Art and Adventure

Art and Adventure

creative content for broadcast, audio and performance

CHOWRINGHEE

Drama on 3 on BBC Radio 3 Sunday March 11th.

Directed by Willi Richards

Produced by Roger James Elsgood

THE ESSAY for BBC Radio 3 written and presented by Amit Chaudhuri recorded in Calcutta in November 2011 and broadcast in the week begining January 30th 2012 as part of the celebrations of Tagore's 150 birth anniversary.

Produced by Roger James Elsgood

MOGADISHU

Drama on 3 BBC Radio 3. Broadcast Sunday 23 October 2011.

Vivienne Franzmann's  visceral story of the events following an assault on a white female teacher by a troubled black student in a London secondary school and the teacher’s well meaning, but mis-guided attempts to protect him from the consequences of his actions. This production was a re-imagining for radio by the writer of her  award-winning stage production. 'Mogadishu'  won the George Devine for 'The Most Promising Playwright' and the Bruntwood Prize for Writing in 2010.  

With Candida Benson, Malachi Kirby, Jonathan Guy Lewis, Shannon Tarbet, Farshid Rokey, Tendayi Jambere, Chereen Buckley, Michael Karim, Ashley Campbell and Darren Saul.

Written by Vivienne Franzmann

Sound by Ross Adams

Directed by Willi Richards

Produced by Roger James Elsgood

Mogadishu was selected for 'Pick of the Week' BBC Radio 4, and preview choice in The Observer and The Telegraph on Sunday.

A MOMENT OF MISHEARING

BEAU GESTE

The Classic Serial BBC Radio 4 Sunday October 4 and Sunday October 10 2009

PC Wren's story of love honour and adventure set in Devon and north Africa written in the years following the Great War when the world was coming to terms with the birth of communism in Russia and National Socialism in Germany. Wren saw both as challenges to his notion of Englishness characterised by the proven social order of British colonial rule when a stiff upper lip and a finely tuned moral compass were essential components of a well-ordered society. Beau Geste was recorded on location in the UK and north Africa.

With Chris New, Rob Hastie, Michael Culkin, Timothy Ackroyd, Tessa Worsley, Candid Benson, Anthony Schuster, Nick Hockaday, Freddie Hill, Alex Hockaday, Hannah Sharp, Melissa Gardner, Nick Fletcher, Laurence Possa, Greg Wohead, Don Mousseau, Alasdair MacEwan, Max Bennett and Simon Scardifield.

Adapted by Graeme Fife.

Original music by Roger Pasto Cortina.

Location recording and post production supervision by Ross Adams.

Directed by Willi Richards.

Produced by Roger James Elsgood

Beau Geste was Preview Choice in  The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph and Radio Times which described it as '... old fashioned, but delightfully satisfying' .            

INFERNO   

Art and Adventure's audio production of INFERNO by Dante Alighieri with Corin Redgrave, Alex Jennings, Laurie Anderson, Arthur Brown and Chris New with music by Scanner is now available from Canongate Books .
Adapted and produced by Roger James Elsgood.
Directed by Willi Richards.

'This brave venture in presenting Dante's Inferno in 60 minutes works amazingly well. The Bosch-like cameos are so visual, the language so vivid, the sounds so atmospheric that I was as relieved as Dante to see that Heavenly light.
Rachel Redford, The Observer       

Art and Adventure's film INFERNO in which the soundtrack of our audio production is married with a visual treatment directed by Alexa Seligman using films and footage by an eclectic group of artists and film makers and other sources is now available as a theatrical release and on DVD.                            

NOWHERE TO BELONG - TALES OF AN EXTRAVAGANT STRANGER

Art and Adventure's audio production of Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's  acclaimed one-woman stage production commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company is available as a CD and a download from Merit International Publishing.

INSIDE THE TAJ

Art and Adventure was commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to make a feature on the aftermath of the terrorist attack at The Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay in November 2008. The programme was written and presented by Naresh Fernandes and produced by Roger James Elsgood.

'Inside the Taj' was Choice in six national newspapers and was featured in R4's 'Pick of the Week.'

ANGLOMANIA

Friday 11.00 BBC Radio 4 January 2nd 2009

A documentary feature for BBC Radio 4 about Germany's love affair with all things British presented by John F Jungclaussen.

Post production by Ross Adams

Directed and produced by Roger James Elsgood

Anglomania was Preview Choice in The Guardian, The Independent, Radio Times, The Times, The Telegraph

and was selected for BBC Radio 4 Pick of the Week.

'The water cooler programme of the week'. The Times

THE LAST TIME I SAW RICHARD

The Friday Play BBC Radio 4 November 28th 2008

The Last Time I Saw Richard is a documentary drama about the life and death of Sri Lankan journalist, actor and political activist Richard de Zoysa in February 1990. It was written by Roger James Elsgood and Willi Richards and based on texts and testimony by people who knew and worked with Richard de Zoysa. It was recorded entirely on location in Sri Lanka with a Sri Lankan cast in Sinhala, Tamil and English with Jehan Aloysius and Wassam Ismael in the leading roles.

Story consultant Rajiva Wijesinha
Location recording by Ross Adams
Post production by Johannes Schaff and Giovanni Sipiano
Directed by Willi Richards
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

'desperately sad listening'. The Times.

