, by Jackie Kay: The lyrical drama explores the heart of enslavement through the experiences of four women, Constance, Mary, Black Harriot and The Lamplighter. | |||
| 20070401 | War with The Newts By Karel Capek, dramatised by George Poles. When humanity encounters another race of intelligent bipeds sharing the Earth, what choice is there but to exploit it? When the existence of a group of speaking newts comes to the attention of the ruthless GH Bondy and his Salamander Syndicate, they find themselves turned into a commodity as the nations fight over them. At its heart, this joyously funny satire is a plea for decency and tolerance towards others, as relevant now as when it was first written in the 1930s. Capek....Dermot Crowley Olga....Sally Hawkins Van Toch....Henry Goodman Povondra....Geoffrey Beevers Mrs Povondra....Tina Gray GH Bondy....Adrian Scarborough Ensemble....Ben Crowe; Martin Hyder; Geoff McGivern Howard Davidson (composer) Elizabeth Freestone (director) Capek.... Dermot Crowley Olga.... Sally Hawkins Van Toch.... Henry Goodman Povondra.... Geoffrey Beevers Mrs Povondra.... Tina Gray GH Bondy.... Adrian Scarborough Ensemble.... Ben Crowe; Martin Hyder; Geoff McGivern | |||
| 20070408 | Breakfast With Mugabe By Fraser Grace. The year is 2001. President Mugabe and his wife are holed up in the State House in Harare, with Mugabe in paranoid terror. He is being stalked by an ngozi or bitter spirit, the murderous ghost of a long-dead comrade. Fearing for his sanity, Mugabe turns to a white psychiatrist for help. Witty and provocative, Fraser Grace's new play imagines the combative relationship between the black president and his white psychiatrist. In a series of bruising encounters, Breakfast with Mugabe explores the conflict between despotism and liberalism in modern Zimbabwe. Grace Mugabe....Noma Dumezweni Robert Mugabe....Joseph Mydell Gabriel Marunda....Christopher Obi Andrew Peric....David Rintoul Music composed by Chartwell Dutiro and played by Chartwell Dutiro and James Jones. Directed by Antony Sher. Grace Mugabe.... Noma Dumezweni Robert Mugabe.... Joseph Mydell Gabriel Marunda.... Christopher Obi Andrew Peric.... David Rintoul | |||
| 20070415 | Entertaining Mr Sloane By Joe Orton. The first radio production of this notoriously successful play, first staged in 1964. Sloane, an ambiguously sexually attractive young man, comes in search of lodgings and is seduced by the landlady and desired by her homosexual brother. Meanwhile, their father has justified suspicion that Sloane has committed a murder. The scene is set for an unexpected denouement. Mr Sloane....Daniel Evans Kath....Geraldine James Ed....Clive Francis Kemp....Dudley Sutton Director John Tydeman. Mr Sloane.... Daniel Evans Kath.... Geraldine James Ed.... Clive Francis Kemp.... Dudley Sutton | |||
| 20070422 | The Radetzky March By Joseph Roth. Adapted by Mike Walker from the English translation of the novel by Michael Hofmann. The story of the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is told through the men of the Trotta family, three generations of servants loyal to their emperor. The story starts at the second half of the 19th century when a Trotta saves the life of Franz Joseph on the battlefield, to the beginning of the 20th when world war and old age wipes the Trottas and their Empire from the map, but not the memory, of Europe. Joseph Roth....Bill Wallis Emperor Franz Joseph....John Woodvine Joseph Trotta/Chojnicki/Postman....Brian Pettifer Franz Trotta....Richard Bremmer Carl Joseph Trotta....Elliot Levey Moser/Wagner....Nicky Henson Jacques/Dr Skvoronnek....Clive Swift Frau Slama/Valli von Taussig....Eleanor Tremain With Paul Nicolson, Paul Dodgson, David Collins and Chris Garner. Music arranged and performed by Alexander Balanescu. Director Tim Dee. Joseph Roth.... Bill Wallis Emperor Franz Joseph.... John Woodvine Joseph Trotta/Chojnicki/Postman.... Brian Pettifer Franz Trotta.... Richard Bremmer Carl Joseph Trotta.... Elliot Levey Moser/Wagner.... Nicky Henson Jacques/Dr Skvoronnek.... Clive Swift Frau Slama/Valli von Taussig.... Eleanor Tremain | |||
| 20070429 | The Overwhelming By JT Rogers. A gripping story of a country on the brink of genocide. Seizing the opportunity to research a book, Jack Exley uproots his family from Illinois to Rwanda in early 1994. Alarmingly out of his depth, Jack begins a fervent search for a dear and missing friend while his wife and teenage son find trouble of their own. As Jack involves himself in the local politics, he discovers a pattern of brutality and beliefs that jeopardizes the lives of everyone around him. Jack Exley....Matthew Marsh Geoffrey....Andrew Garfield Linda....Tanya Moodie Joseph Gasana....Jude Akuwudike Woolsey/Zimbabwean Doctor....Miles Anderson Jean-Claude/Verbeek....Nick Fletcher Gerard....Babou Ceesay Mizinga....Danny Sapani Elise/Rwandan Doctor....Chipo Chung Bangladeshi Major/Man in Embassy....Lucian Msamati Woman in club/Market woman....Adura Onashile Director Max Stafford-Clark. Jack Exley.... Matthew Marsh Geoffrey.... Andrew Garfield Linda.... Tanya Moodie Joseph Gasana.... Jude Akuwudike Woolsey/Zimbabwean Doctor.... Miles Anderson Jean-Claude/Verbeek.... Nick Fletcher Gerard.... Babou Ceesay Mizinga.... Danny Sapani Elise/Rwandan Doctor.... Chipo Chung Bangladeshi Major/Man in Embassy.... Lucian Msamati Woman in club/Market woman.... Adura Onashile | |||
| 20070506 | Blindness By Jose Saramago, translated by Giovanni Pontiero. A driver waiting at the traffic lights goes blind: patient zero in a contagion of blindness that sweeps through a city. The authorities isolate the blind in a mental asylum. Blind thugs take over. When all are blind, all the rules change. What it is to be human must also change. | |||
| 20070513 | The Sicilian Expedition By John Fletcher. Almost 2,500 years ago, a confident young general persuaded Athens to launch an attack on Sicily. Alcibiades was a member of the Athenian baby boomer generation, whose elders had fought to give their children a society of justice, wealth and education. The baby boomers explored every sexual avenue, took drugs to excess and became great consumers of highly exotic products. Then it all went wrong. Within two years of the defeat in Sicily, democratic Athens, the pinnacle of human civilisation, lay in ruins. Yet, as the city endured its death agonies, something new and wonderful was born: the Socratic idea of universal love. Socrates....James Laurenson Alcibiades....Julian Rhind-Tutt Callias....Richard Nichols Theodote....Mia Soteriou Nicias....Jonathan Nibbs Taureas....Matthew Morgan Agathon....Richard Mitchley Spartan Soldier....Nathan Sussex Bagoas....Brendan Charleson Mantitheus....Jonathan Floyd Mother....Christine Pritchard Music by John Hardy Director Kate McAll. Socrates.... James Laurenson Alcibiades.... Julian Rhind-Tutt Callias.... Richard Nichols Theodote.... Mia Soteriou Nicias.... Jonathan Nibbs Taureas.... Matthew Morgan Agathon.... Richard Mitchley Spartan Soldier.... Nathan Sussex Bagoas.... Brendan Charleson Mantitheus.... Jonathan Floyd Mother.... Christine Pritchard | |||
| 20070520 | The Wild Duck By Henrik Ibsen, translated by Inga-Stina Ewbank and Peter Hall. One of Ibsen's most powerful dramas, which explores the tragic impact on the lives of a young girl and her family when an old friend insists on family secrets being told. Featuring Paterson Joseph and Michael Maloney. | |||
| 20070603 | Elgar's Rondo By David Pownall. The reaction to his Second Symphony, and the Rondo in particular, only heightened the doubts and fears which plagued Elgar for much of his creative life. Later, while struggling to express in music the horror of the First World War, his family and admirers endeavour to help him re-ignite his creative spark. Elgar....David Horovitch Alice....Sarah Badel Jaegar/George V....Robert Glenister Windflower....Emma Fielding Schuster....Ian Masters Carice/Mother/Cellist....Clare Corbett Bernard Shaw....Gerard Murphy Mark/Father....Harry Myers Father John....Carl Prekopp Bandmaster....John Evitts Paul Hooker....Robert Lister Directed by Martin Jenkins. Elgar.... David Horovitch Alice.... Sarah Badel Jaegar/George V.... Robert Glenister Windflower.... Emma Fielding Schuster.... Ian Masters Carice/Mother/Cellist.... Clare Corbett Bernard Shaw.... Gerard Murphy Mark/Father.... Harry Myers Father John.... Carl Prekopp Bandmaster.... John Evitts Paul Hooker.... Robert Lister | |||
| 20070610 | Black Watch By Gregory Burke. A radio version of the National Theatre of Scotland's award-winning theatre production, Black Watch is based on interviews conducted by Gregory Burke with former soldiers who served in Iraq. Hurtling from a pool room in Fife, to an armoured wagon in Iraq, the action is viewed through the eyes of those on the ground, and reveals what it means to be part of this legendary Scottish regiment, and the war on terror. This play contains very strong language. Stewarty....Ali Craig Fraz....Emun Elliott Granty....Paul Rattray Cammy....Brian Ferguson Kenzie....Ryan Fletcher Officer....Peter Forbes Sergeant/Writer....Paul Higgins Rossco....Jordan Young Original music composed by Davey Anderson Directed by John Tiffany Stewarty.... Ali Craig Fraz.... Emun Elliott Granty.... Paul Rattray Cammy.... Brian Ferguson Kenzie.... Ryan Fletcher Officer.... Peter Forbes Sergeant/Writer.... Paul Higgins Rossco.... Jordan Young | |||
| 20070617 | An Ideal Husband By Oscar Wilde. The unprincipled Mrs Cheveley threatens to reveal Sir Robert Chiltern's secret past unless he agrees to give his support in Parliament to a questionable Argentinian venture. Faced with ruin in the eyes of the country and his wife, he seems to have no alternative. Wildean wit and the elegance of English society is woven into this classic drama. The Earl of Caversham....Geoffrey Palmer Viscount Goring....Jasper Britton Sir Robert Chiltern....Alex Jennings Lady Chiltern....Emma Fielding Lady Markby....Sara Kestelman Miss Mabel Chiltern....Joanna Page Mrs Cheveley....Janet McTeer Vicomte De Nanjac....Oliver de Sueur Mrs Marchmont....Patience Tomlinson Countess of Basildon....Lucy Whybrow Mr Montford/James....John Cummins Phipps....Hugh Dickson Mason....Derek Beard Directed by David Timson. The Earl of Caversham.... Geoffrey Palmer Viscount Goring.... Jasper Britton Sir Robert Chiltern.... Alex Jennings Lady Chiltern.... Emma Fielding Lady Markby.... Sara Kestelman Miss Mabel Chiltern.... Joanna Page Mrs Cheveley.... Janet McTeer Vicomte De Nanjac.... Oliver de Sueur Mrs Marchmont.... Patience Tomlinson Countess of Basildon.... Lucy Whybrow Mr Montford/James.... John Cummins Phipps.... Hugh Dickson Mason.... Derek Beard | |||
| 20070624 | Splendour By Abi Morgan. On the eve of revolution, four women wait in the Presidential palace. They talk, eat, admire each other's shoes, and carve out their place in the history of the country. Micheleine....Sian Phillips Genevieve....Anna Massey Gilma....Sophie Stanton Kathryn....Kate Isitt Directed by Jessica Dromgoole. Micheleine.... Sian Phillips Genevieve.... Anna Massey Gilma.... Sophie Stanton Kathryn.... Kate Isitt | |||
| 20070701 | Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago and is believed by many to be the first story to be written down. It tells of the disheartened King Gilgamesh and his friend, Enkidu, and their quests together into the wilderness, battling monsters and searching for the secret of immortality. This version was adapted by Jeremy Howe from the English version by Stephen Mitchell. With music by Paul Dodgson. Gilgamesh....Joe Dixon Enkidu....Adam Levy Narrator....Kenneth Cranham Shamhat, Ishtar....Kananu Kirimi Lady Ninsun, Scorpion woman....Eve Matheson Prologue, Anu....Robert Gwilym Soldier, Utnapishtim....Bill Wallis Humbaba, Ninurta....David Collins Scorpion man, Ea....Chris Donnelly Urshanabi, Enlil....Paul Nicholson Gilgamesh.... Joe Dixon Enkidu.... Adam Levy Narrator.... Kenneth Cranham Shamhat, Ishtar.... Kananu Kirimi Lady Ninsun, Scorpion woman.... Eve Matheson Prologue, Anu.... Robert Gwilym Soldier, Utnapishtim.... Bill Wallis Humbaba, Ninurta.... David Collins Scorpion man, Ea.... Chris Donnelly Urshanabi, Enlil.... Paul Nicholson | |||
| 20070708 | Rock 'n' Roll By Tom Stoppard Stoppard's new play about loyalty, compromise, love and music is given its first radio production as part of BBC Radio's celebration of his work. In 1968, Czech student Jan returns home 'to protect rock 'n' roll' from the Soviet tanks crushing the Prague Spring. Max, a Communist don in Cambridge, watches his ideology collapse until the Velvet revolution of 1990 allows student and master to meet again. The politics and music have changed, but have the people? Max....Bill Paterson Jan....Daniel Evans Eleanor....Penny Downie Esme....Amanda Root Ferdinand....Bertie Carvel Young Esme....Jaimi Barbakoff Alice....Jasmine Hyde Nigel....Ron Cook Lenka....Britta Gartner Stephen....Joseph Kloska Milan....John Dougall Candida....Liza Sadovy Gillian....Jasmine Callan Directed by Alison Hindell. Max.... Bill Paterson Jan.... Daniel Evans Eleanor.... Penny Downie Esme.... Amanda Root Ferdinand.... Bertie Carvel Young Esme.... Jaimi Barbakoff Alice.... Jasmine Hyde Nigel.... Ron Cook Lenka.... Britta Gartner Stephen.... Joseph Kloska Milan.... John Dougall Candida.... Liza Sadovy Gillian.... Jasmine Callan | |||
| 20070715 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead By Tom Stoppard. As part of BBC Radio's celebration of the playwright's 70th birthday, Andrew Lincoln and Danny Webb star in Stoppard's adaptation of his celebrated play. Two minor characters from Hamlet are suddenly thrown centre stage amid the plottings and intrigue of Elsinore. Rosencrantz....Danny Webb Guildenstern....Andrew Lincoln Player....Desmond Barrit Polonius....John Rowe Ophelia....Abigail Hollick Gertrude....Liza Sadovy Claudius....Simon Treves Hamlet....John Dougall Ambassador....Jot Davies Horatio....Anthony Glennon With original music composed and realised by Nicolai Abrahamsen. Director Peter Kavanagh. Rosencrantz.... Danny Webb Guildenstern.... Andrew Lincoln Player.... Desmond Barrit Polonius.... John Rowe Ophelia.... Abigail Hollick Gertrude.... Liza Sadovy Claudius.... Simon Treves Hamlet.... John Dougall Ambassador.... Jot Davies Horatio.... Anthony Glennon | |||
| 20070729 | The Two Gentlemen of Valasna By William Shakespeare. Adapted for radio by Roger Elsgood and Willi Richards. Shakespeare's early romantic comedy is set in two Indian princely states in the weeks leading up to the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Recorded entirely on location in Maharashtra, India. Vishvadev....Nadir Khan Parminder....Arghya Lahiri Syoni....Anu Menon Jumaana....Avantika Akerkar The Maharaja....Sohrab Ardishir Thaqib....Zafar Karachiwala Sparsh....Kunaal Roy Kapoor Lehk....Joy Sengupta Lavanya....Suchitra Pillai Babu....Farid Currim Arabinder....Jayant Kripalani Pramathesh and Ekanjeet....Vikrant Chaturvedi The Dacoits....Advait Zen Hazarat, Siddhant Pinto and Ali Fazal | |||
| 20070805 | Fuente Ovejuna By Lope de Vega. Adapted by Adrian Mitchell with Brian Cox, Maxine Peake and Clive Swift. Based on real events in the 15th-century Spain of Ferdinand and Isabella, a village takes its destiny into its own hands against a tyrannical overlord, despite the consequences. | |||
| 20070819 | Bora Bistrah Five international writers penned stories about members of one family, descended from the same maternal grandmother, who crossed the border from India into Pakistan in 1947. They now live across the globe - the USA, Nairobi, Karachi, Shanghai and Bradford. The individual stories are linked by original music from Arun Ghosh and singer Ebere. Firoze....Bhasker Patel Bilal....Damian Asher Aneeqa....Melanie Bond Receptionist....Rachel Bavidge Idris....Lucian Msamati Kimani....Connie M'Gadzah Urshad....Shiv Grewal Nisha....Pooja Ghai Safeih....Chetna Pandya Danish....Amarjit Bassan Ling....Liz Sutherland Ling's Mother....Pik-Sen Lim Bony....Nitin Ganatra Arif....Shane Zaza Mother....Indira Joshi Police....Anthony Glennon Directed by Shabina Aslam. Part of the India and Pakistan '07 season. Firoze.... Bhasker Patel Bilal.... Damian Asher Aneeqa.... Melanie Bond Receptionist.... Rachel Bavidge Idris.... Lucian Msamati Kimani.... Connie M'Gadzah Urshad.... Shiv Grewal Nisha.... Pooja Ghai Safeih.... Chetna Pandya Danish.... Amarjit Bassan Ling.... Liz Sutherland Ling's Mother.... Pik-Sen Lim Bony.... Nitin Ganatra Arif.... Shane Zaza Mother.... Indira Joshi Police.... Anthony Glennon Part of the India & Pakistan '07 season. | |||
| 20070902 | Don Carlos By Friedrich Schiller. The acclaimed Sheffield Theatre's production of Schiller's play, starring Derek Jacobi in a new translation by Mike Poulton. King Philip II of Spain holds on to power through the terror of the Inquisition and his spies at Court. His son Don Carlos seeks his father's trust, yet hides his feelings for his father's wife, Elizabeth of France, to whom he was betrothed before Philip married her. The Court watches and listens. King Philip II....Derek Jacobi Don Carlos....Richard Coyle Queen Elizabeth....Claire Price Rodrigo Marquis of Posa....Elliot Cowan Duke of Alba....Ian Hogg Domingo....Michael Hadley Princess Eboli....Charlotte Randle Count Lerma....Roger Swaine Duchess of Olivarez....Una Stubbs The Grand Inquisitor....Peter Eyre Page to the Queen....Stuart Burt Duke of Medina Sidonia....Brian Poyser Count Cordua....Andrew McDonald Prince of Parma....Paul Keating Original music by Adam Cork. Directed by Michael Grandage and Andy Jordan. King Philip II.... Derek Jacobi Don Carlos.... Richard Coyle Queen Elizabeth.... Claire Price Rodrigo Marquis of Posa.... Elliot Cowan Duke of Alba.... Ian Hogg Domingo.... Michael Hadley Princess Eboli.... Charlotte Randle Count Lerma.... Roger Swaine Duchess of Olivarez.... Una Stubbs The Grand Inquisitor.... Peter Eyre Page to the Queen.... Stuart Burt Duke of Medina Sidonia.... Brian Poyser Count Cordua.... Andrew McDonald Prince of Parma.... Paul Keating | |||
| 20070909 | Seven Wonders of the Divided World By Sultan Raev, DJ Britton, Rory Kilalea, Thomas Crowe, Natalia Power, Anson Jae and Peter G Morgan. As Europe's borders become ever more porous, elsewhere the contractors are busy. Seven writers living near artifical political barriers around the world create an anthology of division. | |||
| 20070916 | After the Quake By Haruki Murakami. Translated by Jay Rubin and adapted for radio by Simon McBurney. These elegant, touching stories take a surprising look at the lives of people affected by the Kobe earthquake of 1995. Komura and Super Frog....Benedict Wong Sasaki....Sadao Ueda Keiko....Cheryl Ko Shimao....Haruka Kuroda Junpei....Tom Wu Sala....Asuka McRobbie Sayoko....Nina Fog Takatsuki....Jonathan Chan-Pensley Katagiri....Eiji Kusuhara Satsuki....Liz Sutherland Nimit....Suthas Bhoopongsa Thai Woman....Su Bhoopongsa David Rappaport....Simon Treves Komura and Super Frog.... Benedict Wong Sasaki.... Sadao Ueda Keiko.... Cheryl Ko Shimao.... Haruka Kuroda Junpei.... Tom Wu Sala.... Asuka McRobbie Sayoko.... Nina Fog Takatsuki.... Jonathan Chan-Pensley Katagiri.... Eiji Kusuhara Satsuki.... Liz Sutherland Nimit.... Suthas Bhoopongsa Thai Woman.... Su Bhoopongsa David Rappaport.... Simon Treves | |||
| 20070923 | Doctor Faustus By Christopher Marlowe. The classic play written in 1604 about a man who defies the authority of God by selling his soul to the Devil in return for 24 years of knowledge and power on Earth. Faustus....Paterson Joseph Mephistopheles....Ray Fearon Wagner....Toby Jones Evil Angel....Janet McTeer Good Angel/Duchess....Tanya Moodie Lucifer....Julian Bleach Old Man....David Bradley Robin....Nicholas Burns Rafe....Iain Robertson Valdes/Pope....David Bamber Cornelius....Paul Bazely Emperor....Anton Lesser Scholar/Horse-Courser....John Lloyd Fillingham Scholar/Knight....Don Gilet Scholar/Duke....Derek Riddell Original music composed by Olly Fox. Faustus.... Paterson Joseph Mephistopheles.... Ray Fearon Wagner.... Toby Jones Evil Angel.... Janet McTeer Good Angel/Duchess.... Tanya Moodie Lucifer.... Julian Bleach Old Man.... David Bradley Robin.... Nicholas Burns Rafe.... Iain Robertson Valdes/Pope.... David Bamber Cornelius.... Paul Bazely Emperor.... Anton Lesser Scholar/Horse-Courser.... John Lloyd Fillingham Scholar/Knight.... Don Gilet Scholar/Duke.... Derek Riddell | |||
| 20070930 | Babel's Tower By Mike Walker Walker's play imagines the Jewish-Russian writer Isaac Babel being interrogated after his arrest by the Soviet secret police in 1939. As Stalin's henchmen beat and bully Babel, scenes from his two great collections of stories come to him: the Jewish gangsters fighting over Odessa, Babel's hometown, and the Red Cavalry, with which he had ridden as a war correspondent, slaughtering Poles at the edge of the new Soviet Union. Babel....Antony Sher Rudin/Trunov....Robert Glenister Sverdlov/Benya....Stephen Noonan Also with Christopher Staines, Karl Theobald, Roland Oliver, Lucy Black, Rachel Atkins and Sandra Voe. Music by Jon Nicholls. Babel.... Antony Sher Rudin/Trunov.... Robert Glenister Sverdlov/Benya.... Stephen Noonan | |||
| 20071007 | The Lamplighters By Jackie Kay. A lyrical drama that explores the heart of enslavement through the experiences of four women, Constance, Mary, Black Harriot and The Lamplighter. The Lamplighter....Clare Perkins Mary....Mona Hammond Constance....Martina Laird Black Harriot....Aicha Kossoko MacBean....John Dougall Anniwaa....Jordan Loughran Singer....Gweneth-Ann Jeffers Music composed by Dominique Le Gendre. Director: Pam Fraser-Solomon. The Lamplighter.... Clare Perkins Mary.... Mona Hammond Constance.... Martina Laird Black Harriot.... Aicha Kossoko MacBean.... John Dougall Anniwaa.... Jordan Loughran Singer.... Gweneth-Ann Jeffers | |||
| 20071014 | Salome In a new version by Lizzie Hopley. The myth of Salome and the dance of the seven veils began as a brief reference in the Bible and was later popularised in Wilde's highly sexual rendering of the tale. Hopley's new version focuses on the tense family drama at the centre of the myth. Set on the brink of a new era - while a young carpenter is travelling across Israel propagating his new religion - the story revolves around a young girl on the threshold of womanhood, who has been torn apart from her father and the world she knows when her mother falls in love with Salome's uncle Herod Antipas. Pharisee....Ian Brooker Herod....Kenneth Cranham John the Baptist....Tony Curran Mannai/Saducee....Paul Dinnen Salome....Florence Hoath Joanna....Sally Hawkins Chuza....Karl Johnson Sejanus....Gerrard Mcarthur Herodias....Fenella Woolgar All other parts played by members of the cast. Director Lu Kemp. Pharisee.... Ian Brooker Herod.... Kenneth Cranham John the Baptist.... Tony Curran Mannai/Saducee.... Paul Dinnen Salome.... Florence Hoath Joanna.... Sally Hawkins Chuza.... Karl Johnson Sejanus.... Gerrard Mcarthur Herodias.... Fenella Woolgar | |||
| 20071028 | Glengarry Glen Ross By David Mamet. Another chance to hear the broadcast premiere of David Mamet's adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, in which Chicago real estate salesmen grind out a living in a never-ending scramble for their share of the American dream. This specially recorded production features an all-star cast. Richard Roma....Alfred Molina George Aaronow....Stacy Keach Shelly Levene....Hector Elizondo James Lingk....Bruce Davison John Williamson....Richard Cox Dave Moss....Kristoffer Tabori Officer Baylen....Chris Hatfield Directed by Rosalind Ayres. Richard Roma.... Alfred Molina George Aaronow.... Stacy Keach Shelly Levene.... Hector Elizondo James Lingk.... Bruce Davison John Williamson.... Richard Cox Dave Moss.... Kristoffer Tabori Officer Baylen.... Chris Hatfield | |||
| 20071104 | Seeing It Through By Neil Brand. Imagine if Alastair Campbell had recruited Tom Stoppard, JK Rowling, Ian McEwan and Jeanette Winterson to write patriotic literature supporting the war in Iraq. In 1914 Charles Masterman used the literary and artistic elite to unite the nation. Masterman....Michael Maloney Jean....Clare Corbett Lloyd George....Robert Pugh HG Wells....Sam Dale Frances Stevenson....Honeysuckle Weeks Frank....Sam Pamphilon Dwyer....Ben Crowe Robert Donald....John Dougall Arnold Bennett....Simon Treves Thomas Hardy....Peter Marinker Directed by David Hunter. Masterman.... Michael Maloney Jean.... Clare Corbett Lloyd George.... Robert Pugh HG Wells.... Sam Dale Frances Stevenson.... Honeysuckle Weeks Frank.... Sam Pamphilon Dwyer.... Ben Crowe Robert Donald.... John Dougall Arnold Bennett.... Simon Treves Thomas Hardy.... Peter Marinker | |||
| 20071118 | Mrs Warren's Profession By George Bernard Shaw. The issue of Victorian prostitution and double standards are examined in dramatic form as Mrs Warren reveals to her daughter the source of her income and admits her daughter's own parentage. Mrs Warren....Diana Quick Vivie....Claire Skinner Frank Gardner....Scott Handy Sir George Crofts....Geoffrey Whitehead Praed....John Rowe Rvd Samuel Gardner....Roger Hammond Adapted and directed by John Tydeman. Mrs Warren.... Diana Quick Vivie.... Claire Skinner Frank Gardner.... Scott Handy Sir George Crofts.... Geoffrey Whitehead Praed.... John Rowe Rvd Samuel Gardner.... Roger Hammond | |||
| 20071125 | Blood Wedding By Federico Garcia Lorca. An evocative meditation on fate, war, tradition, passion and repression, inspired by the true story of a fatal feud between two families in the Almeria province, high in the mountains of rural Spain. A version by Ted Hughes. | |||
| 20071202 | Soldiers in the Sun By Michael Symmons Roberts. A drama documentary looking at the psychological consequences of war. Captain Rob Shepperton, serving in Afghanistan in the medical corps, is out on a routine patrol when he comes across a sight that will change his life. Captain Rob Shepperton....Adrian Bower Doctor....Deborah McAndrew Matt....Thomas Morrison Sol....Tom Attwood Samsour....Nikhil Parmar Girl....Emily Armitage With music played and composed by John Harle. Captain Rob Shepperton.... Adrian Bower Doctor.... Deborah McAndrew Matt.... Thomas Morrison Sol.... Tom Attwood Samsour.... Nikhil Parmar Girl.... Emily Armitage | |||
| 20071209 | The Homecoming By Harold Pinter. Electrifying audiences when it was first performed in 1965, The Homecoming has quickly established itself as a modern classic. In this production for BBC Radio, Pinter himself takes on the role of Max, the head of the Hackney family to which a professor and his wife return one night from America. There, amongst the shadows of the past and the realities of the present, a compelling drama unfolds. Max, a man of seventy....Harold Pinter Lenny, a man in his early thirties....Samuel West Sam, a man of sixty-three....Michael Gambon Joey, a man in his middle twenties....James Alexandrou Teddy, a man in his middle thirties....Rupert Graves Ruth, a woman in her early thirties....Gina McKee Max, a man of seventy.... Harold Pinter Lenny, a man in his early thirties.... Samuel West Sam, a man of sixty-three.... Michael Gambon Joey, a man in his middle twenties.... James Alexandrou Teddy, a man in his middle thirties.... Rupert Graves Ruth, a woman in her early thirties.... Gina McKee | |||
