National Theatre Podcast MP3

Lucy Kerbel on 100 Great Plays for Women

National Theatre — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:45:36 +0000

Director and writer Lucy Kerbel discusses her new book, which sets out to dispel the myth that there aren’t any good plays for women. Chaired by Kate Mosse.

Zoë Svendsen on dramaturgy, Renaissance drama and Edward II

National Theatre — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 14:09:44 +0100

Zoë Svendsen discusses her role as dramaturg on Joe Hill-Gibbons' production of Edward II, and reflects on how her practical work as a director and dramaturg in theatre informs and is informed by her academic research.

Edward II is playing at the National Theatre until 26 October 2013.

Rory Kinnear and Lyndsey Marshal in conversation

National Theatre — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 16:29:53 +0100

Rory Kinnear and Lyndsey Marshal talk to Al Senter about their careers and performing in Nicholas Hytner's 2013 production of Othello.

Simon Godwin on Strange Interlude and Eugene O'Neill

Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:10:27 +0100

Simon Godwin talks about directing Strange Interlude, Eugene O'Neill and making his National Theatre debut.

Anne-Marie Duff in conversation

Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:11:12 +0100

Anne-Marie Duff talks to Al Senter about her acting career, her roles at the National Theatre and starring in the 2013 production of Eugene O'Neill's Stranger Interlude.

Adrian Lester in conversation

Tue, 02 Jul 2013 11:45:19 +0100

Adrian Lester talks to Al Senter about playing the role of Othello in Nicholas Hytner's 2013 production, and how playing Ira Aldridge in Red Velvet influenced his performance. He also talks about acting and directing the BBC series of Hustle, performing for Stephen Sondheim and his future plans.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from June 2013.

Nicholas Hytner on Othello

National Theatre — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:29:13 +0100

Nicholas Hytner talks about directing Othello, the play's performance history and staging Shakespeare productions at the National Theatre in this podcast.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from April 2013.

Andy de la Tour on Stand-up or Die

National Theatre — Tue, 28 May 2013 12:12:31 +0100

Andy de la Tour talks to Miles Jupp about his book, Stand-up or Die, which describes his experience in the gritty underground New York comedy circuit.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from February 2013.

Peter Brook in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:29:44 +0100

Peter Brook talks to Mark Lawson about his career and his new book, The Quality of Mercy, a collection of essays reflecting his lifelong interest in interpreting Shakespeare’s works for contemporary audiences.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from April 2013.

James Graham and Jeremy Herrin on This House

National Theatre — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:02:14 +0100

The writer and director talk to Christopher Campbell (Literary Manager, Royal Court Theatre) about the National Theatre's production of This House, its transfer from the Cottesloe Theatre to the Olivier Theatre and portraying real events on stage.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from March 2013.

Cynthia Marsh on Maxim Gorky

National Theatre — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:52:05 +0100

Cynthia Marsh, Professor of Russian Drama and Literature at the University of Nottingham, talks to Dan Rebellato about Gorky’s theatre work, including Children of the Sun, chiefly written during his brief imprisonment for revolutionary activity in 1905.

Benedict Nightingale on Great Moments in the Theatre

National Theatre — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:01:31 +0100

Benedict Nightingale, the former Times theatre critic, talks to Michael Billington about Great Moments in the Theatre, his entertaining tour through theatrical opening from Aeschylus' Oresteia to Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem.

Jonathan Miller in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:21:17 +0100

Jonathan Miller reflects on his career as a theatre director, working with Laurence Olivier and his art with Kate Bassett, author of Two Minds: A Biography of Jonathan Miller.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from January 2013.

Alan Bennett reads his introduction to People

National Theatre — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:58:13 +0000

Alan Bennett reads the introduction to the play text of People as well as Philip Larkin's poem entitled The Explosion.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from November 2012.

Adrian Noble on The Captain of Köpenick

National Theatre — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:54:56 +0000

Adrian Noble - the former Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the RSC - talks to Daniel Rosenthal about directing The Captain of Köpenick on the Olivier theatre stage, casting and choosing a translation/version of a text such as The Captain of Köpenick.

