Details of an event at BFI Southbank. The event launches the full retrospective of all surviving editions of Play for Today at the new mediatheque - 30 plays are available in May and six more each subsequent month.
PLAY FOR TODAY EVENT AT BFI SOUTHBANK (NATIONAL FILM THEATRE)
SATURDAY 19th MAY
BAR MITZVAH BOY 2.30pm
Jack Rosenthal's bittersweet comedy shows the lighter side of Play for Today. A teenage Jewish boy comes of age - his bar mitzvah provoking a family crisis. Fondly remembered but unavailable for years, this comic masterpiece shows the subtlety and range of writing in British TV drama in this period
PLAY FOR TODAY DISCUSSION 4.30PM
How did Play for Today work and what were its achievements? We will also consider its legacy on today's TV.
The panelists will be drama producer Irene Shubik, who co-produced both the Wednesday Play and Play for Today strands; writer Trevor Griffiths, who scripted four Play for Todays, including Comedians and Country; director Michael Tuchner (Bar Mitzvah Boy); and Dr Dave Rolinson, a lecturer at the University of Hull who specialises in British TV Drama and runs the Play for Today online resource. The panel will be chaired by Dr Helen Wheatley, a Lecturer at the University in Warwick with research interests in many aspects of British TV, particularly drama.
DESTINY 6.15pm
David Edgar's taut and gripping drama shows the insidiousness of extremism as racial tensions explode in a Midlands town, exploited by the far right. As relevant today as the day it was transmitted, Destiny always avoids easy answers as it makes us think about identity and fear in society.
For tickets call box office on 020 7928 3232 or go to <http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/southbank/events/>
Joint and single tickets available.
Phil Wickham
TV Curatorial Unit
British Film Institute
21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN
Direct Dial 020 7957 4730
020 7255 1444 x 4730
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