Podcasts about Jermyn Street Theatre

Send us a textShortly after finishing her final show at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Imogen Elliott delivered a Stage Debut Award nominated performance as Sally Middleton in The Voice of the Turtle at Jermyn Street Theatre. She is now on tour with Belinda Lang and Honeysuckle Weeks in Anne Marie Casey's adaptation of Little Women. In the short time since she graduated, Imogen Elliott has garnered glowing reviews for her strong stage presence and continues to impress audiences with her remarkable charm and talent. Later this summer, she'll also be playing Phoebe in As You Like It at Theatre Royal,as part of Ralph Fiennes' season at Theatre Royal, Bath.In this exclusive interview with Imogen Elliott, we talked about her experience training alongside a dazzling year group of actors at Guildhall to making her professional debut last year. Indeed, many of her classmates have since made their professional debuts in acclaimed productions at the likes of the National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, Menier Chocolate Factory. For Imogen, she feels humbled and grateful to have been able to work with so many brilliant talents and says she still feels inspired by the people she's gotten to be surrounded by. In our interview, we hear how she's connected with characters like Amy March and Sally Middleton, and share her love for Shakespeare as she gets ready for As You Like It. There's an incredible sense of wisdom and humility in the way she talks about her experiences so far and we look forward to seeing what she does next.Support the show

Episode 161In today's guest episode I will be discussing Shakespeare's characterisations of the lower classes and looking at the role they play with Stephen Unwin, who's book ‘Poor Naked Wretches' explores the variety of working people in Shakespeare's plays as well as a vast range of cultural sources from which they were drawn and argues that the robust realism of these characters makes them so much more than mere Comic Relief. Stephen Unwin is an award-winning British theatre and opera director. He has directed almost 100 professional productions and worked with many well-established actors and singers, as well as developing the careers of many younger ones. He studied at the University of Cambridge.In the 1980s Stephen worked at the Almeida Theatre, London, the Traverse in Edinburgh, in repertoire theatre and at the National Theatre Studio. In 1993, he founded English Touring Theatre, for whom he directed more than 30 productions of classical and new plays, many of which transferred to London. In 2008, he became Artistic Director of the new Rose Theatre in Kingston, which he ran until January 2014. He has worked extensively at the Theatre Royal Bath and has directed more than 20 operas. Ten of his productions have been seen in the West End.Stephen has taught in conservatoires and universities in Britain and America and written 10 books on theatre and drama, including ‘Poor Naked Wretches'. He has also written five original plays: ‘All Our Children' was premiered at Jermyn Street Theatre in 2017 and staged in New York in 2019, and ‘Laughing Boy' opened at Jermyn Street in 2024 and also played at the Theatre Royal Bath. Stephen is a campaigner for the rights and dignities of learning-disabled people and ‘Beautiful Lives: How We Got Learning Disabilities So Wrong', is published by Wildfire Book in June 2025.This is only a shortened version of Stephen's achievements and I would encourage you to visit his website for much more information. You can find him at www.stephenunwin.uk https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/poor-naked-wretchesSupport the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth part of this short series of guest episodes before we get back to continuing the journey through the Shakespeare and Jonson cannon today's episode is a repeat of episode 32 of the podcast, first released in late 2020. Having just produced an episode on satyr play on the main podcast and another on the papyologists who rediscovered the play Trackers for the fledgling Patreon account I was very pleased to be able to talk to theatre director Jimmy Walters who have produced a revival of the play The Trackers of Oxyrhincus by Tony Harrison. To hear from first-hand experience what it was like to produce a modern adaptation of a Greek play, especially something as rare as the satyr play was a real treat. It is, I think, worthy of another listen if you heard it at the time, or a first listen if you have only joined us for the later theatrical periods.Jimmy Walters has been a professional actor and then director for almost twenty years. In his directing career he has presented work at most of London's most prestigious off-west end venues, including the Finborough Theatre, Southwark Playhouse and the Jermyn Street Theatre and at other venues around the UK. Since 2022 he has been Education Practitioner for Shakespeare's Globe leading Shakespeare workshops onsite for children of all ages.Support the podcast at:www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.comwww.patreon.com/thoetpwww.ko-fi.com/thoetp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since her debut in Fiddler on the Roof, Molly Osborne has proven herself to be one of the most exciting actresses to hit the London theatre scene. Her latest role sees her playing Rosie in Stephen Unwin's Laughing Boy at Jermyn Street Theatre, based on Sara Ryan's true story of her search for justice after her son Connor died in care. Steven Unwin also directs this new show which will also include Janie Dee, Alfie Friedman and Forbes Mason in the cast. This will also the mark the first time Molly has starred in Jermyn Street Theatre having previously worked extensively at the Menier Chocoalate Factory as well as at Southwark Playhouse. Following the London run, the show will transfer to Theatre Royal, Bath where Molly will also be making her regional theatre debut.In this new interview, Molly Osborne talks us through her career to date. Most recently, she starred in a 5 star production of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button alongside Jamie Parker. The production is due to transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre later in the year and we hear Molly reflect on her earlier roles in Fiddler on the Roof and Indecent. In a career that's only spanned 5 years, Molly Osborne has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the theatre industry, taking on strong roles that she describes as inspiring to her, and helping forge a way for emerging talent too.Laughing Boy runs at Jermyn Street Theatre on 25 April - 31 May before transferring to Theatre Royal, Bath from 4 - 8 June.