Black Voices in British Theatre

National Theatre — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:53:09 +0000

Paterson Joseph talks to Asif Khan, Ellen Thomas and Don Warrington about the identity of the black voice in British theatre.

This is a recording of a live Platform event from October 2011.

Marianne Elliott and Simon Stephens on Port

National Theatre — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:21:12 +0000

The director, Marianne Elliott, and playwright, Simon Stephens, discuss the new production of Port and reflect on the original production in 2002 with interviewer Rachel Cooke.

Christopher Hampton on writing, stage design and Jocelyn Herbert

National Theatre — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:27:05 +0000

Christopher Hampton, whose screenplays include Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement, offers a playwright's perspective on the role of the designer in the theatre and gives an insight into the work of Jocelyn Herbert.

Timothy Sheader in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 10:46:57 +0000

The director of The Magistrate, Timothy Sheader, talks to Fiona Mountford about the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, directing and making his production National Theatre debut with Pinero’s farce. This is a recording of a live Platform event from January 2013.

John Lithgow in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:30:40 +0000

John Lithgow talks to Nicholas Hytner about his love for theatre, his career as an actor, musician and writer, and his current role in The Magistrate. This is a recording of a live event from December 2012.

Fiona Shaw in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:18:24 +0000

Fiona Shaw talks to Al Senter about her iconic roles at the National Theatre, directing opera, working on True Blood and her Irish roots.

Howard Barker in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:59:17 +0000

Playwright Howard Barker talks to Mark Brown about his career and the National Theatre's production of Scenes From An Execution.

Philip Glenister in conversation

National Theatre — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:06:22 +0000

Philip Glenister talks to Al Senter about his role in This House and his career. This is a recording of a live event from October 2012.

Simon Russell Beale in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:49:50 +0000

Simon Russell Beale talks to Al Senter about his career, including his role in Nicholas Hytner's Timon of Athens and playing Falstaff in Richard Eyre's The Hollow Crown.

Una Stubbs in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:51:41 +0100

Una Stubbs talks to Al Senter about her fifty-year career in film, television and on stage. She talks about her diverse projects including Sherlock, Summer Holiday, Till Death Us Do Part, Worzel Gummidge and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This is a recording of a live event from October 2012.

Film Pioneers and Yiddish Filmmaking

National Theatre — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:12:51 +0100

Film historian Christopher Frayling talks to Joel Finler about the early Hollywood film-makers - including the Eastern Europeans Carl Laemmle, Adolph Zukor, and Louis B Mayer - as depicted in the National Theatre play, Travelling Light. This is an archive recording of a live Platform event from April 2012.

Frank McGuinness and Dr Gile Fraser on Damned by Despair

National Theatre — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:52:02 +0100

Playwright Frank McGuinness and Dr Giles Fraser - priest-in-charge at St Mary's Newington, London and Religious Advisor on the production - discuss the representation of Christian morality in Damned by Despair. Damned by Despair opens on October 10 and runs until December 17 2012.

Stephen Beresford in conversation

National Theatre — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:25:09 +0100

Stephen Beresford talks to Matt Wolf about his career and The Last of the Haussmans, his playwriting debut at the National Theatre. This is a recording of a Platform event from August 2012.

Malcolm Sinclair in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:50:12 +0100

Malcolm Sinclair talks to Al Senter about his acting career, his role as President of British Actor's Equity Association and performing in George Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma. This is a live recording of a Platform event from September 2012.

Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory in conversation

National Theatre — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:08:32 +0100

Afternoon interview with Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory, talking to Al Senter about their current roles in The Last of the Haussmans and their careers,

The Astaires: Fred and Adele with Ava Astaire & Matthew Bourne

National Theatre — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:06:18 +0100

Recorded in May 2012, this Platform event celebrates the Astaire siblings who transformed musical theatre on both sides of the Atlantic at the peak of the Jazz Age. Theatre historian Kathleen Riley, author of a book on the Astaires, talks about their partnership and its legacy with Fred’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie, and choreographer Matthew Bourne.

In conversation with Ian McDiarmid

National Theatre — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 12:39:07 +0100

From our Archive collection, Ian McDiarmid talks to Al Senter about his time as Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, his acting career and his role in Star Wars. This is a live recording of a Platform event from August 2011.

