Off Book - A Podcast By The Young Vic

Ramin Gray, Artistic Director of ATC (Actors Touring Company) and director of upcoming YV production Living With the Lights On joins us in the booth to discuss his career as a director. Ramin chats about how his multi-city upbringing may have influenced the work he creates, working in Liverpool as an emerging director as well as discussing how good UK theatre is at being inclusive, for both audience members and performers.

Director of the upcoming A Midsummer Night's Dream and 2015's Measure for Measure at the Young Vic, Joe Hill-Gibbins came in for a chat at the YV about his career to date. From interviewing Rufus Norris for his dissertation, to running shows on day 3 of rehearsals and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith apparently roaming the streets with a broad sword as part of an improvisation gone awry. We also discuss Measure for Measure's design, iconography and those inflatable sex-dolls.

Isango Ensemble's Musical Directors, Pauline Malefane and Mandisi Dyantyis joined us in the studio to talk about A Man of Good Hope and how the 'extraordinary magic piece of theatre' came to be. Pauline and Mandisi also discuss how they first became interested in music, when they joined Isango and how Asad's story is not unique to Asad, but is every refugee's story.

JMK 2016 Award winner and The Mountaintop director Roy Alexander Weise joined us to talk about how he went from wanting to be a celebrity chef to becoming a celebrated director of Katori Hall's Olivier award-winner. Roy also discusses how he cut his teeth at Oval House, Rose Bruford and the Royal Court as well as the timeliness of sharing The Mountaintop with audiences in 2016.

Walter Meierjohann, Artistic Director of HOME in Manchester and director of The Emperor, joined us for this episode of Off Book. We discussed Walter's formative years as "Eurotrash", born in Amsterdam and growing up in Holland, America and Germany, as well as some of his biggest artistic influences. Walter also talks us through his career, training as an actor and later as a director followed by his first steps to making his own work and his relationship with the Young Vic.

Marie-Hélène Estienne is Peter Brook's long time collaborator, described by The Guardian as the 'powerhouse' behind the celebrated 90 year British director. Speaking to the YV's Imogen Brodie, Marie-Hélène discusses growing up in Paris and building a career with longevity, her astounding 40-year collaboration with Peter Brook and how she has developed her incredible knack for casting. This episode was recorded in February 2016 when Battlefield was at the Young Vic.

Gbolahan Obisesan, director of Cuttin' It and current Genesis Fellow at the Young Vic joined us on Episode 4 of Off Book. Gbolahan discusses his formative years in both Ibadan, Nigeria and Bermondsey, south London, his first steps in performing, writing, and directing and how he's approached the projects and texts he has worked on to date. We also reflected on representation and diversity in the arts and how the current political wranglings will impact on new writing over the coming years. Youn can find more from Gbolahan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/greatobisesan

We're joined by Blue/Orange director and Associate Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Manchester, Matthew Xia in Episode 3 of Off Book. Matthew discusses his eclectic beginnings of his career in the arts which spans DJing, broadcasting, directing and being on the board of directors at Theatre Royal Stratford East aged 18. We also break down Matthew's production of Joe Penhall's state of the nation classic, Blue/Orange starring Daniel Kaluuya, Luke Norris and David Haig as well as discuss the biggest influences.

'My stamp is making things bolder and unapologetic... it's about clarity'. In episode two of Off Book Dutchman director and 2016 Genesis Future Directors Award winner, Ola Ince talks about how she got in to directing, her biggest influences on her work and why the themes explored in Dutchman still have something to say about our world today. Ola Ince is supported by the Genesis Foundation.

We sat down with Peter Brook at the Young Vic whilst he was in London for his production of Battlefield to talk about his life, his introduction to the arts and his career in theatre which spans over 70 years. Recorded in Feb 2016. (Warning: PB drops an F-bomb around 22:30)