In the second half of their live chat, Alison Balsom and Sam Mendes discuss what it's like for him to have been everyone's Dad professionally since he was 24 (just don't take his sausage roll); being a woman in a predominantly male art form, changing the paradigm of the trumpet and the spirituality of playing music in church; Sam's transformative memory of Jackson Pollock in Venice and the joy of throwing paint; where emotion lives in their work; the trumpet piece that reflects who you are at any stage of your life; being uningratiating onstage; why Sam was in a kind of dream-state directing Hills of California and what auditioning new-born babies taught him about performers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Jonny sees you “the coolest power couple in British theatre” (Jez Butterworth and Laura Donnelly, S3, E8) and raises you one “coolest power couple in British culture”, theatre and film powerhouse Sam Mendes and one of the world's greatest classical and jazz trumpeters, Alison Balsom. In the first interview they've ever given as a couple, they treat SDJ Live at Jermyn Street Theatre to a voyage round their remarkable life and times: what is was for them both to be prodigies and whether they miss their younger selves; Alison's calling to play the trumpet and not feeling like a soloist until she'd played the Last Night of the Proms; not feeling like a real film director until Sam directed his first Bond; where doubt exists differently in theatre and in classical music; the search for the perfect chord in art; Alison's recording of her greatest mistake, never being able to duck the hardest challenge and why Simon Russell Beale as Uncle Vanya suddenly couldn't stand up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second half of Jonny's chat with actress Laura Donnelly and playwright Jez Butterworth, recorded live at Jermyn Street Theatre, delves into the twelve endings Jonny had to learn and perform for Jez's play Parlour Song at Atlantic Theatre in New York; writing for the person you're in love with; an actors contract with the audience and Sam Mendes's opinion on Laura's; what Jez believes is the foundation of drama; the ease of acting Butterworth; having daughters and writing women when you're not one; Laura Donnelly's locked door and Jez's knack for finding the numinous in his everyday life; engineering an emergency in the theatre- and Hugh Jackman splitting his trousers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stage Door Jonny goes live with “the hottest power couple in theatre” (Vogue Magazine). This week's episode talks to the doyenne of 21st Century playwrights, Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem, The Ferryman, Hills of California) and the leading actress in his last three plays, Laura Donnelly, partners in life as well as art. Act 1 of this live show at London's Jermyn Street theatre covers: their first meeting in an, ahem, audition room for Jez's play The River and Laura's observation that made the future father of her children sit up and take notice; Jez's myesthesia, 1,000 oranges and the dangers of exaggeration for an actor; the tragic events in Laura's life that inspired Jez to write The Ferryman; why Laura wouldn't get on the table and dance when Jez asked her to and why Jez was terrified of writing The Ferryman until an event in both their lives meant he had to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part of Jonny's chat with Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola recorded live at Jermyn Street Theatre introduces the potent memory and presiding spirit of Emily's extraordinary father, Sir John Mortimer. From his heckling of Sarah Kane's legendary “Blasted” to his meeting with Tom Cruise, from Alessandro's Broadway debut opposite Helen Mirren and a catalytic biting incident, from an elderly actor calling in sick to the stage door of the RSC, to sharing a dressing room with a pep-talking Bradley Cooper, to what transgression and freedom means onstage today, the spirit of Sir John was alive and well and appearing for one night only at Jermyn St theatre.Buy tickets for Jonny's next live show with Jez Butterworth & Laura Donnelly here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to this season's first live recording! This episode is brought to you in association with the wonderful people at Jermyn Street Theatre in London and if there's a more richly enjoyable podcast released this week, we want to hear it. Jonny talks to the blissfully honest, vulnerably human and wildly entertaining power couple that is Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins, Paddington 3, Lovely and Amazing) and Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle, Many Saints of Newark, Jurassic Park) and the conversation ranges from furries to fairies, from shyness, fear and how Robert de Niro overcomes them, from first kisses to problematic acting teachers, from vomiting in Moscow, via breaking into Laurence Olivier's trailer to the truly harrowing story of Emily's Scottish Portia in The Merchant of Venice.Buy tickets for Jonny's next live show with Jez Butterworth & Laura Donnelly here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anaïs Mitchell, the creator of Hadestown, joins us to chat the musical's return to London. In a very special first for our podcast, Mitchell plays two songs from the show: Way Down Hadestown and We Raise Our Cups.Saddle up as Nancy and the Nick's ride into town (well Sloane Square) to review Cowbois at the Royal Court, and The Good John Proctor at the Jermyn Street Theatre.Elsewhere in news, we discuss the RSC's inaugural season under Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans, as well as the casting announcement that Adrian Dunbar, star of Line of Duty, is going to be making his musical theatre debut.Get in touch with us at theatrepod@standard.co.ukFor all the latest news visit standard.co.uk or pick up a paper. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yemen. 2023. In one of the poorest countries in the world, with civil war raging, life isn't exactly easy, and most days the fishermen return with barely enough to live off, let alone to sell.But fisherman's son Yusuf is an eternal optimist, and dreamer, who keeps the community's spirits high with tales of whales and his dreams of the Gulf's glorious past. Plus, he's secretly in love with his best friend. But when disaster strikes, and Yusuf's optimism is tested to the limit, he ends up at sea in the strangest of scenarios.A heart-warming tale of faith, hope and rizq (the Islamic concept that Allah is responsible for all sustenance provided to us).CAST Yusuf ..... Bilal Hasna Zulaikha ..... Danusia Samal Fatima ..... Sirine Saba Khaled ..... Stewart Scudamore Abdo ..... Fayez Bakhsh Nabil/Mahdi ..... Yassine MkhichenWritten by maatin Directed by Anne Isger Sound by Pete Ringrose and Ali Craig A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4.An EcoAudio certified productionAbout the writer: maatin is a London-based playwright who focuses on Muslim storytelling. In 2023, maatin's play Duck was performed at the Arcola, following a run at Jermyn Street Theatre. His play Friday at the masjid was selected for the RSC 37 Plays project, and longlisted for the The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022 and the Soho Theatre's Verity Bargate Award 2022. Previously, his work was nominated for the Edinburgh TV Festival's New Voice Awards 2021 and longlisted for BBC Comedy Room 2020. He was selected for the Hampstead Theatre's INSPIRE Programme 2020/21.

