ARTISTIC MINDS: A Genesis Foundation Podcast

Stephanie Bain, Literary Manager at the Almeida Theatre, talks to Iman Qureshi, Amy Ng, and Sami Ibrahim about their writing practices, how they developed as playwrights throughout and beyond lockdown, and the process of writing stories for big stages. The three playwrights, who were part of the inaugural cohort for the 'Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme', discuss a play they developed within the programme, and reflect on the creation of new work in the post-pandemic theatre industry.

Jim Fortune, songwriter and composer, and Marc Tritschler, Creative Director of Music at the National Theatre, delve into how they developed the music of Hex, the National Theatre’s latest musical based on the Sleeping Beauty folk tale, which Jim began developing within the Genesis Music Theatre Programme. The pair break down all the components that go into developing a new musical, highlight key songs from Hex, exploring the evolution from motif to song, and discuss the additional challenges that arise from music theatre development in a pandemic. This episode features musical interludes from the Hex soundtrack.

George Turvey, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Papatango Theatre Company and winner of the 2022 Genesis Foundation Prize, and Playwright Samuel Bailey discuss the impact of both formal and informal mentors, as well as the mentoring aspect of their own multi-faceted relationship that stemmed from producing Samuel’s play Shook through the Papatango New Writing Prize. The pair also look ahead at their next collaboration, as part of the Papatango Theatre’s new scheme, the Playwright-Player Commission, which is supported by George’s Genesis Foundation Prize fund.

As part of a 3-part series featuring participants in the inaugural Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writers’ Programme, George Prochnik, author of New York Times "Editor's Choice” and Wingate Prize short-listed Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem and Guy Stagg, author of Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year 2019 The Crossway, explore biographical writing and how one can use it not only as a lens into the subject or period, but also into oneself. They particularly focus on Guy’s second book in development, Triptych, which is a group biography, focusing on Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, French philosopher Simone Weil and Welsh poet and painter David Jones.

Acclaimed novelist Tracy Chevalier, best known for her second novel Girl with a Pearl Earring, which was later adapted into a film starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, and Dr Karen Skinazi, Senior Lecturer and the Director of Liberal Arts at the University of Bristol, are participants in the inaugural Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writers' Programme, which champions and supports selected emerging writers in the UK through mentorship and bursaries. The pair discuss their mentor/mentee relationship and how it supports Karen as she writes her latest novel, Ness. They also share why they enjoy writing about the past and the challenges it can bring.

Jennifer Tang, Associate Director & Genesis Fellow at the Young Vic, and Abdul Shayek, Artistic Director/Joint CEO of Tara Theatre & member of the Genesis Kickstart Fund Advisory Council, discuss all things money-related. They particularly focus on freelance artists, how they determine what their work is worth and how society’s view of theatre and art impacts artists’ finances.

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, Chief Executive of UK Music and member of the Genesis Kickstart Fund Advisory Council, and Ed Vaizey (Lord Vaizey of Didcot), member of the House of Lords, look ahead to a post-Covid cultural sector. They discuss how we can move from the support phase to the recovery phase, the need for protection of freelancers in the arts and why the arts will power both the economic and social recovery of the UK.

Leading UK dance figures Farooq Chaudhry (co-founder & Producer of Akram Khan Company and member of the Genesis Kickstart Fund Advisory Council) and Viviana Durante (Artistic Director of the English National Ballet School) discuss the importance of always remaining a student, the wonders of cross-genre collaboration in dance, and the need to embrace risk when creating a piece of work.

The National Theatre's Head of Play Development Nina Steiger and Artistic Director Rufus Norris, who is also a member of the Genesis Kickstart Fund Advisory Council, join for a lively discussion about this febrile time for theatre. Together, they discuss the crisis the sector is facing and how new work development and programming at the National Theatre is directly affected. They look at the future, at the need to refresh the canon and demistify the process of developing new work, with a focus on music theatre.

Ahead of next year's 10th anniversary for Genesis Sixteen, our young artists scheme for 18-23 year olds in collaboration with The Sixteen, The Sixteen's conductor Harry Christophers speaks to former participants about their evolution from young artist to professional, the digital renovation of the classical music industry, and using digital technology to pioneer new forms of performance and collaboration, like Wright's renowned Stay at Home Choir.