What do you get when you blend together some black comedy with a dash of theatre of the absurd, and add a sprinkling of political satire on the top? Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo is as acerbic and darkly raucous as it sounds, and the Wadham Moser production teeters on the brink between slapstick and in-your-face propaganda. This political farce, based upon the mysterious death of Giuseppe Pinelli, an anarchist railwayman, traces Inspector Bertozzo’s (played by Sam Lyon) increasingly desperate attempts to solve the enigma of Pinelli’s death. He is tormented all the while by the maniac (John Jenkins), who knows far more than he claims, and enjoys wielding this power over the sweaty detectives, who are kitted out appropriately in tacky police uniforms, complete with obligatory underarm sweat stains. Jenkins’ performance is lively and spirited, and he brings a wry edginess to the infuriatingly knowing maniac, who claims insanity but is savvy enough to know the precise psychological terms to describe his madness. However, he sometimes fails to be an endearingly ironic antihero, tending too much towards being irritatingly smarmy to the audience as well as to the hapless Bertozzo. He interacts well with Lyon, however, and their admirably choreographed tussles are pleasingly chaotic. Lyon’s portrayal of Bertozzo’s madness is somewhat heavyhanded, but he brings a feisty edge to the play’s dynamics. The Wadham Moser production has prudently veered away from the typical faux pas of staging Accidental Death of an Anarchist, ensuring that the political element does not drown in the sea of hyper-ironic self-reference, acerbic witticisms and slapstick comedy. This production uses projections of the protest rallies and state brutality, the most recent images being of the Genoa riots, as a reminder of the dark undercurrent of the play, the reality of violence and corruption at the core of the justice system. Another clever device is the Big Brother-style twist to this production, the play being imbued with the sense of being a documentary, certain scenes being replayed at intervals to express the plurality of perspectives in Fo’s theatrical landscape, which enhances the theme of deception and disguise that comes to the fore later in the play. Dario Fo maintains his wryly cynical stance throughout, and we cannot hope to satisfactorily solve the mystery of the anarchist’s ‘accidental’ death; in fact, the play raises more questions in our minds through the subtle nudges Fo gives us towards distrust in political and judicial authority. The Wadham Moser production may lack some subtlety of nuance and slightly hamfisted acting, but the innovative devices of which it makes use and its swift choreography make it a worthy production sure to push all the right buttons and leave the audience with a wry smile on their faces.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

It’s a worrying sign if highbrow newspapers such as The Guardian have referred to Abi Morgan’s Splendour as the most “baffling” play of the Edinburgh Fringe, where it premièred in 2000. Think of how many “baffling” plays there are each year at the Edinburgh Festival; now imagine how abstract Splendour must be if it’s on top of the pile. To get the gist of Splendour, think: Virginia Woolf ’s wonderfully poetic novel The Waves transformed into a modern play. But comparing Splendour with anything else demeans its extraordinary achievement: Abi Morgan manages to subvert and reinvent the concept of theatre as we know it. On the surface it is a seemingly trivial snapshot of the lives of four women in an Eastern European city. Beneath this banal façade is an extraordinarily complicated texture of stream-of-consciousness monologue mixed seamlessly with fragmented dialogue. Micheleine is the wife of a dictator, and whilst waiting for him to arrive home she entertains three guests in her mansion, one of whom is a photographer waiting to take a picture of her husband. Micheleine appears to be the quintessential self-assured hostess with ample poise, yet there is something distinctly malevolent and quietly hysterical in her: the “hostess’ disease”, she calls it, and though this type of role has been performed countless times before, Pia Fitzgerald revives the exhausted stereotype. Helen Prichard’s controlled performance of the bitter photographer, Katheryn, brings sharply into focus the startling difference between the dark nature of our interior monologues and the contrived civility of the censored words that we actually communicate to one another. The impressiveness with which all four actresses master the fluidity between these intricate speech patterns is truly stunning. As one character narrates, another simultaneously interprets her speech, whilst someone else drifts into a nostalgic reverie. However, the result is sometimes too fluid: it leaves the audience uncertain as to what is actually being spoken, directly addressing another character; and what is actually thought out loud. This, according to director Luke Sandler, is intentional, but occasionally its complexity borders precariously on the pretentious. But fortunately it never stays in this exasperating territory for too long: under the competant and skilful direction of Luke Sandler, Collapsible Theatre Company succeed in transforming what could potentially be utterly mundane, incomprehensible ramblings into profound and insightful observations. They make the abstract seem tenderly natural, which is a feat rarely achieved with any reasonable degree of success. Splendour is one of the most beautifully innovative plays I’ve ever seen.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

