Podcasts about Royal Shakespeare Company

RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next of his regular audio described theatre reviews. This week we have a new version of Edmond Rostand's ‘Cyrano de Bergerac' at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre, which Vidar says is one of the best productions he has seen in Stratford-upon-Avon with description by Professional Audio Describers Emily Magdij and Annette Stocken. About ‘Cyrano de Bergerac'  ‘No master to serve, no leash to bear. I walk as I please, and I speak as I dare.'   Poet, soldier and philosopher. Cyrano de Bergerac burns with brilliance. He's fiercely funny and intensely romantic – but behind the veil of wit is one large problem: his nose.   Haunted by doubts and too proud to beg, he watches from the shadows as Roxane – bold, beautiful and seemingly unreachable – falls for another man, Christian. But this handsome, tongue-tied young suitor knows his only hope of charming Roxane is to seduce her with words. And only one person can help…   Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester (Riviera, Hustle, National Theatre Othello and Henry V) is Cyrano. Director Simon Evans (Staged, The Dazzle, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg) co-adapts with Debris Stevenson (Poet in Da Corner, My Brother's a Genius), bringing new life to this thrilling, lyrical tale of love and lies, longing and disguise. For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company including details of audio described performances do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed calls for an investigation into Chancellor Rachel Reeves, after it emerged she did not obtain the required “selective” rental licence for her £3,200-a-month Dulwich home when she moved into No 11 Downing Street following the election. In a letter to the prime minister, Reeves “sincerely” apologised for her “inadvertent error”, but the Tories have said she should be sacked. They cited Starmer's argument after Boris Johnson's fine for breaching Covid rules that “lawbreakers cannot be lawmakers”. The Standard's Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford is here with the latest. And in part two The Standard's Chief Theatre Critic and host of The London Theatre Review podcast, Nick Curtis, is here to review Ella Hickson's adaptation of Peter Pan, from the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is showing at The Barbican Centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before he was Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones or the commanding presence of The Jewel in the Crown, Charles Dance was a boy from Worcestershire whose father died when he was three and whose mother built a new life for the family, remarried to their lodger. A childhood marked by loss, a stammer and humble beginnings gave little hint of the commanding actor he would become.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O'Brien sits down with the Emmy-nominated actor to trace an extraordinary journey from working-class Devon to the stages of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Hollywood sets alongside Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maggie Smith. Dance reveals how two eccentric mentors in rural Devon taught him to speak, act and think like an actor, and why, even now at 79, he still considers himself a “working actor” rather than a star.It's an intimate, reflective conversation about identity, perseverance, class, craft and the enduring magic of the stage- told with the wit and humility of a man who's seen it all and still can't quite believe his luck.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is David Adjmi. From childhood, our money stories shape the way we see the world—sometimes with clarity, and sometimes with confusion. For playwright David, growing up in a family and a neighborhood where money was about hustle, performance, and status left him questioning what financial security and self-worth really meant. David Adjmi's plays have been produced at theatres around the world such as Lincoln Center, RSC, Steppenwolf, and Soho Rep--where he was the Mellon Foundation playwright-in-residence for three years. Stereophonic (music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire) is running on London's West End after a successful run on Broadway, where it became the most Tony-nominated play in history. Stereophonic received the 2024 Drama Desk Award, New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League, and Tony Awards for Best Play. The Stumble was recently excerpted in The Paris Review, and his two-part play The Blind King is currently in development with The Public. Adjmi's controversial hit 3C was selected as one of the top ten plays of the year by the New York Post, Time Out and the Advocate. Elective Affinities premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company and received a sold-out U.S. premiere at Soho Rep starring Zoe Caldwell (Top 10 of the year in Time Out, The New Yorker.) Other plays include Stunning, The Evildoers, and Marie Antoinette. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Whiting Writers' Award, the Kesselring Prize for Drama, and the Steinberg Playwright Award, among others.  He holds commissions from The Public, Playwrights Horizons, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, and the Royal Court (UK). His critically acclaimed memoir Lot Six was published by HarperCollins in 2020, and his collected plays are published by TCG.

Actor Nikki Amuka-Bird discusses her awe for Zadie Smith, the need for humour in books about difficult conversations and her relationship with playing “mean” characters.  Nikki is an actor whose career spans across film, television, and stage. She was born in Nigeria and grew up in Antigua before moving to the UK to attend boarding school. She studied at LAMDA – the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – and quickly fell in love with the craft, before beginning what would become a stellar stage career with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Nikki has starred in a number of critically acclaimed roles in both British and international productions. She is perhaps best known for her work in television, with standout performances in Luther & the adaptation of Zadie Smith's NW, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Nikki also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Small Island by Andrea Levy, winner of the 2004 Women's Prize for Fiction, and most recently as the lead in UKTV's I, Jack Wright. Her impressive filmography spans a wide array of roles, from starring alongside Rachel Weisz in Denial, to working with director and producer M. Night Shyamalan in Knock at the Cabin. Nikki's book choices are: ** The Colour Purple by Alice Walker ** A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson ** The Secret History by Donna Tart ** Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid ** Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women's Prize's BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women's Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years.  Don't want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  Recorded May 2025. This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

In this week's episode, we interview narrator Hollis McCarthy, who has narrated over 300 audiobooks, including many of THE GHOSTS and CLOAK MAGES. She is also co-author with her mother Dee Maltby of the MAGIC OF LARLION series, which you can learn more about at https://deemaltbyauthor.com/. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store: DRAGONSKULL25 The coupon code is valid through October 27, 2025. So if you need a new ebook this fall, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT Introduction and Writing Updates (00:00): Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 273 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moller. Today is October 17th, 2025, and today we have an interview with audiobook narrator Hollis McCarthy. Hollis has narrated many audiobooks, including numerous books from the Ghost and Cloak Mage series, so we'll talk with her about that. Before we get to our main topic, we'll have Coupon of the Week and then a progress update on my current writing projects. