What does Englishness sound like?

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by musician, songwriter, and activist Billy Bragg for an electric conversation about England - its flags, its contradictions, and its capacity for protest.

Billy and Josephine dig into what it means to love a country and argue with it at the same time. They explore the politics of the English flag, the radical traditions buried in folk music, and whether a song can actually change the world. Billy even sings.

The conversation spills into Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production, a state-of-the-nation play set in a pub, born out of four years of travelling England and listening to over 700 people talk about the country they want to live in. It's the kind of England Billy Bragg has been singing about for decades, and it turns out he has a lot to say about it.

Because if anyone has spent a lifetime making the case for a different kind of Englishness, one rooted in solidarity, humour, and dissent, it's Billy Bragg.

Our Public House is touring England, opening at Leeds Playhouse from May 15th before touring to Prescot, Coventry, Sheffield, Cornwall and London. Find out more at https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

This episode is part of Dash Arts' Albion series - an ongoing exploration of what it means to be English today.

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Billy Bragg photo by Murdo MacLeod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes someone English - and who gets to decide?

In this episode of Off Script, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh, born in India, raised in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, and educated in the UK, whose internationalism has always been at the heart of her practice.

Shobana and Josephine explore what Englishness and Britishness actually mean, and why the tension between them matters. Shobana reflects on how English literature and a culture of open debate shaped her own values, even as she felt, in many ways, an outsider looking in.

At the centre of the conversation is Shobana's production We Caliban, which draws on Shakespeare's The Tempest to interrogate the encounter between non-European cultures and the colonising gaze of Prospero. It's a work about empire, migration, and the questions that remain stubbornly unresolved. The Tempest is also the source material for Dash Arts’ forthcoming production, Our Public House.

Together, Josephine and Shobana make the case for why the arts, more than politics or policy, can hold the complexity that simple definitions of belonging refuse to.

You can now buy tickets for our new touring theatre production, Our Public House. Find out more on the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Englishness mean to you?

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts’ Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by journalist, writer, and Editor-in-Chief of Byline Times, Hardeep Matharu, for a wide-ranging conversation about the complex and overlooked stories shaping contemporary England. Drawing on her work leading an independent, reader-funded news outlet committed to investigative journalism and democratic accountability, Hardeep brings a sharp perspective on the narratives that dominate public life — and those that are too often ignored.

This podcast series sits within Dash Arts’ ongoing exploration of landscape and language, Albion, from reimagining Middlemarch in 1980s Coventry to running speech-making workshops with over 700 people across the UK. Throughout these projects, we’ve been listening closely to how people express identity, voice, and place.

In 2026 Albion will culminate with our new touring theatre production, Our Public House. Get your tickets and to find out more on the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts' Artistic Director Josephine Burton takes us inside the rehearsal room and into the pub, as she introduces the people and ideas behind Our Public House, Dash Arts' new touring theatre production and the culmination of the Albion series.

Josephine reflects on three years of speech-making workshops with over 700 people across the country, from community centres, schools, working men’s groups to HMP Styal, and what she has learned about who we are, and who we could be. She talks about how those voices have shaped the play, and how 150 of the people who inspired it will step onto the stage alongside the professional cast.

She's joined by several guests including BSL Consultant Charly Arrowsmith, who talks about the work happening behind the scenes to build a production that speaks, in every sense, to everyone; by actor Lauren Moakes, who reflects on what it meant to meet inmates at HMP Styal and how that encounter will ground her performance; and by playwright Barney Norris, who takes us into the heart of a play about a community that has lost faith in politics and what happens when it finds its voice again.

Set in a struggling pub on election night, Our Public House is a play about Englishness: who we are, what we've lost, and what we might still become. It sits at the very heart of Albion.

Join us as we ask: what kind of future can we imagine together?

Our Public House tours England in 2026. Get your tickets and find out more on the Dash Arts website: https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

You also hear a preview of Community by Jonathan Walton, arranged by Yaniv Fridel

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts’ Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by Jeremy Deller for a wide-ranging conversation about how art uncovers the contradictions, radical traditions, and hidden stories that shape contemporary England.

Jeremy and Josephine reflect on why Englishness remains so slippery to define; how popular culture, folk traditions, and street art reveal who we really are.

Dash Arts has been digging into landscape and language — from reimagining George Eliot’s Middlemarch in 1980s Coventry, to running speech-making workshops with more than 600 people across the country. We’ve been listening to who we are — and who we could be.

Join us as we ask: what does Englishness mean to you?

In 2026 Albion will culminate with our new touring theatre production, Our Public House. Get your tickets and to find out more on the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

This podcast is marked explicit for language only.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Albion - our exploration of what it means to be English, and what we mean by England.

In this episode of OffScript, Dash Arts’ Artistic Director Josephine Burton is joined by Caroline Lucas for a thoughtful and urgent conversation about Englishness - beyond flags and nostalgia.

Drawing on her book Another England, Caroline shares her thoughts on how land, belonging and identity shape our politics and our culture; how England’s stories have been constructed and contested; and why reclaiming a generous, complex vision of England matters now.

Since 2022, Dash Arts has been digging into landscape and language - from reimagining Middlemarch by George Eliot in 1980s Coventry, to running speech-making workshops with more than 600 people across the country. We’ve been listening to who we are — and who we could be.

Join us as we ask: what does Englishness mean to you?

Albion will culminate in 2026 with our new touring theatre production, Our Public House. Get your tickets and to find out more on the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/our-public-house

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean to stay balanced and grounded in a shifting world?

This episode of OffScript was recorded live at STEADY, the second event in Dash Arts’ We Are Free To Change The World series. Through live performance and conversation, the evening focused on staying; on staying open without burning out, staying yourself in dialogue without collapsing into agreement or disagreement and staying human amid pressure, speed and polarisation.

Hosted by Dash Arts’ Artistic Director Josephine Burton, with Natasha Walter, Liz Slade, Tasneim Zyada, and Mohammed Ali, the contributors shared perspectives rooted in activism, faith, art and lived experience. Together, they reflect on what it means to remain grounded while responding to a world in flux — and how steadiness itself can be a radical, collective practice.

Find out more about their work here:

Natasha Walter - www.natashawalter.co.uk

Liz Slade - www.elizabethslade.uk

Tasneim Zyada - www.instagram.com/tasneimzyada

Mohammed Ali - www.artofmohammedali.com

The live event was co-presented by Dash Arts, Arts Admin and Fete of Britain.

Get your tickets for the live events for We Are Free To Change The World by going to the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/we-are-free

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of OffScript Josephine Burton is joined by Professor Lyndsey Stonebridge. They delve into Hannah Arendt's belief in collective action as the essence of freedom.

Lyndsey discusses Arendt's life, her impact on political philosophy, and her relevance in contemporary social movements. Exploring how her theories inspire artists and activists today, the conversation highlights Arendt's idea of politics as something we perform in public and the power of human resilience and action.

Get your tickets for the live events for We Are Free To Change The World by going to the Dash Arts website : https://www.dasharts.org.uk/we-are-free

Our intro music is Fakiiritanssi by Marouf Majidi

Photo of Lindsay Stonebridge by Ione Saizar.

---

Headlines in the episode:

00:00 Introduction to OffScript

00:46 Exploring Freedom with Lyndsey Stonebridge

02:56 Hannah Arendt's Life and Influence

12:51 The Relevance of Arendt's Ideas Today

23:24 Art, Performance, and Political Action

28:42 Navigating Dark Times with Hope

40:22 Conclusion and Upcoming Events

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.