In this second episode, John Yorke digs deeper into Euguene O’Neill’s 1921 play “Anna Christie” – about an estranged daughter who is reunited with her sea captain father, and falls in love with a sailor. The play examines identity, family and sexual politics, and asks questions about love, faith, redemption, resilience and forgiveness.

John asks how and why the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning dramatist introduced realist theatre to the US, looks at Eugene O’Neill’s influence and legacy, and asks what we should make of “Anna Christie” today.

John Yorke has worked in television and radio for over 30 years and shares his experience as he unpacks the themes and impact of the books, plays and stories dramatised in BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Drama series. As former Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production he has worked on some of the most popular shows in Britain; from EastEnders to The Archers, Life on Mars to Shameless. He created the BBC Writers Academy and trained a generation of screenwriters, now with thousands of hours of television to their names. His acclaimed books Into the Woods and Trip to the Moon explore the structure and power of narrative, and he writes, teaches and consults on all forms of storytelling, including many podcasts for Radio 4.

Contributor:

Robert M. Dowling, professor of English at Central Connecticut State University, author of the biography Eugene O’Neill: A Life in Four Acts.

From the BBC archives:

Playwright Arthur Miller, from Changing Stages: America, 19 Nov 2000. Actor Natasha Richardson, from Woman’s Hour, 18 June 1990.

Credits:

Excerpts from “Anna Christie” by Eugene O’Neill, 1921, including Ruth Wilson in the 2011 Donmar Warehouse production. Excerpt from the 1930 film adaptation of “Anna Christie” starring Greta Garbo.

Researcher: Henry Tydeman Sound: Sean Kerwin Producer: Jack Soper Executive Producer: Sara Davies Production Hub Coordinator: Dawn Williams A Pier Production for BBC Radio 4 & BBC Sounds