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store, and that coupon code is DRAGONSKULL25. The coupon code is valid through October 27th, 2025. So if you need some new ebooks to read for this fall, we've got you covered. And as always, the coupon code and the links to my store will be available in the show notes. Now for an update on my current writing projects. As of this recording, I am 80% of the way through the first round of edits in Cloak of Worlds, so making good progress and if all goes well, the book should be out before the end of the month. I'm also 14,000 words into Blade of Shadows, which will be my next main project after Cloak of Worlds is published, which means I also have to write the outline for Elven-Assassin soon, and that will be the fifth book in the Rivah series. In audiobook news, recording will be underway next week for Blade of Flames. That will be narrated excellently by Brad Wills. Ghost in Siege is now out. It should be available at of all the audiobook stories (except Spotify) and it should be available there in a few days. And that is the final book in my Ghost Armor series that is excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and audiobook and publishing projects, which makes for a good segue into our main topic, our interview with Hollis McCarthy, which begins now. 00:03:56 Interview With Hollis McCarthy Hi everyone. I'm here today with Hollis McCarthy, who is a classically trained actor. Hollis has played leads in regional and off-Broadway theater, specializing in Shakespeare. On CBS. she's been a recurring guest star judge on Bull, the president of Ireland on Bluebloods, and a senator on Netflix's House of Cards. She's narrated more than 300 books for a variety of publishers and is the proud co-author of her mom Dee Maltby's epic fantasy series, The Magic of Larlion. Hollis, thanks for coming on the show today. Hollis: My pleasure. Jonathan: So to start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into acting and performing? Hollis: That's a great question. I think it all started with doing my little brother's Sesame Street finger puppets. He's 10 years younger than me, so I mean, I got to reread all my favorite books with him and I started voicing the finger puppets to Burt, Ernie and Cookie Monster and all those guys in the backseat of the car and playing all the characters. And then my brother went into theater. My other brother's seven years older than me, and I used to go see his shows up at the college when I was in high school and kind of fell in love with it there. I absolutely meant to be an aeronautical engineer/physicist like my dad, but it didn't end up working out. I fell in love with theater and went to Stratford. I had a dual major because I was in an honors program, so I didn't have to declare a major until my fifth year of undergrad. But then I went to Stratford up in Canada and I saw two Shakespeare shows in one day and that was it. I had to do that. That was what I loved. Jonathan: Well, since we've had many audiobooks together, I'm glad it worked out that way. Hollis: Me too. Yeah, so I got my BFA in acting, and then I got my MFA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in performance, and I was lucky enough to have some great coaches from the RSC and did a bunch more Shakespeare, and I've done that regionally a lot. And then I fell into audiobooks because I got tired of traveling, and I love to work from my home in my jammies. Jonathan: That is the dream. Speaking of that, could you tell us a bit more about how you sort of got into audiobooks or ended up doing a lot of that? Hollis: Yeah. Well, again, it starts with my childhood. My mom, who was a writer and an artist, she had, there were five of us kids and she would read out loud to us in the kitchen to keep us from fighting when we were cleaning up. So she started with Tolkien and Watership Down and Narnia and all of that. And then I got to, like I said, read to my little brother all my favorite books. And so I started doing all different voices for the characters and I always thought that was normal until, of course I volunteered to read in class in high school and people thought I was some sort of freak, but I always loved playing all the characters. And so when I started looking at staying home more and what could I do to work from home instead of being on the road for work, which was great for a long time, but then at some point you want to stay home and have a life as an actor as well as doing what you love. And audiobooks seemed a good fit. So my husband, who's also an actor, took a class from Paul Rubin here in the city in New York. We live in the New York area now. And he got a bunch of good tips from that that he passed on to me. And then my agent got me an audition with Audible and Mike Charzuk there. I came in and read a couple of pieces for him and he came back to the booth with a book he wanted me to start on. And from there I just kept building and got a lot of great indie authors through ACX like you. I don't know how many books we've done together now. Jonathan: It's over 30, I think. Yeah, 30 over the last seven years. So it's been a while. Hollis: And you're seriously, I mean, I'm not saying this because I'm on your blog, but your series are absolutely my favorites, especially because, yeah, the two series that I do, one is Nadia from the Midwest like me and then the other one with Caina, the epic fantasy world, which uses all my British and Irish bits and I absolutely love them. So yeah, I've just kept building up, getting in with a few more publishers now, which is harder to do and I just love it. Our first booth, when the pandemic hit, we had to build a booth at home and I had been going to studios in the city up until that point, but it hit pretty suddenly. It was obvious on St. Patrick's Day when it was like us going to the studio and people who were absolutely desperate folks were the only other ones on the street. We had to stay home. So my husband took our rapier blade (we fight with swords. We're actor combatants, like you said). He took two broadsword blades and a rapier blade, and he's handy with carpentry, fortunately. That's how he worked his way through school. He bracketed those to the wall and we ordered through Amazon before they kind of shut down too. We ordered packing blankets to hang over them and I ordered a new microphone and a new interface and it was trial and error for a bunch of days. And we had an engineer on call who talked us through how to run the software programs and stuff, how to set them up. And from there I've just kept recording at home. I sometimes still go into the studios when they have a budget where they can spring for a studio, but mostly they want you to work from home these days. So that's mostly what I do. Jonathan: Oh, building a recording booth out of swords. That's very Caina. Hollis: It's very Caina. I love Caina. Caina is me as a young woman. If I had been a superhero, I would've been a Caina. All my favorite roles in Shakespeare were the girl as boy ones. You asked, one of my favorite roles in theater was when I was at Alabama Shakespeare and I was playing Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and dressing in gorgeous gowns and being very seductive and very powerful and manipulative and all that. But in the earlier scenes, we did the three plays and in the Richard III and the Henry VI we did all three. And in the earlier scenes where Elizabeth wasn't in, I got to dress up and doublet and hose and I like stippled some stipple of beard on my face and climbed a siege ladder with a sword in one hand and did a spectacular pratfall running away from the bad guys and would slide on my stomach on the deck of the stage and I would come out into the lobby and the other guys who were playing my fellow fighters would be holding up rating cards for how far I'd slid that day. Jonathan: Sounds like very practical cardio. Hollis: Yeah, very. It was a lot of fun. That was probably my most fun I've ever done, though I also loved Beatrice and Much Ado, which I got to do twice because she's just so funny and witty and passionate. She's great, and Shakespeare, you know. Jonathan: Very good. So after all these audiobooks, what goes into preparing to record an audiobook? Hollis: That's a great question, too. It depends on the book, really. And I'm lucky enough to do a lot of series now, so when you're doing a series, it gets easier as you go along. I remember with the first ones I did for you, the first Caina, it probably took me an hour of prep to get through the first chapter. There were so many made up place names that I needed to figure out how to say, and then you have to be consistent. Even if they're made up, you still have to be consistent. So I really used my theater training there because I learned the international phonetic alphabet when I was in school, and so I can write down phonetic pronunciations and for each book, I'm old school with my prep, I'll keep a legal pad and I'll write down phonetic pronunciations, the word, page number, and the phonetic pronunciation for each word, so I have a record. You don't retain them from book to book. Pronunciations is a big part of what you do. Also, character voices, because again, you want to be true to the author's intent and you want to stay consistent. Again, for Caina, it became very complicated because you had to have Caina's basic voice, which is this [speaks in Caina's voice]. She started out a bit higher because she was younger. And then as she aged, she's gotten more medium pitch-wise, but then she was in disguise as various people. She was disguised as a cockney guy for a while, and she was an Irish guy for a while. And so for each of those personas, you have to notate for yourself in the script. Oh, now she has this accent. Now she has this one. And really for each chunk of dialogue, every time a character speaks, I'll put the initial of their name and if there are a lot of characters in the scene, I will have to differentiate between them pretty frequently. If it's two characters and I know them both very well, then I kind of have the shorthand in my head. So the different character voices I also put on my legal pad so I have a record, so Calvia sounds like this [speaks a line in the character's voice]. And sometimes I'll write down physical aspects of