We bring you important intel about a forthcoming live show with Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola at the Jermyn Street Theatre, as well as the next season of Stage Door Jonny, which is coming in January 2024. Tickets for for Jonny, Emily and Alessandro's conversation are available by clicking here. Until Sunday, or indeed January! It's good to be (almost) back ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny rounds off the summer season in style: the first SDJ live show at Jermyn Street Theatre in the heart of London's West End - and two masters to talk to. Sir Nick Hytner and Sir Simon Russell Beale tell Jonny about the two decades and nine plays of their collaboration. It's a fascinating insight into the dynamics of one of the great director-actor partnerships of our times. Who is the lover and whom the beloved in this relationship? How does Simon know when Nick thinks it isn't working? Nick's thoughts on change in the theatre and in life, how he directs actors, Paul Scofield, Daniel Day-Lewis and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Tim Minchin and screenwriter Danny Rubin talk Groundhog Day the musical, which is returning to the Old Vic seven years after its debut there.They discuss how they looked for the ‘things that could sing' in the original script as they brought the much-loved film to the stage, and why so many fans – and Bill Murray – have left the show with their minds blown.Recorded at the Jermyn Street Theatre in the West End, in this episode we review Ryan Calais Cameron's new play Retrograde, directed by Amit Sharma. Starring Ivanno Jeremiah as a young Sidney Poitier, it's now running at the Kiln Theatre in Kilburn.We also went to see Dixon and Daughters at the National's Dorfman Theatre, written by Deborah Bruce and directed by Róisin McBrinn.Plus, we discuss the strange choice of Shakespeare staged at the King's Coronation Concert, and what we think of news that David Tennant will play Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse this autumn…You can hear our interview with Ryan Calais Cameron by clicking here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Wiggins talks how he broke into acting, filming "Anna and The Apocalypse", joining the cast of "You", and the time he nearly played royalty! About Ben: Ben Wiggins is an English actor best known for his roles in The Sandman (Netflix), The Witcher (Netflix), Mary Queen of Scots, and Anna and the Apocalypse. Wiggins is no stranger to the theater, either. Past productions include As You Like It (@TheSohoPlace), Coriolanus (Sheffield Crucible), Antony & Cleopatra (National Theatre) Tonight at 8:30 (Jermyn Street Theatre), Henry V (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Middle Temple Hall). Wiggins can be seen starring in the new season of You (Netflix) as Roald. Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benmwiggins/ Follow the show on social media!          Instagram: https://instagram.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/          Twitter: https://twitter.com/tfci_podcast          Facebook: http://facebook.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/           Patreon: patreon.com/thanksforcomingin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj8Rb1bEmhufSBFSCyp4JQ Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt Channel: Realm For more information, go to thanksforcominginpodcast.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, we speak with Karina Wiedman, a London-based actor and writer from Kazakhstan who has lived internationally. Karina spoke with us about the underground theatre scene in Belarus, the chain of responsibility in casting and how it might be more inclusive of international actors, and her debut play The Anarchist, winner of the inaugural Woven Voices Prize.To find out more about Karina and her work, you can follow her on Twitter @wiedman_karina and Instagram @karinawiedman.The Anarchist is the headline play of Jermyn Street Theatre's 2022 Footprints Festival, performing from July 6th to July 30th.Migreatives is produced by Woven Voices, and is created and hosted by Nadia Cavelle, Zachary Fall and Ben Weaver-Hincks. The show's artwork is designed by Lucy Stapylton-Smith, and its music is composed by Guy Hughes.For more information about Woven Voices, find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @wovenvoices, and on our website at wovenvoices.org. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On our Thursday review panel this week: the film critic Leila Latif and Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge, review the British comedy horror film All My Friends Hate Me, directed by Andrew Gaynord and Howard Brenton's play Cancelling Socrates, directed by Tom Littler at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London. And the last of our author interviews with the writers shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest, whose novel The Book of Form and Emptiness is the story of Benny, a teenager in the US who finds that objects are starting to talk to him. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Sarah Johnson Image: The cast of All My Friends Hate Me Credit: BFI Distribution

A re-airing of Liv episode with author and classicist Natalie Haynes about the women of the Trojan War and Pandora. Natalie's latest books are A Thousand Ships, recently published in North America and Pandora's Jar, available in the UK. Also mentioned is her book the Children of Jocasta, and the recently performed play series 15 Heroines, put on virtually by the Jermyn Street Theatre in London.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For the video edition, click here and subscribe: https://youtu.be/dQqtdGfaQZk MARGOT ASTRACHAN had an early career as a photo-journalist and was a protégé of Ansel Adams. Her first story was published when she was 20 years old and a journalism Student at Boston University. She is now a Tony and Drama Desk Award winning Commercial Theatrical Producer. Broadway: The Prom; A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder; The Realistic Joneses; Nice Work If You Can Get It; On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Tours: Ghost the Musical; national and Australia. Past American Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre and The Kings Head Theatre in London. Graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute and member of The Broadway League. Board Chair: The Billy Rose Theatre Committee of the Library for The Performing Arts, Past Chair of The American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Board member: The Episcopal Actors Guild (EAG), Alumni and Friends of LaGuardia High School for the Arts, Rosie’s Theater Kids, The Transport Group. Upcoming Productions: Radio Galaxy UK:Birmingham Rep/ London; Diana- opening next fall on Broadway at the Longacre Theater has been filmed in a live capture for Netflix and will air this spring. https://the-lambs.org/club_member/astrachan-margot https://www.playbill.com/person/margot-astrachan-vault-0000120737

