OffScript

ALBION : NEIL BUTTERY

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by Dr. Neil Buttery—food historian, cook, and the voice behind The British Food History Podcast—for a delicious and wide-ranging conversation about the edible stories that define us. Josephine and Neil trace the history of English food from the kitchen outwards, exploring how our national palate has been shaped by invasion, trade, and social change. They discuss how the ingredients on our plates reflect the class fault lines of history, the evolution of the "traditional" English diet, and why food is perhaps the most intimate way to understand the changing identity of a nation. They talk about the culinary "soft power" of the dinner table and who gets to define what constitutes "proper" English food. From the voracious appetite of early global trade to the regional dishes that have stood the test of time, they unpick why our hunger for new flavours, far from diluting our traditions, is precisely what keeps our food culture vital and alive. Plus Neil designs a small plates menu which tells a story of English food today  And because the conversation sits alongside Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production, a state-of-the-nation play set in a pub, Josephine and Neil discuss the role of the pub as part of our culinary history! The British Food History Podcast can be found here: britishfoodhistory.com [https://britishfoodhistory.com] Our Public House is currently touring England. Find out more at https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house [https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house] This episode is part of Dash Arts' Albion series — an ongoing exploration of what it means to be English today. Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi [https://www.maroufmajidi.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

ALBION : LYNNE MURPHY

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by Lynne Murphy, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sussex, author of The Prodigal Tongue, and the American voice behind the long-running blog Separated by a Common Language, for a wide-ranging and surprising conversation about the language we think we own. Josephine and Lynne trace English from its violent beginnings, a language forged through invasion, layered with the speech of Angles, Saxons and Normans, carrying the class fault lines of its Saxon-French inheritance all the way into the present, to the extraordinary global story of a tongue that has long since outgrown its origins. They explore how migration has always remade English from below, how empire exported it across the world, and what it means that English is now spoken by more people as a second language than as a first. They talk about language as soft power and who gets to wield it. About the difference between a language of place and a language of people. About the voraciousness of English, its restless appetite for new words, new rhythms, new speakers and why that hunger, far from diluting the language, is precisely what keeps it alive. The conversation finds its way into Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production, a state-of-the-nation play set in a pub, born out of three years of travelling England and listening to over 700 people talk about the country they want to live in. Because if English is a language that belongs to everyone who speaks it, then Englishness might work the same way — and that's exactly what Our Public House is asking.  Dead Language Society can be found here: www.deadlanguagesociety.com [http://www.deadlanguagesociety.com]  Lynne Murphy’s blog can be found here:  https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com [https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com]  Our Public House is currently touring England. Find out more at https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house [https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house]  This episode is part of Dash Arts' Albion series — an ongoing exploration of what it means to be English today. Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi [https://www.maroufmajidi.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

ALBION : PAULA APKAN

In this episode of OffScript, Josephine Burton is joined by historian, journalist, and writer Paula Akpan. A specialist in Black British history and queer identity, Paula brings a vital perspective to our exploration of Albion. Drawing on her acclaimed book, When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors, Paula discusses the power of restoring overlooked narratives to the centre of our global and national stories. Together, they examine how history shapes the idea of who gets to be seen as "English" and the intersections of race, memory, and belonging. From pre-colonial African leadership to contemporary British activism, this conversation explores whether Englishness can ever be fully inclusive and how learning untold histories can reshape our understanding of identity today. Our Public House is currently touring England. Find out more at https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house This episode is part of Dash Arts' Albion series - an ongoing exploration of what it means to be English today. Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi [https://www.maroufmajidi.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

ALBION : OPENING TIME

Josephine Burton takes us inside the rehearsal room of Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production and the culmination of our series of work on Albion. We join the company during their rehearsals at Toynbee Studios while some of the country heads to the polls in local elections. Assistant Director Scott Hurran shares insights into the collective creation of characters and how communities across the country have shaped the play's development. Set in a pub, Our Public House is a play about Englishness: who we are, what we've lost, and what we might still become. Our Public House tours England from May 2026. Get your tickets and find out more on the Dash Arts website: https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house [https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house] Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi You also hear a preview of Rent Controls Now and All The Same by Jonathan Walton, arranged by Yaniv Fridel. Thanks to the cast and crew for welcoming us in with our microphones.  Mary - Gabriella Leon Sanjana - Bharti Patel Anika - Chaya Gupta Scott - Fergus O’Donnell Jo - Lauren Moakes Tom - Kit Esuruoso Company Stage Manager - Cora Frank  Deputy Stage Manager - Alice Kelly Written by Barney Norris  Created and Directed by Josephine Burton ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

ALBION : BILLY BRAGG

What does Englishness sound like? In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by musician, songwriter, and activist Billy Bragg for an electric conversation about England - its flags, its contradictions, and its capacity for protest. Billy and Josephine dig into what it means to love a country and argue with it at the same time. They explore the politics of the English flag, the radical traditions buried in folk music, and whether a song can actually change the world. Billy even sings. The conversation spills into Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production, a state-of-the-nation play set in a pub, born out of four years of travelling England and listening to over 700 people talk about the country they want to live in. It's the kind of England Billy Bragg has been singing about for decades, and it turns out he has a lot to say about it. Because if anyone has spent a lifetime making the case for a different kind of Englishness, one rooted in solidarity, humour, and dissent, it's Billy Bragg. Our Public House is touring England, opening at Leeds Playhouse from May 15th before touring to Prescot, Coventry, Sheffield, Cornwall and London. Find out more at https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house This episode is part of Dash Arts' Albion series - an ongoing exploration of what it means to be English today. Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi [https://www.maroufmajidi.com/] Billy Bragg photo by Murdo MacLeod ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.