them so that I can just kind of feel the character. And after I do them for a while, the feel of the character will give me the voice and you write down everything that the author says about the character too. I'll just notate for myself that will oftentimes give you the voice. If it's a good author, which thank God you are, you write in different voices, which makes my job easier. Jonathan: The joke I sometimes say is I didn't do audiobooks for the first seven years I was publishing, and people would ask me, how do you pronounce this? I say, I don't care, pronounce it however you want. And then suddenly we started doing audiobooks and suddenly no, it matters very much how it's pronounced. Hollis: Yeah, exactly. It's funny, I'm just looking at my tablet. I have your Shield of Power up on my tablet. I've been reading that on the treadmill and at lunch. But yeah, we have to keep tabs. And when we have so many books now, I've started special folders just for the Ghost series and the Cloak series because a lot of times a character will show up from several books previous and I go, I remember them, but I don't remember what they sounded like. So I will have notated forward alto, slightly Irish or something like that for them. I have shorthand for all of it, and so I'll do that. Jonathan: Yeah, I spent a lot of time with Control + F searching through Word documents, trying to remember the first time I wrote this character and what they looked like. Hollis: Yeah, I bet you do. Some writers I guess do, well, if they don't do it all themselves. And if they have somebody who's like an administrative assistant, they have somebody who gives you, I've gotten these from authors before. Their assistant will send me a story log of characters with everything that's said about the character. I'm like, oh, well, that's very organized and helpful, but I would think it would be massively time consuming. Jonathan: It is. I did hire someone to help me with that this year. It was getting to be too much to go back and search through things and it is a very time consuming project, but once it's done, it's very helpful because it's quite easy to find things and look things up and refresh your memory. Hollis: I bet so. When I was working on my mom's books, we hired an editor and she did a spreadsheet, a database kind of different terms and characters and what was said about them. And I go back to that and amend it all the time now that I'm trying to write book eight. Jonathan: Yeah, that kind of thing is very helpful. But on a related topic of preparation, since you've done audiobooks, stage, and TV, how would say narrating audiobooks is different from the experience of doing theater or TV? Hollis: The major thing and the hardest thing for me when I was starting out was you can't move around all the time. I had an engineer at Audible. It was just, and a lot of times the chair is very important because if you move, what you're bound to do, if you're producing your voice correctly, you need to sit up and you need to use your hands to express yourself, and you have to have an absolutely silent chair. And the chairs at Audible at that time, were not absolutely silent. So every time I moved, the chair would squeak and we'd have to stop and start again. So that was very, very hard for me. In fact, I've been doing so much audiobooks now, and I also do TV and film, but that's gone to all for auditioning for that. It's all self tape, which means it's just like head and shoulders, so still you're just kind of using a little part of your body. And I had a theater callback for Pygmalion in the city the other day, in person, in a studio, in a rehearsal room. The day before, I used to do those all the time, and that's so rare now for them to do in-person auditions since the pandemic. But I put on my character shoes and my skirt and I practice just being bigger, opening my body up and doing all this stuff I learned to do in school and that you do when you're on stage to own the space because the space is the back wall of the theater. And that's a big difference between theater, film, TV, and audiobooks is the scope of it. When I did Beatrice, I was in an 1,100 seat unamplified stone amphitheater outdoors in Colorado. So you can imagine the scope physically and vocally is so big. And then for TV, film and you have to what they say, reach the back wall of whatever space you're in. Well, for film and TV, the back wall is the camera. It's right in front of your face a lot of the times. And the back wall is really kind of the inside of your head. It's almost like you have to have internal gaze so that the thoughts are just happening. You don't have to project them, you don't have to project your voice because all the equipment comes right to you, and all you have to do is feel the feelings and think the thoughts and the camera and microphone picked that up. Similarly with audiobooks, I'm just in a little tiny padded booth. My microphone is just a few inches from my face, and so I could be very, very intimate and everything gets picked up, and you have to do a lot less work for the emotion to come through. Again, really all you have to do is kind of feel the emotion. And for me, that's always for me is being in the moment and feeling the moment and letting that dictate the pace and the vocals and everything. I guess I'm pretty Method. I'm very Method, but that's how I trained. It's what works for me. Not every narrator is like that. There's a million different proper ways to narrate, and that's just my take on it. But everything is right there. So it's just kind of keeping it much smaller and more intimate. And in fact, when you want to be big like [character name's said in the character's] voice and he was yelling a lot, and I would have to pull back from the microphone to let his scope come out. Jonathan: Well, after 30 audiobooks together, I can say that method definitely works. Related to that, as we mentioned earlier, you're now at over 300 titles on Audible over the last 12 years. Congratulations for that. What would you say is most surprising or unexpected things about audiobooks you learned during that time? Hollis: Oh, well, it was very surprising that we could make a booth out of sword blades and blankets. That surprised me. Yeah, that's a great question. It's surprising to me how simple I can be. I went back and I had an author recently who wanted me to do a new chapter to begin and end a book that I had done like 2014, something like that, shortly after I started. And I thought at the time that I was really filling these voices and what I did was fine. You're always your own worst critic. But what I've discovered now is the more you do it, the more you record, the more you use your instrument every single day for 300 some books, the more effortless it becomes and the more depth you can bring to it. And as a young actor, we always resist that. My acting coach used to say, age and experience. There's no substitute for it. I'm like, yeah, yeah, but talent and hard work, that's something. But it's really true that just the repetition, there's no substitute for it. Those chapters that I did, they were the same voices basically. But when I went back and listened to the original, I was like, oh, it surprised me how without really changing anything mechanically, the work has just gotten deeper, more effortless, but it sounds better at the same time. Does that make sense? Jonathan: It does. Because you've probably noticed I've redesigned the covers for the Caina series like seven times over the last 10 years. And every time you think this is it, this is it. I'm done. This is good. And then with more practice, you look back and think, well, maybe I can improve this again, though. I suppose that's not often something that happens in the audiobook world where you get to go back and revisit something you did previously. Hollis: That is one of the hardest and most surprising things about audiobooks. And I've heard people say that this happens to every young narrator when they're starting out, you get through the first two chapters of a new book and you go, oh God, now I get it. I want to go back and start again. Well, there's no do overs with audiobooks. With audiobooks, “done is good” is what they always tell you when you're starting out. So even in film and TV, which you don't get much rehearsal for, you get a couple of run run-throughs, but with audiobooks, you got your prep. Not everyone does, but I always read the whole book before I start if possible, because otherwise you get surprises. But you get your one read through, your prep, and then you go and yes, you can stop. You can punch and roll, edit over. If you make a mistake, you go back half a line, you start again there. But there's no evolution of the work, which is what's great about series too, I think, because with the series you get, yeah, Caina was here last time I did her and now she's going through something new. And then the character grows and it becomes less and less effortful, but it also becomes like someone you really know so that it gets so much deeper and it's so much more fun to play with. Jonathan: That makes sense. 