Podcast appearances and mentions of dan rebellato

Episode 087: Look Back in Anger by John Osborne Host: Douglas Schatz Guests: Dan Rebellato and Atri Banerjee Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. John Osborne's Look Back in Anger is one of the landmark plays of twentieth century British theatre. It's raging protagonist, Jimmy Porter, represented a generation of disaffected youth, and its proletarian setting heralded a new style of ‘kitchen sink drama'. But how well has Jimmy's abusive anger aged? I'm delighted to welcome two experts to help us address this question, and many more: Dan Rebellato, the author of 1956 and All That: The Making of Modern British Drama, and, Atri Banerjee, the director of the first revival of the play in London for 25 years, currently running at the Almeida Theatre.

Multi award winning, leading stage & audio dramatist, and Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway University, Dan Rebellato, joins Paul for lively conversation about the value of audio drama.  They examine the history of audio drama, tell the stories of their different pathways to a love of the genre and look at ways schools can use audio drama to great effect. They talk about how audio drama can enhance imagination, promote empathy and be useful across many school areas, including Careers Education. Audio drama is an inexpensive underrated resource that boosts imagination, creativity and enjoyment. Dan is most generous with his wisdom, insight and views and his website is goldmine for teachers. https://www.danrebellato.co.uk/ Dan can also be found on Twitter (or is it X) - @DanRebellato As usual you can get me on there as @Arkle123

The Play Podcast - 052 - The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Dan Rebellato The Play Podcast is a podcast dedicated to exploring the greatest new and classic plays. In each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull was a disaster on its opening night in St Petersburg in 1896. The unsettling blend of comedy and pathos that confused the critics and audience were subsequently recognised as seminal in the evolution of modern drama. I'm delighted to welcome back playwright and professor, Dan Rebellato, to talk about Chekhov and his timeless play.

A modern-day thriller set in the north east of England. Starring Gina McKee as Jess, a lone wolf scientist with a troubled past whose passion for sound makes her the UK's leading audio forensic examiner. Together with her new trainee, Maya, she undertakes a different sound challenge in every episode. In Episode 1 Jess attends the scene of a young woman's apparently accidental death to create an audio exemplar to match a recording from a voice activated speaker. Mysterious voice messages about the past from her mother Judith add to the tension. Exemplar is rooted in factual research and based on an idea from Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case Jess ..... Gina McKee Maya ..... Shvorne Marks Aoife ..... Fenella Woolgar Judith ..... Barbara Marten Nathalie ..... Chetna Pandya Dylan ..... Don Gilet Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato Showrunner: Dan Rebellato Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe Production coordinator: Darren Spruce Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis Executive producer: Joby Waldman A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

A modern-day thriller set in the north east of England. Starring Gina McKee as Jess, a lone wolf scientist with a troubled past whose passion for sound makes her the UK's leading audio forensic examiner. A mysterious voice note takes Jess on a hunt to find an old friend. Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case. Exemplar is based on an idea by leading sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. Jess ..... Gina McKee Maya ..... Shvorne Marks Aoife ..... Fenella Woolgar Judith ..... Barbara Marten Neil ..... Don Gilet Ellie ..... Charlie Hardwick Writers: Dan Rebellato with Ben and Max Ringham Showrunner: Dan Rebellato Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe Production coordinator: Darren Spruce Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis Executive producer: Joby Waldman A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

A modern-day thriller set in the north east of England starring Gina McKee as a lone wolf audio forensic analyst and Juliet Stevenson as a populist leader. Jess and Maya reluctantly agree to assist a controversial public figure to verify a piece of incriminating audio. Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case. Exemplar is based on an idea by leading sound designers Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. Jess ..... Gina McKee Maya ..... Shvorne Marks Aoife ..... Fenella Woolgar Judith ..... Barbara Marten Rose ..... Juliet Stevenson Lawrence ..... Asif Khan Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato Showrunner: Dan Rebellato Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe Production coordinator: Darren Spruce Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis Executive producer: Joby Waldman A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

