2017 saw the first series of Wales Arts Review’s arts and culture podcast Off/Script, where we spoke to some of the top figures in the arts in Wales. Now collated into one place, you can listen to each of the episodes. You can also still subscribe to our audio feed – just search for Wales Arts Review in iTunes or Soundcloud and click subscribe, and be the first to be notified when 2018’s series of unmissable podcasts kicks off.
13. Cathryn Summerhayes
Cathryn Summerhayes is one of the UK’s most successful literary agents, born and bred in Cardiff, she is a vociferous champion of Welsh literature. Our associate editor Durre Shahwar has no problem in drawing out some forthright opinions on the poor standing of Welsh writing in the UK market, literature in the shadow of Brexit, and the role of the short story.
Click Here to listen to the episode.
12. Ballet Cymru
Ballet Cymru have perhaps one of the most inspiring stories of grit and perseverance in the entire landscape of Welsh arts, if not in the whole of the UK. Over thirty years old, run for much of that time as a passion project by founder Darius James and a very small band of itinerant artists, in the last couple of years they have made a new home for themselves in a very impressive studio building on the outskirts of Newport. Gary Raymond caught up with Darius James and his Assistant Artistic Director and partner Amy Doughty to talk about the history of Ballet Cymru, that amazing journey, and about all of the amazing ways they give things back to the community.
Click Here to listen to the episode.
11. Abdul Shayek
Abdul Shayek is the Artistic Director and founder of Fio, a Cardiff-based theatre company that works across the UK and internationally, telling stories that tackle global socio-political topics and bringing them to local audiences. Fio’s mission is to diversify the public arts sector by working creatively with people from a range of different backgrounds, ethnicities, class, experience, religion, age, and so on. Wales Arts Review associate editor Durre Shahwar caught up with Abdul amidst rehearsals of their highly acclaimed production, The Mountaintop.
Click Here to listen to the episode.
10. Rebecca Gould
Over the last couple of years, in the arts in Wales, the British Council seems to have been playing a much more prominent role – as enabler and facilitator, but also as a body that is encouraging and helping validate much of the work that is being produced in Wales. Alongside what seems to be a pretty fruitful partnership with Wales Arts International, British Council Wales are doing a pretty great job at presenting Welsh art to the world. Much of that success can be traced to the passion and energy of the latest OffScript guest, Rebecca Gould, who took the post of head of arts in Wales for the British Council in 2015. Gary Raymond talks to Rebecca about art, culture, society and of course, Brexit.
Click Here to listen to the episode.
9. Wales in Edinburgh Part Two
Welcome to part 2 of Wales Arts Review at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe. We speak with Daniel Llewelyn-Williams from the Flying Bridge Theatre Company who was in Edinburgh with Not About Heroes; also we speak to Mr and Mrs Clark about their new one man show, FEAR; and we also have an excerpt of a British Council interview with Eddie Ladd who was in Edingburgh this year with Caitlin which she performs in with Gwyn Emberton, directed by Deborah Light. All of these shows, as with the first part of the podcast, were part of the Wales in Edinburgh programme.
Click Here to listen to the episode.
8. Wales in Edinburgh Part One
In the first of a two part special, Wales Arts Review’s OffScript podcast comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Gary Raymond has been soaking up the atmosphere and talking to as many people as he can pin down for a few minutes. In this episode Gary talks to National Dance Company Wales producer Kate Perridge and gets some advice on how to tackle his first Fringe experience, then goes on to talk with two of NDCWales’ dancers backstage, Camille Giraudeau and Rob Bridger after their afternoon performance ofFolk at the Zoo Southside. He also looks at Alan Harris‘ new play for Dirty Protest, Sugar Baby, and talks to Neil Docking, writer of the Welsh play that took the Fringe by storm, Revlon Girl.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
7. Red Route March
In this special episode of the Wales Arts Review podcast, photographic artist and Review contributor Kate Mercer puts on her walking boots and journeys with artists and public alike on the 27-mile trek from Merthyr to Cardiff for Made in Roath‘s annual Red Route march. Among others, Kate talks to folk singer and poet Cara Gwen Cullen, artist and one of the Made in Roath organisers Dai Howell, artist Erin Rickard, this year’s Red Route lead artist Nia Metcalfe, and finally to the Red Route lead organiser, artist Becca Thomas.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
6. Neil Holborn
Neil Hilborn, the American slam poet who shot to stardom in 2013 when a performance of his poem “OCD” was viewed over 62 million views online. Neil is on his first tour of the UK and it kicked off in Wrexham where our very own Sophie McKeand, poet and Young Peoples Laureate for Wales, was there to interview him just before his performance. Hilborn talks about some of the most powerful themes in his work, those of mental illness and the stigma attached, how he has dealt with his fame, and also what it’s like to be a liberal Texan in the age of Trump.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
5. Nia Edwards-Behi
Nia Edwards-Behi is a writer, cinema academic, and co-director of one of the country’s most successful festivals, The International Horror Festival of Wales based at the Arts Centre in Aberystwyth, and ingeniously titled more familiarly as Abertoir. Along with founder and co-director Gaz Bailey, Nia organises this much beloved film festival and fan-mecca every year, and has been responsible for bringing some of the most legendary names of world horror cinema to the Welsh coast. Here I talk to Nia about the evolution of the festival and what it takes to pull off year in year out, but we also talk about much broader subjects. Nia’s Masters Thesis was on cognitive responses to the films of Dario Argento, and her PhD centred on Hollywood’s penchant for remaking controversial classics such as Straw Dogs and Last House on the Left. We talk about all of these things, and just whether western cinema’s attitude to women, race and politics is going forwards or backwards.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
4. Caroline Finn
This week’s guest is Caroline Finn, world-renowned choreographer and Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
3. Georgia Ruth
This week’s guest is Georgia Ruth, award-winning singer-songwriter, and radio broadcaster.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
2. Lleucu Siencyn
This week we talk to CEO of Literature Wales, Lleucu Siencyn.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
1. Tamara Harvey
In a new series, Off/Script, Gary Raymond talks to leading figures n the Welsh arts, starting with Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, Tamara Harvey.
Click Here to listen to this episode.