12 years really is a long time to have done audio narration or anything. So what do you think is the key to sticking it out for audiobooks for the long term? Hollis: Well, a lot of things make a difference. I didn't do it before this interview, which is why my voice is kind of rocky, but I always warm up in the morning when I'm setting up a session. I always do a vocal warmup. You got to get a good night's sleep, you have to drink water every couple of pages. I have a tea that I drink that keeps my stomach quiet because stomach gurgles is another bad thing about audiobooks. You have to eat very carefully and drink tea to keep your stomach quiet. You don't want to have to stop every time for that. And a lot of training, a lot of vocal training. I had Linklater training and the Lavan training, and Linklater to me is the most useful. And a lot of the stuff that applies to Shakespeare applies to audiobooks too. You warm up, you get yourself breathing, you warm up your resonators, your sinus, your mask resonators, the back of your head, your chest resonators. For the men [imitates male voice], you really have to have your chest warmed up, get the vibrations going here. And so I get all that kind of going before I sit down in the booth. And that also keeps you, then you keep your throat open so you're not hurting yourself. You have to have good posture so that the air can move from your diaphragm up to your throat and have it be open. And then optimally, like with Caina, Caina has a lot of mask resonance. Brits do; they are very far forward. So you really have to have all that warmed up and then that has to have no impediments between the front of your face all the way down to your diaphragm where the breath originates. And if you can do all that, then you could be an audiobook narrator. Also diction. I warm up my diction to everything from [imitates several vocal exercises] in just to get your mouth moving. You don't want lazy mouth with, there's a lot of enunciation in audiobooks that's important. But I also don't like, I really hate when you hear people enunciating. I don't like that. And with Caina, even though she's upper class, she's not like that. She's not pretentious. And certainly Nadia, you want to be able to understand what she says, but you don't want her to be enunciating. That be weird. So all of all that stuff I worked on in grad school and did all the Shakespeare plays, I would always get to the theater an hour early. You have to be there half hour for makeup and check in, but I would always get there an hour early and do at least 15 to 20 minutes of physical and vocal warmups. And so those habits have really helped me. I think I have pipes of iron, fortunately. I'm very lucky. So all that stuff really matters with audiobooks. Jonathan: It's amazing in how many different fields of life the answer seems to boil down to do the things you're supposed to over and over again forever. Hollis: Exactly. That's really true. When are we going to get old enough that we don't have to do that anymore? [laughs] Jonathan: Just one side question. What is Linklater training? I don't think I've heard that term before. Hollis: Oh, Kristen Linklater is, she's probably the biggest American vocal coach. She has a lot of books out there about voice and the actor and all of her training stems from allowing the breathing to drop in as she calls it, not forcing it to drop into the diaphragm, and then creating a pool of vocal vibrations that go from the diaphragm through an open throat to the resonators. And you can use every resonator in your body to project that sound. When I was doing Beatrice and Gertrude at Colorado Shakes in that unamplified stone amphitheater in the foothills of the Rockies, there was winds that would come down out of the mountains when we were on stage, and that theater was known for eating women's voices. And I had to thank God the vocal coach that summer was a Linklater coach, which is the method that I trained in, and he helped me work with even resonators. If you can imagine in your back, just using the whole chest box and shaking the vibrations through your body so that basically you're making your whole human skeleton an amplifier for the vocal energy coming from your breath. And that's Linklater. She's fascinating. If you ever want to study voice, you can't do better than Linklater, to my mind. Cicely Berry is another one I studied. She's the British guru for the RSC and the Royal Shakespeare Company and all those people, and she's great too. Jonathan: Well, that's just exciting. I learned something new today. Hollis: That's always good. Always learning from your books too about Medieval combat. Jonathan: We always want to learn something new every day, whether we like it or not. Hollis: Right. Jonathan: So to turn it around a little bit, what advice would you give a new indie author who is working with a narrator for the first time? Hollis: Oh yeah, I actually, I made some notes. I thought that was such a good question. Make sure that your narrator knows what you expect from them upfront. If you go through ACX, they have this great thing called the first 15 where your narrator is, if you're new to this author, you record the first 15 minutes of the book and you put that on ACX for your author to listen to and approve. You don't have to approve it if you don't like it. And in fact, if you don't like it, it's very important you don't approve it and you tell your narrator specifics about what you need them to change before they go on with the book. Because what you can't really do is once a book is recorded, say, oh, I really don't like it. I'm not going to pay you for it. I need you to go back and do it again. That's not acceptable and it will make narrators never want to work with you. But what's great about the first 15 is you have that chance to say, well, this voice was, she was a little higher than I wanted. I hear her in my head more as an alto because for me as a narrator, what I want to do is I want to take what you, Jonathan, hear your characters being as you're writing them in your head. I want to take that and translate that into an audiobook for you. So the more you give your narrators information about your characters, the better they're going to voice it. Also, if there's a style in your head, like with Nadia books, there's a little touch of noir there. It was a dark and stormy night kind of feel. If there's a style you kind of hear in your head, that would be a good thing to give them. But ACX has also, I think a character sheet where you can tell them about the different characters. You can fill that out for your narrator. That's tremendously helpful, age of the character, if you hear a vocal pitch range, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, any dialects, they need to know that. The narrator's nightmare is you finish up a book and you shouldn't do this, you should read ahead, but you get to the last line: “I love you, darling,” he said in his beautiful French accent. Jonathan: It explicitly shows up there for the first time. Hollis: Exactly. And then for the narrator, it's like, oh my God, I have to go back and rerecord everything this guy said, which is hours and hours and hours of work for you and your editor who will kill you. But yeah, let them know about all the character traits that you can and just, I think it's on the narrator too, to, I've been lucky with my authors, we always have a good give and take. I come from a theater background and you want to collaborate. You want to realize the author's vision and you want to be a partner in creating that. So try to be partners and give them more information than you think they need and use that first 15. It is totally acceptable to send it back and say, I'm going to need you to do this again, and I'm going to need these changes. And then once you get that ironed out, then you'll probably be ready to go ahead and have a book. And when you get the book, you won't be shocked and you'll be happy (hopefully) with the read. Is that helpful? Jonathan: It does. New authors, if you're listening to this, listen to that advice. Hollis: Yeah. Jonathan: Now for a slightly different topic, can you tell us about the Magic of Larlion books and how you ended up publishing that series? Hollis: Yeah. The Magic of Larlion is an epic fantasy adventures series seven, almost eight volumes. I'm working on finishing book eight now. The first book, Wizard Stone, my brilliant mother Dee Maltby started years and years ago, probably, gosh, maybe 20 years ago now, I think when my little brother moved out from home and she had an empty nest and she had more time to write, and she wrote Wizard Stone, and she sent it out a few places, and that was the only way you could get published back when she wrote it and didn't pursue it, she got discouraged, I think, by rejections from publishers, sat in her drawer for a while, and my sister-in-law, Dana Benningfield, who's also an actor, and she was my best friend even before she married my brother. I introduced them. So yeah, that was all me. She was an editor professionally for a while, and when she moved to Ohio where I'm from and was living with my brother and my parents lived right across the orchard, I told her about this book. And she wasn't editing at the time, she was kind of done with it, but she asked mom if she could read it. So she read it and edited it, and then it became a much better book and really encouraged my mom to keep writing, which I had been telling