For the video version, go here and subscribe: https://youtu.be/q7FRvcxtpTE JEFF HARNAR is an award-winning cabaret, concert and recording artist.  His Carnegie Hall appearances include both the Cole Porter and Noel Coward Centennial Galas.  Jeff was a featured artist at Carnegie’s Well Recital Hall in “A Talent to Amuse,” hosted by Noel Coward biographer Sheridan Morley. Jeff’s PBS televised concerts are “The 1959 Broadway Songbook,” “American Songbook: Stephen Sondheim” (with KT Sullivan) and “Remember: Songs of the Holidays (with KT Sullivan). Jeff tours with Broadway's Shauna Hicks in their Symphony Pops Concert "I Got Rhythm: Mickey & Judy's Hollywood." Jeff was Artisic Director and Host of three seasons of “The American Songbook in London” at The Jermyn Street Theatre and Pizza on The Park.  Together with Andrea Marcovicci, Jeff has curated and co-hosted nine concerts for The Mabel Mercer Foundation’s Cabaret Convention at Town Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall.  Jeff has won multiple MAC, Bistro and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards and The Noel Coward Foundation Cabaret Award.  He has released four solo CD’s. Jeff is also a MAC, Bistro and BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award winning Director. He has directed solo shows for such artists as Tovah Feldshuh, Rita Gardner, Dawn Derow, Celia Berk and Josephine Sanges.   He teaches Master Classes and is on the Faculty of the annual The St. Louis Cabaret Conference. jeffharnar.com mickeyandjudy.com

Matthew Cole is an OLIVIER AWARD NOMINATED Choreographer and is the founder of LONDON THEATRE RUNWAY. A musical theatre training and connectivity programme for industry professionals. www.londontheatrerunway.comHis forthcoming productions include: FOOTLOOSE UK Tour - 2021, IDENTICAL (based upon The Parent Trap) Directed by Trevor Nunn, Music by George Stiles and Lyrics by Anthony Drewe - 2021, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF UK TOUR - 2021, BERLIN BERLIN German and International Tour - 2021 and MEMPHIS UK and International Tour - 2022.Choreography: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (Olivier Award Nominated for Best Choreographer and Best Revival, dir. Trevor Nunn,The Menier Chocolate Factory, The Playhouse Theatre West End); OKLAHOMA (dir. Jeremy Sams, Chichester Festival Theatre); LOVESICK (dir. Chris Renshaw, Theatre J Washington DC); BERLIN BERLIN (German/International Tour); AMOUR (The Charing Cross Theatre);  THE BEAUTIFUL GAME (NYMT); THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (The Royal Academy of Music); THE NIGHT PIRATES (UK TOUR); THE PRODUCERS (China and Asian Tour); LOVESICK (New York City workshop); CINDERELLA (Milton Keynes); FLASHDANCE (UK and international Tour); EM (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama); FOOTLOOSE (UK and International Tour); LOVESICK (Berkely Repertory Theatre); ALADDIN (Theatre Clwyd); SIDE SHOW (Southwark Playhouse); THE MGM STORY (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (UK TOUR); RAGS (The Royal Academy of Music); FOOTLOOSE (UK Tour); PURE IMAGINATION - The Songs of Leslie Bricusse (The Other Palace); BETTE  MIDLER AND ME (Edinburgh Festival and UK Tour); AMOUR (The Royal Academy of Music); JERRY'S GIRLS (The Other Palace, Jermyn Street Theatre); THE RETURN OF THE SOLDIER (Jermyn Street Theatre); ANGELINA BALLERINA THE MUSICAL (UK and Australian Tour)Associate choreographer credits include: Guys and Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre and Phoenix Theatre).Television credits include: Assistant Choreographer on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing (BBC).Directing credits include: The Drive In London, Artistic Director; PIPPIN, Director/Choreographer; The Secret Garden, Director/Choreographer; Co Director CARMEN LA CUBANA, (Sadlers Wells); SWEET CHARITY, Director/choreographer; Resident Director on The Railway Children (King's Cross Theatre); Resident Director on West Side Story (ATG UK Tour).

Liv speaks with author and classicist Natalie Haynes about the women of the Trojan War and Pandora. Natalie's latest books are A Thousand Ships, recently published in North America and Pandora's Jar, available in the UK. Also mentioned is her book the Children of Jocasta, and the recently performed play series 15 Heroines, put on virtually by the Jermyn Street Theatre in London.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Finally, Sappho! Along with Ellie and Alyse of the Sweetbitter podcast devoted to her, Liv discusses Sappho, the very real Greek poet and overall badass woman. Make sure to subscribe to the Sweetbitter podcast where ever you listen, or visit sweetbitterpodcast.com. Liv is on their show talking Aphrodite on December 24th.CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing.Sources: Diane Rayor's translation of Sappho; the play mentioned is The War/The Desert/The Labyrinth, 15 Heroines, put on by the Jermyn Street Theatre in November of 2020 (it's amazing).Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Episode 32 An interview with theatre director Jimmy Walters about his 20217 production of Trackers of Oxyrhynchus by Tony Harrison. This version of the Satyr play 'Trackers' by Sophocles was originally performed by the National Theatre in 1988. Jimmy's revival in 2017 was at the Finborough Theatre in west London. In conversation we discussed the approach to the play and the way the adaptation by Tony Harrison put current social concerns at the heart of the play, which still remained true to many aspects of the original Greek play. Jimmy Walters' credits include productions of John Osborne's A Subject of Scandal and Concern, Julius Caesar, Improbable Fiction, A Naughty Night With Noël Coward, Hamlet (for a tour in the United Arab Emirates), I the Jury, Breaded Butler, and Dear Ray at the Edinburgh Festival. Recently he directed Billy Bishop Goes to War for Southwark playhouse and Jermyn Street Theatre and The Skin Game also for Jermyn Street Theatre, which due to the UK lockdown in 2020 was presented via Zoom.   Jimmy co-hosts the '…In quarantine' podcast with Alexandra Evans.  Season 1 discussed several Shakespeare plays and season 2 is taking on the challenge of discussing novels by Charles Dickens.   You can connect with Jimmy on Twitter @jimmywalters101  Please support the podcast at www.patreon.com www.ko-fi.com This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy

Tim trained at Mountview before embarking on his successful career within the performing arts world.His directing credits include: Into the Woods, (Cockpit Theatre), Metropolis,Wonderful Town, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Days of Hope, She Loves Me, Follies. (Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre); NewsRevue (Edinburgh 2013, Canal Café Theatre, London 2013 and 2016), Sunny Side of The Street, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, Classic Moments, Hidden Treasures, Coloured Lights and Jack The Ripper  (Jermyn Street Theatre); Sweeney Todd and Chess (University of Cumbria, Carlisle); Rubbed, Goosed, Fanny, Jack Sissy That Stalk, Charming Dick and Prince Bendover in Boots (RVT); Beans and Cream  (Canal Café Theatre); Hot Lips Cold War (London Theatre Workshop), Maurice, My Beautiful Laundrette, Dangerous, When Harry met Barry, Orton, Rise Like A Phoenix, Boyes Play, Cleveland Street, The Blink Series, three seasons of the hit Bathhouse (Above The Stag Theatre, where Tim was Associate Artistic Director from 2009 – 2015) and The Milkman's on His Way, Slippered, a new musical with Tony Hatch.His acting credits include: In Gay Company (RADA); Bathhouse and Silence of The Lambs (Above The Stag Theatre); Assassins (Pleasance Theatre); Blair on Broadway (Arts Theatre); Forever Plaid (UK Tour); South Pacific (Aberystwyth Arts Centre) Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Chelmsford Civic Theatre and Middlesbrough Theatre); Godspell (Millfield Arts Centre); As You Like it, Aladdin and Dick Whittington (Mercury Theatre, Colchester); Another Country (Greenfields); Twelfth Night (Broadway Theatre, Catford); You're Gonna Love Tomorrow (Greenwich Playhouse) and The Golden Key (Greenwich Theatre); Fred Astaire (London Palladium); Dame in Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington and Cinderella (Courtyard Theatre, Hereford); Snow White with Linda Robson (Beck Theatre, Hayes) Aladdin (Chelmsford Civic Theatre) Charming Dick (Cockpit Theatre) Sleeping Beauty with Honey G and Jack and The Beanstalk with Michelle Collins (White Rock Theatre, Hastings)His cabaret credits include: Tim's debut his show Mountains at Feinstein's 54 Below in (New York) and a season at The Pride Arts Centre in Chicago  Tim Sings Stephen Sondheim's Divas (Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Frankenstein's and Above The Arts, Pride arts Centre – Chicago, Tada Theatre - NYC); Mountains (St James Theatre, Kenneth Moore Theatre, Ilford, Jermyn Street Theatre and Above The Arts); Tim McArthur and Chums (London Hippodrome); A New Direction (Theatre Lounge, Kuala Lumpur); New York Ding Dong (Don't Tell Mama, NYC); Over the Rainbow (Upstairs at The Gatehouse, New End Theatre and Jermyn Street Theatre). Tim has supported Helen Lederer (UK Tour); Graham Norton (Hilton); Julian Clary (Savoy Theatre) and Bobby Davro (Bridlington Spa); Elton John's Christmas Party. For the past 2 years Tim has been the host for the monthly Sondheim Society Cabaret Night (Phoenix Artist Club) and most recently was one of the headline singers in Sondheim Unplugged at London's Hippodrome. For further information about Tim, visit his website timmcarthur.com

This weeks episode is with theatre, comedy and screen producer, KITTY WORDSWORTH. Kitty and I have been comrades in the DDC (Dead Dad Club) since we met at University, and for so many years had these intimate, private conversations (usually lying in bed at the dead of night - no pun intended) talking about our grief and how we felt about our consecutive deceased dads. These conversations we’re definitely led by Kitty - I take no credit - as Kitty walks through the world with an authentic and direct honesty which allows people to trust and feel comfortable around her instantly. This transparency luckily doesn’t stop at subject matters most find awkward or taboo, allowing whoever she’s speaking to to feel as if they could just be discussing what they had for lunch that day. She allowed me talk about my dad in a way nobody ever had. She has a gift she doesn’t even know she’d giving. Kitty’s career started earlier than most, producing shows at Jermyn Street Theatre at the ripe old age of 21 and founding a theatre company (@damselproductions) at the age of 22, where she has showcased performances at Soho Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Bunker, Theatre 503, Live@Zedel and Southwark Playhouse, to name just a few. Her work ethic and savvy creativity has always inspired me, and it was so very wonderful having her on Daddy Issues to delve back into our no.1 fave topic. * If you like what you hear, it would be so appreciated if you could rate, review and subscribe as we love hearing your thoughts and feedback, and it helps get the podcast to reach more ears. * Created | Hosted | Produced by Angharad George-Carey Mastered and Compressed | by Worgie Productions Music | by Julietta * Social Media: Angharad George-Carey @angharadgeorgecarey Daddy Issues Podcast @thedaddyissuespodcast Kitty Wordsworth @kittywordsworth Damsel Productions @damselproductions * If you'd like to seek guidance and support for any issues raised in the episodes there are three websites we would recommend depending on your individual needs: www.juliasamuel.co.uk JULIA SAMUEL MBE www.blackmindsmatteruk.com BLACK MINDS MATTER www.griefuntangled.com GREIF UNTANGLED www.thecalmzone.net CALM * We love hearing from you! To contact us, email thedaddyissuespod@gmail.com

Paul Minx - whose plays include The Long Road South which played at the King’s Head Theatre with Imogen Stubbs and Michael Brandon - has a new play in town. The Dog Walker makes its London premiere at the Jermyn Street Theatre with Victoria Yeates (Call the Midwife, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) and Andrew Dennis (One Man, Two Guvnors). Paul Minx’s story of finding connection in the big city is as moving as it is funny, proving that hope springs in the most unlikely situations.