Marianne Elliott on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

National Theatre — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 10:11:11 +0100

Director Marianne Elliott talks about this new stage adaptation of Mark Haddon's award-winning novel. This is a live recording from a Platform event from August 2012.

Danny Boyle and Nick Dear interview

National Theatre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:01:13 +0100

Danny Boyle and Nick Dear talk to Christopher Frayling about adapting Frankenstein for the stage.

In conversation with James Corden

National Theatre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:00:09 +0100

An interview from June 2011 with James Corden about his current role in One Man, Two Guvnors and his career in theatre and television. This is a recording of a live Platform event from June 2011.

In conversation with Lenny Henry

National Theatre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:58:43 +0100

Lenny Henry talks to Al Sent about his career, his relationship with Shakespeare and his in Dominic Cooke's The Comedy of Errors. This is a video recording of a live Platform event in the Olivier Theatre from January 2012.

Rory Kinnear - Talking Shakespeare

National Theatre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:57:00 +0100

Rory Kinnear talks to Matt Wolf about his approach to playing the historic part of Hamlet in Nicholas Hytner's production and of the process behind creating his version of the role. This is a Platform event from January 2011.

In conversation with Antony Sher

National Theatre — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:55:34 +0100

The actor, author and artist Antony Sher talks to Sue MacGregor about his career, and his latest role in Travelling Light. This is a recording of a live Platform event from February 2012.

Arthur Miller reads from his log of Death of a Salesman in Beijing

National Theatre — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:57:46 +0100

Arthur Miller's plays, The Crucible, All My Sons, A View from the Bridge and Death of a Salesman, have been embraced all around the world. His work embodies the public issues of his day, translating them into terms of the private conscience. In this audio podcast from 1984 Arthur Miller reads from his log of Death of a Salesman in Beijing to a live audience at the National Theatre. This has been taken from the National Theatre Archive.

Alan Bennett and Judi Dench perform a short radio play

National Theatre — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:53:59 +0100

Taken from the National Theatre's archive of Platform event, Alan Bennett invited Judi Dench to perform a short radio play with him in front of a live audience at the National Theatre. This is an audio recording of a live event from 1995.

Philip Pullman's conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury

National Theatre — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:52:35 +0100

Taken from the National Theatre Archive of Platform events, this is a 2004 conversation between Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, and Dr Roan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury about religious education and the representation of religion in drama and entertainment. This is a recording of a live Platform event.

Private Eye at 50

National Theatre — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:41:42 +0100

To celebrate 50 years of Private Eye, Ian Hislop takes a satirical look at the events and people of 2011, with Craig Brown, Harry Enfield, Lewis MacLeod, Jan Ravens and John Sessions.

Peter Hall in conversation with Nicholas Hytner

National Theatre — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:14:23 +0100

To mark his 80th birthday, Peter Hall discusses his career, modern theatre and his latest production of Twelfth Night, with Nicholas Hytner. This interview is a recording of a live Platform event in the Cottesloe Theatre from January 2011.

Christopher Eccleston in conversation

National Theatre — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:56:32 +0100

Christopher Eccleston talks to Al Senter about his recent role in Antigone as well as his stage, film and television career. This is a live recording of a Platform event from July 2012.

Julie Walters in conversation

National Theatre — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:52:09 +0100

Julie Walters is interviewed by Al Senter about her current role in The Last of the Hayssmans and her acting career. This is a recording of a live Platform event from June 2012.

Peter Bowles interviewed by Geoffrey Colman

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:42:54 +0100

Peter Bowles, whose work includes To the Manor Born and The Rivals, reflects on his acting career which is the topic of his new book, Behind the Curtain.

Terry Wogan interviews Eric Sykes

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:34:29 +0100

In memory of one of Britain's greatest writers and performers who passed away this week the National Theatre have released this gem of an interview from the archive. Terry Wogan interviews Eric Sykes for a platform event in 2006. With warmth and wit, he discusses his extraordinary life working alongside a generation of legendary comedians and entertainers. Please note this is an archive recording and therefore the sound quality is poor.

Interview with London Road playwright, director and composer

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:19:41 +0100

Dan Rebellato talks to the writer Alecky Blythe, composer Adam Cork and director Rufus Norris discuss their collaborative work on London Road.

