Our Public House: Unlocking Voices
How can the arts help us to encounter others?
In December 2024, we were part of a fantastic live discussion at the RSA (Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) discussing how the arts can unlock unheard voices. This podcast brings you some highlights from the event with some extra insights and updates from our Dash Arts Artistic Director Josephine Burton.
Hosted by Tom Stratton (Chief of Staff at RSA), our Artistic Director and Chief Executive Josephine Burton was joined on stage by Alan Finlayson (Professor of Political & Social Theory, University of East Anglia), Alecky Blythe (Playwright), and Dawid Konotey-Ahulu (co-founder of Redington, Mallowstreet, and 10,000 Interns). Sue Agyakwa whom we met in a speech-making workshop in Newham earlier in 2024, also, kindly, shared her speech live.
Josephine and Alan shared what they've learnt from their 18 month long speech making workshop programme across the country that will culminate in Dash Arts’ 'state of the nation' theatre production, Our Public House, in 2026.
Our Public House is funded by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, The Thistle Trust, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.
You can watch the full event by visiting the RSA’s website or their YouTube Channel.
How do you create an epic for the modern world?
This is the start of our Songs of Solidarity mini-series; Josephine Burton and Maria Aberg take us behind the scenes as they discuss the journey of the last 18 months—from researching ancient epic traditions with academics to interviewing those with lived experiences of migration. Join us for a conversation about the art of "future-making," resisting traditional singular narratives, and the exciting, messy process of creating something new.
Songs of Solidarity, is a PROJEKT UTOPIA and Dash Arts co-production. We’re currently in the research and development stage co-produced with the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, in partnership with the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, School of Advanced Studies, Roundhouse London, Asylum Welcome and Unbound Philanthropy. We are particularly grateful to Fiona Macintosh for her support and encouragement throughout.