OffScript

In the still of a spring night, we journey into the woods with musicians Sam Lee and Jack Durtnall to hear the beautiful and increasingly rare song of the nightingale with a concert and conversation around the campfire. 

Artistic Director Josephine Burton treads lightly in the footsteps of a historic partnership between the nightingale and humans. The BBC’s first ever live outside broadcast was recorded exactly 100 years ago in May 1924 as cellist Beatrice Harrison played alongside a nightingale. Our episode is the start of a new series of Dash Arts podcasts exploring the relationship between art and nature, and part of Dash's current season, Albion; an investigation of modern Englishness in all its complexity. Join us as we travel across landscape and language, digging deep into folk and written histories, oral traditions, music, storytelling, theatre and performance. 

Visit the Singing With Nightingales website to find out more about Sam’s work and to join him on such a magical evening in the woods. 

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts

Sam Lee - Musician and Conservationist

Jack Durtnall - Musician

Audience members from Singing with Nightingales

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“In many ways, I owe everything to the band.”

It’s been over 25 years since two students ran into each other on a street corner in Oxford and decided to set up a band. Oi Va Voi, rooted in Jewish and Eastern European musical traditions, would eventually reach hundreds and thousands of people across the world. 

Dash’s Artistic Director Josephine Burton and Jonathan Walton, also known as Lemez Lovas, knew they needed more people and more instruments. Soon after Sophie Solomon, Steve Levi, Leo Bryant, Nik Ammar and Josh Breslaw joined the band and they began fusing together klezmer, jazz, funk and drum and bass.

Last summer, their breakout album, Laughter Through Tears, turned 20 and the band marked it with a celebratory reunion gig at EartH in Hackney. In this episode we hear from the original members of the band and moments from last summer’s reunion.

As with all enduring families - there have been many moments when both life inside and outside the band got really tough, but Oi Va Voi lives on and this podcast celebrates these stories, the music and the people who made it. Josephine also shares why Dash Arts delayed releasing this episode back in October 2023.

In the podcast, we hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts and former Singer, Oi Va Voi

Jonathan Walton/Lemez Lovas - former Trumpeter, Oi Va Voi

Josh Breslaw - Drummer, Oi Va Voi

Leo Bryant - former Bassist, Oi Va Voi

Sophie Solomon - former Violinist, Oi Va Voi

Nik Ammar - former Guitarist, Oi Va Voi

Steve Levi - Clarinetist, Oi Va Voi

KT Tunstall - former Singer, Oi Va Voi

Music:

Recorded live at EartH, Hackney on 22nd July 2023. Used with permission of Oi Va Voi.

Intro: Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Artwork:

Album Cover taken from an early ep, Odessa, recorded in early 2000. Photo credit lost in the mists of time!

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In this second episode on the journey towards our production, The Reckoning, we hear from journalist and author, Peter Pomerantsev who co-founded The Reckoning Project and who first shared with Dash the hundreds of witness testimonies from survivors of the Russian war in Ukraine. Dash’s Artistic Director, Josephine Burton and Podcast Producer, Marie Horner hear about Peter’s motivations for starting the project and why he asked Dash to bring these stories to the stage. The Reckoning Project trains journalists to work with lawyers and analysts to collect stories of the horrors of war, detentions, torture and shelling that can be submitted as evidence in court. 

Peter and Josephine explore the relationship between the lawyers, journalists and witnesses, and how this has influenced Dash’s production. We also hear from Peter’s colleagues at The Reckoning Project, Nataliya Gumenyuk and Kostiantyn Korobov, on what has changed since the war began two years ago and what justice could look like for the people they speak to.

Peter joined us while he was in London to promote his new book, How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler. To find out more visit Faber’s website.

Josephine will be sharing more about the production in Cambridge on Wednesday 20th March alongside Rory Finnin, Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge. Get your tickets here.

In the podcast, we hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts 

Peter Pomerantsev - Journalist and Author

Nataliya Gumenyuk - Journalist

Kostiantyn Korobov - Archivist

Marie Horner - Podcast Producer

Music by Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

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We’re in the pub for the next stage of Our Public House, a state-of-the-nation theatre production. Hear the show take shape in the studio and how Artistic Director Josephine Burton and playwright Barney Norris are being led by the speeches and writing of extraordinary individuals and communities from across the country. How do you pull together over 120 voices, ideas and stories to lock in a play that will resonate with our audiences?

