It’s no secret that Oxford has long been an idealised location for film sets; official-looking SUVs with blacked-out windows and attendants in high vis parading up and down Catte Street and around the Rad Cam are a not-unfamiliar sight.
Ideally, we should strike a balance; an awareness of the reality of life at Oxford can co-exist with an appreciation of its grand architecture and historical atmosphere.
The convention which now seems part-and-parcel of theatre wasn’t always there – indoor venues and developments in lighting provided new staging opportunities. But what is the theatrical blackout for?
Julian Barnes’ third of three essays 'The Loss of Depth’ is an epilogue in form and in subject-matter, trapping the pulse of his wife’s memory in his intimate and moving portrait of grief.