The Performance of My Life

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

Drama

First-person monologues from renowned actors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In this series of single-voice narratives, celebrated stars of the late 19th and early 20th century theatre share memories of the performances that changed their lives forever.

Alone in their dressing room and away from the glare of the spotlight, this is the precious time when an actor has the chance to reflect on the most momentous events of their lives on the stage.

In this series of single-voice narratives, five of our most celebrated stars of the late 19th and early 20th century theatre share memories of the performances that changed their lives forever. 

The stories are, by turn, touching, hilarious, emotionally-charged, heart-warming and poignant. Each of them, in their own way, is delightfully counterintuitive - familiar characters maybe, but each with an unfamiliar story to tell.

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The Performance of My Life: Land of My Fathers

Land of My Fathers

BBC Radio 4 - The Performance of My Life, Land of My Fathers

Paterson Joseph is Paul Robeson in Land of My Fathers by Roy Apps.

In Land of My Fathers by Roy Apps, Paterson Joseph is the American actor and singer, Paul Robeson, who is in a Welsh Chapel Schoolroom, waiting to give a very special performance.

Alone in their dressing room and away from the glare of the spotlight, this is the precious time when an actor has the chance to reflect on the most momentous events of their lives on the stage.

In this series of single-voice narratives, five of our most celebrated stars of the late 19th and early 20th century theatre share memories of the performances that changed their lives forever. 

The stories are, by turn, touching, hilarious, emotionally-charged, heart-warming and poignant. Each of them, in their own way, is delightfully counterintuitive – familiar characters maybe, but each with an unfamiliar story to tell.
 
In Land of My Fathers, the year is 1930 and we find ourselves in a draughty chapel schoolroom in the Rhondda Valley, where the great American social activist, actor and singer Paul Robeson, is waiting to join the local male voice choir in a very special performance. 

Writer: Roy Apps
Reader: Paterson Joseph
Director: Celia de Wolff
Executive Producer: Peter Hoare
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4

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