Open House: In Conversation with Sunjeev Sahota

"I'm not a writer with a strong sense of place", says Sunjeev Sahota. Still, it's fantastic to have Sunjeev arrive here in Durham, as he becomes an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in our Department. We got to know a bit more about the Booker-nominated novelist, before he introduces himself and his work at a...

Sinking, Sealing, Swooning: In Conversation with Naomi Booth

We're delighted to welcome Dr Naomi Booth to our Department as Assistant Professor in Creative Writing. Naomi is the author of Sealed, described as the 'perfect modern horror novel'; her monograph Swoon: The Poetics of Passing Out will be published next year. Naomi will be introducing herself to Durham at a Showcase during Durham Book...

Lord of the Flies, Female Leaders and a Fragile Democracy: An Interview with Director Annie Rigby on Staging William Golding’s Novel

An island where the rule of law is contested. A group of young people entering adulthood. Given the political context of our times nationally, and with new students starting at university here in Durham, now seems a perfect moment to perform a theatrical adaptation of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, in a co-production between Gala...

Processing Playland: Jake Murray on Directing Athol Fugard’s Drama (Part 2)

When it premiered in 1993 at the dawn of South Africa's post-apartheid democracy, Athol Fugard's Playland testified to the challenges and hope of reconciliation across racial divides. In the first half of our interview, Jake Murray, who is directing the play for Elysium Theatre Company, explained why this work set at the dusk of apartheid...

Race and Reconciliation: Jake Murray on Directing Athol Fugard’s Playland (Part 1)

When it premiered in 1993 at the dawn of South Africa's post-apartheid democracy, Athol Fugard's Playland testified to the challenges and hope of reconciliation across racial divides. In 2019, the confrontation with racial difference still seems politically acute - making this an apt moment for Elysium Theatre Company to bring the play to the North...