Lisa Dwan tells Philip Dodd what playing Beckett taught her about herself and feminism; playwright Mark Ravenhill, arts editor Jan Dalley & sp!ked author Alexander Adams discuss the proposition that the arts are increasingly expected to be uplifting and inspirational and to confirm identities. Where do the pessimism and shattered identities of Beckett's work fit into this view of culture? Beckett Triple Bill is at Jermyn Street Theatre, London until 8th February starring Lisa Dwan, Niall Buggy, James Hayes and David Threlfall. Endgame runs at the Old Vic in London until March 28th starring Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Cummings, with Rough for the Theatre II with Jane Horrocks and Karl Johnson. Culture War: Art, Identity Politics and Cultural Entryism by Alexander Adams is published by Societas Producer: Torquil MacLeod

In today's episode, Louise sits down with playwright, actress and musician Morna Young to talk about her upcoming project "Lost at Sea", a story inspired by the loss of her father when she was a child. Morna is a playwright, actress and musician from a wee fishing village in the North East of Scotland. She is recipient of the 2017 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship (hosted by Creative Learning, Aberdeen City Council), the 2018 'Tomorrow at Noon' award for female playwrights (Jermyn Street Theatre, 2018) and the New Playwrights Award 2014 (Playwrights' Studio, Scotland). She is also the 2018 recipient of the Scotland-New Zealand playwriting exchange (BATS Theatre, Toi Poneke Arts Centre and Playmarket NZ). LOST AT SEA, her first full-length play, was developed in 2013 with award winning Stellar Quines Theatre Company and is now in pre-production with Perth Theatre for 2019. Other plays include: AYE, ELVIS ('a Play, a Pie and a Pint' and Gilded Balloon as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2018), THE BUKE OF THE HOWLAT (Findhorn Bay Arts), SMITE (Jermyn Street Theatre), NETTING '(a Play, a Pie and a Pint' and Scotland wide tour with Woodend Barn, Banchory), SHE OF THE SEA (Paines Plough 'Come to Where I'm From' at The Lemon Tree), B-ROADS (Play Pieces), NEVER LAND (Eden Court) and two short theatre plays for the National Theatre of Scotland's GREAT YES, NO, DON'T KNOW SHOW. Current commissions include THE WATER CLAN (BATS Theatre, New Zealand) and she is developing further work for theatre with Magnetic North, Stellar Quines and The Tron. She has also performed extracts of her work at the Scottish Parliament, The European Author's Festival (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) and as part of National Poetry Month, France. Morna primarily writes in Doric and is a proud Scots Language Ambassador (Education Scotland). As an actor, Morna has worked for companies including the National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum, The Beacon, a Play, a Pie and a Pint (Oran Mor/Traverse), Alterean Media, ITV and BBC Worldwide. Morna is also an Associate Artist of Out of the Darkness Theatre Company and tidy carnage. A multi-instrumentalist, she plays fiddle, flute, percussion and clarsach. Album recordings include Kevin McKidd's SPEYSIDE SESSIONS (No.1 in the itunes world music charts) and THE FISHWIVES (TV appearances include The One Show and BBC Breakfast). She has composed scores for several theatre productions including SUNSET SONG (The Beacon). She is one half of the band FOLKIFY (alongside Sandy Nelson) who were in residence at The Tron in 2016. She was equally flattered / mortified to be voted the 11th most eligible woman in Scotland 2014 by the Scotsman on Sunday (but, as her Auntie quite rightly pointed out, "nae quite top ten...'). Follow Morna on Twitter @mornayoung Find out more at www.mornayoung.com Get tickets for Lost at Sea at https://www.horsecross.co.uk/whats-on/lost-at-sea-37602 Follow Persistent and Nasty on Twitter @PersistentNasty Persistent and Nasty is co-produced by Edinburgh based live-arts production house Civil Disobedience. Follow them on Twitter @weareohsocivil and find out more about our work at www.wearecivildisobedience.com

Actor Simon Williams; singer Heather Small; writer John Higgs and angler Marina Gibson join Aasmah Mir and the Reverend Richard Coles. The actor Simon Williams got his big break playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. He is currently starring as Justin Elliott in the BBC Radio 4 series the Archers and a mysterious property developer - known as "the chairman" - in East Enders on BBC One. He is performing in Posting Letters to the Moon with his wife, the actress Lucy Fleming in which the couple read the wartime letters between Lucy's parents Celia Johnson and her husband Peter Fleming. Posting Letters to the Moon is at the Jermyn Street Theatre on November 19th. Heather Small is a singer and songwriter, best known for her work with the soul band M People who came to attention with hits including Moving on Up, One Night in Heaven and Search for the Hero. Now a solo performer, Heather is a former contestant on the BBC One series Strictly Come Dancing. Heather Small is on tour in 2018. Marina Gibson is a passionate angler and fishing instructor who started trout fishing at the age of 5. Her fishing trips have taken her around the world - she has cast her line for trout in Norway and for milkfish, bonefish and triggerfish on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. John Higgs is a writer. In his new book Watling Street he takes a journey along Watling Street, from Dover to Anglesey - a road of witches and ghosts, of queens and highwaymen, of history and myth and Chaucer and Dickens. Watling Street - Travels through Britain and its Ever-Present Past is published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson. Also on the programme DJ and filmmaker Don Letts reveals his Inheritance Tracks. Producer: Paula McGinley Editor: Eleanor Garland.

