Theatrical Themes & Ideas
Masculinity: Toxic Or Misunderstood?
This Almeida Questions panel put masculinity under the spotlight to debate whether male characteristics and behaviours are inherently toxic – or just misunderstood. Chaired by Maddy Costa with journalist and broadcaster Matt Cain, writer of The Writer Ella Hickson, actor and facilitator of the Great Men Project Jamie Wilkes, and actor Sule Rimi. Recorded at the Almeida Theatre on 30 April 2018.
Love, Loneliness And Losing Your Mind
This Almeida Questions panel chaired by Matthew Parris with playwright David Eldridge, poet Cecilia Knapp, academic Roger Green, and carer and social entrepreneur Angela Awuah digs into the reality of being alone and what it means to be lonely. Recorded on 12 March 2018.
Fake News
This Almeida Questions panel comes together to debate the power of the press and the future of ink. Sheila Burnett, former photographer/employee of The Sun, Jonathan Shainin of The Guardian and James Ball, journalist and author of Post Truth: How Bullshit Conquered the World, join a discussion chaired by Charlotte Higgins, Chief Culture Writer at The Guardian.
The Right To Write
A panel including Oil playwright Ella Hickson; Vava Tampa, writer, poet and founder of Save the Congo, theatre critic Matt Trueman, journalist, author and speaker Xīnrán Xue and Oil’s director Carrie Cracknell discuss cultural appropriation and the right to write.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
This Almeida Questions panel explores our national identity in 2017 and if the concept of ‘Britishness’ is as fragmented as our politics. The discussion was chaired by broadcaster and journalist Emma Barnett with Tracy Ann-Oberman, Ian Dunt and Gina Miller.
Have Politicians Lost The Art of Persuasion?
Helen Lewis chaired a panel including Amanda Abbington, Philip Collins, Sam Leith and Darren Siah to discuss what makes great rhetoric, and whether carefully crafted words still have a place in public life.
From Aristotle To Albert Square
We refer to everything from environmental disaster to sporting failure as a tragedy, but what does it really mean when we use this most disputed word? This panel was led by Charlotte Higgins, who is joined by Edith Hall, Giles Fraser, and Fiona Shaw.
Shakespeare, Nationhood, History And Us
Director of Richard III Rupert Goold, and historian Simon Schama discuss the cultural understanding of history in the 16th century, how Shakespeare’s work changed this, and the ways in which his plays speak to the anxieties of a nation in crisis.