A modern-day thriller set in the north east of England. Starring Gina McKee as Jess, a lone wolf scientist with a troubled past whose passion for sound makes her the UK's leading audio forensic examiner. Jess and Maya examine audio forensic evidence from a nightclub shooting. Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case. Exemplar is based on an idea from Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. Jess ..... Gina McKee Maya ..... Shvorne Marks Nish Gopaul ..... Asif Khan Danny ..... Deka Walmsley Sophie ..... Fenella Woolgar Writers: Ben and Max Ringham, with Dan Rebellato Showrunner: Dan Rebellato Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe Production coordinator: Darren Spruce Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis Executive producer: Joby Waldman A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

A modern day thriller set in the North East of England starring Gina McKee as a lone wolf audio forensic analyst with a troubled past. Jess races to find her mother, Judith. When the mystery of her father's departure is solved, Jess is forced to reevaluate her childhood memories. Exemplar: an audio recording made by a forensic analyst to recreate the precise audio conditions of a piece of evidence in a criminal or civil case. Exemplar is based on an idea from Ben and Max Ringham, and written by Ben Ringham, Max Ringham and Dan Rebellato. Jess ..... Gina McKee Maya ..... Shvorne Marks Sophie ..... Fenella Woolgar Judith ..... Barbara Marten Ajay ..... Asif Khan Writers: Dan Rebellato with Ben and Max Ringham Showrunner: Dan Rebellato Audio forensic consultant: James Zjalić Sound recordist: Alisdair McGregor Studio assistant: Oyin Fowowe Production coordinator: Darren Spruce Sound design: Lucinda Mason Brown and David Chilton Original music/Sound consultants: Ben and Max Ringham Directors: Polly Thomas and Jade Lewis Executive producer: Joby Waldman A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4.

Dramatist, author and playwright Dan Rebellato discusses Paul McCartney's 1980 album McCartney II, with Chris Shaw.

I'm incredibly lucky to be joined for this episode by dramatist and academic Dan Rebellato to discuss one of the most infamous of all Beatles books - 1981's 'Shout' by Philip Norman. Dan and I look at the initial success and impact that this massive selling book had on both The Beatles and Paul McCartney's reputation - what drove it's success, and where it sits today amongst an ever growing Beatle library.

The Paris Commune lasted less than 100 days, yet this populist movement had extraordinary impact and offers a fascinating comparison to populist turbulence in 2021. Having survived the horrors of the Siege of Paris, winter of 1870-71, Parisians refused to accept the terms of French surrender after the Franco-Prussian war and declared independence. For ten weeks, the Communards experimented with alternative living: revolutionising education, political representation, the role of women, the upbringing of children, even parts of the landscape. The Commune was crushed brutally at the end of May, but it caught the attention of conservatives and radicals across the world. 150 years later, what does the Commune still have to say to us? Have we lost its legacy or, just maybe, are we all Communards now? Dan Rebellato, writer and thinker, is inspired by personal observation of the modern legacy of the commune: “In 2016, my wife and I moved to Paris and we had a baby. In London, walking along a narrow pavement with a buggy, people generally get out of your way. In Paris, there's often a stand-off. In London, the public space is not really public at all; we carry with us a portable sphere of private space that should not be invaded. In Paris, if you're on the street, you're in the debate. Although French society is in many ways very deferential and hierarchical, this is not true on the streets. Anyone can speak to anyone - in Paris, every encounter is a debate. And so I found myself looking into the history of those Parisian streets; the way they've been remodelled and remade, the way the famous cobblestones have been torn up as weapons, the way the boulevards are ghosted by barricades and street battles. It's a story that has markers in 1968 and 1961 and 1945 and 1940 but ultimately this contested Paris, where the very streets are sites of battle and debate, takes us back to 1871 and the Commune.” These essays will bring the Commune to life with vivid description of key moments, entering into history, to explore how it shaped French society and beyond, through personal connection with the facts and the sense of a city Dan knows well. Essay 5: Women 23 May 1871: As the French army poured into Paris to end the Commune, Parisians set light to some major buildings in a vain effort to stop their advance. On 23 May 1871, the Tuileries Palace was ignited. Amid the smoke and fire a new figure was born: the ‘petroleuse', the woman communard with a bottle of petrol, glorying in the destruction she wreaked. In fact, there is very little evidence that such determined incendiarists existed, yet reports spread, ironically, like wildfire. The destructive woman became a cautionary tale and an icon of the Commune, haunting generations to come. The complexity and contradiction of women gaining independence is still resonant – the demonisation and vilification of over strident women is ubiquitous. The Commune genuinely offered women new ways of being, new models and roles. Yet this new woman is ghosted in the figure of the petroleuse, a horrified and horrifying response to repudiating a conventional domesticity. Dan Rebellato is a leading British radio dramatist, as well as a Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway London. He has written extensively for BBC Radio 3 and 4, most recently Killer for Radio 3, as well as theatres such as Plymouth Drum, Suspect Culture and Graeae, and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. He has won Sonys and BBC Audio Awards for his radio dramas. He was lead writer on the blockbuster BBC Radio 4 Series, Emile Zola; Blood Sex and Money, starring Glenda Jackson. He has published several books, most recently co editing Contemporary European Playwrights in 2020, and is currently writing a practical playwriting guide for the National Theatre, due out in 2021/22. Director/Producer, Polly Thomas Executive Producer, Eloise Whitmore A Naked Production for BBC Radio 3

