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Last broadcast on Mon, 8 Jun 2009, 21:30 on BBC Radio 4 (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
Andrew Marr talks to John Keane about democracy, Katie Mitchell about virgin births and opera, Peter Hall about the vitality of regional theatre and Matthew Gale about Futurism.
JOHN KEANE
Political theorist John Keane argues that democracy is under threat. His latest book, The Life and Death of Democracy, debunks some of the many myths surrounding democracy, starting with its birth hundreds of years before 5th century Athens. He also makes some bold claims for its future. The 21st century, he argues, far from seeing the ‘triumph’ of democracy, will see it mutate into many different forms, not all of them desirable.
The Life and Death of Democracy is published by Simon & Schuster.
KATIE MITCHELL
Katie Mitchell will be directing James MacMillan’s unusual operatic work about a virgin birth. It is based on the supposedly true story of a woman injured in a bombing raid on Hanover in 1944. She gave birth to a daughter nine months later, yet claimed she was a virgin. Medical tests were conducted but the doctors could not disprove her account.
Parthenogenesis opens at the Linbury Studio Theatre, at the Royal Opera House in London on Thursday 11 June.
PETER HALL
Sir Peter Hall’s Theatre Company is having its seventh summer residency at the Theatre Royal Bath. Sir Peter believes that if you want to see original, intelligent and experimental productions, head to regional theatres.
The Peter Hall Company summer residency at the Theatre Royal Bath begins on 25 June and runs until 29 August.
MATTHEW GALE
The artwork of the Futurists is often overshadowed by the Cubists, yet Matthew Gale argues that their combination of salon and street art, with their visceral excitement for cities, has had much resonance over the last century.
Futurism, curated by Matthew Gale, is at Tate Modern from 12 June to 20 September.
Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by Umberto Boccioni
Broadcasts
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Mon 8 Jun 200909:00
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Mon 8 Jun 200921:30
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