The making of The Last Time I Saw Richard was featured in articles in The Independent and The Stage.
It was Preview Choice in The Guardian, The Independent, Radio Times, The Times, The Telegraph and The Daily Express.
It was discussed on The Nihal Show on the BBC Asian Network and featured in a report on BBC World 'Asia Today'.
It was selected for BBC Radio 4's Pick of the Week.

WORLD SERVICE PACKAGES

BEFORE YOUR VERY EARS!

BBC Radio 4 Tuesday 15 July.

The history of magic, illusion and conjuring on radio. With contributions  from David Berglass, Uri Geller Paul Zenon and Darryl Rose.
Written and presented by Grant Gordon
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

Before Your Very Ears! was Preview Choice in The Times and The Guardian and was selected for BBC Radio 4's Pick Of The Week.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VALASNA
Drama on 3 BBC Radio 3 July 29th 2007.

The Two Gentlemen of Valasna adapted for radio from The Two Gentlemen of Verona by Roger James 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 India's first war of independence, 'the Indian mutiny' of 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 James 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 James Elsgood

'... not only beautifully spoken by beautiful voices, but exuding such joy in the doing as to raise the spirits'.
HP Raimes

'Even though the practice of listening to radio plays vanished in India by the early 1990s it takes little effort to sit through an hour and a half of this Shakespeare. Director Willi Richards draws out remarkably natural performances from his actors'.
Pronotti Datta
Time Out Mumbai

The Two Gentlemen of Valasna was Preview Choice in The Guardian, The Independent, Radio Times, The Times and The Telegraph. It was selected for BBC Radio 4's Pick of the Week.

OCCASIONAL OFFICES
Between The Ears for BBC Radio 3

"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's 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
Sound design by Giovanni Sipiano
Directed by Mike Hodges
Produced by Roger James 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 James Elsgood and Willi Richards 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 Indian cast including Dipika Roy, Denzil Smith and Rehaan Engineer and was first 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 James 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 James 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 James 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 by Roger James Elsgood  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 Scanner.
Sound design by John Hunt
Adapted, directed and produced by Roger James Elsgood

'Another chance to hear Roger James 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 Sunday Feature 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 James 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 James Elsgood

In 2001 Art and Adventure producer Roger James 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 James 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 James 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 James Elsgood.

THE RIVERHOUSE
A co-production with Ear-2-Ear Associates for Channel 4 Radio. The Riverhouse features the work of poets and musicians who use the spoken word with music. The programme features the work of John Foxx (late of Ultravox), audio artist Scanner, Big Number and Staff. It is presented by Grant Gordon (late of The Divine Comedy) and recorded in front of a live audience at The Master Shipwright's House Deptford.

Directed by Graham Frost.
Co-produced by Graham Frost and Roger James Elsgood

THE TERROR

Drawing on contemporary police files, eye-witness accounts, directives from the sinister Committee for Public Safety, heart-wrenching last letters from prisoners awaiting the final ride in tumbrels through Paris to the guillotine, Graeme Fife brilliantly recreates the pyschotic atmosphere of The Terror.
Written and read by Graeme Fife

An Art and Adventure production for Open Source Studios. Available at www.audioville.co.uk
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

NOBODY ELSE BUT ME

"The saxophone was as much a part of Stan Getz as his own voice," says writer and broadcaster Dave Gelly in this new account of the great jazz saxophonist. Stan Getz: Nobody Else But Me takes us on a voyage through the life and glorious music of Getz, a unique and highly personal artist who became one of the most successful musicians in the history of jazz despite a turbulent and often destructive private life.
Based on Stan Getz: Nobody Else But Me published by Backbeat Books.
Written and read by Dave Gelly

An Art and Adventure production for Open Source Studios. Available at www.audioville.co.uk
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

HOGARTH. THE COMPASSIONATE SATIRIST

William Hogarth, engraver, painter, satirist, man of his time lies in his studio hovering in that territory between wakefulness and sleep on the last day of his life. He is haunted by accusations of his household servants of using them as characters in his paintings. Being both a compassionate satirist and a passionate man he seeks to reconcile this use with his affection and respect for them. The stage production on which this recording is based was devised, written and performed by Timothy Ackroyd and Brian Sewell and directed by Peter O'Toole.
Performed by Timothy Ackroyd with an introduction by Brian Sewell.

An Art and Adventure production for Open Source Studios. Available at www.audioville.co.uk
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

THE BHAGAVHAD GITA

Roger James Elsgood's audio version of the Hindu spiritual text.

HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR

Roger James Elsgood's adaptation for radio of Marguerite Duras's screenplay

Art and Adventure is currently developing dramas, documentaries and features with:

Naresh Fernandes editor of Time Out Mumbai on Goan jazzmen and their influence
on Bollywood film soundtracks.

Grant Gordon late of The Divine Comedy on a raft of music and contemporary culture issues.

Edward Wilson on an adaptation of 'The Envoy'

Edwin Alexander on the sequel to 'Theft of the Master'

IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA WHICH YOU THINK WE COULD DEVELOP WITH YOU DO GET IN TOUCH.

If you are writer of radio drama you might like to look at the Writer's Market UK site and particularly at Roger James Elsgood's article 'Getting it Right for Radio'.(Register>login>Advice>Writing for Screen and Radio>Writing for Radio> more)www.writersmarket.co.uk