| 20071216 | The Rivals By Richard Brinsley Sheridan It's 1775 and the fashionable world descends on Bath, to take the waters and embroil themselves in a little romantic intrigue as three suitors fight for the hand of Miss Lydia Languish. Mrs Malaprop....Patricia Routledge Sir Anthony Absolute....Geoffrey Palmer Jack Absolute....Michael Maloney Lydia Languish....Sarah Crowe Faulkland....David Bamber Bob Acres....Peter Gunn Julia....Lucy Whybrow Sir Lucius O'Trigger....Sean Barrett Lucy....Clare Corbett Fag....Nick Fletcher David....Stephen Critchlow Thomas, the Coachman....Barrie Jaimeson Adapted and directed by David Timson. Music by Malcolm McKee. Mrs Malaprop.... Patricia Routledge Sir Anthony Absolute.... Geoffrey Palmer Jack Absolute.... Michael Maloney Lydia Languish.... Sarah Crowe Faulkland.... David Bamber Bob Acres.... Peter Gunn Julia.... Lucy Whybrow Sir Lucius O'Trigger.... Sean Barrett Lucy.... Clare Corbett Fag.... Nick Fletcher David.... Stephen Critchlow Thomas, the Coachman.... Barrie Jaimeson | |||
| 20071223 | The Pitmen Painters By Lee Hall. Inspired by the book by William Feaver, Billy Elliott writer Lee Hall questions why the arts seem to belong to the privileged few. Seventy years ago, in an old army hut in Ashington, Northumberland, a group of miners met to talk about art. They wanted their visiting lecturer to explain the secret of a remote world, but he did better than that, he got them painting and put that world in their hands. George Brown....Deka Walmsley Oliver Kilbourn....Christopher Connel Jimmy Floyd....David Whitaker Young lad, Ben Nicholson....Brian Lonsdale Harry Wilson....Michael Hodgson Robert Lyon....Ian Kelly Susan Parks....Lisa McGrillis Helen Sutherland, Vera Brown....Phillippa Wilson Directed for radio by Kate Rowland. George Brown.... Deka Walmsley Oliver Kilbourn.... Christopher Connel Jimmy Floyd.... David Whitaker Young lad, Ben Nicholson.... Brian Lonsdale Harry Wilson.... Michael Hodgson Robert Lyon.... Ian Kelly Susan Parks.... Lisa McGrillis Helen Sutherland, Vera Brown.... Phillippa Wilson | |||
| 20071230 | All's Well That Ends Well By William Shakespeare. Shakespeare's play, which opens in France at the estate of the Countess of Rousillon, tells of the extraordinary lengths a young woman will go to to win the hand of the young man she loves. Helena, a waiting woman and ward of the Countess, has set her sights on Bertram, the Countess's son. Helena....Emma Fielding Countess....Sian Phillips Widow....Miriam Margolyes King....Richard Griffiths Lafew....George Baker Parolles....Simon Russell Beale Duke....David Timson Bertram....Carl Prekopp Steward/2nd soldier....Ian Masters Clown/Second Lord....Ewan Bailey Diana....Helen Longworth Mariana....Emma Field-Rayner First Lord....Iwan Thomas Gent....Gerard McDermott 1st Soldier/1st Gent....Ben Onwukwe 2nd Gent/4th Lord....Peter Darney Music written and performed by Neil Brand. Directed by Peter Kavanagh. Helena.... Emma Fielding Countess.... Sian Phillips Widow.... Miriam Margolyes King.... Richard Griffiths Lafew.... George Baker Parolles.... Simon Russell Beale Duke.... David Timson Bertram.... Carl Prekopp Steward/2nd soldier.... Ian Masters Clown/Second Lord.... Ewan Bailey Diana.... Helen Longworth Mariana.... Emma Field-Rayner First Lord.... Iwan Thomas Gent.... Gerard McDermott 1st Soldier/1st Gent.... Ben Onwukwe 2nd Gent/4th Lord.... Peter Darney | |||
| 20080224 | Girlfriend in a Coma, by Douglas Coupland The first radio adaptation of a book by Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X and Microserfs, dramatised by Sony award-nominated Dan Rebellato. The date is 15 December 1979. Karen Ann McNeill goes into a deep coma after a teen party and remains in it until 1997. When she wakes up, the voices in her head keep telling her the world is about to end, but Karen doesn't believe them. Jared....Florian Hutter Karen....Rayisa Kondracki Wendy....Maggie Blake Richard....Jason Durran Hamilton....Simon Lee Phillips Pamela....Heather Dann Doctor....Peter Marinker Megan....Julia Summer Gloria....Buffy Davis Music composed by Alice Trueman Jared.... Florian Hutter Karen.... Rayisa Kondracki Wendy.... Maggie Blake Richard.... Jason Durran Hamilton.... Simon Lee Phillips Pamela.... Heather Dann Doctor.... Peter Marinker Megan.... Julia Summer Gloria.... Buffy Davis | |||
| 20080302 | The Adding Machine, by Elmer Rice A work from 1923 by Pullitzer Prize-winning playwright Elmer Rice and considered to be an Expressionist classic. Mr Zero has spent the last 25 years adding up columns of figures and dreaming of advancement. But when the boss finally calls him into his office, Zero doesn't get the promotion he was expecting. Mr Zero....Nathan Osgood Mrs Zero....Rebecca Front Daisy....Gina Bellman Shrdlu....John Rogan Charles/The Head....Danny Sapani One/Boss....Peter Marinker Mrs One....Liza Sadovy Two/Joe....Chris Pavlo Mrs Two/Judy....Liz Sutherland Young Man/Policeman....Ben Crowe Mr Zero.... Nathan Osgood Mrs Zero.... Rebecca Front Daisy.... Gina Bellman Shrdlu.... John Rogan Charles/The Head.... Danny Sapani One/Boss.... Peter Marinker Mrs One.... Liza Sadovy Two/Joe.... Chris Pavlo Mrs Two/Judy.... Liz Sutherland Young Man/Policeman.... Ben Crowe | |||
| 20080309 | An Enemy Of The People By Martin Lynch and based on the play by Henrik Ibsen. A drama is set in contemporary Belfast, where the killing of a Catholic man leads to his own community struggling to come to terms with the truth. But one woman, Moya McGovern, is determined to get justice for her murdered brother-in-law - though at what cost? Moya McGovern....Susan Lynch Caroline McGovern....Seainin Brennan Sean Gillen....Charles Lawson Mr Gillen/Solicitor....Harry Towb Dominic/Frankie....Patrick O'Kane Manus....Lloyd Hutchinson Mrs McGovern....Eileen Pollock Director: Roland Jaquarello. Moya McGovern.... Susan Lynch Caroline McGovern.... Seainin Brennan Sean Gillen.... Charles Lawson Mr Gillen/Solicitor.... Harry Towb Dominic/Frankie.... Patrick O'Kane Manus.... Lloyd Hutchinson Mrs McGovern.... Eileen Pollock | |||
| 20080316 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof By Tennessee Williams. An adaptation of Tennessee Williams's classic 1950s drama set in the plantations of the American Deep South. Hypocrisy, greed and secret passions threaten to tear apart a dysfunctional family as they fight over a dying patriarch's millions. Big Daddy....Joss Ackland Big Mama....Gemma Jones Margaret....Elizabeth McGovern Brick....Marcus D'Amico Mae....Alison Steadman Gooper....Clive Carter Rev Tooker....Roy Dotrice Dr Baugh....Kenneth Jay Lacey....Ben Onwukwe With Polly Dartford, Christopher Earley, Zara Mandel, Tristan Pegg as the children. Director: Andy Jordan. Big Daddy.... Joss Ackland Big Mama.... Gemma Jones Margaret.... Elizabeth McGovern Brick.... Marcus D'Amico Mae.... Alison Steadman Gooper.... Clive Carter Rev Tooker.... Roy Dotrice Dr Baugh.... Kenneth Jay Lacey.... Ben Onwukwe | |||
| 20080323 | Cyrano de Bergerac By Edmond Rostand and translated from the French by Anthony Burgess. Set in 17th century France, Rostand's play features the eponymous poet-swordsman with a misshapen nose who falls in love with the beautiful Roxane. She loves the dashing Gascon soldier Christian de Neuvillette and Cyrano finds himself writing love poems on his behalf. Cyrano....Kenneth Branagh Roxane....Jodhi May De Guiche....John Shrapnel Christian....Tom Hiddleston Rageuneau....Jimmy Yuill Montfleury....Stephen Critchlow Bellerose/Capuc....Hugh Dickson Le Bret....Gerard Horan Carbon/Cuigy....John McAndrew Ligniere....Steve Hodson Duenna/Marthe....Frances Jeater Mother Superior....Susan Jamieson Sister Claire....Joannah Tincey Valvert....Oliver le Sueur Director: David Timson. Cyrano.... Kenneth Branagh Roxane.... Jodhi May De Guiche.... John Shrapnel Christian.... Tom Hiddleston Rageuneau.... Jimmy Yuill Montfleury.... Stephen Critchlow Bellerose/Capuc.... Hugh Dickson Le Bret.... Gerard Horan Carbon/Cuigy.... John McAndrew Ligniere.... Steve Hodson Duenna/Marthe.... Frances Jeater Mother Superior.... Susan Jamieson Sister Claire.... Joannah Tincey Valvert.... Oliver le Sueur | |||
| 20080330 | A Long Way from Home, by Caryl Phillips Caryl Phillips' original drama imagines the conflicting forces in the iconic singer Marvin Gaye's life, including family, stardom, love, sex and drugs. The story focuses on his final years, when he was offered a lifeline in the unlikely setting of Ostend in Belgium, where he composed the song Sexual Healing before he returned America and was murdered by his own father. Marvin Gaye....O-T Fagbenle Freddy Cousaert/Marvin Gaye Senior....Kerry Shale Alberta Gay/Kimona....Alibe Parson Beatrice/Karen....Rhea Bailey Liliane....Rachel Atkins Mitchell/Jimmy....Damian Lynch Sam/Stu....Ben Onwukwe P K....Major Wiley Directed by Ned Chaillet. Marvin Gaye.... O-T Fagbenle Freddy Cousaert/Marvin Gaye Senior.... Kerry Shale Alberta Gay/Kimona.... Alibe Parson Beatrice/Karen.... Rhea Bailey Liliane.... Rachel Atkins Mitchell/Jimmy.... Damian Lynch Sam/Stu.... Ben Onwukwe P K.... Major Wiley | |||
| 20080406 | Swan Song By Anton Chekhov and translated by Michael Frayn. As a tribute to the late Paul Scofield, another opportunity to hear his noted performance in this 2006 production. Following his final performance in a dingy provincial theatre, an elderly Russian actor confronts his ghosts. Did he ever really have 'talent'? The actor....Paul Scofield The prompter....Alec McCowen Directed by Martin Jenkins. Rudolpho's Zest By Tanika Gupta. Rudolpho has a remarkable secret: although born in 1815, his body never ages beyond mid-life and at times has regenerated to youth. But when Rudolpho tells Mel about his immortality, he suddenly finds, at the age of 192, that his body begins to age rapidly and his zest for life is disappearing. Mel is desperate to find an answer to this conundrum before it's too late. Rudolpho....Ray Panthaki Mel....Lyndsey Marshal Susan....Adjoa Andoh Sita....Manjinder Virk Firoz....Paul Bhattacharjee Mahesh....Paul Bazely Charles Darwin....Geoffrey Whitehead Alice....Clare Corbett Ghandi....Sam Dastor Nasreen....Sakuntala Ramanee Lord Williams....Robert Maskell Colonel Fitzherbert....Peter Marinker Charles....Ben Onwukwe Maid....Liz Sutherland Babulal....Gagan Sharma Young Rudolpho....Alex Miller The actor.... Paul Scofield The prompter.... Alec McCowen Rudolpho.... Ray Panthaki Mel.... Lyndsey Marshal Susan.... Adjoa Andoh Sita.... Manjinder Virk Firoz.... Paul Bhattacharjee Mahesh.... Paul Bazely Charles Darwin.... Geoffrey Whitehead Alice.... Clare Corbett Ghandi.... Sam Dastor Nasreen.... Sakuntala Ramanee Lord Williams.... Robert Maskell Colonel Fitzherbert.... Peter Marinker Charles.... Ben Onwukwe Maid.... Liz Sutherland Babulal.... Gagan Sharma Young Rudolpho.... Alex Miller | |||
| 20080413 | The Country Wife By William Wycherley. Considered too obscene to be staged in its original form for nearly 200 years, William Wycherley's raunchy Restoration comedy tells the tale of Mr Horner - a notorious rake who spreads the false rumour that he is impotent in order to gain free access to other men's wives. Horner....Ben Miller Pinchwife....Geoffrey Whitehead Mrs Margery Pinchwife....Clare Corbett Sir Jasper Fidget....Nigel Anthony Lady Fidget....Celia Imrie Harcourt....Jonathan Keeble Alithea....Rachel Atkins Sparkish....Mark Williams Dorilant....Dale Rapley Mrs Dainty Fidget....Sara Markland Mrs Squeamish....Joan Walker Old Lady Squeamish....Elizabeth Morgan Lucy....Emma Kilbey Quack....John Evitts Boy....James Joyce Adapted and directed by David Blount. Horner.... Ben Miller Pinchwife.... Geoffrey Whitehead Mrs Margery Pinchwife.... Clare Corbett Sir Jasper Fidget.... Nigel Anthony Lady Fidget.... Celia Imrie Harcourt.... Jonathan Keeble Alithea.... Rachel Atkins Sparkish.... Mark Williams Dorilant.... Dale Rapley Mrs Dainty Fidget.... Sara Markland Mrs Squeamish.... Joan Walker Old Lady Squeamish.... Elizabeth Morgan Lucy.... Emma Kilbey Quack.... John Evitts Boy.... James Joyce | |||
| 20080420 | Yesterday an Incident Occurred By Mark Ravenhill. Originally performed as part of the Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat cycle of plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2007 and then re-imagined for a special commission for BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival 2007. After an unprovoked attack takes place in a shopping centre, no one comes forward as a witness. How can justice be done? Performed and recorded with an audience at the Victorian Civil Court of St George's Hall, Liverpool. One....Ian Puleston-Davies A....Kathryn Hunt B....Sam Kelly C....Gerard Kearns Marion....Carla Henry Directed by Kate Rowland. One.... Ian Puleston-Davies A.... Kathryn Hunt B.... Sam Kelly C.... Gerard Kearns Marion.... Carla Henry | |||
| 20080427 | Professor Bernhardi By Arthur Schnitzler. In Vienna in 1900, a distinguished Jewish doctor prevents a Catholic priest from administering last rites to a dying patient. His actions provoke a political witch-hunt, leading to the professor's trial and imprisonment. Adapted by National Theatre playwright Samuel Adamson, this new version of Schnitzler's play about prejudice in sophisticated society had been unseen in London for over 70 years and was produced for the stage by Dumbfounded Theatre Company in 2005. Prof Bernhardi....Christopher Godwin Prof Ebenwald....Dale Rapley Prof Pflugfelder....John Stahl Minister Flint/Defence....Andrew Woodall Prof Tugendvetter/Dr Lowenstein/Prosecution/Waiter - ball....John Dougall Mr Hochroitzpointer/Kulka (journalist)/Questioner....Justin Salinger Father Reder/Dr Schreimann....Andrew Havill Dr Adler/Privy Councillor Winkler/Speaker....Mark Lockyer Dr Oskar Bernhardi/Dr Feuermann/Waiter - restaurant/Foreman....Tom Godwin Prof Cyprian/Bermann....David Horovitch Prof Filitz/Judge....Geoffrey Beevers Philomena/Housekeeper/Secretary (Ministry of Education)....Sophie Roberts Frau Filitz/Nurse/Secretary (Elisabeth Institute)....Rachel Atkins Crowd/Members of Parliament....Cast Prof Bernhardi.... Christopher Godwin Prof Ebenwald.... Dale Rapley Prof Pflugfelder.... John Stahl Minister Flint/Defence.... Andrew Woodall Prof Tugendvetter/Dr Lowenstein/Prosecution/Waiter - ball.... John Dougall Mr Hochroitzpointer/Kulka (journalist)/Questioner.... Justin Salinger Father Reder/Dr Schreimann.... Andrew Havill Dr Adler/Privy Councillor Winkler/Speaker.... Mark Lockyer Dr Oskar Bernhardi/Dr Feuermann/Waiter - restaurant/Foreman.... Tom Godwin Prof Cyprian/Bermann.... David Horovitch Prof Filitz/Judge.... Geoffrey Beevers Philomena/Housekeeper/Secretary (Ministry of Education).... Sophie Roberts Frau Filitz/Nurse/Secretary (Elisabeth Institute).... Rachel Atkins Crowd/Members of Parliament.... Cast | |||
| 20080504 | Othello By William Shakespeare. A production from London's Donmar Warehouse, featuring an award-winning performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the title role as the jealous Moor Othello, alongside Ewan McGregor as the scheming Iago. When the esteemed general Othello promotes Cassio to be his personal lieutenant, Iago, Cassio's bitter rival and friend of Othello, is envious and plots revenge. Iago manipulates and enrages Othello, making him suspicious of his wife Desdemona, ultimately bringing events to a tragic conclusion. Roderigo....Edward Bennett Iago....Ewan McGregor Brabantio/Gratiano....James Laurenson Othello....Chiwetel Ejiofor Cassio....Tom Hiddleston First Officer/Messenger/First Cyprus Gentlemen....Alastair Sims First Senator/Second Cyprus Gentleman....David Mara Duke of Venice/Lodovico....Michael Hadley Desdemona....Kelly Reilly Montano....Michael Jenn Emilia....Michelle Fairley Bianca....Martina Laird Music: Adam Cork Director: Michael Grandage Roderigo.... Edward Bennett Iago.... Ewan McGregor Brabantio/Gratiano.... James Laurenson Othello.... Chiwetel Ejiofor Cassio.... Tom Hiddleston First Officer/Messenger/First Cyprus Gentlemen.... Alastair Sims First Senator/Second Cyprus Gentleman.... David Mara Duke of Venice/Lodovico.... Michael Hadley Desdemona.... Kelly Reilly Montano.... Michael Jenn Emilia.... Michelle Fairley Bianca.... Martina Laird | |||
| 20080511 | The Leopard By Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, and adapted for radio by Michael Hastings. Don Fabrizio, a member of the old Italian aristocracy, contemplates his obsolescence amidst the great social changes during the Risorgimento of the 19th century. The head of an opulent household in Sicily, he reflects nostalgically on the past as his family grows to maturity and Garibaldi's republican movement puts an end to the feudal system and the traditions of the old bourgeoisie. Don Fabrizio....Stanley Townsend Princess Stella/Concetta at 70....Julie Legrand Concetta....Claire Price Angelica....Hayley Atwell Ciccio/Pallavicino/Priest....Joseph Alessi Father Pirrone....James Hayes Francesco/Carlo....Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Tancredi....Tom Hiddleston Calogero/Chevalley....Anthony O'Donnell Giovanni....Harry McEntire Angelica at 70....Claire Nielson Director: Lucy Bailey. Don Fabrizio.... Stanley Townsend Princess Stella/Concetta at 70.... Julie Legrand Concetta.... Claire Price Angelica.... Hayley Atwell Ciccio/Pallavicino/Priest.... Joseph Alessi Father Pirrone.... James Hayes Francesco/Carlo.... Tom Vaughan-Lawlor Tancredi.... Tom Hiddleston Calogero/Chevalley.... Anthony O'Donnell Giovanni.... Harry McEntire Angelica at 70.... Claire Nielson | |||
| 20080525 | The Vertical Hour By David Hare. Nadia, an American war reporter-turned-academic, lives a settled life with her English boyfriend, but when she visits his home and meets his womanising father for the first time, her political opinions and her relationship come under great strain. Dennis Dutton....Joseph Kloska Oliver Lucas....Anton Lesser Terri Scholes....Wunmi Mosaku Philip Lucas....Tom Riley Nadia Blye....Indira Varma Original music composed by Nick Powell Director: Jeremy Herrin Dennis Dutton.... Joseph Kloska Oliver Lucas.... Anton Lesser Terri Scholes.... Wunmi Mosaku Philip Lucas.... Tom Riley Nadia Blye.... Indira Varma | |||
| 20080601 | Shylock By Arnold Wesker. A new perspective on an age-old story by one of the foremost playwrights of his generation. Shylock's close friend Antonio needs a loan, but 16th century Venetian law discriminates against Jews. For Shylock's own protection, Antonio persuades him to agree a bond. They laugh as Shylock invents the absurd forfeit of a pound of flesh - but their mockery of the law may easily turn to tragedy. Shylock Kolner....Henry Goodman Antonio....Ronald Pickup Portia Contarini....Juliet Stevenson Nerissa....Noma Dumezweni Bassanio....Toby Stephens Rivka....Sheila Steafel Jessica....Lydia Leonard Tubal di Ponti....Jonathan Tafler Lorenzo....Geoffrey Streatfeild Graziano....Nicholas Boulton Rebecca da Mendes....Jennie Stoller The Doge/Solomon Usque....Geoffrey Beevers Roderigues da Cunha....Anthony Glennon Singer....Annette Ross Producer/Director: David Hitchinson. Producer/Director: David Hitchinson." | |||
| 20080608 | True West By Sam Shepard. Screenwriter Austin's work on a film script is disrupted by the arrival of his elder brother Lee. The differences between successful, creative professional Austin and brutish, desert-living Lee could not be more marked. Or could they? Lee.... David Soul Austin.... Richard Laing Saul.... Kenneth Jay Mom.... Liza Ross Director Peter Kavanagh. | |||
| 20080615 | Doctor Faustus By Christopher Marlowe. The classic play written in 1604 about a man who defies the authority of God by selling his soul to the Devil in return for 24 years of knowledge and power on Earth. Faustus.... Paterson Joseph Mephistopheles.... Ray Fearon Wagner.... Toby Jones Evil Angel.... Janet McTeer Good Angel/Duchess.... Tanya Moodie Lucifer.... Julian Bleach Old Man.... David Bradley Robin.... Nicholas Burns Rafe.... Iain Robertson Valdes/Pope.... David Bamber Cornelius.... Paul Bazely Emperor.... Anton Lesser Scholar/Horse-Courser.... John Lloyd Fillingham Scholar/Knight.... Don Gilet Scholar/Duke.... Derek Riddell Original music composed by Olly Fox. | |||
| 20080622 | Bazajet By Jean Racine. In far-off Byzantium, in a harem deep within the Sultan's palace, Bazajet is told by the Emperor's wife that he must marry her or die. However, matters are complicated by the fact that he is already engaged to Atalide. Acomat....Michael Pennington Osmin....Jonathan Christie Roxane....Victoria Hamilton Atalide....Claire Price Zaire....Sophie Scott Bajazet....Bertie Carvel Zatime....Valerie Sarruf Translated by Alan Hollinghurst. Directed by Jane Morgan. Acomat.... Michael Pennington Osmin.... Jonathan Christie Roxane.... Victoria Hamilton Atalide.... Claire Price Zaire.... Sophie Scott Bajazet.... Bertie Carvel Zatime.... Valerie Sarruf | |||
| 20080629 | The Wild Duck By Henrik Ibsen, translated by Inga-Stina Ewbank and Peter Hall. Hialmar....Paterson Joseph Gregers....Michael Maloney Hedvig....Katie Griffiths Mrs Sorby....Alexandra Mathie Mr Werle....Russell Dixon Old Ekdal....Gordon Langford-Rowe Gina....Siobhan Finneran Relling....Glenn Cunningham Jenson....Malcolm Raeburn Hialmar.... Paterson Joseph Gregers.... Michael Maloney Hedvig.... Katie Griffiths Mrs Sorby.... Alexandra Mathie Mr Werle.... Russell Dixon Old Ekdal.... Gordon Langford-Rowe Gina.... Siobhan Finneran Relling.... Glenn Cunningham Jenson.... Malcolm Raeburn | |||
| 20080706 | Piper Alpha By Stephen Phelps. On 6 July 1988, a North Sea oil rig was destroyed by a series of explosions and a massive fire, resulting in the death of 167 men. Based on Lord Cullen's Public Inquiry, the play chronicles the disaster minute-by-minute as it happened exactly 20 years ago. Performed by Ewan Bailey, Nigel Betts, Kenny Blyth, Mark Bonnar, Liam Brennan, Stephen Critchlow, Ben Crowe, Nyasha Hatendi, Chris Pavlo, Roshan R Rohatgi, John Rowe, Dan Starkey, John Kay Steel and Joan Walker. Produced and directed by Toby Swift. | |||
| 20080713 | Blood Wedding By Federico Garcia Lorca. An evocative meditation on fate, war, tradition, passion and repression, inspired by the true story of a fatal feud between two families in the Almeria province, high in the mountains of rural Spain. A version by Ted Hughes. Mother of Bridegroom....Barbara Flynn Bridegroom/Woodcutter....Carl Prekopp Bride....Sarah Smart Leonardo....William Ash Leonardo's Wife/Girl....Andrea Riseborough Father of Bride....David Fleeshman Beggar Woman/Neighbour....Mary Cunningham Servant/Mother-in-Law....Ellie Haddington Moon....Claire Benedict Girls....Liz Carter Woodcutter....Sam Curtis Woodcutter....Chris Hannon Littler Girl....Daisy Jones Directed by Pauline Harris. Mother of Bridegroom.... Barbara Flynn Bridegroom/Woodcutter.... Carl Prekopp Bride.... Sarah Smart Leonardo.... William Ash Leonardo's Wife/Girl.... Andrea Riseborough Father of Bride.... David Fleeshman Beggar Woman/Neighbour.... Mary Cunningham Servant/Mother-in-Law.... Ellie Haddington Moon.... Claire Benedict Girls.... Liz Carter Woodcutter.... Sam Curtis Woodcutter.... Chris Hannon Littler Girl.... Daisy Jones | |||
| 20080727 | Two Men from Delft By Stephen Wakelam. In 1675, at the time of the death of his close friend Johannes Vermeer, Antony Van Leeuwenhoek made an astonishing discovery. He was the first person to identity bacteria. Antony Van Leeuwenhooek.... Stephen Tompkinson Christiaan Huygens.... Alex Jennings Maria Van Leeuwenhoek.... Emma Noakes Elisabeth Vermeer.... Alex Tregear Music by Sylvia Hallett. Viol played by Vanessa Coode. Directed and produced by Jeremy Mortimer. | |||
| 20080831 | Your Only Man By Annie Caulfield. Brian O'Nolan was an Irish writer, columnist and civil servant who wrote novels such as The Third Policeman under the pen name of Flann O'Brien and popular satirical newspaper columns as Myles na gCopaleen, while at the same time working as a civil servant in Dublin under his real name. This play imagines what might have happened had the three of them got together on the day when O'Nolan was asked to leave his civil service post. Brian O'Nolan....Ardal O'Hanlon Flann O'Brien....Dermot Crowley Myles na gCopaleen....Dara O'Briain Evelyn O'Nolan/Miss Fahy....Pauline McLynn Eddie Fahy, the policeman and everyone else....Lloyd Hutchinson Directed by Marilyn Imrie. Brian O'Nolan.... Ardal O'Hanlon Flann O'Brien.... Dermot Crowley Myles na gCopaleen.... Dara O'Briain Evelyn O'Nolan/Miss Fahy.... Pauline McLynn Eddie Fahy, the policeman and everyone else.... Lloyd Hutchinson | |||
| 20080921 | A Disappearing Number Adapted for radio by Simon McBurney and Ben Power. Based on the stage play by the theatre company Complicite. An award-winning production exploring our relentless compulsion to understand, and which is a provocative meditation on the beauty of mathematics and the nature of creativity. It was inspired by the story of the collaboration between two of the 20th century's most notable pure mathematicians, Srinivasa Ramanujan, a poor Brahmin from South India, and Cambridge professor GH Hardy. Performed by David Annen, Firdous Bamji, Paul Bhattacharjee, Divya Kasturi, Chetna Pandya, Saskia Reeves and Shane Shambhu. With Mick Barnfather, Tamzin Griffin, Tim McMullan and Clive Mendus. | |||
| 20080928 | Season of Migration to the North Philip Palmer's dramatisation for Radio 3 of Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih's sensual and shocking thriller, often described as the most important Arab novel of the 20th century. | |||
| 20081005 | Tulips in Winter An exploration of the life of the enigmatic 17th century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose ideas still influence present day thinkers. Michelene Wandor's play, inspired by various paintings and etchings, imagines a world in which Spinoza appears in Rembrandt's Night Watch and is courted by one of Cromwell's spies. Angel....Angela Pleasence Baruch Spinoza....Ben Meyjes Miguel Spinoza....Gabriel Woolf Rebecca....Jasmine Hyde Cromwell....Struan Rodger Downing....John McAndrew Rembrandt....Timothy Spall Menasseh....Philip Voss De Witt....Grant Gillespie Morteira....David Horovitch Da Costa....Nicholas Boulton Joseph Prado....Thomas Howes Directed by Jane Morgan. Angel.... Angela Pleasence Baruch Spinoza.... Ben Meyjes Miguel Spinoza.... Gabriel Woolf Rebecca.... Jasmine Hyde Cromwell.... Struan Rodger Downing.... John McAndrew Rembrandt.... Timothy Spall Menasseh.... Philip Voss De Witt.... Grant Gillespie Morteira.... David Horovitch Da Costa.... Nicholas Boulton Joseph Prado.... Thomas Howes | |||
| 20081012 | The Duchess of Malfi By John Webster. The Duchess of Malfi is one of the great Jacobean plays, and this new production focuses on the personal tragedies of a powerful family rent by lust and betrayal. When the widowed Duchess marries her steward Antonio, the choice challenges the accepted social order and established lines of power. It also brings her into direct conflict with her powerful brothers, the Duke Ferdinand and the scheming Cardinal, and tragedy ensues. The dark tale is enhanced by dark music written especially for the play. Duchess....Sophie Okonedo Antonio....Rory Kinnear Ferdinand....Jonathan Slinger Bosola....Bertie Carvel Cardinal....Oliver Senton Delio....Oliver Le Sueur Cariola....Becky Hindley Julia....Rachel Davidge Doctor....Michael Griffiths Pescara....Paul Panting Roderigo/Executioner....Nicholas Gadd Grisolan/Servant....Francis Middleditch Music by Arthur Ka Wai Jenkins. Adapted for radio and directed by Roy McMillan. Duchess.... Sophie Okonedo Antonio.... Rory Kinnear Ferdinand.... Jonathan Slinger Bosola.... Bertie Carvel Cardinal.... Oliver Senton Delio.... Oliver Le Sueur Cariola.... Becky Hindley Julia.... Rachel Davidge Doctor.... Michael Griffiths Pescara.... Paul Panting Roderigo/Executioner.... Nicholas Gadd Grisolan/Servant.... Francis Middleditch | |||