Our Public House is funded by the National Theatre's Generate Programme, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts

Marie Horner - Podcast Producer, Dash Arts

Barney Norris - Writer, Our Public House

Actors Alex Austin, Ed Gaughan, Syreeta Kumar, Mark Quartley, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel, and Sophie Stone Musician - Nick Pynn

And the participants from the speech-making workshops around the country.

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“Finding a way to keep the darkness but continue to keep the joy so that there’s moments of relief in the theatre, that the actors feel it, that the audience feel it too. That’s really the challenge for me - how to make powerful theatre.” Josephine Burton, Artistic Director, Dash Arts

This year Dash Arts is developing a new theatre production, The Reckoning; based on personal accounts of survivors of the Russian war in Ukraine from the vast testimony archive shared by The Reckoning Project, who has been gathering testimony from survivors of detentions, torture and shelling. Journalists are working with lawyers and analysts to collect these stories that can be submitted as evidence in court.

Josephine will be in Cambridge on Wednesday 20th March to share excerpts from the latest version of the production and will be speaking with Rory Finnin, Professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge, about our research on the war in Ukraine for The Reckoning. Get your tickets here.

In the podcast, we hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts 

Anastasiia Kosodii - Playwright 

Lou Platt - Psychotherapist and Artist Wellbeing practitioner

Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer, Dash Arts 

Cristina Catalina, Vadym Golovko, Sam Kyslyi, Yulia Litvinenko, Mark Quartley and Olga Safronova - Cast of The Reckoning Research and Development Week (December 2023)

Music from The Reckoning by Anton Baibakov

Outro music : Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

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As 2024 arrives we look back on a year of new beginnings for Dash Arts. Join Artistic Director Josephine Burton and Dash’s Podcast Producer Marie Horner as they explore what we’ve learnt and what we haven’t learnt…yet. From the persecution of the Crimean Tatars in Crimea 5am, touring England to support the writing and delivery of over 120 speeches with communities in Our Public House and our first steps to create The Reckoning, a theatre show based on personal accounts of the Ukrainian war.  

In the podcast we hear from:

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts

Marie Horner - Podcast Producer, Dash Arts

Maria Romanenko - Journalist and Performer in Crimea 5am

Boris Dralyuk - Poet and Translator

Anastasiia Kosodii - Playwright and Director

Professor Alan Finlayson - Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia

Henriette van der Blom - Reader in Ancient History at the University of Birmingham

Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer, Dash Arts

Kayley - Participant and Speech Writer

Michael - Participant and Speech Writer

Intro music : Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

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“Grasp the subject, the words will follow.” Attributed to Cato The Elder 

Artistic Director, Josephine Burton and Podcast Producer, Marie Horner regroup in the studio to reflect on a series of live events in Manchester and London that were the 2023 culmination of this year’s Public House project. We heard from speechwriters, activists and academics as we explored the ingredients of a great speech, the power of activism and words, and their ability to change people’s minds and lives, along with passionate speeches given directly by some of our extraordinary cohort of individuals from communities across England.

Coming in 2024, we’ll be creating Our Public House, a state-of-the-nation theatre production, inspired by the speeches and writing of participants from across the country.

Our HUGE thanks to all the participants from Underground Lights, Coventry; St Hilda’s Community Centre, Tower Hamlets; HMP Styal; The Writers' Block, Redruth; Citizens UK, Brighton; Arbourthorne Men’s Social Club, Sheffield; Manchester Deaf Centre and Deaf Explorer; Banbury and Bicester College, Bicester; individuals through Theatre Royal Stratford East, Newham, St Hilda’s Community Centre in Tower Hamlets, and residents of Mile Cross, through The Common Lot, Norwich.

Our Public House is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Kayleigh Roach - Participant and Speech Writer

Maral Mamaghanizadeh - Participant and Speech Writer

Charlie Caine- Participant and Speech Writer

Edith Hall - Professor of Classics, University of Durham

Rinkoo Barpaga - Artist and Stand-up comedian 

Zara Manoehoetoe - Youth worker and community activist

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director, Dash Arts

Marie Horner - Podcast Producer, Dash Arts

Alan Finlayson - Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia

Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer. Dash Arts

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“Take a deep breath in, now think about the future you want” Heidi in Cornwall. 

What do you want to change? What do you want politicians to understand?

We’ve travelled over 3000 miles and asked these questions to over 120 people during speech writing workshops across the country. The creative team at Dash Arts and our academic partners gather to reflect on what we’ve learnt and what’s surprised us, and to listen back to some of the incredible speeches from participants who took part in Our Public House.

