THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VALASNA
Drama on 3, BBC Radio 3 July 29th, after the Prom.
The Two Gentlemen of Valasna adapted for radio from The Two Gentlemen of Verona by Roger Elsgood and Willi Richards transposes Shakespeare's early romantic comedy from pre-risorgimento Italy to neighbouring Princely States in British India in the days leading to the 'Indian Mutiny' in 1857. The production was recorded entirely on location in Maharashtra, India, with an all-Indian cast including Anu Menon, Avantika Akerkar and Suchitra Pillai with Nadir Khan and Arghya Lahiri in the title roles. The music is by the award-winning slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya.
Adaptation by Roger Elsgood and Willi Richards
Location recording and post production supervision Giovanni Sipiano
Indian line production and casting agent Nadir Khan The Industrial Theatre Co, Mumbai
Directed by Willi Richards
Produced by Roger Elsgood
OCCASIONAL OFFICES
Between The Ears for BBC Radio 3
Occasional Offices is a celebration of Thomas Cranmer's words for the Occasional Offices in the 1662 Book Of Common Prayer. These works, some of the most beautiful passages of 17th-century English, are explored by Roger Elsgood, in a collaboration with audio artist Scanner. The programme features a succession of passages from the Occasional Offices: the Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth, the Solemnisation of Matrimony, the Visitation of the Sick, the Burial of The Dead and the Baptism of Infants. These texts are delivered by the Reverend Dr. Peter Mullen in services and celebrations in the Church of St Michael's Cornhill, a bastion of the King James Bible and the 1662 Book Of Common Prayer in the City of London. The soundscape is significantly made from Scanner's oratorio Track And Trace (2005). The location recording and post production is by Giovanni Sipiano.
Produced and directed by Roger Elsgood
Occasional Offices was discussed by Ian MacMillan, the Reverend Peter Mullen, Rector of St. Michael's Cornhill and the Very Reverend Colin Slee Dean of Southwark on The Verb, Radio 3's Saturday night 'cabaret of the spoken word' which immediately preceeded the transmission
"An extraordinary listen". BBC Radio 4 Pick Of The Week
Occasional Offices is available for download at www.apple.com/itunes/
KING TRASH
The Friday Play for BBC Radio 4. Director Mike Hodges' second play in his radio trilogy, his take on King Lear in under an hour. With George Sewell, Cherie Lunghi and Michael Culkin.
Broadcast April 29th 2005
Sound design by Giovanni Sipiano
Directed by Mike Hodges
Produced by Roger Elsgood
'A radio play with great credentials. Written and directed by Mike Hodges, who took the same credits on the brilliant 1971 crime thriller Get Carter. This is Hodges's re-working of King Lear. An extremely well-told story of retribution - but not one for the faint-hearted'.
Radio Times
'A filthy, gritty and disturbing piece of work; a modern day Brighton Rock’.
The Guardian
THE MRICHHAKATIKAA
A 90' drama for BBC Radio 3. An adaptation for radio of a 5th century Sanskrit story by Roger Elsgood, Willi Richards and Graeme Fife which tells that only where there is real love can there be real forgiveness. The Mrichhakatikaa was recorded on location in Bombay and Khandala in November 2003 with an all-Indian cast including Dipika Roy, Denzil Smith and Rehaan Engineer and was broadcast on Sunday March 7 2004 and repeated on Sunday August.
Line Producer Nadir Khan, Industrial Theatre of Mumbai
Sound design John Hunt
Director Willi Richards
Producer Roger Elsgood
'Some Radio 3 controllers have played around with the drama on the network, fretting at the cost, tutting at the content. These days radio is the only place where plays longer than 90 minutes or more specialist in appeal can still be heard. There's no room for Shakespeare, Shaw or Sheridan on Radio 4, hardly more space for traditions of other cultures. Radio 3, with the smallest audience of any network, can risk its ratings and gain prestige for the BBC at the same time. Sunday night's play The Mrichhakatikaa, worthily forbidding though it sounded in prospect (5th century Sanskrit and all) was actually a delight: accessible, enchanting, funny, ingeniously adapted by Roger Elsgood and Willi Richards to show the past flowing into the present, recorded on location in India, absolutely beautifully acted. Listeners otherwise tuned missed a radio play that whirled you into other times and places but made sure you felt totally at home. If this was Charter Review programming, let's have more' .
Gillian Reynolds
The Daily Telegraph 09.03.04
SHOOTING STARS AND OTHER HEAVENLY PURSUITS
A 90' drama for BBC Radio 3 written and directed by Mike Hodges, the first of his radio trilogy starring Michael Gambon, Clive Owen, Michael Sheen, Gary Waldhorn, Kate Hardie, Simon Wilkinson and Alex Pascall.