| 20081019 | Black Watch By Gregory Burke. A radio version of the National Theatre of Scotland's award-winning theatre production, Black Watch is based on interviews conducted by Gregory Burke with former soldiers who served in the second war in Iraq. Hurtling from a pool room in Fife to an armoured wagon in Iraq, the action is viewed through the eyes of those on the ground and reveals what it means to be part of this venerable Scottish regiment and the war on terror. The play contains very strong language. Stewarty....Ali Craig Fraz....Emun Elliott Granty....Paul Rattray Cammy....Brian Ferguson Kenzie....Ryan Fletcher Officer....Peter Forbes Sergeant/Writer....Paul Higgins Rossco....Jordan Young Original music composed by Davey Anderson. Directed by John Tiffany Stewarty.... Ali Craig Fraz.... Emun Elliott Granty.... Paul Rattray Cammy.... Brian Ferguson Kenzie.... Ryan Fletcher Officer.... Peter Forbes Sergeant/Writer.... Paul Higgins Rossco.... Jordan Young | |||
| 20081026 | Caligari By Amanda Dalton. Adapted from the 1919 film Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari, written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer, and directed by Robert Wiene. Amanda Dalton's adaptation builds on the film's themes: the madness of society, the inner workings of the human mind and the paranoia of a country in the aftermath of a war. The story centres on Francis, who recounts the story of mesmerist Dr Caligari and his somnambulist slave Cesare, who appear to be responsible for a series of murders in Holstenwall. Franzis....Tom Ferguson Allan....Luke Treadaway Frau Beckmann....Eileen O'Brien Jacob Straat....Peter Hamilton Dyer Jane....Sarah McDonald Hughes Dr Olfens....Malcolm Raeburn The Police Inspector....James Quinn Town clerk....Terence Mann Cesare....Robin Blaze (countertenor) Music composed by Olly Fox and performed by Kate St John, Genevieve Wilkins, Sarah Homer and David Coulter. Directed by Susan Roberts. Franzis.... Tom Ferguson Allan.... Luke Treadaway Frau Beckmann.... Eileen O'Brien Jacob Straat.... Peter Hamilton Dyer Jane.... Sarah McDonald Hughes Dr Olfens.... Malcolm Raeburn The Police Inspector.... James Quinn Town clerk.... Terence Mann Cesare.... Robin Blaze (countertenor) | |||
| 20081109 | All Quiet on the Western Front Written by Erich Maria Remarque and dramatised by Dave Sheasby. Considered one of the greatest war novels of all time, it is the haunting, comic, lyrical and desperate story of a group of young German soldiers enduring and coming to terms with the realities of the First World War. Paul Baumer....Robert Lonsdale Kropp....Simon Trinder Muller....Gunnar Cauthary Leer....Llyod Thomas Tjaden....Joseph Arkley Katczinsky....Stephen Critchlow Cook....Malcolm Tierney Westhaus....Stuart McLoughlin Captain Bertinck....Dan Starkey Kemmerich....Luke Walker Himmelstoss....Tim Treloar Detering....Nick Sayce Mother....Janice Acquah French girl....Donnla Hughes Erna....Jill Cardo Mrs Kemmerich....Carolyn Pickles Orderly....Inam Mirza Mittlestaedt....Paul Rider Major....Chris Pavlo Nurse....Manjeet Mann Directed by David Hunter. Paul Baumer.... Robert Lonsdale Kropp.... Simon Trinder Muller.... Gunnar Cauthary Leer.... Llyod Thomas Tjaden.... Joseph Arkley Katczinsky.... Stephen Critchlow Cook.... Malcolm Tierney Westhaus.... Stuart McLoughlin Captain Bertinck.... Dan Starkey Kemmerich.... Luke Walker Himmelstoss.... Tim Treloar Detering.... Nick Sayce Mother.... Janice Acquah French girl.... Donnla Hughes Erna.... Jill Cardo Mrs Kemmerich.... Carolyn Pickles Orderly.... Inam Mirza Mittlestaedt.... Paul Rider Major.... Chris Pavlo Nurse.... Manjeet Mann | |||
| 20081116 | Tamburlaine: Shadow of God By John Fletcher. As war swirls around them, three of the most important figures in the history of the Middle and Near East are brought together in fierce debate: how can a successful society be built, and what does it need to do to endure? Ibn Khaldun....John Rowe Tamburlaine....Jeffery Kissoon Hafez....Conleth Hill Mulk....Jonathan Taffler Jahongir....Inam Mirza Hosni....Stephen Critchlow Vizier....Dan Starkey Wife....Donnla Hughes Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Gunnar Cauthery and Robert Lonsdale. Directed by Marc Beeby Ibn Khaldun.... John Rowe Tamburlaine.... Jeffery Kissoon Hafez.... Conleth Hill Mulk.... Jonathan Taffler Jahongir.... Inam Mirza Hosni.... Stephen Critchlow Vizier.... Dan Starkey Wife.... Donnla Hughes | |||
| 20100117 | Season of Migration to the North By Tayeb Salih Translated by Denys Johnson-Davies Dramatised by Philip Palmer. The late Tayeb Salih's wry and sensual masterpiece has been described as the most important Arab novel of the 20th century. First published in Arabic in 1966, ten years after Sudan's independence, it's a hall of mirrors which conjures poetry and suspense from the ambivalence of the colonial legacy. A young man returning from studying in Europe to his beloved village 'on the bend in the Nile' unravels a tale which will lead to murder. Suleyman....Beru Tessema Mustafa Sa'eed....Zubin Varla Mahjoub....Philip Arditti Hosna Bint Mahmoud.Farzana Dua Elahe Hajj Ahmed....Nadim Sawalha Wad Rayyes....Oscar James Bint Majzoub....Ellen Thomas Jean Morris....Donnla Hughes Isabella Seymour...Carolyn Pickles with Mitchell Zhangazha, Jonathan Tafler, Chris Pavlo, Inam Mirza, Jill Cardo, and Dan Starkey Produced and directed by Jonquil Panting. Notes: The most celebrated Arabic novel of the twentieth century is a sensual and shocking thriller from Sudan. Its fluid structure and elusive tone have defied many attempts to dramatise it in different media, but make it uniquely suited for radio. This dramatisation, the only one completed during Salih's lifetime, was made for BBC Radio 3 last year. Not even the work of the recent Nobel Prize Winner, Egyptian Naguib Mahfouz, has achieved the literary status of SEASON OF MIGRATION TO THE NORTH by Sudanese-bornTayeb Salih. First published in Arabic in 1966, this short novel's translation into English in 1969 triggered a series of translations into all major languages, from Norwegian to Japanese, and a cult following. In 1989, it became the first Arabic novel to be published in the Penguin Classics series, and in 2001 was selected by a panel of Arab writers and critics as the most important Arab novel of the twentieth century. Its intelligent and richly poetic engagement with the ambivalences of the colonial legacy have made it a book which now features on University syllabuses around the world, and about which doctorates are written. Conversely it is still regularly banned and unbanned in states throughout the Arab world, and is currently banned in the place where it is so memorably set, the tiny rural villages of remote northern Sudan. A young man returns to his beloved home 'on the bend of the Nile' after seven years studying in London, where he is proud to have completed a doctorate on the life of a minor English poet. He is comforted to find that the traditional life of the village he loves hasn't changed at all. Except for one man. A mysterious stranger has married into the village and settled down to farm. Then the stranger seeks him out. He has a tale to tell, and only a scholar can hear it. But the telling of the tale will lead them both into two brutally sexual murders, and turn the idyllic world of their village into hell. THE CAST Zubin Varla stars as Mustafa Sa'eed, and Beru Tessema as Suleyman. Cast includes Philip Arditti, Ellen Thomas, Nadim Sawalha, Farzana dua Elahe and Mitchell Zanghaza. THE WRITER Tayeb Salih was born in the Northern Province of the Sudan in 1929, and studied at the University of Khartoum, before leaving for the University of London. Coming from a background of small farmers and religious teachers, his original intention was to work in agriculture. Except, however, for a brief spell as a schoolmaster before coming to Britain, his working life was in broadcasting, including a spell as Head of Drama for the BBC's Arabic Service. He published four novels and a collection of short stories. His novella "The Wedding of Zein" was made into a drama in Libya, and a Cannes Festival prize-winning film by the Kuwaiti filmmaker Khalid Siddiq in the late 1970s. For more than 10 years, Salih wrote a weekly column for the London-based Arabic language newspaper, "al Majalla," in which he explored various literary themes. He later became director general of the Ministry of Information in Doha, Qatar. He spent the last 10 years of his working career with UNESCO in Paris, where he held various posts and was finally UNESCO's representative in the Gulf States. Tayeb Salih died in London on 18th February 2009. THE DRAMATIST PHILIP PALMER is a novelist, producer, screen and TV writer whose credits include the BBC 1 film The Many Lives of Albert Walker, Rebus, Taggart, and The Bill. His extensive work for radio has included an iconoclastic dramatisation of Spenser's Faerie Queen, and the original plays The King's Coiner, Breaking Point, Blame, Rubato, The Travels of Marco Polo, Fallen and Gin and Rum. His Science Fiction novel, Debatable Space is published by Orbit, and its sequel Ketos is due next year. Producer Jonquil Panting. A dramatisation of Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih's sensual and shocking thriller. | |||
| 20170924 | Kenneth Cranham's portrayal of a man suffering from dementia in this darkly funny drama. Kenneth Cranham's moving portrayal of a man suffering from dementia in Florian Zeller's award-winning stage play, translated by Christopher Hampton. This darkly funny drama tells the story of 80-year-old André's declining mental powers and the efforts of his daughter Anne (Claire Skinner) to balance caring for him with the demands of her own life. A Theatre Royal Bath/Ustinov Studio/Tricyle Theatre production directed by James Macdonald. Winner of the 2014 Molière award for France's best play, The Father by Florian Zeller received five star reviews across the board in the UK. This darkly funny drama tells the story of 80-year-old André's declining mental powers and the efforts of his daughter Anne (Claire Skinner) to balance caring for him with the demands of her own life. André....Kenneth Cranham Sound Design, Christopher Shutt André.... Kenneth Cranham Winner of the 2014 Molière award for France's best play, The Father by Florian Zeller received five star reviews across the board in the UK." | |||
| 20171022 | Drama. Three wars. Three causes. Three teenagers with nothing to lose but their lives. Jonathan Holloway's new play for radio focuses on the child soldiers used as cannon fodder in ideological wars over the centuries. Three teenagers fall into the clutches of the mysterious and chameleon-like Teacher as the story cuts between the People's Crusade of 1096, the days of the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany and the streets of south-west London in 2007. Hilda/Ilda/Hibat Allah....Ayesha Antoine Sound design by Caleb Knightley Jonathan Holloway's challenging new play for radio focuses on the child soldiers used as cannon fodder in ideological wars over the centuries. Three teenagers fall into the clutches of the mysterious and chameleon-like Teacher as the story cuts between the People's Crusade of 1096, the days of the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany and the streets of south-west London in 2007. Sound design by Caleb Knightley Hilda/Ilda/Hibat Allah.... Ayesha Antoine | |||
| A Man's World | 20120212 | is a compelling new drama following the lives of four violent male offenders thrown together on a six-month rehabilitation course. If they pass, they get a community service order. If they fail, they have to serve their jail sentence. Written by Waking The Dead writer, Adrian Mead. Attendance is compulsory at The Men's Group as all the participants have recently been convicted of a serious violent crime. This pioneering course works to challenge and radically alter the participants' behaviour by forcing them to confront and recognise why aggression and violence shapes their lives. At stake is their freedom. Upon completion of the twenty-five-week course the courts ask the tutor, the central character Angela (played by Siobhan Redmond), to recommend either a community sentence or a jail term. In the group there is nowhere to hide. Many participants in the real life course have stated that if they had known what they were expected to face, they would have opted for a jail sentence instead - "In your head you're sayin', what are they going to think of me if I really tell them everything? But the other guys see it, and they push you further, to the really dark stuff you never tell no one." The drama captures the terror of facing up to your past and finding new ways to behave, or going to jail. Getting in touch with your feelings doesn't come easily to guys like this, but it is their only way out of jail, and is a hugely important issue for Britain today. Directed by Turan Ali A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 3.v. Drama following four violent male offenders on a six-month rehabilitation course. A Man's World is a compelling new drama following the lives of four violent male offenders thrown together on a six-month rehabilitation course. If they pass, they get a community service order. If they fail, they have to serve their jail sentence. Written by Waking The Dead writer, Adrian Mead. | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 20110911 | The play revolves around the adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The story takes place in Midsummer and is a complex farce featuring Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius. Their romantic intrigues are confused and complicated still further by entering the forest where Oberon King of the fairies and his queen Titania, preside. Puck (or Robin Goodfellow) is a major character who is full of mischief and tricks. Other visitors to the enchanted forest include Bottom, the Weaver and his friends Snug, Snout, Quince and Flute, the amateur dramatists who want to rehearse their terrible but hilarious version of the play Pyramus and Thisbe. Recorded this summer on location in 22 acres of Sussex woodland, this production has an all star cast. Director: Celia de Wolff Music by Stephanie Nunn Titania....Lesley Sharp Oberon....Toby Stephens Peter Quince....Robert Pugh Nick Bottom....Roger Allam Puck....Freddie Fox Theseus....Nicholas Farrell Hippolyta....Emma Fielding Lysander....Joseph Timms Demetrius....Ferdinand Kingsley Hermia....Emerald O'Hanrahan Helena....Anna Madeley Egeus / Starveling....David Collings Philostrate / Snug....Nicholas Boulton Fairy....Sara Markland Francis Flute....Sam Alexander Tom Snout....Sam Dale Peaseblossom....Jessica Sian Cobweb....Jay Carter Moth....Tressa Brooks Mustardseed....Stuart Walker. Adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy centring on the adventures of four young lovers. Titania.... Lesley Sharp Oberon.... Toby Stephens Peter Quince.... Robert Pugh Nick Bottom.... Roger Allam Puck.... Freddie Fox Theseus.... Nicholas Farrell Hippolyta.... Emma Fielding Lysander.... Joseph Timms Demetrius.... Ferdinand Kingsley Hermia.... Emerald O'Hanrahan Helena.... Anna Madeley Egeus / Starveling.... David Collings Philostrate / Snug.... Nicholas Boulton Fairy.... Sara Markland Francis Flute.... Sam Alexander Tom Snout.... Sam Dale Peaseblossom.... Jessica Sian Cobweb.... Jay Carter Moth.... Tressa Brooks Mustardseed.... Stuart Walker. | ||
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 20180617 | Adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy centring on the adventures of four young lovers. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics In midsummer week, Radio 3 enters one of the most potent sources of the human imagination. 'Into the Forest' explores the enchantment, escape and magical danger of the forest in summer, with slow radio moments featuring the sounds of the forest, allowing time out from today's often frenetic world. and another chance to hear this summer production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play revolves around the adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with the fairies who inhabit a moonlit forest. The story takes place in Midsummer and is a complex farce featuring Hermia and Lysander, Helena and Demetrius. Their romantic intrigues are confused and complicated still further by entering the forest where Oberon King of the fairies and his queen Titania, preside. Puck (or Robin Goodfellow) is a major character who is full of mischief and tricks. Other visitors to the enchanted forest include Bottom, the Weaver and his friends Snug, Snout, Quince and Flute, the amateur dramatists who want to rehearse their terrible but hilarious version of the play Pyramus and Thisbe. Recorded on location in 22 acres of Sussex woodland, this production has an all-star cast. Director: Celia de Wolff Music by Stephanie Nunn Titania....Lesley Sharp | ||
| A Play For The Heart: The Death Of Shakespeare | 20180225 | Playwright Nick Warburton imaginatively recreates what might have happened on Shakespeare's last day, with a series of encounters filtered through his fevered imagination. What do his many visitors want? Who is the pale boy? And the man with bloody hands? William Shakespeare....Robert Lindsay Produced and directed by Marion Nancarrow. Robert Lindsay and Oliver Chris star in a dramatic re-imagining of Shakespeare's last day. William Shakespeare.... Robert Lindsay | ||
| A Raisin In The Sun | 20170611 | Drama about dreams and conflicts within three generations of an African American family. A Raisin in the Sun A Raisin In the Sun has been hailed as a "pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre". The Broadway production opened in 1959 and starred Sidney Poitier and was winner of the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award as Best Play of the Year. Hansberry was the first black playwright and the youngest ever American to win the award. The film version of A Raisin In the Sun was released in 1961, and honoured with a special award at the Cannes Film Festival. Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (19 May 1930 - 12 January 1965) inspired Nina Simone's song "To Be Young, Gifted and Black". Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (19 May 1930 - 12 January 1965) inspired Nina Simone's song "To Be Young, Gifted and Black"." | ||
| A Small Family Business | 20090412 | Martin Jarvis directs a starry cast in Alan Ayckbourn's award-winning play from 1987, viewed by many as a protest against the policies of the Thatcher governmnent. When Jake McCraken takes over his family's furniture business, he intends that it be an honest endeavour. However, his relatives' various dishonest actions soon come to light and threaten the company's future. Jack.... Alfred Molina anita.... joanne whalley benedict.... adam godley cliff.... kenneth danziger desmond.... julian sands director: martin jarvis. alan ayckbourn's award-winning 1987 play about a family's descent into corruption harriet.... jill gascoine ken.... roy dotrice poppy.... rosalind ayres roy.... darren richardson samantha.... fuschia sumner the five rivetti brothers.... matthew wolf consultant: alan ayckbourn tina.... moira quirk yvonne.... millicent martin | ||
| A Thousand Kisses | 20110410 | Frederic Raphael's new play A Thousand Kisses is based on the life and work of the Roman poet Gaius Catullus. Catullus was one of the the greatest Roman lyric poets - who lived fast and died young. Prized by some for his sincerity and chastised by others for crudeness he has influenced generations of writes and thinkers from Ovid, Horace and Virgil to Thornton Wilder and Louis MacNiece. In this new play, Catullus's mysterious world is brought to life, drawing on a series of love poems at the centre of his oeuvre - based on evidence that the woman in the poems ('Lesbia') was Claudia Metelli, the sister of the notorious senator Publius Clodius Pulcher, and one of the most notorious and attractive women in Rome. A Thousand Kisses features Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as the spirited young poet who moves to Rome in search of the high life and falls for the beautiful and sophisticated Clodia (Raquel Cassidy), the wife of a powerful Roman aristocrat. Narrated by Geoffrey Palmer and weaving Raphael's own translations of Catullus's poetry into the drama, A Thousand Kisses imagines the complex love affair and Catullus's life as a rebellious young poet in the late Roman Republic of Cicero, Pompey and Caesar (Malcolm Sinclair). CAST Dan Stevens....Gaius Catullus Raqual Cassidy....Clodia Metelli Geoffrey Palmer....Narrator Ian Kelly....Caelius Malcolm Sinclair....Caesar Tom Goodman-Hill....Clodius Stephen Critchlow....Valerius Rupert Degas....Lucius/Calvus Frederic Raphael....Cicero Chloe Lewis....Melissa Noah St Bean....Young Gaius Music by Clive Bell Producer, Jo Wheeler Director, Pete Atkin Freewheel Productions. Frederic Raphael's new play exploring the life and work of Roman poet Catullus.
Dan Stevens.... Gaius Catullus Raqual Cassidy.... Clodia Metelli Geoffrey Palmer.... Narrator Ian Kelly.... Caelius Malcolm Sinclair.... Caesar Tom Goodman-Hill.... Clodius Stephen Critchlow.... Valerius Rupert Degas.... Lucius/Calvus Frederic Raphael.... Cicero Chloe Lewis.... Melissa Noah St Bean.... Young Gaius | ||
| A View From The Bridge | 20170514 | Martin Jarvis directs Miller's 1955 drama. An all-star cast is led by Alfred Molina. Martin Jarvis directs Arthur Miller's 1955 award-winning masterpiece. Recorded in the US for Drama On 3. Alfred Molina won the BBC Drama Awards Best Actor accolade as Eddie Carbone. He leads an all-star American cast. Universal themes: family, guilt, loyalty, sexual attraction, jealousy - and love. A timeless reminder as immigrants from Syria, Eritrea, Libya currently seek new lives, new dreams. Here, it's the American one. Lawyer Alfieri (our narrator) confides to listeners there are cases where he can only watch as they run their bloody course. Sound design: Wesley Dewberry and Mark Holden Sound design: Wesley Dewberry and Mark Holden | ||
| A Whistle In The Dark | 20091220 | By Tom Murphy. This powerful modern classic play is set in the early 1960s and centres on the reunion of an Irish family in Coventry. Michael Carney, with the help of his English wife, Betty, is putting up his brothers Harry, Iggy and Hugo in his house. When Dada arrives from Ireland with Des, the youngest brother, it has devastating consequences for all of them. Dada.... John Kavanagh Michael Carney.... Aidan McArdle Des Carney.... Martin McCann Harry Carney.... Denis Conway Iggy Carney.... David Wilmot Hugo Carney.... Garrett Lombard Mush.... Ruaidhri Conroy Betty.... Emma Amos Director/producer: Roland Jaquarello. Powerful classic play set in the early 1960s, centring on the reunion of an Irish family. | ||
| All The Colours Of Love, By Pat Mccabe | 20080127 | All the Colours of Love By Pat McCabe. When Redmond is left by his wife and child, he resolves to get them back - whatever the cost. A dark tale of isolation and violence by the author of The Butcher Boy. Redmond....Dermot Crowley Ned Strange....TP McKenna Catherine....Karen Ardiff Imogen....Sarah Dillon Announcer....Mark Lambert Piper Alpha....Kieran Lagan Shop Assistant....Stella McCusker Neighbour....Aine McCartney Michael....Johnny Brennan Fiddle music arranged and performed by Cathal Hayden. Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan. When Redmond is left by his wife and child, he resolves to get them back – whatever the cost. A dark tale of isolation and violence by the author of The Butcher Boy. Redmond.... Dermot Crowley When Redmond is left by his wife and child, he resolves to get them back whatever the cost Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Alone Together | 20090322 | 20100704 | by Neil McKay. Poet, priest, birdwatcher, scourge of the English, the ogre of Wales... Who was R.S. Thomas, and why did his artist wife Elsi settle for a life of obscurity in increasingly remote Welsh parishes? A portrait of a curious marriage which captures that essence of all marriages - a sense of shared space but separate lives. Thomas was an unpublished poet when he met Elsi Eldridge, but she already had the makings of a successful artist. After winning the Royal College of Art's Prix de Rome scholarship and selling several paintings at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, she abandoned this to retreat with him to a small cottage in a remote part of North Wales. RS Thomas....Jonathan Pryce Elsi Eldridge....Kate Fahy Gwydion....Ian Puleston-Davies Mrs Hackett....Kathryn Hunt Colonel Pugh, Dilwyn....Dick Bradnum Music by Peter Gregson. Directed and Produced by Melanie Harris. A portrait of the lives of poet RS Thomas and his wife artist Elsi Eldridge. SynopsisA portrait of the curious marriage and lives of poet RS Thomas and his wife artist Elsi Eldridge, inspired by Byron Rogers's biography The Man Who Went into the West. Thomas was an unpublished poet when he met Elsi, but she already had the makings of a successful artist. After winning the Royal College of Art's Prix de Rome scholarship and selling several paintings at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, she abandoned this to retreat with him to a small cottage in a remote part of North Wales. A portrait of the lives of poet RS Thomas and his wife artist Elsi Eldridge. RS Thomas.... Jonathan Pryce Elsi Eldridge.... Kate Fahy Gwydion.... Ian Puleston-Davies Mrs Hackett.... Kathryn Hunt Colonel Pugh, Dilwyn.... Dick Bradnum | |
| Amadeus | 20110102 | Peter Shaffer's award-winning play combines fiction and history to detail the final years of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Antonio Salieri, an older composer, propelled by jealousy, plots the tragic downfall of his brilliant rival. Sir Peter Hall's production, first broadcast in 1983 and recorded with the original National Theatre cast, is being repeated as part of Radio 3's 'Genius of Mozart' season. Antonio Salieri....Paul Scofield Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart....Simon Callow Constanze Mozart....Felicity Kendall Joseph II....John Normington Gottfried Baron Van Sweiten....Nicholas Selby Count Franz Orsini Rosenberg....Willoughby Goddard Johann Killian Von Strack....Basil Henson Venticelli....Donald Gee, Dermot Crawley Citizens of Vienna....Nigel Bellairs, Susan Gilmore, Peggy Marshall, Robin Meredith, Anne Sedgwick, William Sleigh, Glenn Williams Directed by Peter Hall Producer David Spenser. Peter Hall's 1983 version of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play Amadeus.