There is something inherently mysterious about the Oxford Revue: big names like Michael Palin and Alan Bennett are bandied around like secret handshakes. For one night only may the public infiltrate the depths of this inner sanctum of comic genius: do not miss it. Breaking with the age-old tradition of the habitual showdown with ‘the other place’, this year Cambridge have taken a hike. So, the show is Oxford dominated, divided into sketches by the Oxford Comedy Society, including stunning performances by a giant apple and a man in a grass suit (what more could one desire) followed by the Revue’s performance of The Lost Laugh. This is situation comedy at its most black and perversely funny. The ostensible plot follows Nelson (Drummond Moir) weedy, disaffected yet talented youth through a series of entanglements with a dead man’s ashes, a kinky priest and an aristocratic seducer. Yes, it all sounds very weird, and well, it is. Scene follows scene at breakneck speed, moving from the grotesque levity of an erotic encounter between Uncle Benjamin and Ms. Seeds to Susan’s gushing speech on the ephemeral nature of human life and the necessity of her boy’s return. Yet, the most memorable comic success is achieved by the numerous lines of sheer ebullient absurdity. Susan (Lauren Steventon) dismisses her son Nelson with the brilliant, “my hands can’t be bound with your umbilical cord” or “did I ever tell you Nelson, that you have your father’s penis?” A production like this really depends upon a strong cast and Jess Hurley and Lauren Steventon play their eccentric female leads with finesse, yet most impressive is Father Joseph who steals the show with his shameless indelicate comments and effusive over-acting. If you have a penchant for the macabre, and like to snicker wickedly at what is not quite politically correct, then the Oxford Revue will welcome you with open arms.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

Sheridan is funny. He has an exceptional ear for rhythm, he is master of the situation and has the ability to fool the audience into thinking they are going one way and suddenly take them in a different direction altogether. This production does not exploit all the available nuances: Sir Peter’s blusterings, while impressive for their length, have little spirit, emotion or backbone to them, and Rob Marshall’s portrayal of Sir Peter Teazle certainly has the monopoly on aristocratic plumminess. During his domestic row, emotionally he stays on the same plateau throughout the scene: variety is out the window. This isn’t helped a great deal by the characterisation of Lady Teazle (Alexa Maddison): rather than manipulative coquettishness we get a slightly nervous adolescent. This is not an unnerving portrait of a poorly motivated marriage dressed in laughter, but an echo of a lover’s tiff dressed in pomposity. All in all, for a play with great potential for wit, verve and an acerbic critique of human interaction laced with cynicism, the production in Worcester College Gardens falls sadly short of the mark. However, Sheridan’s wit transcends the inadequacies of this performance, and the stunning setting guarantees an enjoyable evening.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