Broadcast Sunday March
Sound design by John Hunt
Directed by Mike Hodges
Produced by Roger Elsgood.
'Another cracking play from Radio 3. Over on Radio 4 drama may be slipping into the worthy or the mundane, but on Radio 3 they're thinking big. This week's star-studded offering has Michael Gambon as a hotel night porter, Michael Sheen as a security man and Clive Owen as a shadowy observer. They are trying to coax a Hollywood superstar out of his hotel room and onto the film set, but for mysterious reasons the star is reluctant to budge. Written and directed by Mike Hodges of 'Get Carter' fame, this is a dark farce from someone who knows the form'.
Daily Mail 15.03 03
TO THE WEDDING
A drama for BBC Radio 3 based on John Berger's novel produced in collaboration with Theatre de Complicite. 1998. With Simon McBurney, Lilo Baur, Katrin Cartlidge, Kathryn Hunter, Annabel Arden, Richard Hope, Marcello Magni and Tim McMullan.
Sound design by John Hunt
Directed by Simon McBurney
Produced by Roger Elsgood
To The Wedding was the UK nomination for the 1999 Prix Italia
“Complicitie is welcome to return to radio whenever it likes; a triumphal plume in Radio 3's cap”.
Martin Hoyle The Financial Times
“A work of overwhelming grace and power, high feeling. and no tricksiness, a triumph of art in fact”.
Marcella Evaristi Glasgow Herald 06.12.97.
FUGITIVE PIECES
An original adaptation for BBC Radio 3 of Anne Michaels's Orange Prize-winning novel.1999. With Timothy Ackroyd, John Hug and Dee Hart.
Music specially composed by Trilok Gurtu and Robin Rimbaud.
Sound design by John Hunt
Adapted, directed and produced by Roger Elsgood
'Another chance to hear Roger Elsgood's remarkable adaption of the award-winning novel by Anne Michaels. Anyone who has read the book - an under-the-skin exploration of the Holocaust's legacy - will be wondering how all that layered poetic imagery could possibly adapt to the spoken word. The success of this production is that it uses creative elements more often found in contemporary music including sound textures by the audio artist Scanner'
Anne Karpf The Guardian 09.05.00
WILL IT BE A LIKENESS?
A 45' drama for BBC Radio 3 written and performed by John Berger for the artist Juan Munoz 1997
Sound design by John Hunt
Directed and produced by Roger Elsgood
"... I recently heard John Berger's Sunday Feature Will it be a Likeness? which was the most extraordinary, witty, perceptive piece about the nature of sound and the nature of silence - which was as challenging as any of the great Third Programme documentaries that are recalled as the peak of the network. That sort of inventiveness still goes on".
Nicholas Kenyon, Controller of BBC Radio 3 in conversation with Humphrey Carpenter in 'From The Third To Three' broadcast on Radio 3 October 1996 to mark the 50th anniversary of the network.
BERLIN PROJECT
A Between The Ears for BBC Radio 3. British artist Tacita Dean's first and mystically autobiographical work for radio.
Broadcast 12 January 2002.
Made by Tacita Dean
Post production sound by John Hunt
Produced by Roger Elsgood
In 2001 Art and Adventure producer Roger Elsgood and sound designer John Hunt had the privilege of working with the artist Tacita Dean making her first work for radio 'Berlin Project' for BBC Radio 3 broadcast on as a 'Between The Ears'. Berlin Project was a part of Tacita's exhibition 'Berlin Works' at Tate St. Ives and is now available, courtesy of BBC Radio, as a limited edition audio CD as part of the catalogue of the exhibition.
WORK IN PROGRESS
A 'Work in Progress' for BBC Radio 3 featuring the collaboration between Tacita Dean and Roger Elsgood during making of BERLIN PROJECT.
Broadcast 06-11 January 2002
Director Frances Byrnes
BBC Bristol 2002
WHEN SHURA MET HOBEY
An Interval Feature for BBC Radio 3 following the return of Ukranian pianist Shura Cherkassky to Odessa, his birthplace and his encounter with Hobart Earle conductor of the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. 1996.
Directed by Ash Kotak
Produced by Roger Elsgood
A SHADOW INTO THE FUTURE
A 45' feature for BBC Radio 3 based on Geoff Dyer's book 'The Missing Of The Somme' 1997.
With Geoff Dyer and John Berger.
Sound design by John Hunt
Adapted directed and produced by Roger Elsgood.
|