Antonio Salieri.... Paul Scofield Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.... Simon Callow Constanze Mozart.... Felicity Kendall Joseph II.... John Normington Gottfried Baron Van Sweiten.... Nicholas Selby Count Franz Orsini Rosenberg.... Willoughby Goddard Johann Killian Von Strack.... Basil Henson Venticelli.... Donald Gee, Dermot Crawley Citizens of Vienna.... Nigel Bellairs, Susan Gilmore, Peggy Marshall, Robin Meredith, Anne Sedgwick, William Sleigh, Glenn Williams Peter Hall's 1983 version of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play Amadeus. | ||
| An Evening With Angela Carter | 20180923 | New productions of two of Angela Carter's iconic radio plays from the 1970s. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Two iconic radio plays, first produced in the 1970s, now given brand new productions. VAMPIRELLA THE COUNTESS... Jessica Raine Director/Producer - Fiona McAlpine COME UNTO THESE YELLOW SANDS CARTER... Fiona Shaw Violinist - Madeleine Brooks Radio 3 presents new interpretations of two radio scripts by Angela Carter, originally written and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in the 1970s. Both these scripts embody the combination of stylistic daring, playful wit, dazzling language, and high intellectual seriousness which is a hallmark of Carter's best work. These productions will be introduced by Fiona Shaw, playing Carter, so that she may explain in her own words how she came to write them, and why she felt so strongly attracted to Radio drama as a medium. VAMPIRELLA, Angela Carter's first radio play was produced by Glyn Dearman, and broadcast in July 1976. As Carter describes it: the "lovely lady vampire' skulks in her Transylvanian castle, "bored with the endless deaths and resurrections", and caged by "hereditary appetites that she found both compulsive and loathsome". A young British officer arrives, who kills her with the innocence of his kiss, and then goes off to die in a war "far more hideous than any of our fearful superstitious imaginings". COME UNTO THESE YELLOW SANDS tells the story of the painter Richard Dadd, who murdered his father and was confined to Broadmoor, where he created the Fairy paintings for which he is now famous. Carter uses the story, and animates the fairy figures themselves, in order to explore how "the distorted style of the paintings of Dadd's madness, together with his archetypical crime of parricide, seems to be expressions of the dislocation of the real relations of humankind to itself, during Britain's great period of high capitalism and imperialist triumph." | ||
| An Ideal Husband | 20100214 | The unprincipled Mrs Cheveley threatens to reveal Sir Robert Chiltern's secret past unless he agrees to give his support in Parliament to a questionable Argentinian venture. Faced with ruin in the eyes of the country and his wife, he seems to have no alternative. Wildean wit and the elegance of English society is woven into this classic drama. The Earl of Caversham.... Geoffrey Palmer Viscount Goring.... Jasper Britton Sir Robert Chiltern.... Alex Jennings Lady Chiltern.... Emma Fielding Lady Markby.... Sara Kestelman Miss Mabel Chiltern.... Joanna Page Mrs Cheveley.... Janet McTeer Vicomte De Nanjac.... Oliver de Sueur Mrs Marchmont.... Patience Tomlinson Countess of Basildon.... Lucy Whybrow Mr Montford/James.... John Cummins Phipps.... Hugh Dickson Mason.... Derek Beard Directed by David Timson. By Oscar Wilde. Mrs Cheveley threatens to reveal Sir Robert Chiltern's secret past. | ||
| And So Say All Of Us... | 20100502 | DIY and politics. A new comedy about the complexity and absurdity of modern life, from three award winning writers. A couple start dismantling their house; next door a pregnant woman refuses to give birth. Around them, the political process grinds to a halt on polling day when no-one votes. Fran and Eddy decide they need a change, so they rip out their kitchen, then start taking their house apart. Next door, Neil and Clare are waiting for the arrival of their first baby. And waiting. Then Clare reveals that she isn't ready to give birth yet. Fran wants the walls taken down. As these small domestic worlds shift, the bigger picture is changing too. On polling day, nobody turns up to vote. In a record breaking election, the government is left in power by default and the political process in disarray. What happens when Fran and Eddy take the windows and doors out? Does Clare ever have her baby? And who will stand as Prime Minister for the newly formed cross-party Unity Party? A fierce, funny play about making up your mind. Dan Rebellato is a Sony nominated radio drama writer. Linda McLean is a leading Scottish theatre writer and Duncan Macmillan is an up and coming talent (Royal Exchange Theatre Bruntwood winner). This is the first time these three writers have worked together. The cast features Tom Goodman-Hill, (currently appearing in Enron), Amelia Bullmore (now in Really Old Like Forty Five at the National) and David Annen (Measure for Measure at the Almeida). The play was recorded on location with original music by award winning composer Alice Trueman and sound design by Eloise Whitmore. Fran.... Louisa Lytton Eddy.... Derek Riddell Clare.... Amelia Bullmore Neil.... Michael Begley Chris, Prime Minister.... David Annen Chris, Leader of the Opposition.... Tom Goodman-Hill Chris, News Anchor Woman.... Effie Woods Producer: Melanie Harris Director: Polly Thomas. Dan Rebellato's new comedy about the complexity and absurdity of modern life. | ||
| Arms And The Man | 20100321 | Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw with Rory Kinnear and Lydia Leonard. Directed by David Timson It is 1885, and there is trouble in the Balkans. The Serbians and the Bulgarians are at war. Raina Petkoff is convinced her fianc退 Major Sergius Saranoff will glorify himself in the war and become her hero - but after a dramatic encounter with a down-to-earth Serbian officer who hides in her room, she is brought face to face with the mundane truth about the conflict rather than its glories. The ideals and realities of war, hypocrisy and nationalism are all entertainingly explored in this rare romantic comedy by one of our most acerbic writers. CAST LIST: CAPTAIN BLUNTSCHLI Rory Kinnear RAINA PETKOFFLydia Leonard MAJOR SERGIUS SARANOFF Tom Mison MAJOR PETKOFFHugh Ross CATHERINE PETKOFF Frances Jeater NICOLAGlen McCready LOUKA Jo Herbert MAJOR PLECHANOFFRoger May DirectorDavid Timson Technical DirectionNorman Goodman ProducerNicolas Soames An Ukemi Productions Ltd production for Radio 3. George Bernard Shaw's romantic comedy exploring the ideals and realities of war. | ||
| Babel's Tower, By Mike Walker | 20090426 | Mike Walker's play imagines the Jewish-Russian writer Isaac Babel being interrogated after his arrest by the Soviet secret police in 1939. As Stalin's henchmen beat and bully Babel, scenes from his two great collections of stories come to him: the Jewish gangsters fighting over Odessa, Babel's hometown, and the Red Cavalry, with which he had ridden as a war correspondent, slaughtering Poles at the edge of the new Soviet Union. Babel.... Antony Sher rudin.... robert glenister sverdlov.... stephen noonan also with christopher staines, karl theobald, roland oliver, lucy black, rachel atkins and sandra voe. music by jon nicholls. imagining the interrogation of jewish-russian writer isaac babel upon his 1939 arrest | ||
| Baghdad Wedding, By Hassan Abdulrazzak | 20080120 | Baghdad Wedding By Hassan Abdulrazzak. When members of a wedding party are killed in a random attack in Baghdad, the lives of three friends are torn apart with unimaginable consequences. Using startling poetic imagery together with brutal language and horrific realism, Iraqi writer Hassan Abdulrazzak shows how friendship can survive extreme adversity. Salim.... Matt Rawle Directed by Lisa Goldman. When members of a wedding party are killed in Baghdad, three friends' lives are torn apart Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Becket Or The Honour Of God | 20091004 | Written by Jean Anouilh and translated by Lucienne Hill. It is 1173 and Henry II, the Norman King of England pays penance for the murder of the Archbishop Thomas Becket, once Chancellor and his friend. Plantagenet power has triumphed over the independence of the clergy, but at what personal cost? Henry II.... Toby Stephens Becket.... David Morrissey Queen Mother.... Sara Kestelman Archbishop.... Adrian Lukis London.... Jonathan Keeble Oxford.... Terence Wilton York/Pope.... Mark Perry Saxon Man/Cardinal.... | ||
| Byzantium | 20180304 | Byzantium Poison, intrigue, rebellion, torture, eunuch armies, black magic, political and sexual intrigue: this fast-moving historical epic tells the story of the Empress Zoe. Soft-hearted and politically naive, she nevertheless has the strongest claim to the throne of Constantinople, and lives for several eventful decades at the centre of vicious power struggles for control of the Byzantine Empire. It is a true story, based on contemporary histories of the 11th Century. Empress Zoe....Catherine Shepherd Other parts played by members of the company. Producer/Director, Fiona McAlpine An Allegra Production for BBC Radio 3. by Robin Brooks. Poison, rebellion, torture, eunuch armies, and black magic. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics Byzantium by Robin Brooks. Poison, rebellion, torture, eunuch armies, and black magic. Empress Zoe.... Catherine Shepherd | ||
| Carifesta 2019 | 20190922 | Three new dramas by young writers from Trinidad and Tobago, recorded for the 2019 Caribbean Festival of the Arts. "Mr Singh", by Derron Sandy, is set in a troubled country school where lawlessness prevails. New teacher Mr Singh arrives with his peaceful Buddhist ways, prompting his colleagues to lay bets as to how long he’ll last. "Aron", by Kyle Hernandez, is about a 19-year-old working in his uncle’s barber shop, under pressure from all sides to grow up and decide his future. It’s a modern-day fairy tale in which a young man and a famous soca star form an alliance against toxic masculinity. In "Water More Than Flour" (an expression meaning hard times), by Elisha Efua Bartels, we eavesdrop on a couple who are keeping secrets from each other. Her secret is bigger than his. MR SINGH ARON WATER MORE THAN FLOUR Sound engineering and design for all three dramas by Kasi Foster, Robin Foster and Alisdair McGregor A Sparklab production for BBC Radio 3 and Trini Good Media. Three new dramas from Trinidad and Tobago about life in the Caribbean Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Chowringhee | 20120311 | Mani Shankar Mukerji's 'Chowringhee' is a gentle comedy of life in a grand Calcutta hotel in the late 1950s adapted for radio by Roger James Elsgood from a translation from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha. The story tells of the events that befall a bright but naive young Bengali when he is unexpectedly given a job behind the reception counter in 'The Shahjahan', Calcutta's finest hotel. He becomes entangled in the rocky romantic life of the manager, Marco Polo, he is caught in the crossfire of a diva of the silver screen and her possessive husband and witnesses the tragedy that befalls the beautiful but vulnerable resident hostess. These stories are played out against the backdrop of a newly independent India in a time of austerity and social unrest. The role of Sankar is played by Bollywood actor Joy Sengupta. The production was recorded entirely on location in Calcutta with a cast of Bengali actors. The sound recordist was Ross Adams. Chowringhee was directed by Willi Richards. The Producer is Roger James Elsgood. Mani Shankar Mukerji's gentle comedy set in a grand Calcutta hotel in the late 1950s. | ||
| Coriolanus | 20190505 | Shakespeare's penetrating portrayal of political turmoil in a society at war with itself. Coriolanus, a great martial hero, is banished by those he despises, the common people of Rome. Disaster must surely follow. Coriolanus... Trystan Gravelle Introduction by Natalie Haynes Directed by Marc Beeby | ||
| Crossing The Bar | 20090829 | A headlong plunge into the sea-narratives of Alfred Lord Tennyson, with sea-songs from celebrated a cappella trio Coope, Boyes and Simpson, centred on his most popular work, Enoch Arden, written in the space of two weeks in 1864. The Kraken, read by John Dougall. The Sea Fairies, read by Rachel Bavidge and Jasmine Callan. Enoch Arden, read by Sam Dale, Jasmine Callan, Stuart McLoughlin and Joseph Kloska. The Voyage of Maeldune, read by John Dougall. Crossing the Bar, read by Sam Dale. With original music by Nicolai Abrahamsen. A selection of Alfred Lord Tennyson's sea-narratives. | ||
| Danton's Death | 20110213 | Launching Radio 3's week-long focus on Buchner, Georg Buchner's radical retelling of the fallout of the French Revolution adapted by Simon Scardifield. It's 1794, and a new France is being born from the reign of terror that characterised the worst of the Revolution. Charismatic hedonist Danton, still tormented by his role in the killing of 1400 aristocrats in a single night, is losing his grip on power, and he is so tired. His political rival, the sober and focused Robespierre, is in the ascendant, and - with his efficient sidekick St Just - has power now over Danton's fate. But can Danton care enough to fight the terror that he himself set in motion? Cast Georges DANTON....Joseph Millson Maximilien ROBESPIERRE....Khalid Abdalla CAMILLE Desmoulins....Patrick Kennedy MARION....Claire Harry HERAULT-SECHELLES....Laurence Mitchell HERRMAN....Adeel Akhtar Thomas PAYNE....Sean Baker LACROIX....David Seddon LEGENDRE....Lloyd Thomas JULIE....Leah Brotherhead ST JUST....Iain Batchelor Directed by Jessica Dromgoole NOTES Georg Buchner died in 1837 at the age of 23, by which time he had had only one play published, and none produced. His small legacy of work, remaining unproduced for nearly sixty years after his death, has come to represent some of the most exciting and radical theatre writing in the European Theatre canon. This production is partnered with a special 'Sunday Feature' and a new Woyzeck for Drama on 3 on 20 February. Georg Buchner's radical retelling of the fall-out from the French Revolution.
Georges DANTON.... Joseph Millson Maximilien ROBESPIERRE.... Khalid Abdalla CAMILLE Desmoulins.... Patrick Kennedy MARION.... Claire Harry HERAULT-SECHELLES.... Laurence Mitchell HERRMAN.... Adeel Akhtar Thomas PAYNE.... Sean Baker LACROIX.... David Seddon LEGENDRE.... Lloyd Thomas JULIE.... Leah Brotherhead ST JUST.... Iain Batchelor | ||
| Darger And The Detective | 20090621 | Written by Mike Walker and starring Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts. A play drawing on the writings of reclusive artist Henry Darger, imagining his inner life. It focuses on two obsessions - of the hunter Detective and his prey, and two characters locked in a conflict that flickers between fantasy and the streets and which unfolds from 1910 to 1970. Recorded in Chicago by actors from the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. A play drawing on the writings of reclusive artist Henry Darger, imagining his inner life. | ||
| Death Of A Matriach | 20181014 | Part of Radio 3's showcase of new audio plays at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Death Of A Salesman, By Arthur Miller | 20171126 | David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker star in Arthur Miller's 1949 play about the American dream. David Suchet, Zoë Wanamaker and director Howard Davies, who all won awards for the sell-out production of Arthur Miller's All My Sons in the West End in 2010, reunite to create a new production for Radio 3 of Miller's 1949 classic about the American dream and his second big Broadway success. The original won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award and Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. This new radio production is part of the celebrations across BBC Radio 3, 4 and 4 Extra to mark the centenary of the birth of one of the most important American playwrights of the twentieth century. Willy Loman is a 63-year-old travelling salesman worn out by a life on the road. His wife Linda has supported him throughout and borne him two sons, Biff and Happy. Biff is working away and has returned home for the first time in years, so the whole family are reunited. But there is a secret between Willy and Biff, which has destroyed what was a mutual hero-worshipping relationship when Biff was a star athlete in High School, and still haunts them both. Penny whistle, Wilf Dalton A Watershed production for BBC Radio 3. | ||
| Don Quixote, By Thomas D'urfey | 20091122 | By Thomas D'Urfey. Don Taylor's radio adaptation of a play based on Cervantes's classic picaresque novel, commissioned to mark the 300th anniversary of Purcell's death in 1995. The play, with music by Purcell, Eccles and others, was first performed in 1694. Don Quixote.... Paul Scofield Sancho Panza.... Roy Hudd Thomas Betterton.... Roger Allam Henry Purcell.... Douglas Hodge Thomas Durfey.... Bill Wallis Milkmaid.... Emma Kirkby (soprano) Marcella.... Evelyn Tubb (soprano) Cardenio.... David Thomas (bass) Gines.... Doug Wootton (baritone) Ambrosio.... Peter Woodward Carrasco.... Peter Czajkowski Duke.... Sam Dastor The Host.... Michael Tudor Barnes The Hostess.... Kristin Milward Other parts played by Derek Waring, Ian Masters and Jilly bond, with Lucy Skeaping (soprano), the Consort of Musicke, the City Waites and the Purcell Simfony. Additional music by Blaise Compton. Musical director: Anthony Rooley Directed by Don Taylor. Don Taylor's adaptation of a stage version of Cervantes's classic picaresque novel. | ||
| Donation | 20080113 | 20090808 | Donation By Sean Buckley An innovative production from the Radio Drama department, devised through a series of workshops and recorded on location across London. Donation is a play about our bodies, the medical and spiritual implications of organ donation, what we wish for and what survives of us. Lisa....Laura Molyneux Rachel....Joannah Tincey Stella....Anna Bengo Jacob....Alex Lanipekun Paul....Sam Pamphilon Natha....Lloyd Thomas Jim....Peter Harding Janitor....Leon Lissek By Sean Buckley. Lisa.... Laura Molyneux A play about the implications of organ donation, and what survives of us. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Natha.... Lloyd Thomas A play about the implications of organ donation, and what survives of us. | |
| Dreams And Censorship | 20110529 | It is 1610, and the translation of James I's new bible is at last complete. However, assured by Shakespeare, that to allow the inclusion of The Dream of St John will lead to bloody revolution, James travels to Oxford, determined to excise it from the sacred text. Originally broadcast in 1993. Written by David Pownall and starring Robert Stephens. Cast list: Shakespeare....Edward Petherbridge Prince Charlie....Gary King Stage Manager....David Learner Saville....Eric Allan St John The Divine....Robert Stephens Montague....John Church James I....Hugh Ross Robin....Melanie Hudson Marbellus....Robert Mcintosh Thompson....Michael Tudor Barnes Stanley....Peter Penry-Jones Abbot....Hugh Dickson Hutten....Garard Green Ravis....John Webb Queen Anne....Siriol Jenkins Produced by Eoin O'Callaghan. David Pownall's play about Shakespeare's reaction to the King James Bible. Shakespeare.... Edward Petherbridge Prince Charlie.... Gary King Stage Manager.... David Learner Saville.... Eric Allan St John The Divine.... Robert Stephens Montague.... John Church James I.... Hugh Ross Robin.... Melanie Hudson Marbellus.... Robert Mcintosh Thompson.... Michael Tudor Barnes Stanley.... Peter Penry-Jones Abbot.... Hugh Dickson Hutten.... Garard Green Ravis.... John Webb Queen Anne.... Siriol Jenkins | ||
| Echoes Of War | 20090118 | Gary Mitchell's new play about music, friendship and politics moves between present day Belfast and the last 20 years, and explores the loose ends left by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Hugh, a music teacher, has had an accident and is visited in hospital by his talented pupil Charlie and his wife Sharon. He looks back on how their relationships evolved over the years as working-class Protestants feel increasingly marginalised by political change. Hugh.... BJ Hogg charlie.... stuart graham david quinn dj.... james doran musicians: ivan gilliland mark wilson director/producer: roland jaquarello. a play exploring the loose ends left by the 1998 good friday agreement rat.... patrick jenkins rod mcvey sharon.... alexandra ford musicians: musicians: | ||
| Edward The Second | 20090913 | Christopher Marlowe's notorious portrait of a weak king in thrall to his passions, who pays the ultimate price for choosing his heart over his political responsibilities. Edward II.... Toby Jones Mortimer.... Patrick Kennedy Kent.... Paul Hilton Isabella.... Anastasia Hille Pembroke/Coventry/Leicester.... Nigel Hastings Lancaster/Matrevis/Sir John.... David Hargreaves Gaveston/Lightborn.... Benjamin Askew Spencer/Gurney.... Stephen Hogan Prince Edward.... Ryan Watson Warwick/Howell.... Paul Rider Canterbury/Spencer Snr.... Malcolm Tierney Arundel.... Philip Fox Lady Margaret.... Lizzy Watts Directed by Jessica Dromgoole. Toby Jones stars in Christopher Marlowe's portrait of the irresponsible king. | ||
| El Cid | 20170521 | Version of Moliere's Le Cid, seeing the 11th-century Spanish hero before his rise to fame. Pierre Corneille was one of France's three outstanding Classical dramatists, alongside Racine and Moliere. The Cid is his most famous - but in Britain too little-performed - play. The distinguished translator Ranjit Bolt's refashioning tells the story of the younger Cid, a self-indulgent, love-smitten courtier in 11th-century Spain who when duty calls rises to the occasion to become Spain's greatest hero. The star-studded cast includes James Purefoy as the Cid, with Indira Varma as Ximena, Gina McKee as the Princess, and features Eleanor Bron and David Calder. Rodrigo is a charming young courtier who plans to marry Ximena. But when her father, the chief general in the King's army, insults Rodrigo's father, he finds himself challenged by Rodrigo to a duel. The young, un-warlike suitor knows that if he loses he dies, but also that if he wins he loses Ximena. Pierre Corneille's landmark play examines the ethical and emotional dilemmas faced by the legendary champion-to-be, and his intended. It is a tale of love, honour and might, but in the great tradition of Racine and their other contemporary writers of tragedy, Corneille focuses on romantic dilemma, to show how lovers act under intense duress, and what choices - and perhaps compromises - they then make. Bolt's translation is at once daring and faithful. He has observed the conventions of 17th century French Drama (rules imposed on his select group of writers by the infamous Cardinal Richelieu, intent on restoring classical virtues). But Bolt in customary fashion has dynamised the language and style. | ||
| Embers | 20100516 | In 1976 Stephen Rea worked with Samuel Beckett on a production of the play, Endgame. During rehearsals Beckett said, 'don't think about meaning think about rhythm' and he regularly emphasised the humour in his work. Stephen Rea has translated his experience of working with one of the great modern dramatists into a funny and moving new production of this wonderful radio play, Embers. Henry (Michael Gambon) sits on the strand haunted by the sound of the sea. He conjures up voices, evocations, stories and sounds from his past as he tries to drown out the inescapable presence of the sea. The cast includes: Michael Gambon, Sinead Cusack, Rupert Graves, Alvaro Lucchesi and Carly Baker. The music is performed by Maebh Martin and arranged by Neil Martin Directed by Stephen Rea Produced by Stephen Wright. An adaptation of Samuel Beckett's play, directed by Stephen Rea. | ||
| Fall | 20090628 | An adaptation of the Traverse Theatre's production of Zinnie Harris' play. Set in a nation haunted by its war crimes, a drama dealing with politics, justice and revenge. It asks the question - to make your future, do you have to murder the past? In the aftermath of a horrific civil conflict, a new country is preparing for the mass execution of its war criminals. Kate knew one of the guilty men for 15 years and never suspected a thing. As the city burns and the new government struggles to look credible to the rest of the world, she gets tragically caught up in their conspiracy. Turned into an iconic figure, she is asked to decide whether the executions should go ahead or not. But can any answer she gives be the right choice? An adaptation of the Traverse Theatre's production of Zinnie Harris' play. | ||
| Fathers And Sons By Brian Friel | 20171105 | Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres direct a dynamic dramatisation of Turgenev's novel. 'Fathers and Sons' by Brian Friel, after the novel by Ivan Turgenev. Fathers: Charles Dance, James Fleet. Sons: Edward Bennett, George Blagden. In Turgenev's prescient 1859 story of generational collision, both young heroes seem, at first, passionate revolutionaries, believing the old Russia should be swept away. But they're unsure what they'd replace it with. This clash of values is dramatic, funny and recognisably up-to-date, with Julia McKenzie as a batty princess, Lisa Dillon a self-searching widow, Gabrielle Lloyd a loving mother and Martin Jarvis as odd-ball Uncle Pavel. Nikolai Kirsanov James Fleet Musicians: Michael Lan, Stavros Dritsas, Louis Baily, Produced and directed by Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres Nikolai Kirsanov... James Fleet | ||
| Faust | 20100919 | By Johann Wolfgang Goethe, translated by John R. Williams, with Samuel West as Faust, Toby Jones as Mephistopheles, Anna Maxwell Martin as Gretchen and Derek Jacobi as The Lord. Adapted and directed by David Timson, with music composed by Roger Marsh. Goethe's Faust, one of the pillars of Western literature, is presented in a dramatisation by David Timson. In Part 1, following an agreement between Mephistopheles and The Lord, the scholar Faust is tempted into a contract with the Devil. His life is changed and he plunges into the enjoyment of sensuality until his emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, leading to a tragic outcome. Part 2, written much later in Goethe's life, presents a series of episodic scenes in which the poet places his eponymous hero in a variety of surprising circumstances reflecting the predicament of humanity. Funny, reflective and moving, this dramatisation shows why Goethe's Faust had such a massive influence on Western culture. Faust - Samuel West Mephistopheles - Toby Jones Gretchen - Anna Maxwell Martin The Lord - Derek Jacobi Wagner (Faust's assistant) - Stephen Critchlow Martha - Joannah Tincey Valentin (Gretchen's brother) - Peter Kenny Helen - Emily Raymond The Emperor - Gunnar Cauthery The Earth Spirit and Thales - Sean Barrett Lord Chancellor and Anaxagoras - Hugh Dickson Homunculus - Anne-Marie Piazza Nereus - Gerard Horan Chiron and Proteus - Manto and Panthalis - Auriol Smith Lynceus - Care - Euphorion - Daniel Mair Music by Roger Marsh Musicians: The 24, directed by the composer with Peyee Chen (soprano) Georgina Wells (harp) and Mark Hutchinson (oboe) Sound Design and Additional Music by Norman Goodman. Adapted and Directed by David Timson. Producer: Nicolas Soames. An Ukemi Production for Radio 3. With Samuel West and Toby Jones. Goethe's epic reflection on the predicament of humanity. Williams, with Samuel West as Faust, Toby Jones as Mephistopheles, Anna Maxwell Martin as Gretchen and Derek Jacobi as The Lord. Adapted and directed by David Timson, with music composed by Roger Marsh. Goethe's Faust, one of the pillars of Western literature, is presented in a dramatisation by David Timson. Faust - Samuel West Mephistopheles - Toby Jones Gretchen - Anna Maxwell Martin The Lord - Derek Jacobi Wagner (Faust's assistant) - Stephen Critchlow Martha - Joannah Tincey Helen - Emily Raymond The Emperor - Gunnar Cauthery The Earth Spirit and Thales - Sean Barrett Lord Chancellor and Anaxagoras - Hugh Dickson Manto and Panthalis - Auriol Smith Adapted and Directed by David Timson. With Samuel West and Toby Jones. By Johann Wolfgang Goethe, translated by John R. Williams, with Samuel West as Faust, Toby Jones as Mephistopheles, Anna Maxwell Martin as Gretchen and Derek Jacobi as The Lord. Adapted and directed by David Timson, with music composed by Roger Marsh. Goethe's Faust, one of the pillars of Western literature, is presented in a dramatisation by David Timson. In Part 1, following an agreement between Mephistopheles and The Lord, the scholar Faust is tempted into a contract with the Devil. His life is changed and he plunges into the enjoyment of sensuality until his emotions are stirred by a meeting with Gretchen, leading to a tragic outcome. Part 2, written much later in Goethe's life, presents a series of episodic scenes in which the poet places his eponymous hero in a variety of surprising circumstances reflecting the predicament of humanity. Funny, reflective and moving, this dramatisation shows why Goethe's Faust had such a massive influence on Western culture. Chiron and Proteus....Gunnar Cauthery Lynceus....Peter Kenny Care....Emily Raymond With Samuel West and Toby Jones. Goethe's epic reflection on the predicament of humanity.
Faust.... Samuel West Mephistopheles.... Toby Jones Gretchen.... Anna Maxwell Martin The Lord.... Derek Jacobi Wagner (Faust's assistant).... Stephen Critchlow Martha.... Joannah Tincey Valentin (Gretchen's brother).... Peter Kenny Helen.... Emily Raymond The Emperor.... Gunnar Cauthery The Earth Spirit and Thales.... Sean Barrett Lord Chancellor and Anaxagoras.... Hugh Dickson Homunculus.... Anne-Marie Piazza Nereus.... Gerard Horan Chiron and Proteus.... Gunnar Cauthery Manto and Panthalis.... Auriol Smith Lynceus.... Peter Kenny Care.... Emily Raymond Euphorion.... Daniel Mair Musicians: The 24, directed by the composer with Peyee Chen (soprano) Georgina Wells (harp) and Mark Hutchinson (oboe) | ||
| Fear And Loathing In Russia Today | 20171112 | A showcase of contemporary Russian writing in three short plays. Fear and Loathing in Russia Today Radio 3 puts a spotlight on the best of Russian contemporary playwriting and presents an authentic snapshot of the alternative theatre scene in Russia, by producing three specially commisioned short plays written by young playwrights working in Russia today. Russia is rich with talented dramatists and screenwriters, with a vibrant theatre scene in Moscow and other cities. After a period of stagnation in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse, where the theatrical output mainly revolved around new stagings of classics, a movement loosely called "New Drama" began and has since been making waves in Russia and abroad. In 1998, the Playwright and Director Centre opened in Moscow and the goal at the time was to showcase the work of young, adventurous, and un-produced writers as an alternative to mainstream theatre - the equivalent of the Royal Court in 1960s London. This model took hold, and within a few years, a host of other small theatres sprang up to foster new work - most notably Teatr.doc, and Moscow's Meyerhold Centre. In the previous decade, Moscow's larger theatres turned a blind eye to what was happening on backrooms, small stages and community centres. In some cases, they took actively hostile stances toward it. This changed, however, and by 2010 New Drama was threatening to become a mainstream phenomenon. Now, although not every theatre stages plays associated with New Drama, most perform plays that are clearly influenced by the movement's themes, methods and language. The first play, A Weekend in the Country, by Oleg and Vladimir Presnyakov, is a dark and violent social satire that follows a couple as they go on a weekend retreat to the Russian countryside. However, any preconceptions of rest and recuperation are turned on their head, in a anarchic, pitch black comedy that reflects the authors' vision of materialism and spiritual depravity in today's society. The Presnyakov Brothers have been making waves on the Russian theatre scene since the late 1990s. Their work is known for its colloquial speech and cool, sardonic wit, and stories that examine life in post-Soviet Russian culture. Cast: The second play, Tarantula, by Ivan Andreev, is set in an elite Moscow school in the late 1990s. For many Russians, this traumatic and violent decade, which saw the transition from communism to democracy, has left a lasting legacy and defined the direction Russia has taken in the 21st century. Andreev's allegorical play explores societal change and themes of conformity, democracy and false idols, in a story that centres around the arrival of a mysterious new student at a school for the children of the country's elite. Cast: The third play, The Sweetie King, by Irina Vaskovskaya, revolves around a strange and poignant encounter between a young woman and an older man, in a flat in the outskirts of a nameless regional town in Russia. At first it seems as though the encounter is purely transactional but the situation soon evolves into something stranger, darker and, eventually, quite touching. Cast: The plays were developed and translated by Noah Birksted-Breen and Sputnik Theatre. Producer, Sasha Yevtushenko. | ||
| Fences | 20100110 | By August Wilson. Danny Sapani stars in this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play exploring race relations in America. It is 1957 and once-famous baseball player Troy Maxson now works as a rubbish collector. The 1950s are yielding to the spirit of liberation of the 1960s. The civil rights movement is kicking in but Troy can't see it. Troy Maxson.... Danny Sapani Rose Maxson.... Adjoa Andoh Bono.... Jude Akuwudike Lyons.... Alex Lanipekun Cory.... Daniel Anthony Raynell.... Lily Andoh-Cunnell Gabriel.... Ray Shell Directed by Claire Grove. August Wilson's award-winning play exploring race relations in America. | ||
| Finlandia | 20170528 | The psyche of Jean Sibelius, his music and a Finnish epic, starring Tim Pigott-Smith. Tim Pigott-Smith who died earlier this year stars as Jean Sibelius in Stephen Wyatt's psychological drama, woven around a Finnish epic and the composer's music. It is 1945. Sibelius, national hero, then aged eighty, is about to burn his Eighth Symphony despite the protests of his wife, Aino. He had had nothing new completed or performed for over twenty years, so why would he do this now? Finland had come to regret its devil's bargain with Nazi Germany: it had warded off Russia, but at what cost? And for how long? In 1899 Sibelius had written Finlandia, expressing defiance of Russian hegemony and a belief in an independent future. Finland is once again struggling for its identity. Could Sibelius do it again with his Eighth Symphony? Closely bound with the Finnish identity he had helped to create, he now finds himself in a moment of creative and national despair. The fate of his long anticipated Eighth Symphony is in the balance. Finlandia interweaves an intense conflict between husband and wife about burning the manuscripts, with scenes from The Kalevala, the national epic of Finland. The Kalevala morphs in Sibelius's agitated mind until it embodies his internal conflicts and the historical forces at work on Finland. The excerpts from The Kalevala weave in and out of the drama to imaginatively shine a light into the composer's mind and they are underscored with the music The Kalevala inspired Sibelius to write. The argument between Aino and Sibelius illuminates parts of Sibelius's past and his attitude towards his work and his country, but at its heart the play is an examination of the psyche of Sibelius - artist, national symbol, husband and father - at a crucial juncture in his life and that of his country. | ||
| Flare Path | 20110605 | is a play by Terence Rattigan, written in 1941 and first staged in 1942. Set in a hotel near an RAF Bomber Command airbase during the Second World War, the story involves a love triangle between a pilot, his actress wife and a famous film star. The title of the play refers to the flares that were used to light runways to allow planes to take off and land but the flare paths were also used by the Germans to target the RAF planes. In writing the play, Terence Rattigan drew on his experiences as a tail gunner in the RAF Coastal Command. Cast Peter Kyle....Rupert Penry Jones Patricia Graham....Ruth Wilson Teddy Graham....Rory Kinnear Doris Skriczevinsky....Monica Dolan Mrs Oakes....Una Stubbs Count Skriczevinsky....Tom Goodman-Hill Dusty Miller....Justin Salinger Swanson....Julian Wadham Percy....David Hartley Maudie Miller....Kelly Shirley. Exec Producer: Catherine Bailey Directed by Jeremy Herrin (Deputy Artistic Director of the Royal Court) For Catherine Bailey Ltd. Terence Rattigan's 1941 love-triangle drama between a pilot, his wife and a film star. Flare Path is a play by Terence Rattigan, written in 1941 and first staged in 1942. Set in a hotel near an RAF Bomber Command airbase during the Second World War, the story involves a love triangle between a pilot, his actress wife and a famous film star. Peter Kyle.... Rupert Penry Jones Patricia Graham.... Ruth Wilson Teddy Graham.... Rory Kinnear Doris Skriczevinsky.... Monica Dolan Mrs Oakes.... Una Stubbs Count Skriczevinsky.... Tom Goodman-Hill Dusty Miller.... Justin Salinger Swanson.... Julian Wadham Percy.... David Hartley Maudie Miller.... Kelly Shirley. | ||
| Free Thinking 2010, Vultures | 20101107 | Sean wants to prove that he is more than" just one of the Bishop's", that his anger has a point. That he does matter and that just this once he can make everyone, particularly Yvette, listen to him. Sean Bishop has something to say. BAFTA Award-winning Roy Williams is one of Britain's finest contemporary playwrights, often putting on stage in gritty and eloquent dialogue stories set on the fringes and amongst the underclass of our society. Vultures is a new work specially written for Free Thinking. Yvette....Nadine Marshall Sean....Sean Gallagher Brian... Bill Fellows Helen... Victoria Elliot Directed by Kate Rowland Recorded in front of an audience at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Play about an angry white working-class man with a grievance against society.