Janet Suzman talks about seminal female classical roles

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:23:56 +0100

Janet Suzman talks to Michael Dobson about her book, Not Hamlet: Meditations on the Frail Position of Women in Drama, where she examines some of the seminal classical roles that she has played and questions the impact these roles have on today's audience.

Orlando Figes with Jacqueline Defferary and Alex Jennings

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:45:09 +0100

Orlando Figes talks to Stephanie Meritt about his new book, Just Send Me Word, which recounts the true love story of two young Muscovites whose smuggled letters to one another form a detailed and agonising account of life in Stalin's Soviet Union. Figes introduces a series of letters read by Jacqueline Defferary and Alex Jennings from the cast of Collaborators.

Esther Freud interviewed by Geoffrey Colman

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:26:44 +0100

Esther Freud discusses her new novel, Lucky Break, with Geoffrey Colman. The novel follows a group of young actors who leave drama school for the ruthless world of auditions, agents, touring and red carpet premieres.

Lisa D'Amour & Austin Pendleton on Detroit

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:42:13 +0100

The playwright and director talk to Matt Wolfe about their production Detroit.

Interview with Enda Walsh

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:36:24 +0100

Enda Walsh talks to Dan Rebellato about his play, Misterman.

In conversation with Sophie Thompson and Steve Pemberton

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:46:08 +0100

Sophie Thompson and Steve Pemberton talk to Al Senter about their careers and their current roles in She Stoops to Conquer.

Julian Clary on Briefs Encountered

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:21:20 +0100

Julian Clary discusses his new novel, Briefs Encountered, with Paul Gambaccini. The novel is a dark and wickedly witty story of love, obsession and Noel Coward, envying both 1920s England and our own more liberated times...

Sue Johnston interviewed by Al Senter

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:46:44 +0100

Sue Johnston, whose work includes Brookside, The Royle Family and Waking the Dead, reflects on the most precious and fraught relationship of any woman’s life in her poignant and funny memoir, Things I Couldn’t Tell My Mother.

Nicholas Hytner and Nicholas Wright on Travelling Light

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:47:01 +0100

The director and playwright discuss their new production, Travelling Light, with Sarah Hemming.

Jamie Lloyd on She Stoops to Conquer

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:25:01 +0100

Jamie Lloyd, director, discusses his production of Olivier Goldsmith's comedy, She Stoops to Conquer, with Rachel Cooke.

Simon Callow on Charles Dickens

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:47:37 +0100

To mark the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth, Simon Callow talks to David Edgar about his new book, Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of a World, and gives us an insight into a life driven as much by performance and showmanship as by literary endeavour.

Original performance conditions of The Comedy of Errors

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:47:54 +0100

Professor Tiffany Stern from Oxford University gives a talk to students about the original performance conditions that would have existed for Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

Michael Pennington on Shakespeare

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:48:17 +0100

Michael Pennington has spent over 20,000 hours performing and writing about Shakespeare and has now put this experience into a book, Sweet William, where he reflects on his own understanding of the man and his work.

In conversation with Ciaran Hinds & Sinead Cusack

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:50:28 +0100

Ciaran Hinds and Sinead Cusack talk to Al Senter about their careers and their roles in Howard Davies' Juno and the Paycock.

Dominic Cooke on The Comedy of Errors

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:40:30 +0100

Dominic Cooke, director, discusses his production of The Comedy of Errors with Fiona Mountford.

Dr. Julie Curtis on Mikhail Bulgakov

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:38:27 +0100

Dr. Julie Curtis is the UK's leading research specialist on Bulgakov and is a fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. Her recent publications include 'Manuscripts Don't Burn: Mikhail Bulgakov, a Life in Letters and Diaries' and 'Bulgakov's Last Decade: The Writer as Hero'.

Mike Leigh on Grief

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:44:51 +0100

Mike Leigh, director and playwright, talks to Sue MacGregor about his new play Grief.

Melvyn Bragg on The Book of Books

National Theatre — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:17:10 +0100

Melvyn Bragg, broadcaster and author, looks at the radical impact of The Kings James Bible over the last 400 years.