1001 Open Mic Nights: The Podcast

It's here. The moment has arrived. Our brand new musical 1001 Open Mic Nights opens THIS COMING MONDAY!! How exciting!! Have you got your tickets yet? If not then what are you waiting for?! Our extra special guest on the podcast this week is Lana, who gets us up to speed with the character you've not heard so much about Till Now (if you know you know), before taking us on a journey of nostalgia and excitement as we talk about our fave Fringe moments in history. If you're coming to see the show safe journey - we'll see you in Edinburgh!!

Attention guys, gals and non-binary pals - he's back again! Cast member and resident beatboxer Michael Colman returns to the podcast for an hour and a half of fun, frivolity and fascinating metaphors about carrots. We talk about mastering different styles of arranging for the modern a cappella age, and how to skillfully weave beatboxing into your performances without distracting both your group members and the audience. Michael is a master of beatboxing subterfuge so you should listen to him when he speaks. Also don't forget we've got our last virtual open mic night coming up on Monday 2nd August - it's your last chance to perform alongside our wonderful cast members, and we might even be hosting a little giveaway! Stay tuned on our socials for more.

We're back again with another special edition of the podcast! Join Olivia, Mollie and Rob for a closer look at their respective characters Liv, Lucy and Matt, and how each of them are dealing with the respective challenges of remote rehearsals. A lovely chat about Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal is rudely interrupted by Rob's internet disaster, so stay tuned to find out the answer to the eternal question: is Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal a show or a twitter account? And will Mr Gyllenhaal himself be making an appearance? We can't promise answers but we can promise a good time.

Cast member Lydia makes a glorious return to the podcast arena to tell us more about her upbringing as part of a girl band that rivalled the Spice Girls in renown and global popularity, as well as her experiences as Musical Director for Leeds University A Cappella society and her long-standing love for neo-soul music. It's a whirlwind of an episode and we apologise for all the snot talk. Also stay tuned for a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT at the end of the episode!!

We're all learning a lesson this week as Matthew joins us to talk about how he managed to set up a brand new a cappella society at the University of Sussex (during a pandemic no less!), and why it's called ASS - check out the Sussex Sussincts for videos and a tongue twister of a name! Plus find out what you should do if you ever see Patti LuPone in a restaurant choking on a glob of peanut butter.

We're joined today by another wonderful cast member: Mollie! A seasoned actress, Mollie will be playing the wistful and charming character of Lucy in 1001 Open Mic Nights, and as a Theatre and Performance student at the University of Leeds, she's more than qualified to spend an hour sharing her wisdom and talking about perfecting the performance side of The Songsmiths' 2021 ICCA video entry. Listen on for more behind the scenes show content, and stay tuned to hear the long-awaited BRAND NEW OBSESSIONS JINGLE!!!

We're halving the number of voices you have to listen to this week as Rob and Charley go rogue, taking you on a musical journey of their MD experiences so far and offering a whole hour of tips and tricks to make sure your a cappella (whether for a competition or stage show) is on top form!

In the immortal words of Alyssa Edwards: we're back back back back back again! Joining us for the inaugural episode of season 2 is cast member Matilda, a multi-musician and all-around joyful person who shares with us some of the many reasons why she loves a cappella singing as someone who has dabbled in a wide range of musical ensembles, both vocal and otherwise. We also chat about the challenge of overcoming imposter syndrome in the creative industries, and Charley introduces us to taiyaki - more affectionately known by her and her friends as "creamy fish buns". Bon appetit!

They asked, and we answered! Our lovely cast members have sent in some questions and we have done our best to answer them as seriously as possible. Topics include: 1001OMN costumes, Fringe drama, jousting, a cappella lore, animal sports and of course...weekly obsessions!! Grab a cuppa and enjoy us rambling on about everything and nothing for an hour and a bit.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? Why are they here? Listen to this week's episode to find out how cast members Ben, Olivia, Michael, Lydia & Bekah got on when they took over the 1001 Open Mic Nights podcast for our 16 hour fundraising livestream!

Did you see it? The first-ever Virtual UK ICCA Quarterfinal took place last Saturday and we are here to spill the digital tea! We talk about our favourite moments from the evening and share our thoughts on the new online ICCA format that has been implemented in light of the COVID-19 restrictions that still grip the globe. We've even come up with our own awards for groups that we thought did certain things especially well - listen all the way to the end to find out who won!

Have you heard? We're fundraising! This week we have extra special guest Chloe Saunders a.k.a 1001 Open Mic Nights Soprano 2 a.k.a queen of internet trouble a.k.a aca-virgin joining us for a chat. Having never sung in an A Cappella group before auditioning for the show, Chloe takes us through her motivations for joining the cast, and once again we find ourselves meandering down memory lane reminiscing about the good times at our last Edinburgh Fringe in 2019.

The short answer is yes. The long answer is an hour and 20 minutes of pure unadulterated fun. This week we're joined by the wonderful Bekah Millington for a bit of a trip down memory lane (once again - but really what else can you do during a global pandemic?). We're talking poached eggs, why being friends with your a cappella groupmates is more important than you realise, and Rob and Bekah's love triangle with a fit bartender at the last Edinburgh Fringe. Saucy.