Sean wants to prove that he is more than" just one of the Bishop's", that his anger has a point. That he does matter and that just this once he can make everyone, particularly Yvette, listen to him. Yvette.... Nadine Marshall Sean.... Sean Gallagher | ||
| Free Thinking Festival: Suffrage Dramas | 20180311 | From a factory worker who mistakenly goes to an anti-suffrage meeting and can't stop herself speaking out, to a titled lady seeking her friend's help in writing an anti-suffrage speech, only to be constantly interrupted by a stream of highly qualified and articulate women, this specially recorded programme presents a selection of Suffrage dramas hosted by Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough and performed by actors local to the area in front of an audience at the Free Thinking Festival in St Mary's Church, Gateshead. There were over 400 women playwrights in Britain from 1900- 1920 and, in 1908, the Actresses' Franchise League and Women Writers' Suffrage League were both formed specifically to help the campaign for votes for women. The background to the plays will be discussed by Naomi Paxton, a researcher for 'What Difference Did the War Make? World War One and Votes for Women', which is part of Parliament's Vote 100 project. She's also a New Generation Thinker who has edited the Methuen Drama book of Suffrage Plays. They are joined by Diane Atkinson, historian, biographer and author of 'Rise up, Women!: The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes'. The plays are: A Pageant of Great Women by Cecily Hamilton The cast is Producers: Marion Nancarrow and Fiona McLean. The little-known plays written by activists to help in the campaign for votes for women. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics | ||
| Gilead | 20101212 | 20120408 | by Marilynne Robinson adapted for radio by Mike Kenny Reverend John Ames (Roger Allam) is nearing the end of a long life. His son is still a young boy, the product of a late flowering love. Ames knows he will never see his son grow to be a man and, given that he owns nothing and lives in a tied church house, all he can pass on is what he knows and the life he has lived. So, the letter he writes to his son is both a memoir of a life lived, and the journal of the present in which it is being written. The tale is set in the 1950s, but takes us back through generations of preachers as far as the American Civil war, and projects into a future in which we now live. Into Ames's life comes Jack Boughton, (Elliot Cowan) the wayward son of his best friend (Colin Stinton). Jack was baptised by Ames, and named after him. He feels a particular responsibility for this prodigal, but has never been able to like him. A charmer, Jack appears to woo both Ames wife, Lila (Elizabeth McGovern) and son John, and the old man struggles with the feelings stirred by the younger man. His very presence makes him feel his age. We witness a good man wrestle with bad thoughts. It makes for an experience that is both surprising and deeply satisfying without leaving the few streets of a sleepy Midwest town. Ames....Roger Allam Lila....Elizabeth McGovern Boy....Taran Stanzler Glory....Nancy Crane Boughton....Colin Stinton Jack....Elliot Cowan Directed by Annie Castledine A CATHERINE BAILEY PRODUCTION. Adaptation of Marilynne Robinson's novel about a minister facing death.
Ames.... Roger Allam Lila.... Elizabeth McGovern Boy.... Taran Stanzler Glory.... Nancy Crane Boughton.... Colin Stinton Jack.... Elliot Cowan Adaptation of Marilynne Robinson's novel about a minister facing death. | |
| Giovanni's Room | 20100905 | 20110522 | James Baldwin's classic novel in its world premiere radio production, set in Paris, 1954. When handsome blond American David meets the stunning Giovanni in a "bohemian" Parisian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But David's fianc退, Hella, returns to Paris and, unable to admit the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened, with calamitous results for all three, especially for Giovanni, whose life descends into murderous tragedy. Dramatised for radio and directed by leading theatre director Neil Bartlett. CAST David....Damian Lewis Father....John Lithgow Hella....Greta Scacchi Guillaume....Derek Jacobi Jacques....Michael Feast Giovanni....Antonio Magro Directed by Neil Bartlett A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 3. James Baldwin's classic novel set in Paris in 1954 in its world premiere radio production. David.... Damian Lewis Father.... John Lithgow Hella.... Greta Scacchi Guillaume.... Derek Jacobi Jacques.... Michael Feast Giovanni.... Antonio Magro James Baldwin's classic novel set in Paris in 1954 in its world premiere radio production. | |
| Girlfriend In A Coma | 20100523 | The first radio dramatisation of an iconic modern classic by Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X and Microserf, brought to the airwaves by Sony nominated Dan Rebellato. December 15 1979. Karen Ann McNeill goes into a deep coma after a teen party. She remains under until 1997. When she wakes up, the voices in her head keep telling her the world is about to end, but Karen doesn't believe them... Jared.... Florian Hutter Karen.... Rayisa Kondracki Wendy.... Maggie Blake Richard.... Jason Durran Hamilton.... Simon Lee Phillips Pamela.... Heather Dann Doctor.... Peter Marinker Megan.... Julia Summer Gloria.... Buffy Davis With original music composed by Alice Trueman Produced by Polly Thomas. A radio adaptation of a book by Douglas Coupland, author of Generation X and Microserfs. | ||
| Gone | 20100314 | Gone by Debbie Tucker Green A young woman has gone missing. No-one knows what has happened to her. She is described by an unconnected group of people whose lives she touched in some way on the last day anyone saw her. One or two of them knew her, some met her briefly and some just happened to see her. CAST: Young Woman 1....Sheri-An Davis Young Woman 2....Michelle Asante Cab Driver (Jaswinder)....Emil Marwa Cab Driver's Girlfriend....Manjinder Virk New Mum....Nadine Marshall New Dad....Alex Lanipekun Elaine....Naana Agyei-Ampadu Burger Bar Worker....Richie Campbell Girlfriend (of Burger Bar Worker)....Seroca Davis Security Guard....Alan Williams Wife of Security Guard....Dystin Johnson Nathan....Jeffrey Kissoon Bruce....Justin Pierre Linda....Nicola Walker Linda's Husband....Justin Salinger Man on Bench....Danny Lee Wynter Directed by Debbie Tucker Green Produced by Mary Peate What people saw - or think they saw, saw wrongly, presumed through glimpses of her at different times - reveals more and more about the woman and what happened on the last day she was seen. As these unconnected people try to recollect what happened, each of them is fairly confident they know what they saw, but the story shifts with every new bit of information. We learn who these unreliable witnesses are and at what point in their lives we are meeting them. We also hear from the woman herself and gain some sense of how she got to where she did and what went on when there were no witnesses. The different versions of events slowly build to a disjointed version of who the woman was and what may have happened to her as the fragments of truth are drawn together. As well as a fascinating study of the impossibility of discovering one objective version of reality, 'gone' is a series of beautifully detailed vignettes of the intimate lives of an group of individuals, revealing their troubling secrets, their cruelties and their joys. Writer: Debbie Tucker Green has written freefall (shortlisted for a Prix Europa Award 2002); to swallow (2003) and handprint (2006) for BBC Radio. Most recently she wrote and directed heat for Hillbilly films, which was screened at The London Film Festival 2009. Other TV short film includes spoil (2007). Stage plays include random (Royal Court 2008 and 2010); generations (Young Vic 2007); trade (RSC 2005), stoning mary (Royal Court 2005); Born Bad (Hampstead 2003) and Dirty Butterfly (Soho 2003). She won the Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2004. Written by Debbie Tucker Green. Drama about a young woman who goes missing. | ||
| Goodnight To Flamboro' | 20110903 (BBC7) 20110904 (BBC7) | Douglas Hodge stars as composer William Baines, who died at 23, in his most prolific stage Douglas Hodge stars as composer William Baines, who died at 23. The story traces the most prolific period of his short life. Douglas Hodge stars as composer William Baines, who died at 23, in his most prolific stage Douglas Hodge stars as composer William Baines, who died at 23. The story traces the most prolific period of his short life. | ||
| Harold Pinter Double Bill | 20090215 | Another chance to hear two plays by Harold Pinter, in tribute to the playwright who died in 2008. 8.00pm andy, a middle aged civil servant, lies in his bed, dying. his wife tries desperately to bring his estranged adult sons to his side. bridging these two worlds is the haunting presence of the daughter they have lost. andy.... harold pinter bel.... sara kestelman bridget.... indira varma music by elizabeth parker directed by janet whitaker 8.55pm fred.... harry burton jake.... douglas hodge maria.... jill johnson one of pinter's last dramatic works, this was first broadcast in 2005. some of the tormentors and the tormented so potently etched in pinter's later plays are brought together with a musical setting by the composer james clarke. voices: harry burton, anastasia hille, andy de la tour, douglas hodge, gabrielle hamilton, roger lloyd-pack, gawn grainger, harold pinter and indira varma. music: apartment house; eileen aagaard; prometheus ensemble; rolande van der paal; etienne siebens; bbc symphony orchestra conducted by martyn brabbins and david porcelijn; fatma mehralieva. a tribute to harold pinter, with his 1993 play moonlight and his 2005 radio piece voices ralph.... john shrapnel music by Elizabeth Parker 8.55pm first performed in 1993, this radio production of pinter's play was recorded to mark his 70th birthday. andy....Harold Pinter voices: harry burton, anastasia hille, andy de la tour, Douglas Hodge, gabrielle hamilton, roger lloyd-pack, gawn grainger, Harold Pinter and Indira Varma. a tribute to Harold Pinter, with his 1993 play moonlight and his 2005 radio piece voices another chance to hear two plays by Harold Pinter, in tribute to the playwright who died in 2008. another chance to hear two plays by harold pinter, in tribute to the playwright who died in 2008. | ||
| Helen | 20110227 | Don Taylor's translation of the savage tragicomedy by Euripides about a war in the Middle East fought for the flimsiest of reasons. The Trojan War is over and the Greek forces are making their way home. Meanwhile, in Egypt, Helen of Troy is protesting to anyone who will listen that she is innocent, that she never went to Troy, and the whole war was fought under false pretences. When her husband Menelaus is shipwrecked on the shore where Helen has been taking sanctuary, she not only has a lot of explaining to do, but also an escape to plan. This story of a war in the Middle East fought over dubious claims now has contemporary resonance. Frances Barber stars as Helen, James Purefoy as her husband, and Paul Ritter as King Theoclymenus. Helen....Frances Barber Menelaus....James Purefoy Theoclymenus....Paul Ritter Theonoe/Chorus....Anna Francolini Concierge/Chorus....Catherine Russell Slave/Chorus....Laura Rees Teucer....Gus Brown Sailor/Messenger....Richard Galazka Heavenly Twins....Max Digby Music composed and performed by Derek Bourgeois Adapted and Directed by Ellen Dryden An independent production by First Writes Radio. Don Taylor's translation of Euripides's tragicomedy. With Frances Barber.
Helen.... Frances Barber Menelaus.... James Purefoy Theoclymenus.... Paul Ritter Theonoe/Chorus.... Anna Francolini Concierge/Chorus.... Catherine Russell Slave/Chorus.... Laura Rees Teucer.... Gus Brown Sailor/Messenger.... Richard Galazka Heavenly Twins.... Max Digby | ||
| Henry Viii | 20090419 | SynopsisA rare chance to hear William Shakespeare and John Fletcher's history play depicting the life of Henry VIII, broadcast to mark the 500th anniversary in 2009 of the king's accession to the throne. It tells the story of the king's struggle to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled and the catastrophic fall of the all-powerful Cardinal Wolsey. Henry VIII.... Matthew Marsh abergavenny, surrey.... stephen critchlow anne boleyn.... donnla hughes buckingham.... paul rider cardinal wolsey.... patrick malahide chamberlain, capuchius.... chris pavlo duke of norfolk.... joseph mydell duke of suffolk.... stuart mcquarrie lovell, griffith.... dan starkey old lady.... ann beach princess elizabeth.... sonny crowe other parts played by jill cardo, robert lonsdale, manjeet mann, inam mirza, malcolm tierney. pipe and tabor played by bill tuck. adapted for radio and directed by jeremy mortimer. the murky world of tudor politics, religion and sex revealed in shakespeare's play queen katherine.... yolanda vazquez sands, campeius.... jonathan tafler surveyor, gardiner.... gunnar cauthery thomas cranmer.... adam godley | ||
| Home, By David Storey | 20090111 | A poignant, often darkly funny play which looks at the lives of five people. A poignant, often darkly funny play which looks at the lives of five people. First staged in 1970, David Storey's Home was a major critical success. A poignant, often darkly funny play which looks at the lives of five people. But who are they and where are they? Harry.... Michael Maloney alfred.... harry myers adapted for radio and directed by martin jenkins jack.... adrian scarborough kathleen.... julia mckenzie marjorie.... lindsey coulson | ||
| Hum | 20090517 | By Laura Wade. A contemporary drama about the insidious presence of noise in our lives. Emma is part of a team in Bristol who are called out to cases of noise pollution. A number of cases defy explanation. Can an inexplicable 'hum' be to blame? Janet.... Anne Reid | ||
| Hyde Park-on-hudson | 20090607 | A play by Richard Nelson, blending history and conjecture. No reigning British monarch had ever been to the United States before George VI's visit in 1939, just on the cusp of a new world war. History was in the making when the King and Queen arrived at President Roosevelt's upstate New York home, with a promise of politics, a picnic and hot dogs. But the private life of the President provided a whole new dimension to an epochal moment, at least in the memory of his lover. Older Daisy, a woman in her 90s.... Barbara Jefford Daisy, her younger self.... Emma Fielding Franklin Delano Roosevelt.... Tim Pigott-Smith Missy, his secretary.... Nancy Crane Eleanor, his wife.... Julia Swift Mother, his mother.... Sylvia Syms Tommy Qualters, his bodyguard.... John Chancer Bertie.... Corin Redgrave Elizabeth.... Kika Markham Cameron.... Jamie Newall Directed by Ned Chaillet. A play by Richard Nelson, focusing on George VI's visit to the United States in 1939. | ||
| In The Absence Of Geoff | 20090104 | 20091115 | Adam Godley stars in a wry contemporary comedy by the award-winning Charlotte Jones. Adam Godley stars in a wry contemporary comedy by the award-winning Charlotte Jones. Adam Godley stars in a wry contemporary comedy by the award-winning Charlotte Jones. A comedy about love, loss and identity from award-winning writer Charlotte Jones. Geoff is in his 40s and facing ruin: his small business is about to collapse, his marriage is failing and his child hates him. He pretends to suffer from amnesia, becoming a media hero and bringing in money. But his daughter become suspicious and his cover finally cracks. Geoff.... Adam Godley clifford.... malcolm tierney directed by claire grove. geoff is in his forties and facing ruin: his small business is about to collapse, his marriage is failing and his child hates him. he pretends to suffer from amnesia, becoming a media hero and bringing in money. but his daughter become suspicious and his cover finally cracks. geoff.... adam godley dawn.... amanda lawrence lauren.... lizzy watts stacey.... grainne dromgoole instructor.... jonathan tafler wpc.... donnla hughes journalist.... dan starkey doctor.... gunnar cauthery adam godley stars in a wry contemporary comedy by award-winning writer charlotte jones dawn.... amanda lawrence doctor.... gunnar cauthery instructor.... jonathan tafler journalist.... dan starkey | |
| Iphigenia In Crimea | 20170423 | For Tony Harrison's 80th birthday, the premiere of his new verse drama, after Euripides. To mark Tony Harrison's 80th birthday, a world premiere of his new verse drama, after Euripides. Sebastapol, 1854, the Crimean War. A Classics-loving Lieutenant persuades a company of British soldiers to stage an all-male production of Iphigenia in Tauris. Starring Blake Ritson as Iphigenia and Robert Emms as Orestes. Music performed by Peter Ringrose (trumpet), Detta Danford (flute), Howard McGill (clarinet), Jon Banks (accordion) and Matt Sharp (cello). Music composed and directed by Jon Nicholls. | ||
| Jenny Lomas | 20170212 | 20190203 (R3) | by David Eldridge. Jenny Lomas is a solicitor who has always loved the law and its certainties, but when she finds herself involved in a case that seems more akin to fiction she begins to question her own judgement. David Eldridge's pertinent thriller examines the corrosive nature of paranoia and the febrile nature of living in a post truth world devoid of both moral and material fact. David Eldridge is one of our most exciting contemporary dramatists. His plays have been performed at The National, The Almeida and The Royal Court. Amanda Hale has been nominated for two Evening Standard Awards (the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Best Actress for her critically acclaimed performance as Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. David Eldridge's conspiracy thriller examining the corrosive nature of paranoia. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Amanda Hale has been nominated for two Evening Standard Awards (the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer and Best Actress for her critically acclaimed performance as Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| Joe Orton Double-bill | 20170702 | A double-bill of Joe Orton plays to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. A special Orton evening, comprising two new productions of Orton's plays The Erpingham Camp and The Ruffian on the Stair, plus an interview with Orton's friend, actor Kenneth Cranham, recorded live at the BBC's radio theatre to mark the 50th anniversary of Orton's untimely death at the hands of his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. The Erpingham Camp: The Ruffian On The Stair: Producer....Mary Peate Joe Orton shocked and entertained audiences with his scandalous black comedies which poked fun at the hypocrisy, double standards and corruption at the heart of British society, but his life was cut short when his lover Kenneth Halliwell beat him to death before himself taking a fatal overdose, 50 years ago this summer. Matthew Sweet interviews Kenneth Cranham. This production is part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season. This production is part of the BBC's Gay Britannia season." The Erpingham Camp: The Ruffian On The Stair: Producer.... Mary Peate | ||
| King Baabu | 20050529 | By Wole Soyinka A comic and outlandish look at dictatorship. Nigerian Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka's play dramatises life under the brutal regime of General Sani Abacha, and is adapted for radio by the playwright for its British premiere. Maku Makubeti....Paterson Joseph Ma Makube....Susan Aderin Tikim....Wale Ojo Chaplain/Shoki....Patrice Naiambana Marabout/Kpoki....Marcia Hewitt Fatasimu/officers....Anthony Ofoegbu Drumming and Musical Director....Tunji Oyelana Trumpet/bugle....Tobias Sturmer Directed by Pauline Harris. Maku Makubeti.... Paterson Joseph Ma Makube.... Susan Aderin Tikim.... Wale Ojo Chaplain/Shoki.... Patrice Naiambana Marabout/Kpoki.... Marcia Hewitt Fatasimu/officers.... Anthony Ofoegbu Drumming and Musical Director.... Tunji Oyelana Trumpet/bugle.... Tobias Sturmer | ||
| King Lear | 20160508 | 20180610 (R3) | When better than now to make a drama about 'the division of the kingdom'? Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics When better than now to make a drama about "the division of the kingdom"? A new production of Shakespeare's great tragedy with a Scottish cast headed by Ian McDiarmid as Lear and Bill Paterson as Gloucester. Lear is a very old king with a dynastic problem: three daughters and no sons. King Lear....Ian McDiarmid Music performed by Polly Phillips (bassoon) and Georgina McGrath (double bass) Music and Sound Design by Gary C Newman Produced and directed by Gaynor Macfarlane. When better than now to make a drama about "the division of the kingdom"? A new production of Shakespeare's great tragedy with a Scottish cast headed by Ian McDiarmid as Lear and Bill Paterson as Gloucester. King Lear.... Ian McDiarmid Produced and directed by Gaynor Macfarlane. | |
| La Princesse De Cleves | 20100228 | 20110508 | Madame de Lafayette's classic tale of intrigue and love dramatised by Jo Clifford. Madame de Lafayette's classic tale of intrigue and love translated and freely dramatised by Jo Clifford. Set in the 16th Century, the play follows the life of a beautiful young lady newly presented to Court. It's the reign of Henri II and Mary Queen of Scots is safely ensconced in France. It's a time of dangerous liaisons when one step out of line could ruin a woman and her family. Quickly married off, the naïve Princess finds herself admired and taunted by those around her. And, whilst they gossip cruelly, she becomes helplessly and dangerously caught up in matters of love. Playfully adapted, this radio dramatisation offsets the Princess's painful conflict between duty and love with characters who delight in the wickedness of their world. La Princesse....Melody Grove Her Mother....Candida Benson Clèves....Liam Brennan Nemours....Robin Laing Guise....Laurie Brown Marie Stuart....Meg Fraser Chorus 1....Irene MacDougall Chorus 2....Ralph Riach Chrous 3....Crawford Logan Director: Kirsty Williams. La Princesse.... Melody Grove Her Mother.... Candida Benson Clèves.... Liam Brennan Nemours.... Robin Laing Guise.... Laurie Brown Marie Stuart.... Meg Fraser Chorus 1.... Irene MacDougall Chorus 2.... Ralph Riach Chrous 3.... Crawford Logan Madame de Lafayette's classic tale of intrigue and love dramatised by Jo Clifford. | |
| Lady Windermere's Fan | 20180415 | Martin Jarvis directs Wilde's thrilling drama. Mira Sorvino leads an outstanding cast. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics A fresh look at Wilde's masterpiece of secrets, lies and betrayal. His subtitle: 'A play about a good woman'. Mrs Erlynne.... Mira Sorvino Sound Design: Mark Holden | ||
| Largo Desolato | 20120415 | Theatre critic Michael Billington introduces a classic play from the archives by Czech playwright and President, Vaclav Havel, to mark Havel's death in December last year. When the death of the former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel was announced last year, Europe lost one of its great dissident voices. From the 1960s to the 1980s, BBC radio broadcast many new productions of Havel's plays - plays that were usually banned in his then-Communist homeland because of the way they mocked and interrogated the absurd nature of totalitarian rule. Michael Billington, theatre-critic for the Guardian for much of this period, introduces another chance to hear a 1987 Havel black comedy called Largo Desolato in an English version by Tom Stoppard, himself born in Czechoslovakia. Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero - Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers Edward....Paul Gregory Suzanna....Jennifer Piercey First Sidney....Philip Jackson Second Sidney....David Goodland Lucy....Belinda Lang Bertram....John Moffatt First Chap....Anthony Jackson Second Chap....Ian Thompson Marguerite....Sue Broomfield Produced by Matthew Walters. Richard Briers stars in a black comedy by Czech playwright and President Vaclav Havel. Richard Briers stars as Leopold, a philosopher who has offended the authorities in an unnamed country. He has written a certain philosophical essay and anxiously each day awaits the knock on the door. His friends, of course, expect him to act like a hero.... Professor Leopold Nettles....Richard Briers Edward....Paul Gregory Suzanna....Jennifer Piercey First Sidney....Philip Jackson Second Sidney....David Goodland Lucy....Belinda Lang Bertram....John Moffatt First Chap....Anthony Jackson Second Chap....Ian Thompson | ||
| Leave Taking | 20190317 | There’s no turning back for Jamaican born Enid, and her teenage daughters Del and Viv, as they negotiate the frictions between their countries and cultures in The Bush Theatre's stunning revival of this classic, beautifully observed play adapted for Drama on 3. Enid - Sarah Niles Bush Theatre's revival of beautifully observed play about the immigration experience. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Living With Princes | 20110123 | 20120108 | By Stephen Wakelam. In 1588, the essayist and landowner Michel de Montaigne, set out on a journey round the troubled kingdom of France. He was on a mission - to reconcile the Valois King Henri the Third, a Catholic, with his likely successor, the Bourbon King of Navarre, a Protestant. It's high stakes: intensified Civil War the consequence of failure. Michel de Montaigne....Roger Allam Peslier....James Norton Catherine de Medici....Jane Lapotaire Henri Navarre....Elliot Levey Henri Valois....Sam Dale Francoise de Montaigne....Sally Orrock Marie de Gournay....Leah Brotherhead Sergeant Soumillon....Adeel Akhtar Captain Guyon....Lloyd Thomas Courtier....Henry Devas Directed by Jeremy Mortimer Stephen Wakelam is a playwright, working first mainly in TV and now in radio. His TV work includes over twenty original films and plays, drama documentaries and adaptations. Amongst his recent radio plays are: the biographical What I Think of My Husband about the second Mrs Thomas Hardy (BBC Radio 4); The Pattern of Painful Adventures about Shakespeare (Radio 3); and A Dose of Fame about E.M. Forster (Radio 4). A further three radio plays can be heard via his website: Answered Prayers with Kenneth Cranham; Two Men from Delft with Alex Jennings and Stephen Tompkinson; and The Adulteries of a Provincial Wife with Robert Glenister, Daniel Evans and Anastasia Hille. Stephen is the author of three stage plays, two at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Play in which essayist Michel de Montaigne is sent on a diplomatic mission around France. Stephen Wakelam is a playwright, working first mainly in TV and now in radio. His TV work includes over twenty original films and plays, drama documentaries and adaptations. Amongst his recent radio plays are: the biographical What I Think of My Husband about the second Mrs Thomas Hardy (BBC Radio 4); The Pattern of Painful Adventures about Shakespeare (Radio 3); and A Dose of Fame about E.M. Forster (Radio 4). Other radio plays include: Answered Prayers; Two Men from Delft; and The Adulteries of a Provincial Wife. Stephen is the author of three stage plays, two of which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs.