her to do for years. But hearing somebody who wasn't family, somehow giving her that input that it was really something special, changed her perspective. So she kept writing and she and I started, I was on the road doing Shakespeare a lot. We started trading chapters. She'd send me a chapter a week and I would edit it and send it back. And so Wizard Stone evolved from there into its current form, and then she started the next book, Wizard Wind and Wizard Storm. And we went that way through five and a half books. And my dad finally, when he retired from being a physicist, said he was going to, I always told you I'd get your published Dee, I'm going to take it down to the print shop and get a hundred copies made. And by this time I was working with you and a bunch of other great indie authors who were letting thousands of happy readers read their books through an independent platform. And I said, well, wait a minute. I could do better than that. So I convinced them to hire an editor that I had worked with, and I did the rewrites and got it through the pre-production process and hired a cover artist, very talented artist. And you and Meara Platt, another of my authors, gave me so much information and help. And we got it published in 2022, I believe. We had three ready to go. And we published those all within a month of each other. One a month for three months, and then four and five, and then six came. And I co-authored five, six, and seven because my mother was losing her sight and her hearing at that point. We got those done. We had six out and a lot of people reading them and loving them and reviewing them before my mom passed. And I think it's probably one of the most satisfying things I've done in my life, because not only do I love the books, and they're just a rip roaring, fantastic adventure-filled epic trip through this incredible world my mom invented. But when she was about to, one of the last things she said to me was, I told her how many people had read her books. I just went through the Kindle numbers and thousands of people in different countries and all over the world were reading and loving her books. And I told her that, and she said, that's all that matters. And she felt such a sense of pride in herself and accomplishment because they were being received for what they are, which is a brilliant creative flight of fancy, this magical world in the tradition of all the books she loved, always Tolkien. And so I promised her I'd finish it. So after she died, I published six and seven and I've got eight about 90% written now, and I'm hoping to bring that out by the end of the year, although I've been too darn busy with narration to really spend the time. I've got the big climactic Jonathan Moeller type battle at the end sketched in my head and on an outline, but I got to write that. And then we can get that out there and finish that too. Jonathan: Will you stop with eight or keep going after eight? Hollis: My feeling is that this series will culminate with book eight. It's been a long saga of Beneban, this young wizard who kind of gets flung off a mountain by his evil wizard master and has to master his fledgling wizardry powers and his magical sword to win his love Laraynia, a powerful sorceress, and save the kingdom. And that's book one. And there's ice dragons, and then they have kids, and then the later books have become much more about their kids. And the more I write, the more it's become about young women fighting with swords. Jonathan: Well, they say write what you know. Hollis: Defeating the bad guys. Plucky young women, overachieving, competing with men. And so I think that's all going to come to a head with book eight, and that will be the end of that series. But I do think I'm going to spin it off into possibly more on the younger characters. I don't know if it's going to be YA per se, I think it'll still be for adults, but more of a YA feel to it, the younger characters of the ice dragon riding school of battle and the wizarding school. I don't know if I want to make it schools necessarily, it might limit you too much. And that's kind of been done too. But I do think the ice dragons are going to figure largely in it. Oh, and I don't know, there's a plot point I probably shouldn't give away, but my mother's full name was Willa Dee Maltby. She writes under Dee Maltby and there is a character, a very magical character named Willa that shows up in this book eight. So I think Willa will be a big character going forward and the younger generation of women and some boys too. I like boys, I do. Jonathan: Well, I suppose if people want to know more, they will have to read and find out. Hollis: Yes. And please go to the website is deemaltbyauthor.com and everything you want to know (well, maybe not everything), but everything you can know for now is there. Jonathan: Well, I was going to ask you what you would say was the most rewarding things about publishing the books, but I think you covered that pretty well. On the flip side, what was the biggest unexpected challenge in publishing them? Hollis: The PR is hard. You seem to be great at it. I even did PR professionally to work my way through undergrad and then in between grad school and undergrad and after I graduated and I had an assistantship in it at my university. But the book world specifically is a whole different kind of PR and learning Amazon ads and Facebook ads and it's a lot. It's a lot. And again, you have been so helpful with it. And I mean, there are a lot of online resources out there too, which is great. But what I'm really finding, trying to do it part-time is overwhelming. You really need a full-time block of time to not only write the books, but then to publicize them the way they deserve to be publicized. Jonathan: Yeah, the tricky part is, as you said, book advertising is very different from anything else. I was talking with a guy who is an Amazon reseller for various toiletries and hygiene products and makes a good living doing that. I was telling him how much I pay per click on Amazon ads. He's just appalled. It's like, you can't make any money doing that. And then the flip side of that too is that Internet marketing is so different than any other form of PR, so it's just sort of constant challenge there. Hollis: I know, and I know I actually signed up for a TikTok account and I just don't, again at the time. Plus every time I turn it on, I'm like, I don't want to watch that. I'm allergic to the format. You'd think being an actor, being used to being on camera, I could come up easily with little things to do for the books and I probably could for TikTok. But again, just learning the platform and then applying yourself to it is just such a big time hack that I don't have that amount of time. I know that narrators are now more and more marketing themselves by recording themselves on camera narrating and putting that out there, which I can do, I guess. And that's why I got this ring light and everything. I can do that now. I haven't done anything with it, but I guess if some of the book work dries up, I'll be more motivated to do it. Jonathan: Well, that's how anything works. You try it and if you enjoy it and it works, keep doing it. And if you don't enjoy it and it doesn't work, no point in carrying on with it. Hollis: I think that's true. And you just have to keep learning too, as we know with everything. You got to keep learning new things. Jonathan: Well, this has been a very enjoyable interview and thank you for coming on the show. Hollis: My pleasure. Jonathan: Let's close out with one last question. You've obviously done a lot of theater, so what, out of all the productions you've done was the one you would say was your favorite or that you enjoyed the most? Hollis: I think I have to go back to Beatrice probably. I mean, the Alabama Shakes getting to play a man thing, that was a lot of fun. But Beatrice, we did a Wild West Much Ado about Nothing at Colorado Shakespeare. The premise was that I was the niece of Leonardo, who is the tavern keeper, the bar keeper in this Wild West world. And there was a bar fight opening this Wild West production, and I entered through a swinging tavern door with a six shooter in one hand and a bull whip in the other. And I shot the pistol and cracked the bull whip and broke up the fight and then got to do Shakespeare's incredible Beatrice and Benedict story from there. It was so much fun. Jonathan: It almost seems like the soundtrack could have been “I Shot the Sheriff.” Hollis: Yeah. Yeah, it really could. It was a heck of a lot of fun. Jonathan: Well, speaking of fun, it was good talking with you, and thank you for taking the time to be on the show. Hollis: Yeah, I am excited to start the next Cloak book soon. So I was going to offer to do a little snatch of you want the introduction for Cloak here? Jonathan: Oh, I think we'll save it for the Real Thing. Hollis: Oh, okay. All right. Well thank you, Jonathan. It's been a pleasure. Jonathan: It's been a pleasure. And see you soon for Cloak Mage #10. Hollis: Alright. So that was our interview with Hollis McCarthy. Thank you for coming on the show and giving us a very informative and entertaining interview. A reminder that the website with the Magic of Larlion books is deemaltbyauthor.com. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.

