Project overview
This research explores how musical theatre can be mobilised to examine complex intersectional politics, advance nuanced insight, and impact contemporary discourse. Drawing on the recent rise in historical musicals (e.g., Hamilton, Six, Operation Minced Meat), the project will develop and workshop a new, innovative, full-length musical for four singers and a band, retelling the life of Arthur Balfour and his convoluted attitudes to Jews. The research combines scholarship with artistic practice-research, affording unique ways of relating to the past, present, and future, and creating rich, affective, and multi-layered narratives. Through the lens of Balfour, the project will investigate and generate insights into antisemitism, colonialism, immigration, British politics, and on the staging and embodiment of politics in music.
Through music, theatre, allegory and humour, the piece will untangle Balfour’s seemingly paradoxical attitudes to Jews, and re-tangle these attitudes to contemporary politics. It focuses on Balfour’s key involvement in two of the most consequential British policies regarding Jews: The Aliens Act, an explicitly anti-Jewish law that paved the way for anti-refugee legislation for decades to come, and the Balfour Declaration, seen by many as an act of allyship with Jews, and as an act of war on Palestinians. To understand this seeming contradiction the research delves into the intersection of class, empire, and antisemitism. These legislations were not only impactful at their time, but remain crucial for understanding contemporary politics, and are a useful lens to interrogate current British policy at home and oversees.
The project chimes with the objectives and expertise of The Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, and the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice, and will be the first collaboration between them. It builds on and develops the pioneering work by colleagues researching both the Aliens Act (Kushner, Glover) and the Balfour Declaration (Levene) and will strengthen connections between departments. Additionally, the project generates knowledge exchange with external partners, collaborating with composer, theatre-maker, and activist Uri Agnon, who’s recent piece Antisemitism a (((musical))) was exemplary in using music and theatre to unpack British antisemitism, running in London and 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载, and Anand Productions, a theatre and opera production company specialising in new, political, writing. Uri completed his PhD at 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载 in 2023 and is now a 0.6 teaching fellow. The project is not part of his teaching role, but rather brings him in as an external practitioner/researcher with specific relevant expertise in political music-theatre composition, and creative research on antisemitism. In addition, a theatre director, music director, and four actor/singers will be brought into the team by Anand Productions. This seed funding will support a knowledge exchange workshop on the piece and will lead to applications for a larger grant (see below), which will see the realisation of the full research plan. It will also further the impact of 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载 researchers’ existing outputs on the Aliens Act and the Balfour Declaration and will advance the goals of Parkes and CMESJ, inserting their voices in the crucial public debates on Zionism and its history, immigration, and colonialism.
Through music, theatre, allegory and humour, the piece will untangle Balfour’s seemingly paradoxical attitudes to Jews, and re-tangle these attitudes to contemporary politics. It focuses on Balfour’s key involvement in two of the most consequential British policies regarding Jews: The Aliens Act, an explicitly anti-Jewish law that paved the way for anti-refugee legislation for decades to come, and the Balfour Declaration, seen by many as an act of allyship with Jews, and as an act of war on Palestinians. To understand this seeming contradiction the research delves into the intersection of class, empire, and antisemitism. These legislations were not only impactful at their time, but remain crucial for understanding contemporary politics, and are a useful lens to interrogate current British policy at home and oversees.
The project chimes with the objectives and expertise of The Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, and the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice, and will be the first collaboration between them. It builds on and develops the pioneering work by colleagues researching both the Aliens Act (Kushner, Glover) and the Balfour Declaration (Levene) and will strengthen connections between departments. Additionally, the project generates knowledge exchange with external partners, collaborating with composer, theatre-maker, and activist Uri Agnon, who’s recent piece Antisemitism a (((musical))) was exemplary in using music and theatre to unpack British antisemitism, running in London and 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载, and Anand Productions, a theatre and opera production company specialising in new, political, writing. Uri completed his PhD at 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载 in 2023 and is now a 0.6 teaching fellow. The project is not part of his teaching role, but rather brings him in as an external practitioner/researcher with specific relevant expertise in political music-theatre composition, and creative research on antisemitism. In addition, a theatre director, music director, and four actor/singers will be brought into the team by Anand Productions. This seed funding will support a knowledge exchange workshop on the piece and will lead to applications for a larger grant (see below), which will see the realisation of the full research plan. It will also further the impact of 天发娱乐棋牌_天发娱乐APP-官网|下载 researchers’ existing outputs on the Aliens Act and the Balfour Declaration and will advance the goals of Parkes and CMESJ, inserting their voices in the crucial public debates on Zionism and its history, immigration, and colonialism.