“It is as easy to go to Manchester as it is to the Moon.” Please welcome playwright, Dan Rebellato. The post Dan Rebellato appeared first on Putting it Together.

A real gem this one, as playwright Dan Rebellato puts his not inconsiderable brain power into considering the Doctor Who story he has chosen to eulogise, The Ribos Operation. Host Toby Hadoke has to see if he can anticipate what themes, ideas and performances particularly grab Dan, in this omnibus presentation which saves you having to download all the individual episodes and presents them in one neat package. The problem is, the package is locked up in a museum and you have to try to steal it...

A feature length episode because it is a story that has provoked a lot of discussion from special guest Dan Rebellato. So hopefully, if you were ambivalent about this story, not one of the most discussed in the show's history, hopefully Toby and Dan can send you back to it with renewed vigour. You don't have to like it all - we'll settle for 10%. 

Seek and you shall find not only a woman with antlers but also a flea bitten fellow with no front teeth. And that's just the host. There's a lot to discuss as playwright Dan Rebellato has to choose his favourite thing from this episode - will he go for the obvious, and if so, will that bring your host Toby Hadoke within sniffing distance of victory? The answer can be found by looking to the stars (or alternatively, by listening to the podcast).  PLEASE NOTE - The initial upload of this had a technical glitch at the top with multiple tracks vying for attention: this has now been corrected. Apologies!

The plots thickens and the the scringe stone strikes as renowned playwright Dan Rebellato articulates, most compellingly, what the best things about this rich and complex Doctor Who story are. Finding positives isn't hard, but the task for your host Toby Hadoke is to see if he can anticipate exactly what it is about this story that Dan likes the most. 

Smart, articulate, intelligent ... no, we haven't got a new host, Toby is still blundering through, but...! We do have a terrific guest, playwright Dan Rebellato, whose pedigree is proved by his choice of story, the mighty The Ribos Operation. What do you mean you've never paid it much heed because there aren't really many memorable monsters and not much happens? Dan and Toby will do their very best to persuade you that this is as good as Doctor Who gets. Accentuate the positive? Easy!

Playwright and academic Dan Rebellato's Letter to the Lyceum asks us to think about the 'everything and nothing' present in an empty theatre. Read by Emma Frankland. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dramatist, author and playwright, Dan Rebellato discusses Ringo Starr's 1973 quasi-Beatles reunion album 'Ringo', with Chris Shaw.