Michel de Montaigne.... Roger Allam Peslier.... James Norton Catherine de Medici.... Jane Lapotaire Henri Navarre.... Elliot Levey Henri Valois.... Sam Dale Francoise de Montaigne.... Sally Orrock Marie de Gournay.... Leah Brotherhead Sergeant Soumillon.... Adeel Akhtar Captain Guyon.... Lloyd Thomas Courtier.... Henry Devas Play in which essayist Michel de Montaigne is sent on a diplomatic mission around France. | |
| Long Day's Journey Into Night, By Eugene O'neill | 20170625 | Eugene O'Neill's drama focusing one devastating day in the lives of a Connecticut family. Long Day's Journey Into Night is the story of one devastating day in the Tyrone family, the Great American Family at its worst. The play depicts the family members' downward spiral into addiction, disease, and their own haunted pasts. Awarded a Pulitzer Prize posthumously for this play, it is generally regarded as Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece. With a cast including Robert Glenister, Anastasia Hille and Rupert Evans. Set in August 1912 in the Summer House of The Tyrones by the sea in Connecticut, the four main characters are considered to be the semi-autobiographical representations of O'Neill himself, his older brother, and their parents. James Tyrone is a tight fisted ageing actor whose miserliness has been the ruin of his family. His wife, Mary, has been a morphine addict since the birth of their youngest son, Edmund. Their eldest son, Jamie, is an alcoholic, unable and unwilling to find work on his own, he has been 'forced' to take up his father's profession. Edmund, who has been away as a sailor has returned home sick and awaits the doctor's diagnosis of consumption. They are all so wrapped up in their own despair that they struggle to confront the truth. A Pier Production. A Pier Production." | ||
| Lorenzaccio | 20190310 | Often referred to as the French Hamlet, Lorenzaccio by Alfred de Musset is one of the great classics of the French repertoire. Written soon after the July revolution of 1830, when King Charles X of France was deposed in favour of a constitutional monarchy, the play scrutinises the strength of republican sentiments in the face of despotic leadership and the challenge of violent overthrow. This play is a grand, epic, political drama about identity and action. It pivots around key characters, portrayed with clarity and intensity, asking how can good men survive in bad times. The cast includes Tom Hughes, star of Victoria, Olivier Award winners Toby Jones and Tanya Moodie. Dan Rebellato, leading radio dramatist, has written his own, fresh new version of this striking French classic. An exciting sound world created by award-winning sound designer Eloise Whitmore brings out the intimacy of the fevered discussions about political strategy and moral choices in an immoral world. The moral ambiguity of political leadership is of great concern in the 21st century, and this 19th century drama is a brilliant exploration of burning issues for today, asking questions about the crises in our own liberal democracies. Lorenzaccio explores where right intersects with wrong and how absolute political power can intoxicate and derail. The story Florence,1537. Lorenzo is a young man from a good family, but he has joined the court of the Medici as an advisor and he is fully participating in their libertine excesses. His family, politically opposed to the Duke, are disgusted by him. But in reality, Lorenzo has infiltrated the court with the specific aim of assassinating the Duke – however, now he does not know if he can. He has spent so much time pretending to be corrupt, he does not know who he really is. ‘I wore vice like a garment,’ he declares, ‘but now it has become my skin’. When his brother is murdered and the Duke demands that Lorenzo bring him his own young sister Louisa as his next mistress, it stirs him to action. Even though he no longer believes anything will change, he murders the Duke. As the city erupts, Lorenzo escapes to Venice. Unsure what to do, unsure if his actions will change anything, he makes an existential decision. The plays ends with the status quo maintained, as a new Duke is crowned, and Lorenzo steps out into the open of the Rialto and to certain death. Lorenzo….……………………………………………….Tom Hughes Co-producers…………………....Polly Thomas and Eloise Whitmore A Naked Production for BBC Radio 3. Bold new version of a classic French drama about politics, liberty and corruption. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Losses At Sea | 20050220 | Losses at Sea Graham Reid's moving dramatisation of the sinking of The Princess Victoria. On the 31st of January, 1953 during the great storm that devasted coastal areas around the UK, the ferry between Stranraer and Larne sank off the County Down Coast. Up to 130 souls were lost, and a few remain unaccounted for. Losses at Sea is an imagined journey of two of these people told in tandem with the real stories of those who lost their lives that day. Dennis Walker....Richard Dormer Christine Bell....Valerie Lilley Sir Walter Smiles....Walter McMonagle Maynard Sinclair....Ian McIlhinney Sarah Cunningham....Julia Dearden Ronald McNeill....Stuart Graham Agnes McNeill....Nuala O'Neill Violet Dingle....Cathy Sara Eileen Prentice....Tara Lynne O'Neill Captain James Ferguson....David Bannerman Robert Burns....Mark Claney Roseann Baxter....Carol Moore Donnelly....Mark O'Shea Pat....Dan Gordon Brian....Miche Doherty James Carlin....John Hewitt Andrew....James Doran Directed by Stephen Wright. Dennis Walker.... Richard Dormer Christine Bell.... Valerie Lilley Sir Walter Smiles.... Walter McMonagle Maynard Sinclair.... Ian McIlhinney Sarah Cunningham.... Julia Dearden Ronald McNeill.... Stuart Graham Agnes McNeill.... Nuala O'Neill Violet Dingle.... Cathy Sara Eileen Prentice.... Tara Lynne O'Neill Captain James Ferguson.... David Bannerman Robert Burns.... Mark Claney Roseann Baxter.... Carol Moore Donnelly.... Mark O'Shea Pat.... Dan Gordon Brian.... Miche Doherty James Carlin.... John Hewitt Andrew.... James Doran | ||
| Love Thy Synth | 20190303 | Hannah Silva’s future-set story of a woman’s search for connection is told through the podcasts she makes with her synthetic robodoll. Nikki King is a journalist and presenter of Scientethics, a podcast exploring the blurred lines where tech, science and ethics merge. Covering the reappearance of enigmatic and reclusive robotics expert Tim Lowe, Nikki is surprised to find herself at the centre of his latest work. “The relationship between humans and their artificial counterparts runs right back to the myths of ancient Greece, where Pygmalion’s statue was brought to life with a kiss. It is the stuff of legend and of science fiction – part of our written history and a part of our imagined future. ? Dr Kate Devlin Pygmalion and Narcissus intertwine in this 21st century story of human relationships and loneliness, of our need for external validation and the search for self. By Hannah Silva Nikki & Knickers ….. Valene Kane Other voices ….. Catriona Stirling Executive producer, Sara Davies An Afonica production for BBC Radio 3 A woman's identity is threatened by the podcasts she makes with her synth doppelganger Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Love Thy Synth (omnibus) | 20190303 | |||
| Mabinogi | 20190324 | Adapted by Lucy Catherine From the Red Book of Hergest, these are the tales of the Mabinogi. A new fantasy adventure, based on the iconic work of medieval Welsh mythology. Pryderi, Prince of Dyfed, heads to Harlech in North Wales, to win the hand of Princess Branwen of Gwynedd. But first he must impress her giant of a brother, King Bran the Blessed. The tales of the Mabinogi are tales of romance, tragedy, comedy and fantasy and together they form the earliest prose stories of Britain. Award-winning writer Lucy Catherine (The Master and Margherita, Being Human, Vanity Fair) gives these stories a modern flavour while remaining true to the vivid magic of Celtic mythology. Pryderi…. Darragh Mortell Directed by James Robinson | ||
| Macbeth | 20170430 | A new production of Shakespeare's dark tragedy about ambition for power. | ||
| Manfred | 20170108 | 20181021 (R3) | Manfred by Lord Byron This haunting, poetic drama stars Joseph Millson. Manfred, living isolated, high in the mountains, tortured and haunted by a dark crime, invokes spirits in search of solace but finds no peace. Singers: Rhiain Taylor, Caroline Lock, Michael Gibson, Fionnuala Dorrity, Conrad Nelson, Connor Baiano and Katharine Longworth. Introduction with Gregory Paul Tate, University of St. Andrews Manfred, haunted by a dark crime, invokes spirits in search of solace but finds no peace. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Introduction with Gregory Paul Tate, University of St. Andrews | |
| Mary Rose | 20161023 | 20180624 (R3) | JM Barrie's haunting play about a sinister Scottish island and a girl who never grows up. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics JM Barrie's haunting play about a sinister Scottish island and a girl who never grows up. A soldier sits staring into the fire in an empty, dark house while an unsettling and tragic history unfolds before him. Written in the aftermath of the First World War, Barrie's play about loss and the mystery of life is by turns comic, eerie and heartbreaking. Original music is composed and performed by singer cellist Laura Moody. JM Barrie....Bill Paterson Writer, JM Barrie JM Barrie.... Bill Paterson Writer, JM Barrie | |
| Massistonia | 20110206 | Colin Teevan's play is loosely based on his own ill-fated trip to Macedonia to direct a major theatre production. Jason has high hopes for his international version of 'Alcmaeon in Corinth'. He embarks on the project with little idea of the forces about to be unleashed against him. Jason....Darren Boyd Aleksandar....Nikola Kodjabashia Castor/Mayor....Ewan Bailey Dragan/Aco....Sasha C. Damjanovski Kaliopi....Dolya Gavanski Todor/Consul....Ivan Marevich Dionysos.... Iain Batchelor Afrodita.... Leah Brotherhead Original music by Nikola Kodjabashia Director: Toby Swift ******************************* Colin Teevan's new play is a timely tale of Western hubris and Eastern European manipulation of the system. Inspired by Colin's own ill-fated trip to work with the National Theatre of Macedonia in 2008, 'Massistonia' follows an English director and his creative team as they try to mount an international touring production of 'Alcmaeon in Corinth'. Colin Teevan is a prolific writer for theatre and radio. Former writer-in-residence at Queens University, Belfast, he has also been ScreenEast Writing Fellow at University of East Anglia and Literary Fellow to the Universities of Durham and Newcastle. His work is regularly performed all over the world, including in this country at the National Theatre, the Young Vic and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Colin has been a regular contributor to the Verb on BBC Radio 3. One of his plays for 'Drama on 3', the acclaimed 'How Many Miles to Basra', was subsequently re-worked for the stage, winning a Clarion Award in 2007. Colin Teevan's play based on his own trip to Macedonia to direct a theatre production.
Jason.... Darren Boyd Aleksandar.... Nikola Kodjabashia Castor/Mayor.... Ewan Bailey Dragan/Aco.... Sasha C. Damjanovski Kaliopi.... Dolya Gavanski Todor/Consul.... Ivan Marevich | ||
| Measure For Measure | 20180429 | Paul Higgins and Nicola Ferguson star in Shakespeare's last and perhaps strangest comedy. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics by William Shakespeare "Women? Help Heaven! men their creation mar Shakespeare's last and perhaps strangest comedy - a play about religion, surveillance, coercion, sex and power. The Duke....Paul Higgins Introduced by Professor Julie Sanders Sound design and music by Gary C Newman Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane. The Duke.... Paul Higgins | ||
| Mendelssohn Weekend - A Midsummer Night's Dream | 20090510 | A rare chance to hear Shakespeare's play and Mendelssohn's complete incidental music for it in its intended context, specially recorded in the Tudor setting of the Middle Temple Hall in London. Tim Carroll introduces his production in conversation with Louise Fryer. Oberon/Theseus.... Martin Turner | ||
| Migrant Mother | 20101128 | 20120318 | by Michael Symmons Roberts A lyrical drama inspired by the events which led to Dorothea Lange's iconic photograph of Florence Owens Thompson. California 1936. Florence Owens Thompson and her family have joined the thousands of migrant workers flocking across America in search of work. Homeless, desperately hungry and faced with the threat of mob violence, her hopeful resolution is quickly fading. Photographer Dorothea is following the migrants to their make-shift refugee camps, desperate to find the image which will capture the extent of their hardship, to bring about a change in American policy and hearts. A chance meeting with Florence could bring about the image she is looking for. Although inspired by a true story, certain events and characters have been created or changed for dramatic effect. Dorothea....Teresa Gallagher Paul....Ian Porter Florence....Anne Wittman Jim....Kerry Shale Henry....Allen Lidkey Troy....Oliver Lee Receptionist....Kathryn Hunt Music by Pat Mo Sheeran Written by Michael Symmons Roberts Directed by Susan Roberts Producer: Charlotte Riches. Drama inspired by Dorothea Lange's iconic photograph of Florence Owens Thompson.
Migrant Mother by Michael Symmons Roberts Dorothea....Teresa Gallagher Paul.... Ian Porter Florence.... Anne Wittman Jim.... Kerry Shale Henry.... Allen Lidkey Troy.... Oliver Lee Receptionist.... Kathryn Hunt Drama inspired by Dorothea Lange's iconic photograph of Florence Owens Thompson. | |
| Mincemeat | 20111113 | Adapted for radio by Adrian Jackson and Farhana Sheikh, from their hit play for Cardboard Citizens. Cardboard Citizens has worked with homeless people and the marginalised for 20 years, marrying personal stories and historical subjects into an epic theatre that challenges public perceptions of social exclusion. In this award-winning production, the company unravel a thrilling wartime tale of deception and hidden identity, in an entertaining, multi-layered, time-hopping journey which goes to heart of what it means to have no home, and no name. Mincemeat is based on the extraordinary true story of a second-world-war deception, through which the Allies made the Germans believe that they would open a second front in Europe in 1943 through Sardinia. The deception involved a corpse whose identity was a state secret, known only to the originator of the operation, who took the secret to his grave. It was only in 1997 that the true identity of the corpse came to light. Mincemeat reveals the story of the mission and its final revelation, through the eyes of that corpse, and discovers a secret war which never made the history books. The play contains some strong language. Major Martin/Glyndwr Michael....Ifan Meredith Charlie....Robert Gillespie Head Angel....Ester Escolano Pam....Jo Galbraith Lieutenant Commander Montagu....Nick Khan Squadron Leader Cholmondeley....Jake Goode Churchill....Neil Boorman Fred Shrieve....Patrick Onione The Body....Dave Rogers The Foreman....Ben Smithies Maureen....Sylvia Larry with the voice of Ivor Leverton. Original music by David Baird, sound design by Pete Ringrose. Produced by Jonquil Panting. Directed by Adrian Jackson. Cardboard Citizens would like to dedicate this production to the memory of Linda Dobell, who was a member of the original cast. Adrian Jackson and Farhana Sheikh's wartime tale of deception and hidden identity. Major Martin/Glyndwr Michael.... Ifan Meredith Charlie.... Robert Gillespie Head Angel.... Ester Escolano Pam.... Jo Galbraith Lieutenant Commander Montagu.... Nick Khan Squadron Leader Cholmondeley.... Jake Goode Churchill.... Neil Boorman Fred Shrieve.... Patrick Onione The Body.... Dave Rogers The Foreman.... Ben Smithies Maureen.... Sylvia Larry | ||
| Mogadishu | 20111023 | Vivienne Franzmann's cutting-edge play explores the consequences of an assault on a white female teacher by a troubled black student and her well-meaning but misguided attempt to protect him. Mogadishu was originally produced at the Manchester Royal Exchange in 2011 and won both the Bruntwood Award for Writing and The George Devine Prize for 'Most Promising Playwright'. The critics called it "A startling debut", "A tough, gripping spectacle", "The play of the year? Quite possibly". As the school investigates an allegation of physical and racial abuse, the teacher becomes entangled in a mesh of legal requirements and formal processes that threaten her family stability and her career. Franzmann - a former teacher herself - has adapted the play for radio and uses multiple perspectives on the incident to show how formal procedure and protocol can override common sense and professional judgement. Mogadishu unfolds in a series of actions, reversals and counter-reversals with sharp dialogue and fast-pacing. The language of contemporary teenagers is presented with considerable authenticity revealing them to be complex, dysfunctional, funny and vulnerable. Amanda....Candida Benson, Jason....Malachi Kirby, Chris....Jonathan Guy Lewis, Becky....Shannon Tarbett, Saif....Farshid Rokey, Chuggs....Tendayi Jambere, Dee....Chereen Buckley, Firat....Michael Karim, Peter....Ashley Campbell, Ben....Darren Saul. Sound by Ross Adams. Directed by Willi Richards. Produced by Roger James Elsgood. Mogadishu is an Art and Adventure production for the BBC. Vivienne Franzmann's play exploring race, abuse and power in a London secondary school. Amanda.... Candida Benson, Jason.... Malachi Kirby, Chris.... Jonathan Guy Lewis, Becky.... Shannon Tarbett, Saif.... Farshid Rokey, Chuggs.... Tendayi Jambere, Dee.... Chereen Buckley, Firat.... Michael Karim, Peter.... Ashley Campbell, Ben.... Darren Saul. | ||
| Money | 20110619 | Samuel West makes his radio directorial debut with a new adaptation by Kate Clanchy of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's vibrant and good-hearted satirical comedy. Part of the BBC Radio 3 Money Talks season. The play was recorded on location at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, the stately home of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, which he inherited in 1843 shortly after writing 'Money'. Stars Roger Allam, Celia Imrie and Ian McDiarmid. The music, specially recorded for the play, is performed by the Endellion String Quartet. Kate Clanchy's adaptation re-fashions the action around one grand house, modernises the heroine, Clara, and sets the action just before the 1832 Reform Act to accentuate the political plot. 'Money' was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in 1840. It was an instant success and the play's social commentary, genteel comedy and high romance still resonate and charm today. Alfred Evelyn....Blake Ritson Clara Douglas....Laura Rees Sir John Vesey....Ian McDiarmid Lady Franklin....Celia Imrie Henry Graves....Roger Allam Georgina Vesey....Phoebe Waller-Bridge Sir Frederick Blount....Bertie Carvel Benjamin Stout....Richard Cordery Captain Dudley Smooth....Tom Goodman-Hill Flash....Nicholas Boulton Recorded on location at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire Music performed by the Endellion String Quartet Sound Design: David Chilton Director: Samuel West Producer: Amber Barnfather A Goldhawk Essential production for BBC Radio 3. Samuel West directs Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 19th century satirical comedy Money. Alfred Evelyn.... Blake Ritson Clara Douglas.... Laura Rees Sir John Vesey.... Ian McDiarmid Lady Franklin.... Celia Imrie Henry Graves.... Roger Allam Georgina Vesey.... Phoebe Waller-Bridge Sir Frederick Blount.... Bertie Carvel Benjamin Stout.... Richard Cordery Captain Dudley Smooth.... Tom Goodman-Hill Flash.... Nicholas Boulton Recorded on location at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire Music performed by the Endellion String Quartet | ||
| My Heart's A Suitcase | 20110710 | David Edgar introduces a new production of "My Heart's a Suitcase" by Clare McIntyre. McIntyre was one of the new generation of women playwrights who emerged with huge impact in the 1980s and this was one of her best-known plays from 1990. Two young women take a weekend break in Brighton but find that you can never really escape from your feelings, fear, money and the lack of it. Chris and Hannah are close friends and they decide to take up an offer of a weekend in Brighton, staying in a large but empty, seafront flat. Although they are close friends, they are very different, Hannah has MS but is accepting of her lot, her glass is always half full, Chris on the other hand is healthy but wishes she had more of everything and finds life hard to accept, her glass is always half empty! Over the weekend they encounter Elliot, a down on his luck homeless man who has been squatting in the flat and Tunis, the wealthy wife of the owner of the flat, who is and has everything Chris and Hannah are and have not! It is a weekend of visitations and attempts to confront the truth and with help, lighten and enlighten the load. David Edgar was a colleague of Clare McIntrye's, who died in 2009. Music by Stephanie Nunn Cast: Chris....Charlotte Emmerson Hannah....Poppy Miller Elliot....Sean Baker Luggage....Sylvestra Le Touzel Pest....Sid Mitchell Tunis....Paloma Baeza Director: Celia de Wolff. Play about two young women on holiday in Brighton confronting the truth about their lives. Chris.... Charlotte Emmerson Hannah.... Poppy Miller Elliot.... Sean Baker Luggage.... Sylvestra le Touzel Pest.... Sid Mitchell Tunis.... Paloma Baeza | ||
| My Own Life | 20170604 | Joss Ackland and Ken Stott read the final works of Oliver Sacks and David Hume. In 2015 Oliver Sacks published, My Own Life, announcing that he was terminally ill. In 1776 David Hume discovered he was mortally ill and wrote his autobiography, My Own Life. Sacks looked to Hume's work as inspiration for how to have a good death. Sacks faced his final months with a promise to himself to live 'in the richest, deepest, most productive way I can' encouraged by the words of Hume. He writes of a clarity of purpose while at the same time detaching himself from the inessentials of life. Sack's admiration for Hume is explicit in his choice of titles. Hume's work was published posthumously in 1777 and there was a great deal of curiosity and consternation - how would this avowed atheist approach death with no prospect of an afterlife? This is an opportunity to hear the Sacks and the Hume, alongside the account written by James Boswell of visiting the dying Hume (later described as the journalistic coup of the 18th century), and the letter written by Adam Smith to Hume's publisher about his passing. Smith's letter does exactly what he says: 'My account, therefore, shall begin where he ends'. Smith completes Hume's own work. The two documents were published together in 1777. Oliver Sacks: Joss Ackland Producer: Caroline Raphael This is a Dora Production for BBC Radio 3. | ||
| Natural Born Caretakers | 20101024 | A new play by award winning writer Sarah Daniels that takes us behind the headlines about social work in 21st century Britain. The writer spent months talking to social workers and a week shadowing a London social work team. The resulting drama reflects current concerns, workloads and aspirations for social work teams at all levels. David Ashton is on the edge of retiring from his hectic job as a social work team manager; his wife Ann is about to leave him, and he is not sure what his teenage son Oliver does on a daily basis. Karen his colleague is beginning to doubt her reasons for leaving a successful business career in order to follow what she thought was her vocation. When Sue, their Team leader, calls them to her office first thing, they know it won't be good news. Ashley, a 4 year old boy on Karen's patch, has been rushed to hospital unconscious in the middle of the night. His mother, Nicole, has no coherent explanation for his injuries. When drugs are found on the premises and the police inform the social work team that a man was in the house, Karen and the team have to protect Sophie, Ashley's younger sister; find out what really went on; field press interest; and prepare a detailed report for their superiors. Sarah Daniels is a prolific writer for stage, screen and audio, putting current issues and social concerns at the heart of her dramas. She has won many awards for her work. David....Michael Garner Ann....Deborah Findlay Karen....Nadine Marshall Sue....Emma Fielding Doris....Pamela Miles Dr Harvey....Philip Bretherton Ricki....Derek Riddell Dr Omosoto....Angela Wynter Oliver/Lucas....Will Payne Ashley....Ray Dowland Sophie....Mala Yorke Dramatist....Sarah Daniels Sound design....Eloise Whitmore Producer/director....Polly Thomas A Somethin Else production for BBC Radio 3. A new, darkly humorous drama focusing on a day in the life of a social worker.
Sophie.... Mala Yorke Sound design.... Eloise Whitmore | ||
| New Mystery Plays | 20110417 | by Sean Buckley, Lin Coghlan, J Parkes, Katie Hims and Roy Williams. Five Old Testament stories revisited and set in present day London - Creation in the mind of a coma victim, The Flood in a DIY warehouse, Exodus in an Old Folks Home, Samson and Delilah in a hairdressers, David and Goliath in the world of young gang warfare. CREATION by Sean Buckley JO....ALEX TREGEAR NURSE....JONATHAN FORBES DAD....SEAN BAKER YOUNG JO....HARPER BONE THE FLOOD by Lin Coghlan GIBBONS....Sally Orrock KEVIN....Stuart McLoughlin LORD....Sean Baker LAURA....Lizzy Watts MUM....Joanna Monro BOB....Sam Dale BOOTSEY....Nyasha Hatendi SUZANNE....Alex Tregear EXODUS by J Parkes MO....Sally Orrock MIRIAM....Sue Porrett FAY....Joanna Monro HELEN....Jane Whittenshaw ELISA....Sandra Voe SAMSON AND DELILAH by Katie Hims SAMSON....James Alexandrou DELILAH....Katie Angelou TRACEY....Claire Rushbrook PHIL....Stuart Mcloughlin ANGEL....Sean Baker MARIE....Joanna Monro TEACHER....Jane Whittenshaw GARY....Nyasha Hatendi DAVID AND GOLIATH by Roy Williams DAVID....Jerome Holder MOE....Anthony Welsh JASE....Nyasha Hatendi ASHER....Osy Ikhile Sound... Pete Ringrose Director... Jessica Dromgoole. Old Testament stories revisited: Creation; The Flood; Exodus; Samson; David and Goliath. by Sean Buckley, Lin Coghlan, J Parkes, Katie Hims & Roy Williams. Five Old Testament stories revisited and set in present day London - Creation in the mind of a coma victim, The Flood in a DIY warehouse, Exodus in an Old Folks Home, Samson & Delilah in a hairdressers, David & Goliath in the world of young gang warfare. JO.... ALEX TREGEAR NURSE.... JONATHAN FORBES DAD.... SEAN BAKER YOUNG JO.... HARPER BONE GIBBONS.... Sally Orrock KEVIN.... Stuart McLoughlin LORD.... Sean Baker LAURA.... Lizzy Watts MUM.... Joanna Monro BOB.... Sam Dale BOOTSEY.... Nyasha Hatendi SUZANNE.... Alex Tregear MO.... Sally Orrock MIRIAM.... Sue Porrett FAY.... Joanna Monro HELEN.... Jane Whittenshaw ELISA.... Sandra Voe SAMSON.... James Alexandrou DELILAH.... Katie Angelou TRACEY.... Claire Rushbrook PHIL.... Stuart Mcloughlin ANGEL.... Sean Baker MARIE.... Joanna Monro TEACHER.... Jane Whittenshaw GARY.... Nyasha Hatendi DAVID.... Jerome Holder MOE.... Anthony Welsh JASE.... Nyasha Hatendi ASHER.... Osy Ikhile | ||
| Ninety Minutes With Stanislavski | 20171210 | Cressida has 90 minutes before her next run-through of The Seagull. She needs help. Cressida Yorke is a young actress in trouble. She has 90 minutes before her next run-through of The Seagull. Previews are three days away. She takes refuge in an empty rehearsal room at the top of Her Majesty's Theatre, London - where she encounters five remarkable and legendary acting teachers. Can they rescue her in time? It's surprising what can happen in 90 minutes. Marcy Kahan writes for stage and film: Antonia & Jane for BBC/Miramax and has written and dramatized over 40 original radio dramas for Radio 4, including the award-winning four series of Lunch. Credits: Writer, Marcy Kahan A Sparklab Production for BBC Radio 3. | ||
| Nordic Voices | 20171217 | A celebration of contemporary Nordic writing in three new short plays. Nordic Voices First broadcast in 2015 as part of Radio 3's Northern Lights season, three short plays explore contemporary life in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The first play, An Emergency by Anna Bro, is set at a Danish summerhouse. A mother (Deborah Findlay) and father (Tim McInnerny) have laid out a birthday spread for their daughter and anticipate her imminent arrival from the ferry port. However, nerves are frayed. This will be the first time they will have seen their daughter since her breakdown and both parents are desperately worried about the reunion. So when a group of teenagers, armed with a crate of beer and a stereo, choose to loiter on the beach directly in front of their summerhouse, anxiety levels go through the roof. Ana Bro's drama explores parent-child dynamics within Danish family life, and themes which are instantly recognisable. Anna Bro is an award-winning Danish playwright. Cast: Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz from a literal translation by Anders Lundorph The second play, Nothing of Me by Arne Lygre, is an innovative and moving play for voices, which follows a woman's (Amanda Hale) grieving process over a year. It explores identity, and how much we are defined by what other people think about us. Arne Lygre is a leading Norwegian playwright, and former writer-in-residence at Oslo's National Theatre. Cast: Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz from a literal translation by May-Brit Akerholt The final play, Wild Is The Wind by Jonas Gardell, tells the story of an interview between a religious young man and the Pastor from his local church. The young man describes a recent intimate encounter with another young man, and struggles to reconcile the church's doctrines with his own feelings. As with much of Jonas Gardell's work, the play explores homosexuality and the church, and challenges the perception of Sweden's liberalism surrounding LGBT rights. Jonas Gardell is an extremely popular playwright, author, comedian in Sweden. He wrote the internationally renowned trilogy Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves about the impact of AIDS in the homosexual community in the early 1980s. Cast: Translated by Nichola Smalley from a literal translation by Anders Lundorph produced by Anders Lundorph and Sasha Yevtushenko. Cast: Cast: Cast: | ||
| Oedipus The King | 20170226 | 20190519 (R3) | Never before performed or heard in the UK, Burgess's Oedipus the King is a robust and powerful version of Sophocles' classic text. The drama includes an invented language that Burgess created especially for the 1972 production of the piece at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, USA, which has been archived in the International Anthony Burgess Foundation archive. This broadcast will be the first time it has been spoken or heard in over forty years. Christopher Eccleston, a keen Burgess fan, who used to run a market stall in the same area of Manchester that Burgess grew up in, stars as Oedipus; Don Warrington as Creon, Adjoa Andoh as Jocasta and Fiona Shaw as Tiresias, the ancient blind prophet who was born both man and woman. The music was composed for the original theatre production by Obie Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated composer of the show, Stanley Silverman. Stanley has worked with Arthur Miller, Pierre Boulez, James Taylor, Elton John, Sting and with legendary New York theatre maker Richard Foreman. Oedipus starts the drama as a powerful king, who has risen from an impoverished newcomer to Thebes by freeing the land from the curse of the monstrous Sphinx, solving a seemingly simple yet impenetrable riddle. Over the course of the play his world unravels. A new blight is on the land and he is determined to rescue his people by rooting out the cause. Oedipus is an iconic anti-hero, doomed from the outset to disaster, yet blithely storming ahead, oblivious to his own fate, convinced that he has managed to outwit fate. Burgess's accessible, dynamic rendition of a classic story focuses on the contradictions and complexities of a proud man's downfall: Part of Radio 3's Burgess Centenary programming, marking 100 years since the birth of Manchester-born novelist and playwright Anthony Burgess. Anthony Burgess is one of the best-known English literary figures of the latter half of the twentieth century. His dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange is his best-known novel. In 1971 it was adapted into a highly controversial film by Stanley Kubrick. Burgess produced numerous other novels, including the Enderby quartet, and Earthly Powers, regarded by most critics as his greatest novel. He wrote librettos and screenplays, including for the 1977 TV mini-series Jesus of Nazareth. He worked as a literary critic for several publications, including The Observer and The Guardian, and wrote studies of classic writers, notably James Joyce. A versatile linguist, Burgess lectured in phonetics, and translated Cyrano de Bergerac and the opera Carmen, among others. Burgess also composed over 250 musical works. Co-producers Polly Thomas and Eloise Whitmore Writer Anthony Burgess Music performed by BBC Philharmonic and Kantos Chamber Choir, conducted by Clark Rundell. Christopher Eccleston as Oedipus in Anthony Burgess's adaptation of this great tragedy. | |
| Of A Lifetime | 20180916 | Two young women travel round Europe, when a painful past tests their friendship. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Part of Radio 3’s showcase of new audio plays at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recorded with an audience at the BBC’s newly created pop-up drama studio at the Summerhall arts venue. What makes a true friendship? What do women in their mid 20s really think about each other? In an era of increasing identity politics and the coming of age of the #MeToo generation, Lulu Raczka’s bold new drama is an exciting and insightful exploration of two young women’s bonds. Whilst on a trip across Europe, Kaela and Georgia look back at their younger selves and how their friendship has changed. Eventually, Georgia reveals an incident of sexual violence that at the time, Kaela was unable to fully understand. With hindsight, the two women are able to acknowledge the impact of the incident on them both and move forward. With moments of warmth, humour and honesty, Of a Lifetime offers a unique and touching portrait of a younger generation of women, and the strength they draw from female friendship. Lulu Raczka is an award-winning young playwright and Company Director of Barrel Organ Theatre, with whom she worked on her first play ‘Nothing’. ‘Nothing’ was awarded The Sunday Times Playwriting Award as well as the National Student Drama Festival Award for Creative Risk. Lulu’s new play ‘A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar)’ was first produced West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2017 and has just been produced at the New Diorama Theatre. She is currently writing an episode of Frank Spotnitz’s new series ‘Medici: Masters of Florence’, starring Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden, for Lux Vide and Netflix. Lyn Gardner has described Lulu as ‘A voice so distinctive and fully formed it's hard to believe she's so young’. Georgia... Dani Heron Co-producer, Polly Thomas | ||