A podcast within a podcast? It's real and it's happening. This week we are joined by the truly joyful Rachael Schoenbaum, who hosts a multitude of radio shows and podcast series for Acaville Radio - your one-stop audio shop for all things with an aca- prefix. We talk a lot about the wholesome joy that a cappella music brings to people both participating in and listening to it, as well as her personal journey from university student to a cappella radio show host. We also found out that Rachael has attended every single ICCA Final ever, so we couldn't help but quiz her just a little bit on that. Hope you enjoy!

To celebrate reaching our 10th episode we've got another extra-special guest joining us this week! Shaquira (q not k, WACA not waka) is the founder of Warwick University's A Cappella society and the brand-spanking-new competition/company extravaganza that is the OAC. She joins us to talk all about her journey from singing a cappella with her grandma in the Cayman Islands to her current status as mumma bear of The Lemingtones and all-round UK a cappella go-getter. Listen in for the usual aural chaos and a plentiful serving of Rolling Tones fanaticism, and check out our Instagram page to see George's sparkly boots.

Want to learn how to sing notes lower than a standard piano? This is the episode for you. Our special guest this week is Ben Mason, 1001 Open Mic Nights cast member and resident bass, who teaches us three top-secret tips and tricks for achieving those super-low notes that'll set you apart from the bassy competition. Not only this but we're talking (once again) about the intricacies of barbershop, and how the secret to a good sound is singing slightly flat. Who knew? Not us!

We have the incomparable Gemma Davies joining us this week to spill all of the secrets from behind the scenes of the ICCA! Find out what it's like to produce the biggest a cappella competition in the UK (and the world!) and who we should be watching out for in the 2021 ICCA virtual competition. Stay tuned to hear more about Gemma's brand new charity, the UK A Cappella Society, and to learn a brand new way to cook your mushrooms!

Hello! WE'RE BACK! Join us for our very first episode of 2021 - this week we are joined by yet another 1001 Open Mic Nights cast member, Olivia, who will be playing the (coincidentally eponymous) character of Liv in the show! Olivia wows us with her extensive a cappella history that stretches across the Atlantic and back (hello Vassar Devils!) and we round off the episode with a mega double bill of "obsession of the week" because we know you've all missed it. Enjoy!

Not only do we have another guest this week, but today's episode also features REAL A CAPPELLA SINGING!!! Listen to the full episode to hear Imogen soloing in a performance of Lizzie's arrangement of Hounds of Love by Kate Bush at the ICCA in 2018. It's one of our favourite arrangements ever and well worth the listen. We also talk about fundraising tips, and how we managed to sell our the entire run of our Edinburgh Fringe show last year. Unsurprisingly, there's another segué into the realm of cheese. Hope you're hungry!

...and yes we're talking about Musical Directing. This week we are joined by ANOTHER very-extra-special guest: Lizzie Simms!! A familiar face to the three of us, Lizzie is a current University of Leeds A Cappella member and MD of The Songsmiths. After a brief segué into the world of international cheese-based delicacies, we talk about how she is preparing her group for the brand new ICCA 2021 virtual format, as well as the pros and cons of teaching, performing and competing in all-female-identifying groups. Remember to stay tuned right to the end to find out what we've all been obsessing about this week!

This week we're gracing your earholes with our very first podcast guest!! Michael is an a cappella beatboxing veteran and all-round big name in the biz, as well as a member of our wonderful 1001 Open Mic Nights cast. In this episode, we're talking with him about the history of vocal percussion, how beatboxing came to be a part of the contemporary a cappella scene, and Michael's secret skill that involves lighting sticks on fire. Tune in to find out more!

This week we're taking a closer look at the words that the people in our show will be speaking on stage, and George gives us her professional advice on how to turn these words into a convincing and realistic story. As per usual we get a little sidetracked and end up talking about capitalism, or, more specifically, how to tackle being creative in a world where creatives don't earn a lot of money! It's a thrilling listen, we promise.

On episode 2 of our podcast, we're discussing all things musical!! After an exciting news update from the world of Collegiate A Cappella, we take a deep dive into the working minds of our two co-musical directors Rob and Charley, exploring their history of making music together from the day they met in their first year of uni. George also brings us some light relief by re-enacting Wendy Williams' iconic Masked Singer performance for your aural pleasure.

A warm welcome to Episode 1 of our brand-spanking-new podcast! To kick off the show we're talking about the origin story of 1001 Open Mic Nights and how the three of us came up with the idea of writing a show during the national government-mandated lockdown, as well as introducing you to our four main characters who form the focal point of the 1001 Open Mic Nights story.

Welcome to 1001 Open Mic Nights' brand new podcast segment! 1001 Open Mic Nights is a brand new A Cappella Jukebox Musical debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021 - join the show directors Charley, George and Rob discussing all things 1001 Open Mic Nights, with exclusive behind-the-scenes content and conversations with the UK's biggest names in A Cappella.