The Almeida Theatre has launched the third and final series of Figures of Speech, its major digital film project exploring the vitality of speech, the power of performance, and what visionary leadership sounds like.
The first instalment of series three is released today with Andrew Scott delivering American laywer and judge Edith Sampson’s 1965 speech ‘Choose One of Five’ and continues over the next three weeks with films featuring Amanda Abbington, Pearl Mackie, Tobias Menzies and Iwan Rheon. They will perform significant speeches from pioneers, politicians and activists throughout history. The new films continue to examine what leadership means and the power of the spoken word in the 21st century.
Figures of Speech places history’s greatest speeches centre stage through an anthology of films read by a range of actors released online, building a concert of dynamic voices and ideas from across the world as a dramatic response to social crisis.
The project launched in May 2017 and the first two series have featured speeches delivered by American politician Harvey Milk spoken by Ian McKellen; Virginia Woolf spoken by Fiona Shaw; Malcolm X spoken by Cush Jumbo; and American aviator Charles Lindbergh spoken by Russell Tovey.
Figures of Speech is available for free via a dedicated mini-site: speech.almeida.co.uk
