Libby Purves meets director Polly Findlay; writer Huan Hsu; comedian and performer Deborah Frances-White and Jane Dolby, founder of the Fishwives Choir.
Huan Hsu is a journalist and academic. In his book, The Porcelain Thief, he tells the story of his great-great-grandfather Liu, a scholar in the late 19th century who lived in the village of Xingang in China. In 1938, as the Japanese army approached, he buried his collection of prized porcelain in a vault in the ground before fleeing with his family. Huan's family eventually settled in the US and the treasure remained buried. It wasn't until eighty years later that he decided to go to China to look for it. The Porcelain Thief is published by Fourth Estate.
Polly Findlay is an award-winning director whose production of The Merchant of Venice stars Makram Khoury as Shylock. A former child actor, Polly started out as an assistant director at the National Theatre and her recent productions include Arden of Faversham and Treasure Island. The Merchant of Venice is at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Deborah Frances-White is a comedian and writer. Her four-part BBC Radio series, Deborah Frances-White Rolls The Dice, is the story of how she tracked down her biological mother. Adopted at ten days old and brought up in Australia, Deborah began the search for her family after moving to the UK to study. As a performer she has toured the country with solo stand-up shows and performed in London's West End and at the Edinburgh Festival. Deborah Frances-White Rolls The Dice is broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Jane Dolby was a single mother when she fell in love and married the fisherman who lived next door. They had two children together before Colin was lost at sea during a freak storm in 2008 while out fishing in the Thames Estuary. Without a proof of death Jane struggled financially and was supported by the Fishermen's Mission charity. To thank the charity Jane founded the Fishwives Choir which is currently touring the UK. Song of the Sea by Jane Dolby is published by Orion Books. Show less