Front Row

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Front Row: Julie Hesmondhalgh, Christina McMaster, James Barnor

18/05/2021

Julie Hesmondhalgh, Christina McMaster, James Barnor

BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Christina McMaster, James Barnor

Julie Hesmondhalgh on theatres reopening, Lie Down and Listen, Photographer James Barnor

Julie Hesmondhalgh on theatres reopening, Pianist Christina McMaster on her Lie Down and Listen project, James Barnor photography retrospective at London's Serpentine Gallery

The actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, best known for Coronation Street and Broadchurch on TV, returns to the theatre for the opening night of her new play at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Modestly titled The Greatest Play in the History of the World… it is not only the first night of the tour but the first night the theatre has been open since last year. Julie takes a break from rehearsals to talk to Samira about how she is looking forward to being onstage again and the importance of theatre to  regional  towns. 

Lie Down and Listen is the idea behind a new series of classical music concerts being led by the pianist Christina McMaster.  She talks to Samira about how lying down helps both the mind and body listen to music.

A new photographic exhibition opening at The Serpentine Gallery in London shows the work of 91-year-old photographer James Barnor. He’s been working for 6 decades, first in his native Ghana where he captured the country’s move to independence, before coming to the UK in the 60s where he worked for Drum magazine, taking photos of the African diaspora. In the 70s he returned to Ghana as a pioneer of colour photography.

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Simon Richardson

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