Alan Corr

We catch up on the Arts news with Alan Corr.

Eithne Shorthall - Beckett letters

The fourth and final collection of Beckett’s letters, spanning the years 1966 to 1989, have just been published by Cambridge University Press. Eithne Shortall has been reading them for us.

Una McKevitt and Denis Clohessy - Alien Documentary

Alien Documentary, a new play from director Una McKevitt, seeks to explore and capture the essence of male conversation. It opens at the Project Arts Centre next week as part of Dublin Theatre Festival.

Jimmy Webb

This Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter is the only artist to ever receive Grammy awards for music, lyrics and orchestration. He has written songs for Glen Campbell, Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt, Frank Sinatra. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1896. He has come to Ireland to perform in the American Ambassador’s Residence as part of the Creative Minds Series.

Album reviews

Róisín Dwyer and Alan Corr review the David Bowie box set “Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976)”, “Shine A Light”, a covers album by Billy Bragg and Joe Henry and “Heads Up” by Warpaint

'The Lesser Bohemians' by Eimear McBride

Eimear McBride reads an extract from her latest novel “The Lesser Bohemians” (published by Faber & Faber)

Film reviews

Justin MacGregor and Sorcha Kenny review “The Magnificent Seven”, “The Siege of Jadotville” and “Little Men”

Celebrating the Dublin Theatre Festival 2016

Live from the Civic Theatre Tallaght in a special programme to celebrate the Dublin Theatre Festival, with Roddy Doyle and Fergus Sheil, playwright Carmel Winters, choreographer Michael Keegan Dolan and music from Slow Moving Clouds

60th anniversary of 'The Searchers'

Tony Tracy marks the 60th anniversary of the classic John Ford/John Wayne western “The Searchers”

'Fly' by Fred Johnston

Fred Johnston reads his poem “Fly”

'Representing The West', a course at GMIT

Dr John Mulloy of GMIT explains “Representing the West”, a week-long intensive course introducing people to the visual representation of landscape, identity and community in the West of Ireland

'Bleed' by Bottlenote Music at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Lorcan Clancy talks to Shane Latimer and Justin Carroll of Bottlenote Music about their production “Bleed”, where a group of musicians stationed in different rooms in an abandoned Georgian house in North Great Georges Street Dublin animate the empty spaces with a pulsing, reverberating sound; it is part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

Review: Druid's production of 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane'

Sophie Gorman reviews Druid’s production of “The Beauty Queen of Leenane”, currently at the Town Hall Theatre Galway before touring nationwide

Arts News

with Alan Corr - Mel Gibson and Sean Penn in Dublin to make a film about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, tributes paid to 'LA Confidential' Oscar-winning director Curtis Hanson who has died, AC/DC loses another member as bassist Cliff Williams leaves the band

'Bite Me' by Joanne McNally at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Comedian Joanne McNally explains how her experience with an eating disorder inspired her show “Bite Me”; it is part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

Sightless Cinema by White Cane Audio Theatre

Ciarán Taylor of Carpet Theatre and performer Nuala O’Halloran of White Cane Audio Theatre explain what people can expect at the Sightless Cinema event at the Lighthouse Cinema next week

'The Girl With All The Gifts', written by M.R. Carey

M.R. Carey chats about the film version of his novel “The Girl With All The Gifts”, set in a dystopian future that is gripped by infection where the only hope for the survival of humanity lies in the hands of a group of extraordinary children

'Composing The Island' at the National Concert Hall

Abie Philbin Bowman met some of the artists involved in the “Composing The Island” series at the National Concert Hall, which comes to an end this weekend

Review: “Nutshell” by Ian McEwan

Yvonne Nolan reviews “Nutshell” by Ian McEwan, a modern retelling of the story of Hamlet narrated by an 8-month old foetus who is the only witness to the plotting of a crime (published by Jonathan Cape)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - Bono says Donald Trump could destroy America, creator of 'The Fall' upset at accusations of misogyny in show, Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt

'Utopia Ltd' by Makeshift Ensemble at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Ezster Nemethi of Makeshift Ensemble explains how the life of Roger Casement inspired their play “Utopia Ltd” at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival, an examination of the role of the idealist in an increasingly globalised and turbulent world

'Paddy', a musical by Tommy Fleming

Lorcan Clancy spoke to the cast of “Paddy”, a musical by Tommy Fleming which is a tribute to the lost and forgotten Irish who emigrated over the centuries

Winners of the Allianz Business To Arts Awards 2016

Abie Philbin Bowman reports live from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre as the winners are announced of the Allianz Business To Arts Awards 2016

Reviews: “The Father” at the Gate Theatre and “The Aeneid” at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Sophie Gorman reviews “The Father” at the Gate Theatre and “The Aeneid” at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

“Closed Casket” by Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah explains why she wanted to write a new Hercule Poirot story and chose to set it in Clonakilty Cork – “Closed Casket” (published by Harper Collins)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - who won at last night's Emmy's, big win in Toronto for new Irish crime thriller, sequel likely to Irish film 'The Young Offenders' after success at the box office

Preview of events around the country for Culture Night 2016

Abie Philbin Bowman looks ahead to what’s happening around the country tomorrow for Culture Night

Heathers, Culture Night Ambassadors

Chat with band Heathers about their music, their latest album 'Kingdom' and being Culture Night ambassadors

Film reviews

Brogen Hayes and Chris Wasser review “Bridget Jones’s Baby”, “The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years” and “The Young Offenders”

