ARTISTIC MINDS: A Genesis Foundation Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Stephanie Bain, Literary Manager at the Almeida Theatre, talks to Iman Qureshi, Amy Ng, and Sami Ibrahim about their writing practices, how they developed as playwrights throughout and beyond lockdown, and the process of writing stories for big stages. The three playwrights, who were part of the inaugural cohort for the 'Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme', discuss a play they developed within the programme, and reflect on the creation of new work in the post-pandemic theatre industry.

Jim Fortune, songwriter and composer, and Marc Tritschler, Creative Director of Music at the National Theatre, delve into how they developed the music of Hex, the National Theatre’s latest musical based on the Sleeping Beauty folk tale, which Jim began developing within the Genesis Music Theatre Programme. The pair break down all the components that go into developing a new musical, highlight key songs from Hex, exploring the evolution from motif to song, and discuss the additional challenges that arise from music theatre development in a pandemic. This episode features musical interludes from the Hex soundtrack.

As part of a series of cultural events to celebrate arts and culture in the City of London, hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London Alderman William Russell and the Genesis Foundation and chaired by James Jolly, Sir Simon Rattle and the Lord Mayor came together for a cultural conversation. They discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the classical music industry, the resilience and proactivity of the London Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic, and how the LSO's East London Academy is nurturing a new generation of artistic talent that looks more like London. 

Playwright, producer and writer David Lan launched the Genesis Directors' Network, Future Directors Award and Fellowship while he was Artistic Director of the Young Vic. He speaks to poet and educator Roger Robinson whose collection of poems, A Portable Paradise won the both TS Eliot Poetry Prize in 2019, they speak about a sense of place, positive action and whether or not it is possible to transcend one's own experience of the world.

The seventh podcast in the series features a conversation between Rupert Goold, Artistic director of the Almeida Theatre, and James Graham, playwright. For this second episode recorded mid-lockdown, the pair ask the timely question: "What does it do, a play?" They discuss the importance of theatre as an artform, and the need for artists to be supported in order to write big plays. 

The Genesis Podcast Series is being produced in the run-up to the Genesis Foundation’s 20th anniversary, and consists of conversations between artists and thought leaders presented by broadcaster James Jolly.

The sixth podcast in the series features a conversation between Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic director of the Young Vic Theatre, and Sir David Adjaye, architect. For this first episode recorded mid-lockdown, the pair discuss the importance of reinvention to build the art of tomorrow, the idea of homecoming and of knowing where you come from to know where to go next. 

The Genesis Podcast Series is being produced in the run-up to the Genesis Foundation’s 20th anniversary, and consists of conversations between artists and thought leaders presented by broadcaster James Jolly.

The fifth podcast in the series features a conversation between Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy of Arts, and Barry Smale, psychotherapist, trauma specialist and lecturer. Focusing on resilience, the pair discuss the programme Salter is starting at the Royal Academy with her Genesis Prize award.

The Genesis Podcast Series is being produced in the run-up to the Genesis Foundation’s 20th anniversary, and consists of conversations between artists and thought leaders presented by broadcaster James Jolly.

One of the musicians who has been supported by the Genesis Foundation is the conductor Harry Christophers, whose choir The Sixteen he founded in 1977 and which he has built into one of the UK’s finest choirs performing and recording music commissioned by the Genesis Foundation. In this Genesis Foundation podcast, Harry was joined by the actor, broadcaster and singer Alexander Armstrong, and they discovered they were both choristers in their youth. They go on to discuss the benefits and joys of singing choral music, especially from a young age, and the necessity to nurture the next generation of choral singers and composers.

The Genesis Podcast Series is being produced in the run-up to the Genesis Foundation’s 20th anniversary, and consists of conversations between artists and thought leaders presented by broadcaster James Jolly.

In this Genesis 20 podcast the artist Grayson Perry is in conversation with Hadrian Garrard, who received the Genesis Foundation’s Genesis Prize in 2016 for his work as Director of Create London, the award-winning organisation that roots artists in their communities, drawing a sustainable model for artistic creation and funding within local groups. Grayson Perry is working with the architectural practice APPARATA on an affordable housing scheme with integrated studios for artists in Barking in East London, a scheme being driven by Create London, of which Perry is an associate.

For more information on the Genesis Foundation, click here.

Sir James MacMillan and Cardinal Vincent Nichols discuss the Holy Spirit and MacMillan's Fifth Symphony. Presented by James Jolly. 

For more information on Sir James MacMillan's work with the Genesis Foundation, click here. 

www.genesisfoundation.org.uk