| Orlando | 20190224 | Virginia Woolf's Orlando re-imagined by five poets An exhilarating, inventive, comedic odyssey spanning four centuries. A journey of self-discovery and transformation, unravelling gender expectations, identity and sexuality. Chapter 1 & 6: by Amanda Dalton ORLANDO....Emma Frankland Directed by Nadia Molinari A bold and inventive re-imagining of the Virginia Woolf classic. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Pericles | 20170402 | 20081130 20190609 (R3) | An adventure full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights, a great hero and the goddess Diana. An adventure full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights, a great hero and the goddess Diana. Shakespeare's romantic adventure full of tyrants, incest, murder, knights, teenagers, pirates, brothels, sublime poetry, young love, a great hero and the goddess Diana. A multicultural cast, world music and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah give this timeless tale a contemporary twist. Pericles.... Tom Mannion Gower.... Benjamin Zephaniah Antiochus/Cerimon.... Raad Rawi Marina/Antiochus' daughter.... Helen Longworth Helicanus.... Sean Scanlan Master.... Dermot Crowley Fisherman.... Paul Dinnen Simonides.... Lorcan Cranitch Thaisa.... Katherine Igoe Dionyza.... Adjoa Andoh Cleon.... Peter Gevisser Diana.... Sian Phillips Bawd/Lychorida.... Ayesha Antoine Philemon/Bolt.... Nick Sayce Lysimachus.... Ifan Meredith Leonine.... Delroy Brown Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane. A gripping new production of one of Shakespeare's later and least performed plays, Pericles, in which murder, incest, intrigue, shipwrecks and prostitution tear King Pericles' family apart. Adapted for radio and directed by acclaimed British theatre writer/director Neil Bartlett with a multicultural cast including opera legend Sir Willard White as Gower, the RSC's rising star Paapa Essiedu as Pericles and renowned British film actress Adjoa Andoh as Dionyza. A Greek chorus trio provides an innovative way to deliver pirates, fishermen, knights and villains galore. Pericles is a problem play on stage given the long script, wordy passages, multiple shipwrecks and sea storms, and large number of locations. With a pacey, music-rich new adaptation for radio by Neil Bartlett and the rich, beguiling tones of Willard White as Gower, Pericles becomes a lively, shocking and moving roller-coaster journey, perfect for radio drama, and reclaims Pericles as one of Shakespeare's plays definitely worthy of more frequent productions. CAST Marina's song composed by Simon Deacon A Bona Broadcasting production for BBC Radio 3. Shakespeare's rarely produced Pericles, in a disturbing new version starring Willard White | |
| Pornography | 20090125 | Pornography, by Simon Stephens. A stark and shattering play capturing Britain as it crashes from the euphoria and promise of the 2012 Olympics announcement into the devastation of the London bombings of 7 July 2005. It follows eight people on those fateful days. They seem unremarkable lives, but each of them is touched and changed in some indelible way by the events. Cast includes: Frances Ashman amanda hale billy seymour jeff rawle loo brealey sacha dhawan sam spruell directed for birmingham rep/traverse theatre by sean holmes. if you or someone you know is affected by the issues addressed in this programme and would like sources of information and support, you can log on to bbc.co.uk/radio3 alternatively, telephone the radio 3 action line 0800 033 033 a challenging play responding to the 7/7 london bombings sheila reid | ||
| Radio Beckett | 20161002 | 20190512 (R3) | Matthew Sweet presents a sequence of radio plays by Samuel Beckett, with Stephen Rea and Ian McKellen. Recorded in binaural sound and first broadcast as part of Radio 3’s 70th season. Like no other dramatist, Beckett’s works capture the pathos and irony of modern life. In the decade following the success of Waiting for Godot (1952), Samuel Beckett wrote some of his most absorbing work for radio, including the BBC's Third Programme. These plays are suffused with a musicality which, though evident in his novels, poetry and plays, is particularly remarkable in this medium. They are concerned with human isolation and the frailty of memory and communication. With the exception of the monologue FROM AN ABANDONED WORK, the plays can be heard in binaural surround sound. Just wear your headphones. The plays give a great insight into the development of Beckett’s style and into his approach to sound. Increasingly different in tone and conception from his stage work, the radio plays become more abstract as characters become less individualised and more representative. FROM AN ABANDONED WORK performed by Stephen Rea ROUGH FOR RADIO 1 ROUGH FOR RADIO 2 WORDS AND MUSIC CASCANDO Music composed and directed by Roger Goula Music performed by Directed by Gaynor Macfarlane Matthew Sweet with a sequence of radio plays by Samuel Beckett, with Ian McKellen. | |
| Richard Ii | 20170416 | 20190210 (R3) | Richard II was the first king to insist on being called 'Majesty' and believed in the divine right of kings. In Shakespeare's lyrical play, Richard's folly and the delusion of autocracy bring about his own downfall. When he banishes Bolingbroke and then confiscates his land and wealth despite warnings, he triggers a chain of events that led to his overthrow and the accession of Bolingbroke as King Henry IV. This is the first recording of a Shakespeare play to be broadcast in binaural sound. The production has been recorded using a pioneering 3D microphone set-up: listen with headphones for an enhanced experience which highlights Richard II's subjective world view. When Shakespeare's Richard II banishes Bolingbroke he brings about his own downfall. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| Ropewalk House | 20190113 | A daring new site-specific theatre piece set in a derelict rope factory. Written by Anita Sullivan. Featuring members of the Shunt Collective. On the first day of rehearsals the cast arrives to begin devising a new work, based loosely around the minotaur myth. The director, Jarek, is known for creating bold, immersive theatre productions. The warehouse once boasted the world’s longest “ropewalk”, the narrow corridor stretching the length of the building, and supplied rope to the Royal Navy. Jarek’s cast includes old friends alongside aspiring young actors. As they explore the venue they discover it has unpredictable physical properties, with disturbing consequences. Recorded on location at the Fish Factory Studios. Jarek…. Nigel Barrett Music by Ben and Max Ringham A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3. By Anita Sullivan. A daring site-specific theatre piece set in a derelict rope factory. On the first day of rehearsals the cast arrives to begin devising a new work, based loosely around the minotaur myth. The director, Jarek, is known for creating bold, immersive theatre productions. The warehouse once boasted the world’s longest “ropewalk ?, the narrow corridor stretching the length of the building, and supplied rope to the Royal Navy. Jarek’s cast includes old friends alongside aspiring young actors. As they explore the venue they discover it has unpredictable physical properties, with disturbing consequences. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics A daring new site-specific theatre piece set in a derelict rope factory. Jarek…. Nigel Barrett By Anita Sullivan. A daring site-specific theatre piece set in a derelict rope factory. | ||
| Rosmersholm | 20170115 | 20190127 (R3) | Rebekka West, the visionary, passionate heroine of 'Rosmersholm' inspired the English novelist to adopt that name. Ibsen's most complex play sees a society in turmoil through the lens of pastor John Rosmer and Rebekka, his social-revolutionary companion. Rosmer is recovering from the suicide of his unstable wife, Beata. Now Rebekka, replacing her in his affections, urges him to surrender his privileged place in conservative Norwegian society. A local elite plot to make him hold to the status quo. Can Rebekka prevail? Translated by Frank McGuinness and featuring music by Norwegian composer Marius Munthe-Kaas. Music composed and arranged by Marius Munthe-Kaas Translated by Frank McGuinness 'Rosmersholm' premiered at the National Theatre, London, in 1987. Ibsen's play about a man rejecting society's conservative values. Will his peers let him? Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| Rotterdam | 20180701 | Jon Brittain's Olivier-winning comedy about gender, sexuality and transitioning. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics | ||
| Saint Joan, By Bernard Shaw | 20111009 | A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue by Bernard Shaw It would be unthinkable not to include a new production of Saint Joan in Radio 3's Conviction season, which features new plays and classic drama about people with unwavering and uncompromising beliefs - and the consequences for those around them. Shaw's Saint Joan is the embodiment of absolute conviction. Given, as she believes, a divine mission to lead the French to victory and nationhood, she is also divinely forbidden to shed a single drop of blood. Her only weapon is her belief, and the courage it puts into those around her. In Joan, Shaw presents us with a character of remarkable talent and unshakeable faith - but no grace - and reveals her fate at the hands of normal men and women who, as Shaw notes, do what they find they must do, in spite of their best intentions. Joan's convictions are contagious. They make her an unstoppable force. They also lead her to destruction. 'There were only two opinions about her', Shaw observes in his preface to the play, 'One that she was miraculous: the other that she was unbearable.' Joan of Arc was canonised in 1920, a fact which galvanised Shaw to complete the play with which he had long been toying. A humane masterpiece, full of comedy, outrage, satire and anger, it examines the seismic changes in medieval society of which Joan was a precursor, for an audience themselves struggling with a shocking new post-war order. An immediate success, the play restored Shaw to universal popularity, helping him to the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, as the Academy observed, "for his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty". Joan ('The Maid')....Lyndsey Marshal Robert de Baudricourt/The Chaplain (John de Stogumber)....Paul Ritter The Archbishop of Rheims....Anton Lesser The Duke of Tremouille/The Inquisitor....Sean Baker Charles, the Dauphin (later Charles VII)....Blake Ritson Bluebeard (Gilles de Rais)/Brother Martin Ladvenu....Nyasha Hatendi Captain La Hire/Canon John d'Estivet....Daniel Rabin Count of Dunois, Bastard of Orleans/Bertrand de Poulengey....Trystan Gravelle The Earl of Warwick....Jonathan Coy Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais....Paul Hilton Thomas de Courcelles....Stuart McLoughlin de Baudricourt's Steward/The Executioner....Brian Bowles Dunois' Page....Ryan Watson Adapted, Produced and Directed by Jonquil Panting The music is taken from 'The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace', by Karl Jenkins. Lyndsey Marshal stars in a new production of George Bernard Shaw's masterpiece. A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue Joan ('The Maid').... Lyndsey Marshal Robert de Baudricourt/The Chaplain (John de Stogumber).... Paul Ritter The Archbishop of Rheims.... Anton Lesser The Duke of Tremouille/The Inquisitor.... Sean Baker Charles, the Dauphin (later Charles VII).... Blake Ritson Bluebeard (Gilles de Rais)/Brother Martin Ladvenu.... Nyasha Hatendi Captain La Hire/Canon John d'Estivet.... Daniel Rabin Count of Dunois, Bastard of Orleans/Bertrand de Poulengey.... Trystan Gravelle The Earl of Warwick.... Jonathan Coy Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais.... Paul Hilton Thomas de Courcelles.... Stuart McLoughlin de Baudricourt's Steward/The Executioner.... Brian Bowles Dunois' Page.... Ryan Watson | ||
| Samson Agonistes | 20081214 | By John Milton and adapted for radio and directed by John Tydeman. A new production of Milton's dramatic poem, originally published in 1671, as part of Radio 3's celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the poet's birth. Written in the form of a Greek tragedy, with the chorus commenting on the action, the play follows the biblical story of the blind Samson wreaking his revenge on the Philistines who have imprisoned him. Samson.... Iain Glen | ||
| Sarah And Ken | 20100711 | 20110515 | by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. A desperate love story, and a beautiful history of the treatment of mental health, written by one of Britain's foremost playwrights for the two lead actors. Sarah and Ken met as foster siblings, and fell in love. While he has married a good wife and fathered beautiful children, she has spent her whole life in institutions, and they have maintained a passion for each other that has no place in either of their surroundings. And now it's 1968, time to change. Cast Sarah....Annette Crosbie Ken....David Bradley Lorna....Jessica Raine Nurse....Christine Kavanagh Doctor....David Seddon Spank....Vineeta Rishi Driver....Jude Akuwudike Directed by Jessica Dromgoole. Rebecca Lenkiewicz's drama about a love affair between two former foster siblings. Sarah.... Annette Crosbie Ken.... David Bradley Lorna.... Jessica Raine Nurse.... Christine Kavanagh Doctor.... David Seddon Spank.... Vineeta Rishi Driver.... Jude Akuwudike Rebecca Lenkiewicz's drama about a love affair between two former foster siblings. | |
| Say Goodbye Twice | 20101031 | by Oladipo Agboluaje To mark the 50th Anniversary of Nigerian Independence from Britain, a rollicking new Peckham-set comedy by acclaimed young playwright Oladipo Agboluaje. British Nigerian Noelle's son wants to move to Nigeria with his father, a Nollywood producer, for a taste of the good life he's been denied growing up on their Peckham estate. The fact that Noelle's a disgraced ex-copper with criminal past and a severe lack of money isn't helping her hang on to him. But when she takes one more dodgy job for cash, Noelle's pulled into a conspiracy which will finally force her to negotiate between her dual identities, and find a way of living with them both. Noelle....Ellen Thomas Paul....Tobi Bakare Chike....Jude Akuwudike Femi Fatai....Estella Daniels Shina....Femi Elufowoju Jr Simeon Atta....Lucian Msamati Kayode/Henry....Chucky Venn Chang/Khan....Paul Courtenay Hyu Sanni....Wale Ojo Gibson....Sean Baker Barry....Ben Crowe Mrs Witham....Christine Kavanagh Director: Jonquil Panting Oladipo Agboluaje adapted 'The Hounding of David Oluwale' for Eclipse theatre, and his free adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard set in a wealthy Nigerian family, 'The Estate', was the first of three recent hits at Soho Theatre, with 'The Christ of Coldharbour Lane', and The Estate prequel, 'Iya-Ile (The First Wife)', all produced by Tiata Fahodzi. Other work includes 'Knock Against My Heart', 'God Is A DJ' (Theatre Centre); 'British-ish' (New Wolsey Youth Theatre); 'For One Night Only' (Pursued by a Bear), and 'Captain Britain' (Talawa). He's adapting The Estate as a feature for Heyman Hoskins and the Film Council, and writing a feature from his short film 'Area Boys', with Mel Mwanguma for Focus Features. Young playwright Oladipo Agboluaje's new Peckham-set comedy noir play.
Noelle.... Ellen Thomas Paul.... Tobi Bakare Chike.... Jude Akuwudike Femi Fatai.... Estella Daniels Shina.... Femi Elufowoju Jr Simeon Atta.... Lucian Msamati Kayode/Henry.... Chucky Venn Chang/Khan.... Paul Courtenay Hyu Sanni.... Wale Ojo Gibson.... Sean Baker Barry.... Ben Crowe Mrs Witham.... Christine Kavanagh | ||
| Scandinavian Dreams | 20090524 | By Steve Chambers. In the last years of the 18th century, as revolution raged in France, feminist writer and radical pamphleteer Mary Wollstonecraft embarked alone on a journey to the wilds of Scandinavia to recover her husband's lost treasure ship. This daring and dangerous journey was undertaken as much for reasons of the heart as for those of commerce, but her brilliant triumph failed to recover the thing she wanted most of all. Music by Martin Kiszko. Mary.... Rachel Atkins Imlay.... John Schwab Marguerite.... Colleen Prendergast Beckman.... Martin Wenner Wulfsberg.... David Menkin Elleson.... Michael Roberts Boatman.... Gerard McDermott Godwin/Nordberg.... Christian Rodska Nell.... Ella Smith. As revolution raged France, feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft travelled to Scandinavia. | ||
| Sea Change | 20120129 | By John Fletcher. This is the story of the battle between appeasers and anti-appeasers in the period before - and just after - the start of the Second World War, and the formation of a coalition which, like the election of 2010, abruptly ruptured all previous political alignments. New political alliances and social organizations - which had first arisen in the Bridgwater by-election of 1938, but which had been ignored by the London-based political and media establishments - united in their fight against appeasement. Suddenly and dramatically, in May of that year, this new united front rose against the government and, in the space of only three days, overthrew it. Somewhat surprisingly, the magnificent story behind this overthrow is little known. It is a story of ferocious loyalty and betrayal, outrageous media manipulation, blackmail, prejudice - and not a little courage. The appeasers are principally represented by Neville Chamberlain and his ruthless, over-protective spin doctor Joseph Ball - a man who would have eaten Alistair Campbell for breakfast. The anti-appeasers, battling through various foreign policy crises, are a disparate group: an Australian, Rex Leeper, the Foreign Office's press officer, constantly - and largely unsuccessfully - countering Ball's pro-appeasement spin from Number 10; Harold Nicolson MP, bravely opposing appeasement amid the innuendos of fellow backbenchers and Ball's press smears; Vernon Bartlett, a radical foreign correspondent for the News Chronicle, who is asked to stand as the anti-appeasement candidate in the Bridgwater by-election; and Guy Burgess, anti-appeasement patriot, communist and BBC political producer, who is blackmailed over his homosexuality by Ball into couriering secret messages between Chamberlain and the dictators. The fascinating and little known story of the struggle to establish the coalition government of 1940 - a story of idealism, blackmail, and political skulduggery. Based on real events. Harold Nicolson....Charles Edwards Joseph Ball.... Kim Wall Neville Chamberlain....John Rowe Rex Leeper....Richard Dillane Guy Burgess....Carl Prekopp Vernon Bartlett....Adam Billington Rev. Cresswell Webb....Gerard McDermott Metford Bown....James Lailey Queen Elizabeth....Adjoa Andoh Other parts played by Christopher Webster and Rikki Lawton Directed by Marc Beeby. By John Fletcher. The dark story behind the creation of the coalition government of 1940. Harold Nicolson.... Charles Edwards Neville Chamberlain.... John Rowe Rex Leeper.... Richard Dillane Guy Burgess.... Carl Prekopp Vernon Bartlett.... Adam Billington Rev. Cresswell Webb.... Gerard McDermott Metford Bown.... James Lailey Queen Elizabeth.... Adjoa Andoh | ||
| Sea Longing | 20181223 | Sea Longing By Elizabeth Kuti With music by Philip Selway As a renowned folklore expert, Robert Whyman has spent his life getting secrets out of other people; and his recordings of selkie stories and folktales are legendary. Now, with time running out for Whyman, the tables are turned as he gives an interview of his own, excavating his own mythology in a journey that takes him to some unexpectedly dark and secret places. This drama explores the world of selkie and seal stories, and how their engagement with some of the darker sides of love, longing, taboo and conflict, makes them an extraordinary source of strength and insight for the generations of people who have told and listened to them. Starring award-winning actor Stephen Dillane as Robert Whyman. Philip Selway is an English musician and songwriter best known as the drummer of Radiohead. Philip's most recent release is a soundtrack album to the film drama Let Me Go; a story about mothers and daughters. Drama exploring the mythic world of selkie and seal stories. Stars Stephan Dillane. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| Serious Money | 20110612 | Caryl Churchill's dramatic satire of the financial excesses and corporate venality that followed the 1986 Big Bang is the first of three plays in Radio 3's "Money Talks" season. The City has changed since the Big Bang of 1986 and the sudden deregulation of the financial markets. The Square Mile has been invaded by white knights and corporate raiders. And ambitious young traders, like sister and brother Scilla and Jake Todd, are living the high life. Hot-shot dealer Billy Corman is plotting to take over the unsuspecting company Albion, aided and abetted by this new breed of yuppie traders. But his plans go awry when trader Jake Todd is found dead and the Department of Trade and Industry is brought in to investigate. Could Jake's death be linked to his insider dealing? Serious Money conveys the feverish, amoral addictiveness of speculation, and brings to life the swaggering, foul-mouthed cacophony of the Eighties' stockmarket. It is followed in subsequent weeks in the "Money Talks"season by new productions of Edward Bulwer-Lytton's nineteenth century satire about inherited wealth, 'Money' and George Bernard Shaw's play "Widowers' Houses" about the moral contradictions of business. As part of "Money Talks", The Essay "It Talks" chronicles the rise of money in human civilisation from cattle wealth to flexible plastic and The Sunday Feature "Europe, the Art of Austerity" explores artistic response to hard times, This new version of Serious Money is adapted for radio and directed by Emma Harding CAST Scilla Todd....Hattie Morahan Jake Todd....Bertie Carvel Zak Zackerman....Tobias Menzies Corman....David Horovitch Greville Todd....Brian Bowles Jacinta Condor....Melanie Bond Marylou Baines....Jane Whittenshaw Grimes/ Frosby....Daniel Rabin TK/ Nigel Ajibala....Nyasha Hatendi All other parts played by members of the company. With musical accompaniment from Colin Sell. A major force in British theatre, Caryl Churchill is one of the most celebrated playwrights of her generation. Her plays include 'Cloud Nine', 'Top Girls' and 'A Number'. 'Serious Money' premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1987. Caryl Churchill's dramatic satire of financial excess and corporate greed in 1980s London. The City has changed since the Big Bang of 1986 and the sudden deregulation of the financial markets. Scilla Todd.... Hattie Morahan Jake Todd.... Bertie Carvel Zak Zackerman.... Tobias Menzies Corman.... David Horovitch Greville Todd.... Brian Bowles Jacinta Condor.... Melanie Bond Marylou Baines.... Jane Whittenshaw Grimes/ Frosby.... Daniel Rabin TK/ Nigel Ajibala.... Nyasha Hatendi | ||
| Skyvers | 20111211 | by Barry Reckord 1960s London. A group of lads spends the last few days at their sink London comprehensive. What will become of the would-be footballer, the ambitious chancer or the boy on probation? Cast: Cragge....Danny Worters Brook....Jason Maza Colman....Abdul Salis Adams....Rikki Lawton Jordan....Theo Barklem-Biggs Helen....Joan Iyiola Sylvia....Shannon Tarbet Freeman....Carl Prekopp Webster....Gerard McDermott Headmaster....Paul Moriarty Directed by Mary Peate First produced at The Royal Court Theatre in 1963. Director Pam Brighton, to whom the play belongs, according to Reckord, says ' When I first came across Skyvers in 1970, it struck me as a powerful, relevant and hugely articulate work...How had Barry, a Jamaican teacher in a London comprehensive, described so accurately the alienation and rage of South London boys? The entrapment of both boys and girls bounded by sex, violence and either dull dead-end jobs or crime was described so perfectly by Barry.' Playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah has curated new radio productions of three 20th Century plays for Radio 3's Drama on 3 and Skyvers is the last in the series. The three plays are introduced by Kwei-Armah, who describes how each of the writers influenced his own development as an actor and playwright. Kwame is currently based in Baltimore where he is Artistic Director of Center Stage Theater. Michael Billington on Skyvers in The Guardian: ' Other dramatists such as Nigel Williams in Class Enemy went on to explore the failure of the system to cope with those at the bottom of the heap. But Reckord got there first and while it is tempting to say times have changed, new figures show that up to 16million adults today have the reading and writing skils of primary schoolchildren... a piece that proves that the best drama offers vital social evidence.'. By Barry Reckord. The last days of school for a group of boys at a sink 60s comprehensive. Cragge.... Danny Worters Brook.... Jason Maza Colman.... Abdul Salis Adams.... Rikki Lawton Jordan.... Theo Barklem-Biggs Helen.... Joan Iyiola Sylvia.... Shannon Tarbet Freeman.... Carl Prekopp Webster.... Gerard McDermott Headmaster.... Paul Moriarty | ||
| Song Of Myself | 20171015 | Reading of Whitman's poem Song of Myself, with excerpts from Orson Welles's 1953 version. Orson Welles read Whitman's trailblazing poem for the BBC Third Programme in 1953. In a new landmark reading of the poem, Welles' voice is interwoven with readings from a small cast of acclaimed actors - Michael Sheen, Clarke Peters, Julianna Jennings, Kyle Soller and Eleanor Bron. With an introduction from poet, Mark Doty. Orson Welles read Whitman's trailblazing poem for the BBC Third Programme in 1953. In a new landmark reading of the poem, Welles' voice is interwoven with readings from a small cast of acclaimed actors - Michael Sheen, Clarke Peters, Julianna Jennings, Kyle Soller and Eleanor Bron. With an introduction from poet, Mark Doty." | ||
| Spring Storm, By Tennessee Williams | 20110306 | By Tennessee Williams. A radio adaptation of the Royal and Derngate, Northampton production, broadcast to mark the centenary of the playwright's birth. Heavenly Critchfield has almost everything a young woman could desire, but when she's forced to decide between respectable suitor Arthur and handsome, wild lover Dick, her actions cause a chain of consequences that tear their lives apart. Cast Heavenly Critchfield....Liz White Arthur Shannon....Michael Malarkey Dick Miles....Michael Thomson Hertha Neilson....Anna Tolputt Esmeralda Critchfield....Jacqueline King Aunt Lila....Joanna Bacon Mrs Lamphrey/Birdie Schlagmann....Janice McKenzie Henry Adams....Gavin Harrison Oliver Critchfield....James Jordan Ralph....Steven France Mabel....Ailish Symons Music by Jon Nicholls Directed by Laurie Sansom Produced by Jeremy Mortimer Tennessee Williams was born on 26th March, 1911. 'Spring Storm', one of his first plays, was written in 1937, when he was twenty-six. It didn't receive its first production until 1995 in Berkeley. The European Premier took place at the Royal and Derngate Northampton on 15 October 2009, running alongside Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill. Both productions subsequently transferred to the Royal National Theatre in 2010 to the Cottesloe Theatre. Adaptation of Tennessee WIlliams's play, starring Liz White and Michael Malarkey.
Heavenly Critchfield.... Liz White Arthur Shannon.... Michael Malarkey Dick Miles.... Michael Thomson Hertha Neilson.... Anna Tolputt Esmeralda Critchfield.... Jacqueline King Aunt Lila.... Joanna Bacon Mrs Lamphrey/Birdie Schlagmann.... Janice McKenzie Henry Adams.... Gavin Harrison Oliver Critchfield.... James Jordan Ralph.... Steven France Mabel.... Ailish Symons Tennessee Williams was born on 26th March, 1911. 'Spring Storm', one of his first plays, was written in 1937, when he was twenty-six. It didn't receive its first production until 1995 in Berkeley. The European Premier took place at the Royal & Derngate Northampton on 15 October 2009, running alongside Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill. Both productions subsequently transferred to the Royal National Theatre in 2010 to the Cottesloe Theatre. | ||
| Sunset | 20120219 | Russia,1984. Andrei Demidov, an internationally-acclaimed - and controversial - novelist has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Outspoken and notoriously critical of the Soviet authorities, Demidov's novel 'Sunset', an exploration of the realities of the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan, has been banned in his homeland, but thanks to the actions of Andrei's English publisher, Michael, has qualified and been awarded literature's most prestigious honour. Living under a restricted movement order in the countryside outside Moscow with his wife Alexandra, Andrei is faced with a difficult decision. The Soviet Authorities are not about to let one of their most vociferous critics travel to make an acceptance speech in Sweden denouncing the regime to an international audience. They might permit him to leave the country and live out the rest of his days as an exile, never to return to his beloved Russia. Or, he could acquiesce with the authorities, refuse the award, and in doing so ensure the freedom of his estranged son Nikolai. But in a world where everyone is manipulating everyone else for their own private or political ends, how much autonomy does Andrei really have? Is he master of his own fate, or a pawn in a game with greater stakes than he might imagine? The history of the Nobel Prize for Literature is no stranger to such controversies. From Boris Pasternak - who was awarded and then rejected the prize for 'Doctor Zhivago' - to Harold Pinter, who used his Nobel acceptance speech to denounce American foreign policy regarding the war in Iraq, the prize has frequently brought into focus the polemics of that eternal triumvirate which Pinter himself addressed in his speech: 'Art, Truth and Politics'. How far should art and artists engage in politics? Is personal veracity more important than utilitarianism? At what price does artistic integrity come? In this new drama for Radio 3, Doug Lucie pits such ideals against that of 'family' as Andrei's own future and that of his wife and son hang in the balance. For Andrei and his family, the prospect of freedom becomes as much of a prize as the award itself - but what exactly is freedom anyway? Cast Andrei Demidov....Julian Glover Alexandra....Stella Gonet Nikolai....Leo Bill Michael....David Bamber Yuri....Nicholas Woodeson Sergei....Jason Watkins Joe....Jim Norton Marina....Tracy Wiles Producer....Heather Larmour. Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, Andrei Demidov must make an impossible decision. | ||
| Synge: 100 Years On | 20090315 | 20100103 | To mark the centenary of the death of Irish playwright JM Synge, Radio 3 presents new productions of two of his pivotal short plays. The Tinker's Wedding is a light comedy about the country people of Wicklow while Riders to the Sea is often described as the definitive Irish tragedy. They are presented alongside a documentary recorded on location in Galway and the Aran Islands. Sarah Casey.... Denise Gough another man.... stephen hogan bartley.... nick lee cathleen.... denise gough mary byrne.... brid brennan michael byrne.... stephen hogan nora.... fiona o'shaughnessy old man.... john rogan one of the women.... caroline guthrie priest.... john rogan maurya.... brid brennan with contributions from thomas conway, james harrold, dara o conaola, lasairfhiona ni chonaola, maire mulkerrin, dolores lyne and sean o coistealbha. produced and directed by steven canny. two of jm synge's classic irish plays to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. new productions of two of irish playwright jm synge's pivotal short plays. the tinker's wedding is a light comedy about the country people of wicklow while riders to the sea is often described as the definitive irish tragedy. they are presented alongside a documentary recorded on location in galway and the aran islands. sarah casey.... denise gough maurya.... brid brennan old man.... john rogan two productions by irish playwright jm synge: the tinker's wedding and riders to the sea. | |
| Tartuffe | 20090705 | A Liverpool Playhouse production of Roger McGough's version of Moliere's comedy Tartuffe. The wealthy merchant Orgon has taken in an apparently indigent religious man, Tartuffe. He is a beacon of piety and soon has his feet firmly under the table. But all is not as it seems and as Orgon becomes more enraptured with his new companion the whole city is chattering. Is he a friend, a fraud, a miracle or a hypocrite? Tartuffe.... John Ramm | ||
| The Adding Machine | 20090905 | Elmer Rice's wildly imaginative Expressionist classic play from 1923. Mr Zero has spent the last 25 years adding up columns of figures and dreaming of advancement. But when the boss finally calls him into his office, Zero does not get the promotion he was expecting - quite the opposite in fact. Mr Zero.... Nathan Osgood Mrs Zero.... Rebecca Front Daisy.... Gina Bellman Shrdlu.... John Rogan Charles/The Head.... Danny Sapani One/Boss.... Peter Marinker Mrs One.... Liza Sadovy Two/Joe.... Chris Pavlo Mrs Two/Judy.... Liz Sutherland Young Man/Policeman.... Ben Crowe Produced by Steven Canny and Abigail le Fleming. An Expressionist work from 1923 by American playwright Elmer Rice. | ||
| The Birthday Party | 20161120 | 20181209 (R3) | The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter Stanley, an erstwhile pianist lives in a dingy seaside boarding house run by Meg and Petey. He is comfortable there, like a surrogate son. Two sinister strangers turn up - Goldberg and McCann. They claim to know him from the past. They turn Stanley's birthday party into a menacing and terrifying encounter. Franz Kafka meets Donald McGill in Pinter’s iconic comedy of menace. Stanley....Toby Jones Director/Producer Gary Brown An Irishman and a Jew walk into a seaside boarding house. And what? A parable about power and persecution? Or maybe it's marginalised minorities taking their revenge against seedy Albion? Pinter's slippery and sly black comedy has a huge resonance for today. Harold Pinter was one of the writers championed by the Third Programme – and in the late 1950s commissioned one of his early plays before he had his first stage hit. Pinter himself acknowledged the role the Third had had in his own cultural education. For the 70th anniversary, Drama on 3 presents a new production of The Birthday Party, now considered a Pinter classic, but which on its first London opening only lasted a week. Harold Pinter's iconic comedy of menace, The Birthday Party, starring Toby Jones. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| The Blackwood | 20180916 | Drama from Edinburgh's Summerhall: The Blackwood by Jacob Polley with music by John Alder Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics the house of rain ‘The Blackwood’, a new drama born out of Jacob Polley’s award-winning book Jackself, grows a new branch of the story of boyhood friends in a world both recognisably modern as well as starkly folkloric and weird. It recounts the journey of two boys through spaces real and rumoured, through the great forest of Blackwood, where voices and music weave alternative histories of boyhood, troubled friendship and the north of England. As well as a moving drama, The Blackwood is a haunting ‘landscape in noise’, created by musician and sound designer John Alder. Narrator... Jacob Polley With music composed and played by John Alder. Part of Radio 3’s showcase of new audio plays at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Recorded with an audience at the BBC’s newly created pop-up drama studio at the Summerhall arts venue. | ||
| The Carhullan Army | 20100411 | 20110403 | By Sarah Hall Adapted by Sarah Hall and Dominic Power Since her second novel "The Electric Michaelangelo" was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2004, Sarah Hall has been regarded as one of the most original and exciting voices in contemporary British fiction. "The Carhullan Army", her third novel, was published in 2007 to acclaim and won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. A serious political novel that convincingly explores the mindset of fascism, and a haunting story of how far we will go to be free, it's also a kind of Cumbrian western, peopled with heroic personalities out of an all-female version of "The Iliad". It's a blistering achievement: darkly violent, funny, tender and gripping, "The Carhullan Army" is like nothing else. In an unspecified near-future, life in Britain has become unrecognisable: the floodwaters have risen, food and fuel are scarce, and the country is run by the sinister Authority. All women are forced to wear contraceptive devices. Sister, as the book's narrator calls herself, escapes this repressive world and heads for a mysterious, quasi-mythical commune of women high in the Cumbrian fells, led by the legendary Jackie Nixon. The journey is a challenge but arrival is only the beginning of Sister's struggle. Anne-Marie Duff ("Nowhere Boy", "Margot", "Shameless") heads the cast as Sister, while Geraldine James takes the role of guerrilla messiah Jackie Nixon. Sorcha Cusack plays the sympathetic Lorrie, and "the Army" is made up of newer talents Zawe Ashton, Sally Bretton and Jo Hartley. Novelist Sarah Hall teams up with radio dramatist Dominic Power ("Riddley Walker", "Northanger Abbey", "Joseph Andrews") to create the mayhem of a future Britain where society is poised on the edge, where - for a time at least - the only civilised solution appears to be to run to the hills. Sister....Anne-Marie Duff Jackie....Geraldine James Nicola....Jane Whittenshaw Lorrie....Sorcha Cusack Shruti....Zawe Ashton Corky....Sally Bretton Megan....Eliza Caitlin Parkes Chloe....Jo Hartley Fowler/Martin....Neil Dudgeon Jones....Andrew Dunn Calum/Terry....Edward MacLiam Directed by Lawrence Jackson Produced by Frank Stirling Unique. An adaptation by Sarah Hall and Dominic Power of Hall's third novel The Carhullan Army.
