Samuel Beckett & the purpose of culture

Arts & Ideas

BBC

Society & Culture

4.2 • 599 Ratings

🗓️ 5 February 2020

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Lisa Dwan tells Philip Dodd what playing Beckett taught her about herself and feminism; playwright Mark Ravenhill, arts editor Jan Dalley & sp!ked author Alexander Adams discuss the proposition that the arts are increasingly expected to be uplifting and inspirational and to confirm identities. Where do the pessimism and shattered identities of Beckett's work fit into this view of culture?

Beckett Triple Bill is at Jermyn Street Theatre, London until 8th February starring Lisa Dwan, Niall Buggy, James Hayes and David Threlfall. Endgame runs at the Old Vic in London until March 28th starring Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Cummings, with Rough for the Theatre II with Jane Horrocks and Karl Johnson.

Culture War: Art, Identity Politics and Cultural Entryism by Alexander Adams is published by Societas

Producer: Torquil MacLeod

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that is some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right?
0:23.3	It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream.
0:28.8	Listen to Evil Genius on BBC Sounds.
0:33.1	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:36.8	Hello, I'm Philip Dodd, and this is the Arts and Ideas
0:40.1	podcast from BBC Radio 3. The kind of guests we have on writers, artists, philosophers, historians,
0:47.6	and filmmakers, and we challenge and cajole them, we even laugh with them, and we talk about
0:53.0	contemporary life, promiscuously,
0:55.5	how we got here and where we're going. In a moment or two, we'll be meeting some of them,
1:00.4	but before we do, please take a moment to listen to this.
1:04.6	An American capitalist, a Russian tax advisor, and a breathtaking heist.
1:10.1	You're saying fraudsters have stolen more than quarter of a billion dollars from the Russian state.
1:15.7	Based on a true story, a musical about doing the right thing at any cost.
1:21.3	Mr. Magnitsky, if we changed our mind.
1:24.7	Stand up and fight for justice and up for the law.
1:28.1	If we don't stand for this, then what is it?
1:30.5	We're a four.
1:31.7	Magnitsky, the musical, by Johnny Flynn and Robert Hudson on BBC Radio 3.
1:37.2	Why are you telling my story?
1:38.6	Because you were unbreakable.
1:41.4	Available now on BBC Sounds.
1:46.1	Hello.
	...

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