Presenter and barrister Robert 'Judge' Rinder; actor Daragh O'Malley; Clare Brant, professor of 18th century literature and culture and ship's captain Amelia Dalton join Aasmah Mir and the Revd Richard Coles. Robert 'Judge' Rinder is a criminal law barrister and television court judge who is best known for his role on the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder - the British version of the American show Judge Judy. He came to widespread attention performing on Strictly come Dancing in 2016. He presents Judge Rinder's Crime Stories on ITV. Daragh O'Malley is an actor who stars in Maxim Gorky's the Last Ones at the Jermyn Street Theatre. He is best known for his role as Patrick Harper opposite Sean Bean in the television series Sharpe from 1992 to 2008. His film and television roles range from Withnail and I to The Long Good Friday and Waking The Dead to Silent Witness while his theatre work includes Dancing at Lughnasa and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The Last Ones is at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London. Clare Brant is professor of 18th century literature and culture at King's College London. She has curated Dear Diary: A Celebration of Diaries and their Digital Descendants. The exhibition explores what motivates diarists and charts the ways in which paper diaries have been joined by phones and tablets as our means of keeping track of daily life. Dear Diary is at King's College London in Somerset House. After the death of her son, Amelia Dalton took a step that would change her life forever. She transformed a neglected Arctic fishing boat into a chic expedition ship to run cruises to the Western Isles. Along the way, she had to navigate bloody-minded fisherman, red tape, bank loans and shareholders - and gained the respect of the tough, hard-working island community. She's written about her adventure in her book, Mistress and Commander, published by Sandstone Press. Also in the programme, writer Anthony Horowitz shares his Inheritance Tracks. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Richard is the CEO of Bear World Media, which runs BearWorldMagazine.com and now, launching on May17th, Bear World TV (hosted at REVRY the new LGBT VOD Network). Richard has worked in insurance in London, where he also co-produced the original ‘SHOUT!’ at the Jermyn Street Theatre, and totally by accident began to event & wedding plan when the UK changed its marriage laws. His first time working in TV was as one half of “Ant and Dick” co-hosting a wedding challenge show on the old Wedding TV Network. He has helped to create Northern Ireland’s LGBT Magazine “Gay NI” as well as launching a dedicated bridal magazine which was short lived but gave him all the knowledge he needed to then form Bear World Magazine. Bear World TV will be a channel dedicated to all kinds of content, including our own produced shows as well as licensed products from other talented teams and producers that have something that’s either bear or bearish. Bear World TV and REVRY Celebrate the Launch of New Bearish TV Channel New York, NY May 2017 – Bear World Media is excited to be growing their media group by launching a brand new TV channel BEAR WORLD TV. Bear World TV accompanies Bear World Magazine, the world’s largest online magazine aimed at the gay bear community, as being an exciting and informative source of all things ‘bear’ for what is an under-represented segment of the gay community. Bear World TV is being hosted on REVRY. REVRY is the first global LGBT digital entertainment service delivering the best in QUEERATED movies, TV shows, digital series, music, and podcasts. CEO of Bear World Media, Richard Jones, said: “People come in all shapes, sizes and sexual orientations, and our new channel will celebrate all things ‘Bear’, helping people in the community all round the world to feel more included”. “We are excited to partner with REVRY to bring our new television content to a bigger audience and work with established producers to license their work under our banner, bringing it all to a more global audience. We believe that REVRY offers the best platform for discovering new content and is a natural choice for officially announcing this strategic partnership.” “Bear World Media has long been a community hub for all things bear-related, so the creation of Bear World TV and subsequent channel on REVRY is a natural continuation of our mission to showcase stories from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum and BWM’s mission to provide the very best in bear news, views and content to more people,” Said Ben Mason of REVRY. Check out Bear World TV – www.bearworldtv.com  

Libby Purves meets broadcaster Griff Rhys Jones; concert pianist Mona Golabek; playwright Lee Tannen and horticulturalist Marcelo Sellaro. Lee Tannen is an author and playwright. He has written a play based on his memoir, I Loved Lucy, about his friendship with the legendary comedienne, Lucille Ball. He met her as a 10-year-old and became her close friend and companion until her death in 1989. I Loved Lucy is at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London. Mona Golabek is a concert pianist who tells her mother's story in The Pianist of Willesden Lane. Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitz, the one-woman show is the true story of Lisa Jura, a young Jewish pianist dreaming about her concert debut at Vienna's Musikverein concert hall. But with the issuing of new ordinances under the Nazi regime, everything for Lisa changes, except for her love of music, as she is torn from her family and sent onto the Kindertransport to London. The Pianist of Willesden Lane is at the St. James Theatre, London. Griff Rhys Jones is a comedian, writer, actor and presenter. He presents Griff's Great Britain in which he sets out to explore eight quintessentially British areas from downs to highlands and coasts to wolds. He started out as a radio producer and at 26 he began to appear on the sketch show Not the Nine O'Clock News. Jones and his comedy partner Mel Smith became household names, thanks, in part, to their programme Alas Smith and Jones, which ran from 1984 to 1998. Griff's Great Britain is broadcast on ITV. Marcelo Sellaro is a horticulturalist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Born in Brazil, he has a passion for bromeliads and tends Kew's collection which originates from the southern United States, South America and the West Indies. Kew's 21st annual Orchids Festival will feature orchids and other tropical plants adorning the architecture of the glasshouse to create the flora of Brazil during Carnival season. Orchids Festival 2016 is at the Princess of Wales Conservatory, Kew Gardens. Producer: Paula McGinley.

Libby Purves meets archaeologist Deirdre O'Sullivan of the Greyfriars Research Team which discovered and excavated Richard III; pilot Mark Vanhoenacker; Frances Ross the great-granddaughter of engineer Sebastian de Ziani Ferranti and Penny Horner and Howard Jameson who co-founded the Jermyn Street Theatre. Deirdre O'Sullivan is an archaeologist at Leicester University. A specialist in medieval archaeology and friaries, she is academic advisor to the Greyfriars Project which discovered and excavated the remains of Richard III. The Bones of a King is the official behind-the-scenes story of the excavation of Richard III based on the research of the specialists involved in the discovery. The Bones Of A King - Richard III Rediscovered by the Greyfriars Research Team with Maev Kennedy and Lin Foxhall is published by Wiley-Blackwell. Mark Vanhoenacker is a long haul pilot who operated his first commercial flight in 2003. Formerly a management consultant, becoming a pilot was his childhood dream. In his book, Skyfaring - A Journey with a Pilot, he shares his love of flying from new ways of map making and the poetry of physics to the names of winds and the nature of clouds. Skyfaring - A Journey with a Pilot is published by Chatto and Windus. Dr Frances Ross is the great-granddaughter of Sebastian de Ziani Ferranti, an engineer, whose contribution to World War One is the focus of a new exhibition, the Innovation Race. Following the establishment of the Ministry of Munitions in 1915 when Britain was experiencing a major shell crisis, Ferranti converted his Oldham factory from domestic goods to shells and fuses. The Innovation Race: Manchester's Makers Join the First World War is at the Museum of Science And Industry (MOSI) in Manchester. Penny Horner and Howard Jameson are co-founders of the Jermyn Street Theatre. They staged their first production in the basement of 16b Jermyn Street - formerly a restaurant - in 1994. The theatre is now established as one of London's leading off-West End studio theatres, showcasing new work and forgotten classics from Ibsen's Little Eyolf to the Ivor Novello musical Gay's The Word. The Heart of Things by Giles Cole is at Jermyn Street Theatre.