One of the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest openings is a new adaptation of CYRANO DE BERGERAC starring Adrian Lester.The new text has been written by Director Simon Evans with the grime poet Debris Stevenson.Having seen multiple different interpretations of this narrative, find out why Mickey-Jo thought this one was, perhaps, definitive in this full review.•00:00 | introduction02:01 | synopsis05:40 | this adaptation12:03 | creative choices17:49 | the design21:13 | performances27:09 | final thoughtsAbout Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 89,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've got more and more respect, these days, for the humble webquest. Slash hyperdoc. Slash game board. Slash immersive digital multimedia experience. Slash clickable infographic. Slash playlist. Slash choice board. When it comes to sharing information and contemporary texts with your students, there is SO MUCH available online right now. Students can see actors practicing behind the scenes at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read John Green's thoughts on drafting. Hear Jason Reynolds' read his children's book, There was a Party for Langston, while the illustrations wash across the screen. Students can learn MLA with Purdue, watch Joy Harjo read her own poetry, listen to our country's top researchers and academics and start-up founders on podcasts and Ted stages. So cool, right? With so many immersive, multimodal resources waiting for our students, building their roadmaps to what's available becomes an important (and fun) job. We want to present them with great options, and help them feel positive and excited about the experience of exploring. We want to give them possibilities across modes and from many perspectives, so students can use their agency to learn in ways that feel good to them, and connect to at least some aspects of what they discover. We want to provide options in terms of how they synthesize the information they take in so they can use it later. As I see it, here are some of the benefits to building quality webquests for students: students have choice in what to explore, starting with what seems most interesting to them and continuing to make choices until they're out of time plugging in to the kinds of contemporary connections available online (like listening to author interviews, visiting settings, seeing adaptations, and viewing connected social media) can often make learning feel more relevant for students you can build in resources across genres and modes, letting students listen, watch, read, explore, view, and zoom in according to their preferences it's easier to provide more viewpoints, voices, and perspectives, helping you to diversify your curriculum sharing a webquest is less stressful than giving a lecture, and more likely to keep students engaged you'll save a tree, since photocopying a packet of information won't be necessary you can take advantage of the incredible wealth of informational resources available online Today on the pod, let's talk through some examples. Be sure to grab the free templates that complement the episode! These are meant to make this whole process quick and easy for you as you get started, and then you can go on to develop your own.  Get the Free Templates Here: https://sparkcreativity.kartra.com/page/webquesttemplates Sources Considered and Cited: Beers, Kylene and Robert Probst. Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Scholastic, 2017. This book features a helpful look at why relevance is key to engagement. Read more in this blog post. Chavez, Felicia Rose. The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop. Haymarket Books, 2021. Felicia Rose Chavez talks about letting students have a voice in the texts that form the curriculum, and "completing the canon" (97) to go well beyond the white Eurocentric voices so often enshrined there. Clapp, Edward. "5+3 = 8: The Eight Barriers to Access and Equity in the Creative Classroom." Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom. MSU Article Retrieval Service. Accessed October 2025. The chapter from Edward Clapp discusses sharing models of creativity that don't just reflect individual creatives working in isolation, but also collective and collaborative creativity. Rodriguez-Mojica, Claudia and Allison Briceño. Conscious Classrooms. PD Essentials, 2022. (+ Related Podcast Interview). Claudia and Rodriguez-Mojica and Allison Briceño showcase the increase in student performance when they can see themselves in the texts they read. Muhammad, Gholdy. Cultivating Genius. Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2020. Gholdy Muhammad's Cultivating Genius calls for us to layer contemporary multimodal texts into our curriculum, something that reinforced my own long-term interest in this possibility. Ivcevic, Zorana. The Creativity Choice. Public Affairs, 2025. "Research-Based Practices to Ignite Creativity, with Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle." The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Episode 393. September, 2025. Ivcevic suggests that teachers use models and mentors of creative thought that allow students to see themselves, both in terms of their identity and in terms of the level of creativity. Stockman, Angela. Creating Inclusive Writing Environments in the K-12 Classroom. Eye on Education, 2020. Angela's work on multimodal texts, makerspace freedom, and creating more inclusive curriculum is helpful in this conversation.  