Episode 008: The Deep Blue Sea by Terrence Rattigan Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Dan Rebellato, playwright, journalist and Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play, which we talk about it in more depth than you will find in the reviews of any one production. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing.   Terence Rattigan's masterpiece The Deep Blue Sea was written off for more than 30 years as a dated melodrama until a landmark production at the Almeida in 1993 led to its reappraisal as a “modern classic”. The National Theatre at Home will broadcast their production starring Helen McCrory in the lead role as from 9th of July, and on the same day we will delve into the play in conversation with Dan Rebellato, the series editor of Rattigan's plays for specialist drama publisher Nick Hern. Our conversation was recorded via video link during the Coronavirus lockdown.

It's ok you can go shopping now which will totally save you from any germs. Got a store loyalty card? Ah great, now you won't get COVID twice. I'm sure that's what the scientists say but who knows as we haven't seen any of them for days. Far right protests, Robert Jenrick doing dodgies and Boris Johnson continues to seem hating being PM. But its ok because now you can queue for 10 hours to buy new pants. Plus a chat with Dan Rebellato (@DanRebellato) about coronavirus's effect on the theatre industry.GO TO DAN'S WEBSITE HERE: http://www.danrebellato.co.uk/PLEASE HELP TIERNAN SURVIVE ALL OF THE COMEDY BEING CANCELLED:HOW DOES THIS POLITICS THING WORK THEN FREE ON YOUTUBE (BUT PLEASE DONATE):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yRDQSWWB60Donate to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/parpolbroBuy me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/parpolbroQUARANTINE SURVIVALTiernan's Twitch stream: twitch.tv/tiernandouiebNEXT UP COMEDY - HECKLETHEVIRUS.COMCOMEDY CLUB 4 KIDS PODCASTGET THE LAST SKEPTIK'S LATEST ALBUM HERE: https://backl.ink/SYITNLSIGN UP TO NEXT UP COMEDY AT: www.nextupcomedy.com/tiernanisgreatSign up to Tiernan's comedy mailing list here: https://www.tiernandouieb.co.uk/contact/SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN TO TIERNAN HOST THE NESTA FUTURE CURIOUS PODCAST HERE: https://www.nesta.org.uk/feature/future-curious/HOW DOES THIS POLITICS THING WORK THEN? Website: politicsforkids.co.ukUSUAL PODCAST UTTERINGS:Join Tiernan's comedy mailing list at www.tiernandouieb.co.uk/contactFollow us on Twitter @parpolbro, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ParPolBro/ and the fancy webpage at http://www.partlypoliticalbroadcast.co.ukMusic by The Last Skeptik (

Episode 001: A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Dan Rebellato, playwright and Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play – often one that is on stage somewhere in the UK – and we talk about it in more depth than you will find in the reviews of any one production. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House remains one the most popularly produced and adapted plays in theatrical history. What is it about a play that was written more than 140 years ago that continues to inspire and challenge contemporary playwrights and audiences? The character of Nora is an iconic figure: her decision to leave her husband and three children remains a controversial act of female agency. To explore the enduring relevance of this classic play, we are joined by Dan Rebellato, playwright and Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. The episode coincides with a radical new adaptation of the play by Stef Smith that played at the Young Vic theatre in London. Find full show notes at www.theplaypodcast.com

Katy Rudd (The Almighty, Royal Exchange; Associate Artist, Elliott & Harper Productions) and Joel Horwood (I Want My Hat Back, National Theatre; The Little Mermaid, Bristol Old Vic) discuss their new production of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Chaired by playwright and academic, Dan Rebellato.

Dramatist, author and playwright, Dan Rebellato discusses Back to the Egg - Wings' final album - with Chris Shaw

Professor and playwright Dan Rebellato sets out his stall by praising Dylan’s simplicity, his humour and his relationship to the spiritual world. “I was raised on Bob Dylan. The album John Wesley Harding gave me nightmares but I love it for its religion – it’s exactly as Christian as I like my Bob.” If you don’t know John Wesley Harding, this episode is your way in. If you do know it, Dan will take you deeper. “Suddenly, he becomes a storytelling songwriter. He’s no longer mocking the conventions of storytelling. There’s something epic and foreboding about these stories, something deeply fearful and puzzling about this record.” Dan Rebellato is Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has written over twenty plays for BBC radio and another sixteen for the stage, performed at the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms, Theatre 503, the Arcola and the National Theatre. His radio work has been nominated twice for Sony Awards. Dan writes regularly for The Guardian Theatre Blog. Trailer Twitter: @danrebellato Listeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating. Twitter @isitrollingpod Spotify playlist Recorded 28th January 2019