Ethan McSweeny directs 'The Father' at the Gate Theatre

Ethan McSweeny talks about directing Owen Roe in the title role of “The Father” by Florian Zeller which has just opened at the Gate Theatre

Arts News

with Alan Corr - David Bowie tipped to win a posthumous Mercury Prize tonight, Mayo writer Sally Rooney signed to major English publishing house with her debut novel, 'The Good Wife' spin-off series confirmed

A profile of Werner Herzog, film-maker/documentarian

Harvey O’Brien with a profile of film director Werner Herzog, whose film “Lo and Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World”, a probing look at how the internet has changed our culture, is showing at the upcoming IFI Documentary Festival

Kate Tempest, spoken word artist

Spoken word/performance poet Kate Tempest chats about her poetry and the themes she wanted to address in her forthcoming album “Let Them Eat Chaos” (for copyright reasons the poems performed in this interview are not available to download in the podcast)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - “Red Rock” on TV3 leads IFTA television award nominations, good news for Irish writers – debut novel by Rory Gleeson lands a big deal and Liz Nugent is also celebrating as she signs with US publishing house Simon & Schuster in a move that could pave the way for Hollywood adaptations of her books

Pablo Trapero, director of “The Clan”

Abie Philbin Bowman chatted to Pablo Trapero, director of the film “The Clan” which is based on the true crime story of the kidnapping of the son of the Puccio family whose father worked for the military dictatorship in Argentina in the 1980’s

Review: “Wrongheaded/Hope Hunt” dance double-bill at Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Deirdre Mulrooney reviews a dance show double-bill at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival – “Wrongheaded/Hope Hunt” by the Liz Roche Company and Oona Doherty (Wrongheaded is a response to the 8th amendment / Hope Hunt addresses stereotypes about the disadvantage male)

“From Little Richard To John Wayne: American Popular Culture in the 1950’s”, a lecture by Dr Daniel Geary

Dr Daniel Geary, Associate Professor in American History, Trinity College, his lecture next week “From Little Richard To John Wayne: American Popular Culture in the 1950’s” contends that 1950’s American was a far more radical place than we might think

“The Lesser Bohemians” by Eimear McBride

Eimear McBride talks about her latest novel “The Lesser Bohemians”, a year in the life of an 18-year old Irish girl who moves to London in the 1990’s and has a tempestuous and complicated affair with an older man (published by Faber & Faber)

Arts News

with Alan Corr - shortlist for the Man Booker Prize revealed, Light Moves dance film festival programme launched, fall-out continues as The Great British Bake-Off moves from the BBC to Channel 4

Review: “This Beach” by Brokentalkers Theatre at Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

Sophie Gorman reviews “This Beach” by Brokentalkers Theatre, a story inspired by the migration crisis in Europe and the refugees who are washed-up on Mediterranean beaches; it is at the New Theatre as part of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

'Helen and I' by Meadhbh McHugh

Meadhbh McHugh whose first play “Helen and I” debuts at Druid Galway before transferring to the Dublin Theatre Festival; it’s about two sisters and explores themes including mental illness, single motherhood and the death of a parent

'Bright, Precious Days' by Jay McInerney

Jay McInerney chats about his novel “Bright, Precious Days”, the third in his series about the lives of Manhattan couple Russell and Corrine Calloway, it is set in the 1990’s and they are now in middle-age (published by Bloomsbury)

Album reviews

Zara Hedderman and Simon Maher review “Skeleton Tree” from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Schmilco” from Wilco and “Science Agrees” from D.A.R.K.

Penny Arcade, performance artist at Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival 2016

New York playwright, actress and performance artist Penny Arcade talks about how her passion for living an ‘authentic’ life informs her one-woman show “Longing Lasts Longer” comes to the Peacock stage at the Abbey for of the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival

Sam Lee, folk musician

British folk musician Sam Lee explains why he is passionate about collecting folk songs for posterity, which he then records and re-imagines

'Composing The Island' remembers Ina Boyle and Frederick May

Abie Philbin Bowman profiles the lives of two lesser-known Irish composers - Ina Boyle and Frederick May; their work is being remembered in the “Composing The Island: In Ireland” series at the National Concert Hall

Film reviews

Ruth Barton and Hilary White review “Anthropoid”,“Hell or High Water” and “Captain Fantastic”

Arts News

with Abie Philbin Bowman - television rights have been bought for 'The Glorious Heresies' by Lisa McInerney, Paul Auster's 'City Of Glass' to be adapted for stage, an open call to artists to create site-specific work in Dublin Port

“The Woman Is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II” by Smashing Times Theatre

Deirdre Kinahan and Mary Moynihan of Smashing Times Theatre chat about their play “The Woman Is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II”, a re-imagining of moments from the lives of women during World War II

Review: “The Schooldays of Jesus” by JM Coetzee

Eithne Shortall reviews “The Schooldays of Jesus” by JM Coetzee, continuing the story of a young boy called Jesus and the man and woman who become his parents as they all attempt to create a new life in a new country (published by Harvill Secker)

'Breaking Rainbows' by Orla Barry at the Dublin Theatre Festival 2016

Orla Barry explains her show “Breaking Rainbows”, a live performance/video installation inspired by sheep farming, singing competitions in ancient Greece and our relationship with the natural world; it is part of the Dublin Theatre Festival

Arts News

with Alan Corr - National Campaign for the Arts meets Oireachtas Arts Committee to discuss strategy, Australian writer wins The Moth Short Story competition, Bruce Springsteen reveals his recent struggles with depression

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