This week on Crack the Book, I'm still in awe of Shakespeare — and not ready to leave him behind. Somewhere between Falstaff's jokes and Othello's heartbreak, I realized just how much I've climbed the Shakespeare learning curve. The language that once felt impossible now feels like music, and these plays — Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Othello — have been my favorite week yet.To start, though, I covered a little of Shakespeare's own history, so that we can better understand what was happening around him as he wrote his plays.The Henry IV plays are part of Shakespeare's “Henriad,” tracing Prince Hal's transformation from tavern-dwelling prankster to King Henry V. Part 1 sets up the tension between fathers and sons — King Henry and Hal, Northumberland and Hotspur — while Falstaff brings both comedy and chaos. I was surprised by how much I loved the histories: the mix of battle and banter, the political drama, and the emotional depth. By Part 2, the story turns elegiac. Henry IV is aging, Hal is ready to lead, and Falstaff's charm finally wears thin. The final father–son scenes left me sobbing under a tree outside our hotel — Shakespeare reached across 400 years and hit me right in the heart.Then comes Othello, which could not be more different. Where Falstaff is funny, Iago is chilling. He's not a misunderstood fool — he's pure manipulation, the “honest” man who deceives everyone. I was struck by how quickly Shakespeare draws each character: Desdemona's sweetness, Emilia's courage, Othello's nobility. The tragedy lands hard because we believe them all. And even here, amid jealousy and death, Shakespeare finds humor — like a quick, ridiculous debate about national drinking habits.I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of Henry IV with Anthony Sher's Falstaff, and they were brilliant — vivid sword fights, excellent pacing, and real warmth. By Othello, I'd developed my ear enough to read without watching.This project keeps surprising me — and this week, it reminded me why Shakespeare endures. His plays aren't ancient; they're alive, human, and heartbreakingly funny.This is a year-long challenge! Join me next week for Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists and Benvenuto Cellini's Autobiography.LINKTed Gioia/The Honest Broker's 12-Month Immersive Humanities Course (paywalled!)My Amazon Book List (NOT an affiliate link)CONNECTThe complete list of Crack the Book Episodes: https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2rTo read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ LISTENSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bdApple Podcasts -

Episode 103: Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Max Webster Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare's first tragedy, although in fact, scholars believe that Shakespeare did not write the whole play himself. Whatever its origins, the play is notorious for its graphic horror, which includes multiple killings, amputations, decapitations, rape and cannibalism. Horrors that have overwhelmed audiences and alienated critics for centuries. Although the play was hugely popular in Shakespeare's time, later critics dismissed it for its excessive violence and crude, fragmented structure. However, the play's bleak portrait of amoral leadership, sexual violence, racial conflict, and personal and political despair has struck a chord in more recent times, with several acclaimed productions and restored critical opinion. As we record this episode an exciting new production of the play is on stage at the Hampstead theatre in London, having transferred following its acclaimed run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. The production is directed by Max Webster, who joins me to explore Shakespeare's full-blooded tragedy.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb engages in a captivating conversation with award-winning dramatist Liz Duffy Adams about the new Royal Shakespeare production of her play Born With Teeth, which imagines a thrilling collaboration between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Suzannah and Liz delve into the fiery dynamics of the two men's relationship and the influence of politics on their works.Shakespeare and Marlowe existed under a time of oppressive royal censorship, when displeasing the crown would mean a trip to the Tower, or worse. How did they balance this struggle for truth and creativity amid the palpable danger?Extracts from Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams, performed by Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel, courtesy of Royal Shakespeare CompanyMORE:Murder of Christopher MarloweShakespeare's Son Hamnet with Maggie O'FarrellPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next of his regular audio described theatre reviews. This time we have the European premier of ‘fat Ham' at the Royal Shakespeare Company's swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, written by playwright James Ijames and Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama with description by Professional Describers Julia Grundy and Ess Grange.  About ‘Fat Ham'  Uninvited guests are one thing. Uninvited ghosts are quite another. Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid, already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. The story is familiar, but what's different is Juicy himself, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man trying to break the cycles of trauma and violence in service of his own liberation. From an uproarious family barbecue emerges a compelling examination of love and loss, pain and joy. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, ‘Fat Ham' is a delectable comic tragedy written by the award-winning playwright James Ijames, originally co-produced off-Broadway by The Public Theatre and National Black Theatre. Original Direction by Saheem Ali, directed for the Swan Theatre by Sideeq Heard. For more about access at the royal Shakespeare Company including details of audio described performances of their productions do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

This week RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined by both Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands along with Alan Russell, presenter of ‘The Daily Connect Show' to review and discuss the audio described performance of Shakespeare's ‘the Winter's Tale' at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon which Vidar and Allan saw a few weeks ago.  About ‘The Winter's Tale' Wild worlds, fractured loves, and second chances.  When a king's obsessive jealousy leads to a devastating series of acts, the journey toward healing must begin, led by time, truth, and the hope of forgiveness. From the shadowy dystopia of Sicilia to the untamed beauty of Bohemia, immerse yourself in Shakespeare's most mysterious play. Directed by Yaël Farber (King Lear, Olivier-nominated Macbeth for the Almeida), and featuring double Olivier and Tony Award-winner Bertie Carvel (Matilda The Musical), Madeline Appiah, Aïcha Kossoko and John Light this reimagined tale is brought vividly to life through Soutra Gilmour's elemental set and costume design, and striking lighting design by Tim Lutkin. In a time of darkness and uncertainty, hope endures in The Winter's Tale. For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company including details of audio described performances of their productions do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access  (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

As PMQs kick off today after the summer recess, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has admitted that she did not pay enough tax when buying her new flat and has referred herself for investigation. She said she received incorrect legal advice that led to her paying less stamp duty. In other news, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced when this year's autumn budget will happen - and is under pressure to improve public finances. The Standard's Chief Political Correspondent Rachael Burford joins us with the latest. And in part two, The Standard's Theatre Critic Nick Curtis reviews Born with Teeth, a sizzling new chamber play from the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is currently showing at London's Wyndham Theatre, featuring Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemal, as Elizabethan playwrights Kit Marlowe and William Shakespeare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aileen Gonsalves is an actor/director with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. She speaks with Vanguard about how this led her to a business consultancy.