Sister.... Anne-Marie Duff Jackie.... Geraldine James Nicola.... Jane Whittenshaw Lorrie.... Sorcha Cusack Shruti.... Zawe Ashton Corky.... Sally Bretton Megan.... Eliza Caitlin Parkes Chloe.... Jo Hartley Fowler/Martin.... Neil Dudgeon Jones.... Andrew Dunn Calum/Terry.... Edward MacLiam An adaptation by Sarah Hall and Dominic Power of Hall's third novel The Carhullan Army. SISTER....ANNE-MARIE DUFF JACKIE....GERALDINE JAMES NICOLA....JANE WHITTENSHAW LORRIE....SORCHA CUSACK SHRUTI....ZAWE ASHTON CORKY....SALLY BRETTON MEGAN....ELIZA CAITLIN PARKES CHLOE....JO HARTLEY FOWLER/MARTIN..NEIL DUDGEON JONES....ANDREW DUNN CALUM/TERRY....EDWARD MACLIAM | |
| The Chalk Garden | 20110313 | It is the mid-1950s. In a Sussex country house, the elderly Mrs St Maugham lives with her unruly granddaughter Laurel. Though without references, Miss Madrigal becomes the paid companion to Laurel. Only when The Judge visits does the truth unravel. The production is introduced by the director, Michael Grandage. Mrs St Maugham....Margaret Tyzack Miss Madrigal....Penelope Wilton Laurel....Felicity Jones The Judge....Clifford Rose Maitland....Jamie Glover Olivia....Suzanne Burden Second Applicant....Steph Bramwell Nurse and Third Applicant....Una Stubbs Written by Enid Bagnold Director: Michael Grandage Composer and sound design: Adam Cork Radio production: Penny Leicester and Wilfredo Acosta Producer: Nicolas Soames An Ukemi Productions Ltd production for Radio 3. Drama set in a country house, when the arrival of a judge reveals shocking secrets.
Mrs St Maugham.... Margaret Tyzack Miss Madrigal.... Penelope Wilton Laurel.... Felicity Jones The Judge.... Clifford Rose Maitland.... Jamie Glover Olivia.... Suzanne Burden Second Applicant.... Steph Bramwell Nurse & Third Applicant.... Una Stubbs | ||
| The Changeling | 20091129 | A new radio production of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley's Jacobean classic, set in Alicante, Spain, in the 1920s. Beatrice-Joanna is due to marry Alonzo e Piracquo, until she falls in love with Alsemero and seeks the help of her father's man, De Flores. Beatrice-Joanna.... Anna Madeley De Flores.... Zubin Varla Vermandero.... Nicky Henson Tomazo de Piracquo.... Alex Hassell Alonzo de Piracquo.... Alex Blake Alsemero.... Simon Muller Jasperino.... Nigel Hastings Diaphanta.... Liz Richardson Isabella.... Catherine Bailey Alibius.... Philip Fox Lollio.... Stephen Hogan Antonio.... Piers Wehner Franciscus.... Joseph Cohen-Cole Pedro.... Rhys Jennings Directed and adapted for radio by Jeremy Mortimer. Murder, lust, madness and mayhem in a Jacobean classic set in 1920s Spain. | ||
| The Cherry Orchard | 20081221 | 20100124 | Anton Chekhov's tale of a Russian family forced to sell their house and cherry orchard. Anton Chekhov's tale of a Russian family forced to sell their house and cherry orchard. Written by Anton Chekhov and translated by Sasha Dugdale. A new production of Chekhov's timeless study of a Russian aristocratic family forced to sell their house and beloved cherry orchard during the great social transitions of the 19th century. Madame Ranevskaia.... Sarah Miles ania.... susannah fielding duniasha.... jill cardo epikhodov.... stephen critchlow firs.... malcolm tierney gaev.... nicholas le prevost lopakhin.... matthew marsh sharlotta.... hannah nicholson music composed and performed by olga thomas-bosovskaya. directed by peter kavanagh simeonov-pishchik.... roger hammond trofimov.... gunnar cauthery varia.... anne-marie duff yasha.... inam mirza madame ranevskaia.... sarah miles | |
| The Cherry Orchard | 20181118 | Chekhov's celebrated stage play is given a new version by writer/composer duo, Katherine Tozer and John Chambers. Ranyevskya returns to the family estate after 5 years in Paris to face seemingly insurmountable debts. Local businessman Lopakhin is keen to offer her a way out but there'll be a price to pay. Ranyevskya....Emma Fielding Music composed by John Chambers Katherine Tozer and John Chambers work as writer and composer respectively for PALIMPSEST, the innovative multi-media theatre company. Palimpsest have created bespoke work for Leighton House, Dr. Johnson's House and William Morris's Red House. Actor and writer Katherine Tozer has acted for the RSC, the Almeida, the Donmar and the Young Vic, in the West End, nationally and internationally in new work by Churchill, Brenton and Wertenbaker, in roles ranging from Phaedra to Blanche du Bois, for which she was nominated for a TMA award. She founded Palimpsest in 2013. John Chambers is a composer and sound designer. He studied at Trinity College of Music, winning the John Halford, Daryl Runswick, and Chappell composition prizes. For over a decade he has created music for theatre, including writer/director Steven Berkoff's premiere production of Oedipus. Composition highlights include a fanfare for Her Majesty the Queen (Royal Observatory, Greenwich 2007), a fanfare for the Olympic Torch Relay (Trafalgar Square 2008) and High Flight for Baritone Voice and String Quartet (performed by the Finzi Quartet). Chekhov's classic play in a new version with music. It's 1903 and revolution is in the air Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| The Comic Illusion | 20110925 | Ranjit Bolt's reworking of Pierre Corneille's classic comedy. An old man seeks his estranged son with the help of a wizard. The magician shows the grieving father the boy's recent life in the form of an action-packed comedy adventure. Matamore....John Sessions Alcandre....Richard Johnson Clindor....Michael Maloney Isabelle....Hattie Morahan G退ronte....Benjamin Whitrow Adraste....Pip Torrens Lyse....Rosie Fellner Pridamant....Paul Moriarty Dorante....Simon Bubb Jailer....James Lailey Page....Jonathan Forbes Empress, Queen....Victoria Inez-Hardy Original music composed and performed by Russell Taylor and Steve Cooke Director: Peter Kavanagh Although Pierre Corneille was a contemporary of Moliere and Racine in the 17th century golden age of French drama, he is much less known to us than are they. In France however, his plays, including Le Cid and this work, are staple fare, regularly cropping up on education syllabuses and frequently produced by La Comedie Francaise. Under Alcandre's magic spell we meet the runaway Clindor, now a penniless servant. He is working as go-between, wooing the lovely Isabelle on behalf of his employer, the mad braggart Matamore. But Clindor and Isabelle have fallen in love with each other, so Clindor now wooes on his own behalf! A concatenation of events leads to Clindor's imprisonment for murder. But in true comic fashion he escapes, and he, Isabelle, and two friends flee to Paris. And there the illusory scene shifts to a mysterious higher plain, as, in one of the first and great theatrical coups, Corneille raises the action yet another level - that of play within play within play - before all is finally revealed. Seldom has the magic of theatre received a more moving and entertaining tribute than in this renowned and much admired masterpiece. Ranjit Bolt is one of Britain's leading translators for the stage, with numerous acclaimed transformations of European classics - among them: The Liar with Jonathan Miller (Old Vic), The Venetian Twins (RSC 1993); The School For Wives, West End 1996 (dir Peter Hall); Tartuffe, starring Martin Clunes, at the National Theatre in 2002. Ranjit Bolt's version of Corneille's classic French comedy. Matamore.... John Sessions Alcandre.... Richard Johnson Clindor.... Michael Maloney Isabelle.... Hattie Morahan G退ronte.... Benjamin Whitrow Adraste.... Pip Torrens Lyse.... Rosie Fellner Pridamant.... Paul Moriarty Dorante.... Simon Bubb Jailer.... James Lailey Page.... Jonathan Forbes Empress, Queen.... Victoria Inez-Hardy | ||
| The Contingency Plan | 20091213 | By Steve Waters. A powerful new version of the play originally staged at The Bush Theatre in London, addressing the subject of climate change. As Britain faces unprecedented and catastrophic floods, government and scientists argue over what action to take. A young glaciologist arrives in Whitehall determined to convince the powers that be of the importance of immediate action. But he is also bent on avenging his father, a scientist whose views were discredited a generation ago. Will Paxton.... Joseph Kloska Sarika Chatterjee.... Vineeta Rishi Robin Paxton.... Robin Soans Jenny Paxton.... Susan Brown Christopher Casson.... David Bark-Jones Tessa Fortnum.... Stella Gonet Colin Jenks.... Michael Elwyn Producer/Director: Peter Leslie Wild. Drama set in the near future as the government deals with a real global warming crisis. | ||
| The Cool Bag Baby, By Katie Hims | 20080217 | The Cool Bag Baby By Katie Hims. A coolbag containing a baby is left outside a cafe in the hope that owner will provide it with a loving home. But unexpectedly the cafe stays closed, with the result that the baby is undiscovered and lives across London begin to fall apart. Katie Hims' new drama is an investigation, a love story as well as a cry for help. Carol....Sophie Stanton Joan....Rachel Davies Stuart....David Schofield Phil....Nicholas Gleaves Jana....Larissa Kouznetsova DI....Andrew Tiernan Ted/PC....Mark Monero Mehmet....Hemi Yeroham Jack....Jamie F Glover A coolbag containing a baby is left outside a cafe in the hope that owner will provide it with a loving home. But unexpectedly the cafe stays closed, with the result that the baby is undiscovered and lives across London begin to fall apart. Carol.... Sophie Stanton A baby in a bag is left outside a cafe in the hope that the owner will give it a home. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| The Dark Tower | 20171029 | A new production of Louis MacNeice's play 'The Dark Tower' with music by Benjamin Britten. Louis MacNeice's iconic verse drama, widely acknowledged to be the finest of his many works for radio and one of the most critically acclaimed radio plays of the 20th century. The play is inspired by the mythical quest in Robert Browning's mysterious poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came", but includes strong autobiographical and even satirical elements. At its core is original music by Benjamin Britten, to whom MacNeice dedicated the published script. Performed on 27th October 2017, in front of an audience at Orford Church, Suffolk, with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Roland....Harry Lloyd BBC Concert Orchestra, conductor Robert Ziegler Performed on 27th October 2017, in front of an audience at Orford Church, Suffolk, with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Roland.... Harry Lloyd | ||
| The Devil Was Here Yesterday | 20080203 | The Devil Was Here Yesterday By Colin Teevan. Will civil servant Simon deliver the report the evidence appears to support or the report the minister seems to want the evidence to support? Inspired by a visit to South America last year, Colin Teevan's new play explores the political landscape of a country undergoing an oil-fuelled revolution. Simon....Owen Teale Elisabet....Haydn Gwynne The Minister....Greg Hicks Hector/Profesor....Stephen Greif Victoria/Firmina....Clare Higgins La Guacha....Rufus Wright Angel....Alex Lanipekun Gregoria....Nadine Marshall Willoughby/Woker....Martin Hyder Linda/Gloria....Nancy Crane Waitress....Laura Molyneux Original music by Nikola Kodjabashia. Directed by Toby Swift. Simon.... Owen Teale Will civil servant Simon give the report the evidence seems to support? Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | ||
| The Devil's Passion | 20171203 | 20190929 (R3) | David Suchet stars as Satan, in Justin Butcher's wicked hell's-eye view of the Passion. An immersive binaural mix of this programme, optimised for amazing headphone listening, will be available here for download shortly after broadcast. David Suchet stars as Satan - and a bible's-worth of other characters, human and animal - in this comic, gripping, poetic and pungent hell's-eye view of the Passion of Christ, written by renowned satirist, playwright and actor Justin Butcher. 33 AD. Jesus enters Jerusalem to fulfil his destiny. Satan ascends from Hell to stop him. "Within the next hour, our operatives will isolate, engage and capture or kill the notorious leader of the most extreme, dangerous and contagious ideology to emerge in the modern era, whose terror activities represent the gravest threat to our interests across the region and the wider world. I refer, of course, to the radical preacher and populist demagogue Y'shua Bar-Yessuf - the man known, by way of shorthand to our operatives, as 'Jesus'." The Devil's Passion offers an outrageously entertaining fresh perspective - as the ancient story is played out once more, in our modern world of security, surveillance and ideological warfare. Satan.... David Suchet Written by Justin Butcher Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| The Don | 20040905 | By Jeff Young. Inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote, The Don is a gentle dreamer, disheveled and battered by too many years spent in life's shadows. Through the function suites, pubs and wedding dos of northern England, The Don, played by the incomparable Bill Nighy, staggers forever in pursuit of his imaginary lover Dulcie - his muse, his ideal 'lady', with his neighbour Sancho in tow. The Don....Bill Nighy Sancho....Danny Webb Priest....Sam Kelly Receptionist....Rosie Cavaliero Barber....Deka Walmsley Steve....Declan Wilson Landlady....Elizabeth Bell Lad....Oliver Jackson Dulcie....Clara Sanabras Music composed and performed by Harvey Brough Lyrics by Jeff Young Mike Outram (guitar) The Don.... Bill Nighy Sancho.... Danny Webb Priest.... Sam Kelly Receptionist.... Rosie Cavaliero Barber.... Deka Walmsley Steve.... Declan Wilson Landlady.... Elizabeth Bell Lad.... Oliver Jackson Dulcie.... Clara Sanabras Mike Outram (guitar)" | ||
| The Effect | 20180128 | 20190915 (R3) | by Lucy Prebble. Starring Jessie Buckley, Christine Entwisle, Damien Molony and Samuel West. "I can tell the difference between who I am and a side effect." Award-winning chemical romance. A profound, and funny, play about love, depression and selfhood, winner of the Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play when it was performed at the National Theatre in 2012. Dr Lorna James.... Christine Entwisle Composer, Richard Hammarton THE WRITER THE COMPOSER Award-winning chemical romance by Lucy Prebble set during a clinical trial. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the Classics | |
| The Gambler | 20090614 | Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky and adapted by Glyn Maxwell. A comic drama based on Dostoevsky's experiences as a young man, is a portrayal of the power of love and money. Glyn Maxwell's new version takes us deep into the mind of Alexei Ivanovich, a young tutor, just as he realises he's falling in love with the strikingly beautiful but unobtainable Polina. Alexei Ivanovich.... Sam Crane General Zagorski.... Nicholas Le Prevost Granny.... Patricia Routledge Polina Alexandrovna.... Siobhan Hewlett De Grieux.... David Westhead Astley.... Robert Portal Blanche De Cominges.... Charlotte Randall Directed by Guy Retallack. Glyn Maxwell's adaptation of Dostoevsky's drama about his experiences as a young man. | ||
| The Glass Menagerie | 20180708 | Tennessee Williams's breakthrough play about a family in crisis in 1930s St. Louis. Series of drama performances, ranging from experimental works to the classics By Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie was Tennessee Williams' first big success when it opened on Broadway in 1945, and has remained the most touching, tender and painful of his works. Closely based on the playwright's own life and family in St Louis in the 1930s, Williams breaks away from naturalism to create a dream-like atmosphere. The narrator Tom conjures up recollections of the cramped and claustrophobic tenement home he shares with his often over-bearing mother Amanda, and his painfully shy sister, Laura. The play simmers with frustration as each character is trapped in their own unhappy situation. Tom (also Williams' birth name) works in a warehouse but dreams of being a poet and escaping his mundane life supporting his mother and sister. Laura hides at home lacking the confidence to engage meaningfully with the outside world, preferring instead to get lose herself in her collection of fragile glass animals. Amanda sells magazine subscriptions over the phone and commits herself to finding a match for her daughter. One day, Tom succumbs to his mother's pressure and brings home a gentleman caller to visit his sister, and their quiet existence is shattered. The programme is introduced by John Lahr, author of the acclaimed biography Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh. Amanda....Anastasia Hille Music for violin arranged and performed by Bogdan Vacarescu. Director: Sasha Yevtushenko. | ||
| The Government Inspector | 20090329 | 20100509 | SynopsisWritten by Nikolai Gogol and translated by Alistair Beaton. Gogol's landmark 19th-century satire on corruption and sleaze in which a penniless clerk is mistaken for a government official by a corrupt town council. Khlestakov.... Toby Jones abdulin.... jonathan tafler anna.... frances barber avdotya.... lizzie watts. gogol's satire on corruption and sleaze, starring toby jones and paul ritter bobchinsky.... mark heap dobchinsky.... sean foley education director.... jeremy swift health commissioner.... malcolm tierney locksmith's wife.... janice acquah magistrate.... stephen critchlow marya.... daisy haggard mishka.... benjamin askew osip.... russell tovey shopkeeper 2.... paul rider superintendent.... stephen hogan the mayor.... paul ritter waiter.... matt addis widow.... caroline guthrie gogol's satire on corruption and sleaze, starring toby jones and paul ritter the government inspector by nikolai gogol translated by alistair beaton gogol's landmark nineteenth century satire on corruption and sleaze. a penniless clerk is mistaken for a government official by a corrupt town council. starring toby jones and paul ritter. cast: khlestakov.... toby jones osip/ gendarme.... russell tovey dobchinsky.... sean foley shopkeeper 2 / postmaster.... paul rider widow / magistrate's wife.... caroline guthrie locksmith's wife / khlopov's wife.... janice acquah abdulin / liuliukov.... jonathan tafler mishka / constable / shopkeeper 1.... benjamin askew waiter / doctor (german) / ratakovsky.... matt addis superintendent / shopkeeper 3 / korobkin.... stephen hogan avdotya / korobkin's wife.... lizzie watts producer - sally avens gogol's play from 1836 still delights audiences today with its satirical swipes at political self-serving, sleaze and vice. a dazzling blend of preposterous characters and all-too-real situations, nabokov called the government inspector the greatest play in the russian language. gogol's satire on corruption and sleaze starring toby jones and paul ritter. | |
| The Government Inspector | 20170205 | 20190331 (R3) | Adapted by Adrian Mitchell from Nikolai Gogol's classic satire, the drama concerns the corrupt officials of a small Russian town, headed by the Governor (Roger Allam), who react with terror to the news that an incognito inspector will soon be arriving in their town to investigate them. When Khlestakov (Lenny Henry), a penniless nobody from Moscow, is mistaken for this government inspector, a tangled web of misunderstandings ensues. Gogol portrays officialdom as self-satisfied philistines occupying positions for which they are ill-suited. Widely held to have led the realist revolution in Russian drama, Nikolai Gogol (1809 - 1852) liberated comedy from a tradition of sentimentality. The Government Inspector (1835), regarded as Gogol's masterpiece, caused such a furore when first performed that he was driven into exile. A Catherine Bailey Production. Gogol's satire on corruption and sleaze, starring Lenny Henry and Roger Allam. | |
| The Great Game | 20101010 | A sequence of four plays tracing the history of the war in Afghanistan from the 1840s to the present day, introduced by Robin Lustig. Produced by Jeremy Mortimer 'Bugles at the Gates of Jalalabad' by Stephen Jeffreys In January 1842 a contingent of British soldiers, 16000 strong, retreated from Kabul. Only a few stragglers were left alive in the British Army's worst defeat in history. The General's wife, Lady Sale, documents the battles in the Hindu Kush; whilst four buglers sound the advance at the gates of Jalalabad as a signal to any survivors. Lady Sale....Jemma Redgrave McCann....Daniel Betts Dickensen....Tom McKay Hendrick....Rick Warden Winterflood....Karl Davies Afzal....Nabil Elouahabi Directed by Indhu Rubasingham. 'Miniskirts of Kabul' by David Greig The Taliban are closing in on Kabul: shells and rockets are exploding around the capital. A woman is interviewing President Najibullah, who has sought refuge in the UN compound. He talks about fashion, communism, torture and whisky, but time is running out. Writer....Jemma Redgrave Najibullah....Daniel Rabin 'Honey' by Ben Ockrent While civil war rages, a lone CIA agent realises the dangers of American disengagement. He's found an 'in' to persuade Commander Massoud, the Lion of Panjshir, to help them get back into the game. But with the Taliban closing in on Kabul, will it be enough? Masood Khalili....Vincent Ebrahim Robin Raphel....Jemma Redgrave Gary Schroen....Michael Cochrane Ahmad Shah Massoud....Daniel Rabin Reporter....Danny Rahim Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 'Canopy of Stars' by Simon Stephens In a bunker guarding the Kajaki Dam, two soldiers talk of chips and gravy, football, women and whether the British should start to negotiate with the Taliban insurgents. A searing insight into soldiers at war, and what happens when they go home. Sergeant Jay Watkins....Tom McKay Private Richard Kendall....Karl Davies Lloyd....Lloyd Thomas Murray....Danny Rahim Cutty/Voice on Radio....Rick Warden Cheryl/Medic....Cloudia Swann Directed by Jessica Dromgoole. 'What a day, what a theatre, what a company. This is theatre to be proud of.' Sir Tom Stoppard 'Its scope is unparallelled. It's a fine achievement.' The Times Robin Lustig introduces four plays tracing the history of war in Afghanistan.
Lady Sale.... Jemma Redgrave McCann.... Daniel Betts Dickensen.... Tom McKay Hendrick.... Rick Warden Winterflood.... Karl Davies Afzal.... Nabil Elouahabi Writer.... Jemma Redgrave Najibullah.... Daniel Rabin Masood Khalili.... Vincent Ebrahim Robin Raphel.... Jemma Redgrave Gary Schroen.... Michael Cochrane Ahmad Shah Massoud.... Daniel Rabin Reporter.... Danny Rahim Sergeant Jay Watkins.... Tom McKay Private Richard Kendall.... Karl Davies Lloyd.... Lloyd Thomas Murray.... Danny Rahim Cutty/Voice on Radio.... Rick Warden Cheryl/Medic.... Cloudia Swann | ||
| The Hybernaculum | 20090823 | 20100620 | By Yolanda Pupo-Thompson. A play depicting a summer's day at The Wakes, the house of 18th-century amateur naturalist the Rev Gilbert White, when White, awaiting the final proofs of his book, is tormented by a form of tinnitus which he calls 'obsessive ruminations'. He is also distraught at the disappearance of his pet tortoise Timothy and, during the course of the search for his old friend, he is forced to emerge from his secluded hybernaculum and confront the fact that his days as a naturalist and active clergyman are nearly at an end. Rev Gilbert White.... John Bett Molly White.... Madeleine Worrall John Mulso.... Simon Scott Dr Chandler/Thomas Hoare.... Crawford Logan Hecky Chapone.... Hilary Neville Tom White.... William Neville-Towle Bee Boy.... Carlos Williams Music by Joe Acheson Directed by Matt Thompson. A play depicting a summer's day at the house of 18th-century naturalist Rev Gilbert White. | |
| The Idylls Of The King | 20090712 | An adaptation by Michael Symmons of Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Idylls of the King, narrated by Tim Pigott-smith and broadcast to mark the bicentenary of the poet's birth. In this extraordinary epic poem, Tennyson transforms Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, infusing the legend of King Arthur with a passionate intensity. Told here in five acts, the central arc of the narrative encompasses Arthur's arrival, his relationship with Lancelot and Guinevere, the Holy Grail, the last tournament and his death. Narrator/Tennyson.... Tim Pigott-smith Arthur.... Jonathan Keeble Lancelot.... Simon Harrison Guinevere.... Kathryn Hunt Lord Astolat/Bedivere.... Malcolm Raeburn Leodogran/Churl.... Terence Mann Lavaine/Tristram.... Tom Ferguson Dagonet.... Russell Dixon Elaine.... Elen Rhys Music by Paul Carghill Directed by Susan Roberts. An adaptation of Tennyson's The Idylls of the King narrated by Tim Pigott-smith. | ||
| The Invisible | 20190623 | Original drama set in a speculative future London by Linda Marshall Griffiths A story of lost people. A story of erasure. The city flourishes, the streets gleam. All the ugly things on the streets, all the people you don't want, bit by bit, one by one, they vanish. London's an island; it's what we always wanted. So easy to live in; so beautifully accommodating. El Irving disappeared seventeen years ago. When his sister Tor, sees him on screen at a protest outside Westminster Abbey, she embarks on a journey that will lead her to the invisible. How easy is it to fall through the cracks? Tor....Lyndsey Marshal Sound Design by Steve Brooke Directed by Nadia Molinari Listen with headphones for a more immersive 3D experience. The Invisible imagines the possibility of losing your identity, your legal status, because suddenly your citizenship becomes invalid. It imagines a future where everything is digital. It is a drama that imagines millions of displaced people living in refugee camps; people that no-one wants; people held in detention centres because their papers don't prove their right to citizenship. Linda Marshall Griffiths' original drama speculates on what the future might look like. Tor.... Lyndsey Marshal | ||
| The Lady From The Sea | 20091101 | A new version of Ibsen's late drama, adapted for radio by Frank McGuinness. Before her marriage to Dr Wangel, Ellida, his second wife, had promised herself to a sailor who then disappeared. Years later, Ellida's family life is strained. Her relations with her step-daughters is poor; she has no child of her own. She seems unhappy with her life. Then the sailor reappears to make his claim on her promise. Faced with the decision of what to do, she persuades her husband that she must have the chance to make her choice With Lia Williams as Ellida, and also featuring Hugh Bonneville, Katherine Parkinson, Ellie Kendrick, Tim McMullan, Sam Crane, Geoffrey Whitehead and Christopher Obi. Directed by Hannah Eidinow. Lia Williams stars in a new version of Ibsen's late sensuous drama. | ||
| The Last Of The Volsungs |
