Not True, But Useful... A Cheek by Jowl Podcast
Join Cheek by Jowl's Artistic Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod in 'Not True, But Useful…' a podcast series all about theatre, acting, directing, and life. Produced, hosted and edited by Lucie Dawkins, with additional support from Cheek by Jowl. Series theme music by Pavel Akimkin (Series 1) and Paddy Cunneen (Series 2, 3 and Bonus Episodes). Read the Edited Transcripts of Series 1 here: www.cheekbyjowl.com/learning/edited-podcast-transcripts/
Episodes
47 episodes
Series 5, Episode 2: Advice to Self
Declan and Nick think about advice they give to themselves when they are making a play, and the problem of letting yourself get in the way of the work. Even after four decades of rehearsing, they keep making notes to self.
•
Season 5
•
Episode 2
•
15:50
Series 4, Episode 12: Time
Time is never the character’s friend - but this makes it useful to the actor. In this episode, Declan chats to Lucie about time in Shakespeare’s texts, and how there is never enough of it. He emphasises the importance of liveness in theatre, an...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 12
•
15:49
Series 4, Episode 11: Treacherous Exercises
Declan talks to Lucie about a question he can’t stand: can he share the exercises he uses in the rehearsal room? He urges directors to ask not for a technique, but for what they’re trying to achieve, and talks about how he himself is constantly...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 11
•
17:00
Series 4, Episode 10: Flow
Lucie talks to Declan about his favourite word in the rehearsal room: Flow. Flow is like love, like a football match, like a good evening spent with friends. For actors, flow is being a part of the living thing on the stage, and focusing what’s...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 10
•
13:05
Series 4, Episode 9: The Art of Forgetting Things
Declan presents an unusual piece of advice to actors: forget things. He talks to Lucie about how this allows the actor to be truly present as the character on stage, trusting what they need will be there when they need it.
•
Season 4
•
Episode 9
•
13:31
Series 4, Episode 8: Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is another longstanding problem that most actors face. For Declan, however, it is not unique to actors: the characters of Shakespeare’s plays all go through these same feelings. In this episode, Declan talks to Lucie about how...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 8
•
19:25
Series 4, Episode 7: The Problem of Not Feeling
In this episode, Declan chats to Lucie about the age-old problem actors face of not ‘feeling’ what their character feels, and whether the character themselves might be feeling anything at all. Declan talks about the theatre of feeling in everyd...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 7
•
15:08
Series 4, Episode 6: Oedipus
In this episode, Declan and Lucie discuss the transgression and intensity of Sophocles' classic tragedy, Oedipus. They talk about Declan and Nick's upcoming production of Oedip Rege in Craiova, how ideas can drastically change over a p...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 6
•
15:59
Series 4, Episode 5: Shakespeare and Love
In this episode, Declan and Lucie discuss the subject of love in As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet. They talk about the BBC Open University documentary on Cheek by Jowl's production of As You Like It, which you can ...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 5
•
19:55
Series 4, Episode 4: To Be Or Not To Be
Beginning with a reading of Hamlet, Declan dives deep into the universal themes of (non-)existence, futility, and being driven by the fear of anonymity. This episode contains brief mention of suicide when discussing the text of Hamlet. <...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 4
•
18:33
Series 4, Episode 3: The Element of Surprise
In this episode, Declan and Lucie talk about the issue of heightened behaviour and the act of being surprised on stage and on screen.The music in this episode was composed by Sergey Chekryzhov for Cheek by Jowl's
•
Season 4
•
Episode 3
•
17:57
Series 4, Episode 2: Body and Meaning
This week, Declan joins Lucie to discuss the limitations of language and how the body ought to be prioritised in the rehearsal space.The music in this episode was composed by Sergey Chekryzhov for Cheek by Jowl's
•
Season 4
•
Episode 2
•
21:06
Series 4, Episode 1: Character Revisited
In this first episode of our winter mini-series, Declan revisits 'character', a much discussed subject, and questions how useful it may be in rehearsal to the actor and director exploring a play. The music in this episode was composed b...
•
Season 4
•
Episode 1
•
17:33
Series 4 Trailer...
We're back with some special bonus episodes for the cold winter months...Subscribe to 'Not True, But Useful...' on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts to listen to each new episode as soon as they're released.
•
Season 4
•
1:20
Series 3, Episode 9 - Extra Tagliatelle
To mark 40 years since our first ever touring production - The Country Wife - we're delighted to release a bonus episode of Series 3. Declan and Nick join Lucie one more time to discuss their four decades of work as Cheek by Jowl...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 9
•
19:15
Series 3, Episode 8 - Troilus and Cressida
Declan and Nick discuss Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare's scathing anti-war satire on glory, chivalry and doomed love. Find out why the play is possibly the most un-Shakespearean of Shakespeare's plays, the dangers of 'truth',...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 8
•
32:33
.jpg)
Series 3, Episode 7 - Much Ado About Nothing
Declan and Nick take a deep dive into one of Shakespeare's best loved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing. They join Lucie to discuss the darkness beneath the play's lightness, the horror and dread in Beatrice and Benedick's love s...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 7
•
33:21
Series 3, Episode 6 - The Revenger's Tragedy
Ahi ahi ahi ahi! This week’s discussion takes us back to Piccolo Teatro di Milano and Cheek by Jowl’s last live onstage production before the lockdown of 2020, The Revenger’s Tragedy by Thomas Middleton. In this episode, Decla...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 6
•
32:54
.jpg)
Series 3, Episode 5 - Measure for Measure
This week, Declan and Nick talk the politics of acting, the importance of ensemble, and the danger of logic in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. More information about Cheek by Jowl's 2013-19 production of Measure for Measure ...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 5
•
39:13
.jpg)
Series 3, Episode 4 - Three Sisters
If you think Chekhov’s plays are about nothing happening, think again. This week, Declan, Nick and Lucie discuss Three Sisters, another play of love, loss and self-deception in which – from the very first line - the protagonists are fa...
•
Season 3
•
Episode 4
•
36:58
.jpg)
.jpg)