This week I am talking about the great French novelist Emile Zola with Prof. Dan Rebellato of Royal Holloway University. We talk about Zola's life, his novels, the place of philosophy in his work, and Zola's famous "J'accuse...!" which is celebrating it's 120th anniversary this year.  Dan is an academic and playwright whose expertise focusses on post-war and contemporary British theatre.  He is the author of 1956 and All That (Routledge, 1999). He also has composed a short monograph called Theatre & Globalization. He has also published Modern British Playwriting 2000-2009, The Suspect Culture Book, and Contemporary European Theatre Directors. He is currently working on a book project called Naturalist Theatre: A New Cultural History. As a playwright his work has been performed throughout the UK, Europe and the United states on both stage and radio. He was a major contributor to the BBC Radio 4 series  Emile Zola: Blood, Sex & Money which was an adaptation of Zola's 'Rougon-Macquart' cyle of novels.  You can find out more about Dan here. He is also great fun on Twitter: @DanRebellato  His nightly tweets to the US President have reached legendary status. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio, Player Fm, Stitcher and Podbean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there.  You can also subscribe for free on iTunes. Please leave a nice review.

Dramatist, playwright, author and teacher, Dan Rebellato discusses The Beatles’ Let it Be with Chris Shaw

Join the director and designer as they reflect on their new production of John. Chaired by Dan Rebellato. Chloe Lamford’s work spans theatre, installation, music and opera nationally and internationally. She is associate designer at the Royal Court, and regularly designs for the National Theatre and the Young Vic, amongst others. Recent designs for NT include Amadeus and Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour. James Macdonald was associate and deputy director of the Royal Court (1992 – 2006), and has directed productions at Donmar Warehouse, Almeida, Hampstead Theatre, Royal Court, in the West End, and in New York he has worked for Public Theater, Lincoln Center, NYTW and for MTC on Broadway. For NT has directed Dido Queen of Carthage, The Hour We Knew Nothing Of Each Other and Exiles.

Join writer David Eldridge and director Polly Findlay as they reflect on their production of Beginning. Chaired by Dan Rebellato.

The writer and director talk about their new production, Mosquitoes. Chaired by Dan Rebellato. Following her success with Chimerica, the world premiere of Kirkwood’s newest play is directed by Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre.

In this episode, I talk to Dan Rebellato, playwright, academic and lead writer on the first season of BBC Radio 4's massive adaptation of Emile Zola's twenty-volume Rougon-Macquart novels, titled Blood, Sex and Money, which starts this Saturday (21 November) and runs for nine consecutive days. The adaptation will eventually total twenty-seven episodes across three seasons (called Blood, Sex and Money, appropriately enough), and Dan has written episodes one, two and nine of the first run. He very kindly gave me a sneak preview of his episodes and talked to me about his role on the project. Our conversation covers the challenges of adapting such an enormous body of work, why narrators can be boring, why no one in nineteenth century France speaks French, doing action scenes in audio, the finer points of nineteenth century French naturalist literature (well, sort of) and much more. The discussion becomes a little spoilerific in the final ten minutes or so, but Dan does give a warning about this when it happens, so listen out for that if you are concerned, and act accordingly. Otherwise, enjoy the interview and be sure to follow the serial over the next week. It's pretty marvellous. Twitter: Dan Rebellato: www.twitter.com/DanRebellato Little Written: www.twitter.com/LittleWritten Me: www.twitter.com/Mathistopheles Websites: Dan Rebellato: www.danrebellato.co.uk BBC Radio 4 - Blood, Sex and Money: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06pydll Little Written Podcast: www.littlewritten.co.uk

Director Ned Bennett and playwright Alistair McDowall talk to Dan Rebellato about the production, Pomona. This is a recording of a live platform event. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/pomona #ntPomona

Director Ned Bennett and playwright Alistair McDowall talk to Dan Rebellato about the production, Pomona. This is a recording of a live platform event. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/pomona #ntPomona

Enda Walsh talks to Dan Rebellato about writing and directing Ballyturk. This is a recording of a live Platform event from September 2014.