To hear more, book your tickets for Speak Out! - a series of live evening events in Manchester; on Tuesday 21 November we discuss the ingredients of great speech with classicist and cultural historian Edith Hall, and former speechwriter to David Cameron, Jessica Cunniffe. Plus academic Henriette van der Blom and Artistic Director of Dash Arts, Josephine Burton. 

On Wednesday 22 November we’ll explore activism and how we speak out, with artist and stand-up comedian Rinkoo Barpaga, alongside journalist and academic Alan Finalyson and Josephine Burton. This event will be BSL interpreted by Winston Denerley and Samantha Vanterpool. 

Then we travel to London on Thursday 23 November where you can hear behind-the-scenes insights into the world of politics and speechwriting with Philip Collins, former chief speechwriter to Tony Blair, and Shareefa Energy, poet and activist. They will be joined by journalist and academic Alan Finlayson, and Josephine Burton.

Coming in 2024, writer Jude Christian and director Josephine Burton will create Our Public House, a state-of-the-nation theatre production, inspired by the speeches and writing of our national participants.

Our Public House is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Participants from Underground Lights, Coventry; St Hilda’s Community Centre, Tower Hamlets; HMP Styal; The Writers' Block, Redruth; Citizens UK, Brighton; Arbourthorne Men’s Social Club, Sheffield; Manchester Deaf Centre and Deaf Explorer; Banbury and Bicester College, Bicester; individuals through Theatre Royal Stratford East, Newham and residents of Mile Cross, through The Common Lot, Norwich. 

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts

Professor Alan Finlayson - Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia

Henriette van der Blom - Reader in Ancient History at the University of Birmingham

Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer of Dash Arts

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Join us on the road as we travel the length and breadth of England to hear what people want to change. In communities across Cornwall, Yorkshire, Norfolk, the North West, South East and the Midlands, we’re supporting people to write and deliver speeches on what difference they want to see.

Robust public debate and the freedom to make arguments and counterarguments are essential to democracy. Today, however, political dispute is ever more sectarian and angry, fears of misinformation are widespread and political discussion is often confined to groups of the like-minded talking to each other online.

Together with our partners at the Universities of Birmingham and East Anglia, we’ve been exploring this 'crisis of rhetoric' throughout the year with a series of workshops exploring persuasive speaking across diverse communities in England. Our research will eventually lead to Our Public House, a state-of-the-nation theatre production, inspired by the speeches and writing of our national participants, from writer Jude Christian and director Josephine Burton.

Book your tickets for Speak Out! - a series of live events in Manchester (21 & 22 November) and London (23 November), where we’re bringing together participants from our workshops, speechwriters, activists, politicians and academics to explore speech making's ability to provoke, persuade and empower.  

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Participants from Underground Lights, Coventry, St Hilda’s Community Centre, Tower Hamlets, HMP Styal, The Writers' Block, Redruth, Arbourthorne Men’s Social Club, Sheffield, Manchester Deaf Centre and Citizens UK, Brighton. 

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts

Professor Alan Finlayson - Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia

Henriette van der Blom - Reader in Ancient History at the University of Birmingham

Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer

Marie Horner - Podcast Producer

Jude Christian - Writer and Director 

Our Public House is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.

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How might the stories of a Jewish man, writing in Russian, based in Odesa 100 years ago help us understand what’s happening in Ukraine today? Join Dash Arts’ Artistic Director Josephine Burton at the very start of an exploration into bringing to the stage the life and work of Isaac Babel.

This episode catches up with Josephine as she gathers together artists, writers, composers and translators to venture into Babel’s turbulent life and rich writings. We uncover how having a coffee with the artist and performer, Golda Amirova, sparked the beginnings of a music theatre production about this prolific writer Babel, born in today’s Ukraine. 

Translator of Babel’s Odessa Stories, Boris Dralyuk, shares Babel’s brutal and beautiful Odesa as well as the contemporary resonance of a violent era of early Soviet history through his translation of Red Cavalry. Plus we eavesdrop on the rehearsal room as Josephine pulls apart the imagery and possibilities that can be found in  Babel’s work with composer Jonathan Walton and playwright Mark Rosenblatt. 

We don’t know exactly how this will end, but this episode uncovers how we’ve begun.

In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:

Boris Dralyuk - Poet and Translator

Golda Amirova - Artist

Jonathan Walton - Composer

Mark Rosenblatt - Director, Playwright and Screenwriter

Music : Леонид Утесов – Ты одессит, Мишка // Leonid Utyosov - You are from Odessa, Mishka

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