Ellie Nunn, daughter of director Sir Trevor Nunn and actress Imogen Stubbs, talks to BTG reviewer Belle Lupton about her one-woman show Bombshells. Ellie talks about playing six different roles in this comedy by Australian playwright Joanna Murray-Smith which she performed at Jermyn Street Theatre in London in January 2014. She also explains about not going to drama school and about growing up with parents famous for their theatre work—plus how she reacts if they offer her advice.

As Yet Unnamed London Theatre Podcast 17-Feb-2013 With T R P Watson  -Gareth James - http://garethjames.wordpress.com/Nick from Partially Obstructed View - http://partially-obstructed-view.blogspot.co.uk/JohnnyFox - http://www.johnnyfoxlondon.blogspot.com/ Plays and Theatre News Discussed The Stepmother - Orange Tree Theatre  [00:12]Our Country's Good - St James' Theatre  [08:10]MONEY the Game Show - Bush Theatre [18:27]London Wall - Finborough Theatre  [34:42]One Touch of Venus - Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre [42:10] Reviews The Vortex, The Rose, KingstonDesolate Heaven - Theatre503Robert LePage, Playing Cards 1 - Spades - RoundhouseThe Stepmother - Orange Tree TheatreGay’s the word - Jermyn Street Theatre

This week Libby Purves is joined by Meeta Raval, Kate Allatt, Gene David Kirk and Nell Gifford. Meeta Raval is recognised as a rising star of the new generation of opera singers and is one of the contestants in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. She attended Wells Cathedral School and was the first Head Girl Chorister in the country. The competition will be broadcast on BBC Two, BBC Four, BBC Two Wales, Radio 3, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. Fell-runner and mother of three, Kate Allatt's life was torn apart when she suffered a massive stroke leading to locked-in syndrome. Totally paralysed, she became a prisoner inside her own body and her family were warned that she may never walk, talk or lead a normal life again. However, through her own determination she made a remarkable recovery and did run again. Her book 'Running Free: Breaking out from locked-in syndrome' is published by Accent Press. Gene David Kirk is Artistic Director of London's Jermyn Street Theatre, who served in the Royal Air Force before embarking on a career in theatre. To mark the 100th birthday of one of the greatest playwrights in history, he directs Tennessee Williams 'A Cavalier for Milady' at the Jermyn Street Theatre, the only published work of his that has never been produced. Nell Gifford is the founder of Gifford's Circus which she set up eleven years ago. An Oxford graduate, she spent her gap year working in a circus, and never looked back, setting up her own circus eleven years ago, with the aim of recreating the magic of the traditional English travelling show. Their latest production is Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' which they are performing around the West of England this summer.

This week Libby Purves is joined by Baroness Jenkin, Walter Schwarz, Doreen Mantle and Gary Cockerill. Anne Jenkin, Baroness Jenkin of Kennington is a PR consultant. She was made a member of the House of Lords in recognition of her charitable and political work for the Conservative Party. She is taking part in a fundraising and awareness campaign, 'Live Below the Line', for the charity 'Restless Development'. The campaign is challenging people to live below the poverty line, by spending just one pound a day on food and drink for five days. Walter Schwarz was The Guardian newspaper's foreign correspondent from 1964 to the 1990s. He reported from Nigeria, Israel, France and as a War Correspondent in India/Pakistan during the 1972 conflict. In his memoir 'The Ideal Occupation' he tells of his many adventures and misadventures including his deportation from Nigeria and time spent in prison in Biafra during the Civil War. Actor Doreen Mantle is probably best known for her role as Mrs Warboys in the BBC's 'One Foot in the Grave'. She has also worked extensively in television and on the stage in productions of My Fair Lady, Keep It in the Family, The Seagull and Hamlet and toured Britain in Billy Liar. She also starred in the 1983 film 'Yentl' alongside Barbra Streisand and last October she joined the cast of Coronation Street. Her latest role is in a production of Ibsen's Little Eyolf at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Gary Cockerill is a celebrity make-up artist who has worked on television programmes including 'Ten Years Younger' and 'This Morning'. He grew up in South Yorkshire and after a brief time as a child actor, worked as a miner, before pursuing his make-up career. His autobiography 'From Coal Dust to Stardust' is published by Harper Collins.

JOSH PRESENTS our first episode with a live studio audience. Recorded on 11 July at the Jermyn Street Theatre, this episode presents the work of three writing teams creating new musical theatre with Mercury Musical Developments, an organisation devoted to new musicals and their writers. Hear songs from an adaptation of Hardy, a revue about the histories of celebrity corpses and a contemporary take on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.

As this lost Sondheim musical heads to the Jermyn Street Theatre, join Thos as he listens in on a full cast rehearsal and talks to the cast and crew, including Helena Blackman, from How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?

ANDREW CORCORAN reports from behind the scenes of the touring Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, starting with rehearsals in London and leading up to the exciting Bradford opening. Meanwhile, Tim talks to Neil Marcus about his current series of audiences with legends of musical theatre, plus his history of managing the Jermyn Street Theatre.