Our Public House: England's Open Mic
“Take a deep breath in, now think about the future you want” - Heidi in Cornwall
What do you want to change? What do you want politicians to understand?
We’ve travelled over 3000 miles and asked these questions to over 120 people during speech writing workshops across the country. The creative team at Dash Arts and our academic partners gather to reflect on what we’ve learnt and what’s surprised us, and to listen back to some of the incredible speeches from participants who took part in Our Public House.
Our research in 2023 led to Speak Out! - a series of live evening events in Manchester; on Tuesday 21 November we discuss the ingredients of great speech with classicist and cultural historian Edith Hall, and former speechwriter to David Cameron, Jessica Cunniffe. Plus academic Henriette van der Blom and Artistic Director of Dash Arts, Josephine Burton.
On Wednesday 22 November we explored activism and how we speak out, with artist and stand-up comedian Rinkoo Barpaga, alongside journalist and academic Alan Finalyson and Josephine Burton. This event was BSL interpreted by Winston Denerley and Samantha Vanterpool.
Then we travelled to London on Thursday 23 November where we heard behind-the-scenes insights into the world of politics and speechwriting with Philip Collins, former chief speechwriter to Tony Blair, and Shareefa Energy, poet and activist. They were joined by journalist and academic Alan Finlayson, and Josephine Burton.
Coming in 2024, director Josephine Burton will create Our Public House, a state-of-the-nation theatre production, inspired by the speeches and writing of our national participants.
Our Public House is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Arts Council England, Three Monkies Trust, and individual giving.
In the podcast we’re grateful to hear from:
Participants from Underground Lights, Coventry; St Hilda’s Community Centre, Tower Hamlets; HMP Styal; The Writers' Block, Redruth; Citizens UK, Brighton; Arbourthorne Men’s Social Club, Sheffield; Manchester Deaf Centre and Deaf Explorer; Banbury and Bicester College, Bicester; individuals through Theatre Royal Stratford East, Newham and residents of Mile Cross, through The Common Lot, Norwich.
Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts
Professor Alan Finlayson - Professor of Political and Social Theory at the University of East Anglia
Henriette van der Blom - Reader in Ancient History at the University of Birmingham
Cristina Catalina - Senior Producer of Dash Arts
Podcast produced by Marie Horner