Enda Walsh talks to Dan Rebellato about writing and directing Ballyturk. This is a recording of a live Platform event from September 2014.

Pod Academy's Daniel Marc Janes speaks to playwright and academic Dan Rebellato, Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway and one of Britain’s leading theatrical commentators. Daniel Marc Janes: I’m in the Calder Theatre Bookshop in London. It couldn’t be better located to evoke Britain’s theatrical heritage, situated as it is on The Cut alongside the Old Vic and the Young Vic. Looking at the bookshop’s selection, I can see plays from some of the most distinguished British playwrights of recent years. Here’s David Greig... Sarah Kane... Dennis Kelly... Mark Ravenhill. What all these writers have in common is that they all studied drama at the university level. But drama at the university is a recent innovation. Many of Britain’s most brilliant playwrights have been autodidacts: Tom Stoppard, George Bernard Shaw, William Shakespeare. So why study drama? I’m in the downstairs rehearsal space of the Calder Theatre Bookshop. This is a place where writers and performers go to make plays come alive. But how far can the inscrutable, mysterious act of playwriting be taught in an academic environment? What is the role of drama in the university? To talk about these topics, I’m joined by Dan Rebellato, Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, author of numerous stage and radio plays and of several books, most notably 1956 And All That: The Making of Modern British Theatre. Professor Rebellato, thank you for joining us. Dan Rebellato: Thanks very much. DMJ: So before we start to unpack the broader questions, I’m wondering whether you could outline for us a kind of potted history of drama as an academic discipline in the British university. DR: There are lots of examples, of course, of theatre being made in universities and that goes back centuries, but drama as an academic discipline really starts in the late 1940s at the University of Bristol. Oxford University, during the war, set up a commission to see if drama was a suitable subject for the universities and it was a very ramshackle affair. They booked the wrong flights and they lost their luggage and they ended up with half the amount of time they were supposed to have. And they recommended that you shouldn’t do drama at the university. But the University of Bristol decided that it was a good subject and that was the first degree – I think that started in about 1947, 1948, something like that – and the big waves of expansion followed from there. Manchester, Hull was quite early, but the 1970s had a lot of expansion and the 1990s saw another big wave of expansion as well. DMJ: But what’s interesting is that drama, as an academic course outside of English, took some time to be accepted. Even at Bristol it took them 21 years for drama to be a full honours degree. You mentioned the committee at Oxford; Oxford and Cambridge stopped short of having full honours drama courses. Where do you think that this lack of acceptance comes from? DR: A lot of things that I think are interesting about the theatre are the reasons why it can sometimes be a difficult subject in the academy. Because it’s neither purely literary, nor is it purely a live experience. It’s a kind of mixture of the two. I think that in academic terms – of course there are certain kinds of theatre that are, in a sense, purely live and also purely literary – but also I think there’s a sense in which theatre is clearly a collection of different crafts and skills, because you have scenic designers and you have actors and you have directors and you have writers and composers and so on and so on. That maps on in the academy into the fact that it’s a very interdisciplinary subject. So in order to fully – if you could ever fully understand theatre – you’d have to be a bit of a linguist, a bit of a philosopher, a bit of a psychologist, a bit of an archaeologist and so on and so on and so on. And the question is left: if you took those things away,

The writer Alecky Blythe, composer Adam Cork and director Rufus Norris discuss their award winning work, London Road, with Dan Rebellato.

The writer Alecky Blythe, composer Adam Cork and director Rufus Norris discuss their award winning work, London Road, with Dan Rebellato.

Enda Walsh discusses his play Misterman, fresh from its New York run, with Dan Rebellato.