The Keble Debates are termly conversations bringing together leading figures from the worlds of theatre, fiction and poetry to explore contemporary issues in the arts, and the way the arts engage with contemporary issues in wider society. David Haig MBE is an actor and playwright whose career on stage and screen has spanned almost four decades. Most recently, he appeared in the ‘Downton Abbey’ feature film, and in the highly acclaimed TV series ‘Killing Eve’. He also appeared in ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral’, ‘The Thin Blue Line’ and the National Theatre’s 2017 production of ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’.

Nick Starr CBE was Executive Director of the National Theatre 2002-2014, alongside Nicholas Hytner with whom he has founded the London Theatre Company. They opened the Bridge Theatre in October 2017. He received a special Olivier Award in 2014 and Tony Awards in 2012 and 2015, and was made CBE in 2014.

The event is hosted by Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen (1976) and novelist and playwright Barney Norris (2006).

The Different Scales of Modern History. William Whyte (Professor of Social & Architectural History, St John's College) delivers a lecture about the legacy of Ralph Walter.

The Keble Debates are termly conversations bringing together leading figures from the worlds of theatre, fiction and poetry to explore contemporary issues in the arts, and the way the arts engage with contemporary issues in wider society. The second debate focuses on Talent Management and features Peter Bennett-Jones.

Hosted by Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen (1976)

The panel:

Peter Bennett-Jones, Founder, PBJ Management

Barney Norris (2006), Playwright in Residence

Laura Williams, Agent, The Peters Fraser and Dunlop Group

An interview with Nick Starr (founder of the London Theatre Company and Executive Director of the National Theatre 2002-2014), preceding the first of the Keble Debates. The Keble Debates are a new programme of termly conversations, bringing together leading figures from the worlds of theatre, fiction and poetry to explore contemporary issues in the arts, and the way the arts engage with contemporary issues in wider society. The debates will focus on a different artistic form each term in rotation, beginning with the theatre in Michaelmas 2017.

The first of the Keble Debates bringings together leading figures from the world of theatre to explore contemporary issues in the arts and the way the arts engage with contemporary issues in wider society. The debates will focus on a different artistic form each term in rotation, beginning with the theatre in Michaelmas 2017.

Barney Norris (2006), Playwright in Residence

Nadia Fall, Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Stratford East

Nick Starr, Founder, London Theatre Company

Ben Power, Deputy Artistic Director, National Theatre

Hosted by Honorary Fellow Robin Geffen (1976)

Professor Terry Hunt, University of Oregon, gives the ASC Annual Lecture on Easter Island. Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, has become widely known as a case study of human-induced environmental catastrophe resulting in cultural collapse. In this lecture, Professor Hunt assembles the evidence for the island’s astonishing prehistoric success, and explores how and why this most isolated and remarkable culture may have avoided collapse. Based on extensive archaeological fieldwork, he also offers a compelling explanation of how the multi-ton statues were transported to every corner of the island. Perhaps Rapa Nui has a lesson for us today, but he provides compelling evidence that it is a different lesson than the one that has become so popular in recent years.

The ASC Trinity Term Lecture delivered by Professor Tom Gilbert, exploring the analysis of bird genomes and evolution. Prof Tom Gilbert (University of Copenhagen) and colleagues have recently solved several major problems regarding bird evolution through analysing the genomes of over 48 bird species. Their work has been published in a significant series of papers in Science and other journals which together are considered the most comprehensive genome study of any major branch of the tree of life. Their results have provided new insights into other research areas including associations between gene activity patterns in the brain during birdsong and human speech and the explosion in bird diversity after the disappearance of the dinosaurs between 67-50 million years ago.

The acclaimed director, Rufus Norris, has just taken over as Artistic Director of the National Theatre – a role that is widely regarded as the biggest job in British theatre. Here he is in discussion with Robin Geffen.

Prof. Andrew Beeby, Durham University and Keble Senior Academic Visitor, discusses his current project on the chemical analysis through Raman spectroscopy of Medieval manuscripts, and how his work can contribute to the historical record.

Professor Angus Hawkins gives a talk about the history of coalitions in British politics as well as the current Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.