The Labour Party Manifesto set a stiff challenge for the Party in Government – “our aim is to make the goal of ending child poverty in Britain a political litmus test for any political party running for office.” For me this challenge is at the heart of the Labour Party’s core values. But our ambitions do not stop with children. We have also set ourselves demanding targets to address pensioner poverty, joblessness and social exclusion. Our task is so urgent and so huge because of the divided society that the Tories left us with. We inherited one of the highest poverty rates in Europe, unemployment rose from just over 1 million to peak at 3 million and when we took office over 1 in 5 children were living in workless households. Since 1997 our policy has been to increase support for children whilst, through tax credits and labour market measures, helping parents into jobs and ensuring work pays. That’s why we have introduced both the New Deal, helping 1 million people into work, and provided record increases in child benefit, up 25% for the first child. It’s also why we introduced the National Minimum Wage, which by ending the scandal of poverty pay, both attacks poverty directly and also helps ensure that it pays to work. From this April the new Working Tax Credit will for the first time mean that all lower-earners aged over 25 – not just parents – will get in-work financial support. Together these measures put into practice Labour’s core values – getting more money, help and support to those who need it most. The average family with children gains £1200 a year, but the poorest gain £2400 a year. We want to go, and we are going, further. Childcare is essential in helping lone parents get back into work and since 1997 we have created over half a million childcare places. By 2006 we will have created a further 250000 places benefiting 1.6 million children. For pensioners we are introducing the Pension Credit in October that will provide a guaranteed level of income below which no pensioner should fall and rewarding those with small levels of saving. This reform of the welfare state together with our investment in public services is starting to yield real results in addressing social exclusion. We have seen a doubling of the rate of teenage mothers in education, employment or training from 16% in 1997 to 33% in 2001. We have also reduced by half a million the number of children in relative income poverty and of 1.8 million in the number in absolute poverty. With Labour we have seen a quarter of a million fewer children living in workless households than in 1997 and a million fewer pensioners living in absolute low income than 1997. We still have much more to do, as too many are still living in poor conditions denied the opportunities that many of the rest of us have. That’s why we have set ourselves tough targets of halving child poverty by 2010 as a step towards its elimination by 2020 and helping 70% of lone parents into jobs by 2010. As we move forward we must remember that poverty is about more than an arbitrary income level – poverty is a multifaceted problem. Addressing low income on its own is not enough and we must also prioritise the health, educational and housing opportunities of poorer people – tackling poverty of opportunity and aspiration, as well as deprivation in basic living standards. In our community in Oxford, the acute need for affordable housing, and meeting the needs of homeless people are pressing priorities. I have seen at first hand the contribution of many students who undertake voluntary work, at the Night Shelter, Simon House, the Bridge and other facilities. They deserve recognition and support, as do the students who provide the KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) programme of recreational and social activity for disabled young people. I know how highly this is valued by the young people and their families. These sides of Oxford student life too rarely feature in the media, but they are more representative of the values of our student community than some of the stories which do! So at community and voluntary level, as well as through statutory agencies and Government there is a lot we can be proud of, but there is much more to do so that we bring into effect our values, making Britain a fairer society. Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East, is Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
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The proposals to dramatically reduce the number of tutorials history undergraduates receive as part of their degree course is part of a worrying trend, and one that shows no signs of stopping until students wise up to the fact that cuts in tutorials will compromise the worth of their Oxford degree. Sixth Formers now see a degree as a commodity to be bought, not as the right it once was. Oxford’s unique selling point is the tutorial system, and before the University goes ahead with tutorial cuts in other subjects, as it already has with philosophy and other humanities, it should consult those who the cuts will affect them most. The focus should be on students, particularly as with dramatically increasing fees over the next few years, we will have more spending power. However over the last week the focus has shifted unnecessarily towards a discussion of the rights of consultation enjoyed by students when changes are proposed. The History Faculty must bear the bulk of the responsibility for this. A situation in which the relevant student representatives (the history UJCC) are only made aware of major changes being made to the teaching of their degrees via a third party and only after changes are all but finalised is clearly unacceptable. There is no suggestion that Oxford is making the slow move from tutorials to classes to improve the quality of undergraduate teaching. If this was the case, it would have been nice of the faculty to explain this to students in recent weeks. The suggestion, by some in the Faculty, that students were suitably consulted because similar proposals were put several years ago to (and rejected by) a previous UJCC is laughable. It would allow any changes to be made without reference to students as long as sufficient time had elapsed since the matter was discussed with them. It should be noted that neither OUSU or the UJCC has ruled out the possibility of supporting changes to teaching methods. The real issue then is why are these changes being suggested? If they follow from a need to save money on undergraduate teaching then the motive is weak in comparison to the future of student’s degrees. The argument that tutorials should be cut to reduce stress on tutors and encourage research does not avoid the label of being resource based and as such should be taken with caution. However, if these changes stem from a genuine wish to improve the educational experience of students at Oxford then they should be welcomed. Conservative attitudes to teaching methods can be just as damaging to standards as finance driven cuts. The onus then is on the Faculty to prove that the changes they propose will improve teaching and that they are committed to a genuine partnership with students to implement reform.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

