Charleston Festival at Home
How to enjoy Charleston Festival from home
Swapping the picturesque grounds of the Charleston estate in South Downs National Park for the virtual sphere, Charleston Festival returns for its 31st edition with a 10-day line-up of big name speakers, spanning all corners of the arts world.
Every evening from 15 – 25 May, a new talk is being premiered on the Charleston Trust YouTube channel at 7pm. In a nutshell, the festival brings together an interdisciplinary line-up of creatives to explore art, literature and society, just like the Bloomsbury group did around the Charleston dining room table 100 years ago.
Here are the highlights to stream from the 2020 festival…
Playwright Tom Stoppard
Vienna: Fin de Siècle to Fascism – Tom Stoppard with Patrick Marber
When: Premieres Friday 15 May, 7PM
Hear from award-winning dramatist Tom Stoppard as he discusses his latest play Leopoldstadt with prize-winning playwright and director, Patrick Marber. Together, the pair will discuss the themes of the play, which traces the trajectory of the Jewish community of Vienna from crowded tenements, to the centre of artistic and intellectual life, to annihilation.
Undisciplined Art: Ai Weiwei with Tim Marlow
When: Monday 25 May, 7PM
From architecture to documentaries, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is renowned for making strong statements that resonate with contemporary issues around the world. Here, he discusses art that cannot be contained with broadcaster, art historian and chief executive of the Design Museum Tim Marlow.
Ordinary Lives & Devastating Truths: Tayari Jones with Alex Clark
When: Premieres Sunday 24 May, 7PM
US author Tayari Jones won the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction with her novel An American Marriage, and can now count Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey as among her readers. But many question why her earlier works were overlooked. Joining the festival from Atlanta, Jones is speaking to Alex Clark about her 2011 book Silver Sparrow. Together, they’ll explore the art of writing tangled relationships and the perils of young womanhood.
Carol Ann Duffy & Friends: In Green
When: Premieres Saturday 16 May, 7PM
Hear from former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy as she curates an evening of poetry on the theme of the environment and the artistic responses triggered by the current climate crisis. The event also features readings from poet, artist and Chancellor of Newcastle University Imtiaz Dharker; winner of the 2010 Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Ella Duffy; and former National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke.
Journalist and author Leïla Slimani
Sex, Lies & Woolf: Leïla Slimani with Rosie Goldsmith
When: Premieres Friday 22 May, 7PM
Leïla Slimani, the Franco-Moroccan writer and author of award-winning novels Lullaby and Adèle, is one of today’s most exciting international voices. Here, she speaks to Rosie Goldsmith about her novels, beliefs, and latest non-fiction book, Sex and Lies, a collection of essays giving a voice to young Moroccan women.
Bricks & Mortar: Hannah Rothschild and Julian Fellowes with Rebecca Rideal
When: Premieres Sunday 17 May, 7PM
A fitting addition for a festival that ordinarily takes place in a house with so much history: Oscar-winning screenwriter and author Julian Fellowes, and writer and documentary-maker Hannah Rothschild, are reading from their works and discussing buildings, history, family and writing with Rebecca Rideal.
Salman Rushdie in Conversation
When: Premieres Saturday 23 May, 7PM
Join award-winning author Salman Rushdie as he returns to Charleston Festival to discuss his life and work with writer and editor Erica Wagner. Among the topics discussed will be Rushdie’s latest novel Quichotte, ‘an epic for the modern age set in the contemporary US’.
All events are being streamed on Charleston Trust's YouTube channel and are free to watch
Every evening from 15 – 25 May, a new talk is being premiered on the Charleston Trust YouTube channel at 7pm. In a nutshell, the festival brings together an interdisciplinary line-up of creatives to explore art, literature and society, just like the Bloomsbury group did around the Charleston dining room table 100 years ago.
Here are the highlights to stream from the 2020 festival…
Playwright Tom Stoppard
Vienna: Fin de Siècle to Fascism – Tom Stoppard with Patrick Marber
When: Premieres Friday 15 May, 7PM
Hear from award-winning dramatist Tom Stoppard as he discusses his latest play Leopoldstadt with prize-winning playwright and director, Patrick Marber. Together, the pair will discuss the themes of the play, which traces the trajectory of the Jewish community of Vienna from crowded tenements, to the centre of artistic and intellectual life, to annihilation.
Undisciplined Art: Ai Weiwei with Tim Marlow
When: Monday 25 May, 7PM
From architecture to documentaries, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is renowned for making strong statements that resonate with contemporary issues around the world. Here, he discusses art that cannot be contained with broadcaster, art historian and chief executive of the Design Museum Tim Marlow.
Ordinary Lives & Devastating Truths: Tayari Jones with Alex Clark
When: Premieres Sunday 24 May, 7PM
US author Tayari Jones won the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction with her novel An American Marriage, and can now count Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey as among her readers. But many question why her earlier works were overlooked. Joining the festival from Atlanta, Jones is speaking to Alex Clark about her 2011 book Silver Sparrow. Together, they’ll explore the art of writing tangled relationships and the perils of young womanhood.
Carol Ann Duffy & Friends: In Green
When: Premieres Saturday 16 May, 7PM
Hear from former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy as she curates an evening of poetry on the theme of the environment and the artistic responses triggered by the current climate crisis. The event also features readings from poet, artist and Chancellor of Newcastle University Imtiaz Dharker; winner of the 2010 Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award Ella Duffy; and former National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke.
Journalist and author Leïla Slimani
Sex, Lies & Woolf: Leïla Slimani with Rosie Goldsmith
When: Premieres Friday 22 May, 7PM
Leïla Slimani, the Franco-Moroccan writer and author of award-winning novels Lullaby and Adèle, is one of today’s most exciting international voices. Here, she speaks to Rosie Goldsmith about her novels, beliefs, and latest non-fiction book, Sex and Lies, a collection of essays giving a voice to young Moroccan women.
Bricks & Mortar: Hannah Rothschild and Julian Fellowes with Rebecca Rideal
When: Premieres Sunday 17 May, 7PM
A fitting addition for a festival that ordinarily takes place in a house with so much history: Oscar-winning screenwriter and author Julian Fellowes, and writer and documentary-maker Hannah Rothschild, are reading from their works and discussing buildings, history, family and writing with Rebecca Rideal.
Salman Rushdie in Conversation
When: Premieres Saturday 23 May, 7PM
Join award-winning author Salman Rushdie as he returns to Charleston Festival to discuss his life and work with writer and editor Erica Wagner. Among the topics discussed will be Rushdie’s latest novel Quichotte, ‘an epic for the modern age set in the contemporary US’.
All events are being streamed on Charleston Trust's YouTube channel and are free to watch
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| What | Charleston Festival at Home |
| Price | £Free |
| Website | Click here for more information |