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.