This last week I was in Boston, combining professional business with further fundraising activities. Two days were spent attending the Annual Meeting of the Research Libraries Group (an international library consortium which I chair, and whose work directly benefits Oxford in a number of key areas). Other time was spent making contact with potential donors and planning another fundraising dinner for the autumn. Being responsible for the centrally- funded libraries in the University including the world-famous Bodleian is both great fun and an enormous challenge. My two primary tasks right now are pushing ahead with the process of library integration (begun three years ago with the formal establishment of the Oxford University Library Services – OULS), and fronting an ambitious fundraising campaign, launched in 2002, and by means of which the OULS is planning to spend some £57 million by 2007-08 to revitalise its physical and technical infrastructure. With over £20 million already in the Campaign ‘bag’, an increasing amount of my time is being spent on fundraising. A Gala Dinner in Manhattan last October raised almost $1.5 million for the Campaign, and follow-up work has taken me to the States on six occasions since then. It’s all a far cry from what might be traditionally thought of as a librarian’s role; but then Oxford’s is no ordinary library system. Sustaining the collections of the Bodleian Library on a par with those of Harvard and Yale is no mean task, even though that’s what our users expect. The downturn in the world economy has made largescale fundraising more difficult; but with another £10 million yet to raise just to complete the wholesale refurbishment of the New Bodleian Library – originally built with Rockefeller Foundation money in the 1930s – we expect to rely quite heavily on American generosity. Back in Oxford after a comfortable flight (I was upgraded again, thanks to being classed as a ‘frequent flyer’), what remained of my week was spent catching up. A positive external review of library integration had been well received by the University Council, and the Curators of the University Libraries had been considering the senior library staff ’s responses to the review. With that, and a million other things to discuss after my days away (a difficult 2003-4 budget allocation to wrestle with, a major bid to the University’s Restructuring and Investment Fund to finalise, the filling of two senior staff posts to consider, a $1 million grant application to an American foundation to draft, and a host of follow-up letters and emails to write), I was glad when Friday evening arrived. A busy life, but one that I wouldn’t swap! Reg Carr is Director of University Library Services and the Bodley’s Librarian
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

As the nights get shorter, the river becomes more crowded with punts, tourists in row-boats, and the hundreds of rowers cramming in as many hours as they can on the river in an attempt to take part in the glorious Pimms-quaffing tradition that is Oxford Summer Eights, kicking off with Rowing- On taking place on Friday of 4th week. All eyes will not, however, be on the rowing-on divisions in Eights, but instead on both Headships. After Pembroke Men’s disasterous Torpids crash, they’ll be looking for revenge on the water, and have a stronger returning contingent of University rowers than Oriel that could lead to a close battle. Merton women, having come so agonisingly close to the Eights Headship last year, look to be on course to take victory this year following good results at the Bedford Regatta and their acquisition of the Torpids Headship earlier in the year. Further down the Men’s 1st Division, Magdalen look to be fielding a very strong Eight – stacked with no fewer than 5 oarsmen who represented Oxford over the Easter Vacation. In the Women’s 1st Division, St Hilda’s will also be looking to build on their Torpids success, chasing the Univ crew which bumped them back in 2001. Taking a look at the 2nd Divisions, Wadham men will be eagerly trying to bump up into Division One after their agonising 8 consecutive row-overs last year. Hot on their heels will, no doubt, be Univ, who chase a Brasenose crew losing several key oarsmen to Finals on the first day. Trinity looked strong at City Bumps and in Torpids, and surely crews ahead will be watching anxiously as they look to make amends after their relatively poor performance last year. Keble women should be upward movers, encouraged after their win at Bedford Regatta. A few final mentions; Corpus Christi should be closely watched, as despite languishing in the Men’s 3rd Division, they seem to have managed to find themselves the 3-man of the Blue Boat and a home-grown OUBC triallist to row for them in Eights. Also, the antics of the heavily-loaded Brasenose and Wadham Schools VIIIs should prove quite amusing to anyone up early enough to watch them race.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003

Sailing across the University has blossomed over the last few months, with the Oxford 1st team coming second over the Easter vacation in the BUSA team racing finals, and last Saturday and impressive number took part in the inter college cuppers competition. Nine teams entered from a total of seven colleges (Catz and New entering 2 teams) giving a total of 36 competitors of all abilities. A breeze that picked up during the morning was responsible for several capsizes but did help to produce some exciting racing. A rapid succession of races were at first dominated by teams with OU squad members, but soon other teams found their sea legs to put in some credible performances. In the semis Teddy Hall met Lincoln in a reincarnation of last years final, and Pembroke took on Queens. After being finalists for the last four years but only managing to win once, in 2000, this was to be Teddy Hall’s year, and having defeated Lincoln in the semi-final went on to beat Pembroke in the final in a best of 3 races showdown. All in all, Teddy Hall were deserving winners but with sailing at all levels of the University alive and kicking, they’ll have to fight to keep the cup next year.
ARCHIVE: 4th week TT 2003