Send us a textAfter earning an Ian Charleson Award nomination for her Hermia in the Bridge Theatre's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Isis Hainsworth has continued to take on some of Shakespeare's best loved roles and is now preparing to take on the role of Isabella in Measure For Measure for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here Isis will be making her RSC debut where she's set to star alongside a stellar cast that includes the likes of Tom Mothersdale, Oli Higginson and Emily Benjamin. The production will also see rising star director Emily Burns return to the RSC following her five-star rated Love's Labour's Lost last year also at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. As a lesser-performed Shakespeare play, this is set to be a must-see show of the season with the RSC continuing it's latest season of shows. In this new interview, Isis Hainsworth opens up about her humble beginnings as an actress to being named a Screen International Star of Tomorrow in 2022. As she continues rehearsals for Measure For Measure, we hear her talk about her love for acting and the joy of returning to the theatre following her recent widely acclaimed performances in Romeo and Juliet and The House of Bernada Alba, both directed by Rebecca Frecknall. Indeed, we hear Isis speak affectionately about the directors she's gotten to work with and she highlights her admiration for Emily Burns for taking a bold approach to Measure For Measure, stripping parts of the text back whilst remaining faithful to the story. It's an endearing conversation throughout and it seems Isis is unlikely stop anytime soon as she continues to charm audiences and peers alike.Measure For Measure runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 13 September - 25 October with tickets on sale now!Support the show

From a childhood in Dundee marked by loss, poverty and resilience, to becoming one of the most respected actors of his generation, Brian Cox's life and career have been defined by an unrelenting pursuit of truth on and off stage. In this in-depth conversation with James O'Brien, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner reflects on the death of his father at eight years old, the formative influence of his mother's struggles with mental health, and the teachers who first spotted his talent.Cox charts his journey from the Dundee Repertory Theatre to the Royal Shakespeare Company, the West End and Hollywood, revisiting the defining roles that shaped his craft- from portraying Hannibal Lecter before Anthony Hopkins to his acclaimed turn as Logan Roy in Succession. He speaks candidly about the compromises and convictions that have steered his career, the cultural and political forces that have shaped his worldview, and his ongoing belief in the power of storytelling to confront injustice.Thoughtful, uncompromising and rich with anecdote, this episode offers a compelling portrait of an actor whose commanding presence is matched by his fierce intellect and refusal to play by the rules.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play FAT HAM, by James Ijames, seen on Broadway in 2023, is making its UK Premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.The play, which reimagines Shakespeare's Hamlet through a contemporary, queer, black cultural lens, is currently playing at the Swan Theatre.Check out what Mickey-Jo thought of Fat Ham, its writing, themes, and performances in this full review...• 00:00 | introduction02:41 | overview05:45 | synopsis / Shakespeare11:16 | queer themes16:06 | performances21:26 | final thoughtsAbout Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 89,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 What's up, dudes? I'm joined by Nick Bicât, the composer and arranger of the music from the 1984 movie “A Christmas Carol!” We really get into it! Find out about his compositional style  and the inspirations behind some of the musical selections and arrangements! We get it all straight from the man himself!   Nick Bicât has written over 150 scores and soundtracks for film, television, theater, festival events and concert performance. Winner of a BAFTA and twice nominated, his film and television scores include “A Christmas Carol”, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” , Wetherby, and The Reflecting Ski. He has composed for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, written eleven musicals and an opera The Knife, with Sir David Hare, (best musical score, 1989 New York Drama Desk Awards). Other collaborators include Tony Bicât, Edward Bond, Adrian Mitchell Howard Brenton and Ted Hughes. Subsequently, he has composed songs for Deniece Williams and P.J. Harvey. His song Who Will Love Me Now?, sung by P.J. Harvey, was BBC Radio 1 top film song for 1998. Albums include Under the Eye of Heaven (Virgin Classics), with the London Chamber Orchestra. A choral work Beslan/Requiem, recorded by Andrew Parrott and the Taverner Consort, was released in 2014, and has been performed several times, recently at St George's, Bristol by the Exultate Choir. His latest work Akathistos,  a processional cantata on the Siege of Constantinople of 626 AD, was premiered at St. Stephen Walbrook, London in January 2020. Catchy carols? Check. Spooky sonorities? Got ‘em. Tipsy choirs? Better grab some brandy! So grab your staff paper, put on the album, and visit the past with this episode! Give us a buzz! Send a text, dudes!Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Totally Rad Christmas Mall & Arcade, Teepublic.com, or TotallyRadChristmas.com! Later, dudes!

All aboard the Cat Bus for a moving conversation about one of the greatest animations of all time – and the emotional madness of trying to bring that tale to the stage in London's West End. If you're in London at the moment, you need to see the current theatrical adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro currently showing in the West End. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company with puppet designs by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, this magical re-telling of the iconic Studio Ghibli animation was written by our guest today, Tom Morton-Smith – a storyteller whose past work includes Oppenheimer (not the Christopher Nolan movie, but an acclaimed stage drama) and Ravens, a Cold War thriller set at the 1972 World Chess Championship. Taking on Totoro was an undertaking as big and daunting as the titular forest spirit himself. Set in post-war Japan, Hayao Miyazaki's story told the tale of a father and his two daughters who move to the edge of an enchanted forest, to be closer to the hospital where the girls' mother is undergoing medical care. As uncertainty gathers, strange creatures reveal themselves to little Satsuki and Mei – leading them on an adventure of wonder and awe. In the spoiler conversation you're about to hear, Tom details how he translated that wonder and awe to the stage. He's also open about his persoal experience, writing the play amid huge change in his family life. The grief and loss – or potential for loss – that sits in the background of the Totoro story is something Tom was moving through himself as he sat down to pen this adaptation.We break down the tale's themes of environmentalism and the kindness we owe to each other. We also get into the darkness of Ghibli that is often erased or reduced in how the west talks about films like this one. Finally, we talk about “ma” – the Japanese word for “emptiness” – that Miyazaki fills Totoro with, and why it might just be the secret to the joy of this film, now more than ever, in a frantic, digital world. Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In ep 133 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Anthony Shuster joins Sam and Mark to talk about that thing we hear all the time on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube... the influencer read! We deal with intonation that includes plane coming into land, shopping list, upspeak and de-voicing with vocal fry to learn how to nail this trend we hear more and more.It sparks quite a discussion - but love it or loathe it - we ask the question, could it be useful for your voiceover career?Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1How many fairy tales do you recognise here? And why do they all seem to take place in the Middle Ages? Figures like Puss in Boots and Humpty Dumpty are not just recognisable, they are reused and reimagined in contemporary films like Shrek. Look for other familiar characters: Little Red Riding Hood conversing with a wolf, Robin Hood crossing a river, Jack and the beanstalk, and Old Mother Goose soaring in the skies—these and others continue to shape our collective imagination.Script 2I've been doing therapy on and off for about a decade now and I must say it can be very hard finding a therapist that you click with, let alone someone with an open schedule in general. Whether it's dealing with that initial search, location, or connecting with a therapist, doing all of that work only to find out that you don't vibe with that person can be incredibly discouraging. I'd suggest getting your feet wet with therapy through GoodEar in order to start healing the things that shouldn't have any power over you.We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Anthony is a voice actor and coach with extensive experience of working with actors, non actors and professional performers. He read English at the University of Oxford, where he specialised in Linguistics, and went on to train in voice, diction and accents at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (*RADA)As an actor he has worked extensively in theatre, TV and radio, with companies including the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the BBC and Channel 4.As a voiceover coach he works with experienced and aspiring professional artistes through Gravy for the Brain and Richcraft. Anthony 's Website @realanthonyshuster on Instagram Anthony on YouTubeResources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!Mark's demos & contact details:

Send us a textSeason 2 Episode 54The boy's are back today with special guest Actor Amy Trigg.Born in 1992 in Witham, Essex, Amy was obsessed with theatre before she could even spell “Shakespeare.” Born with spina bifida and a wheelchair user from day one, she's never let a stage—literal or metaphorical—stop her from owning her moment.Amy made history as the first wheelchair user to graduate from Mountview Academy's performance course. Since then, she's been rewriting the script for what's possible: from commanding the stage in The Glass Menagerie and The Who's Tommy to slaying Shakespeare with the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Juliet and Biondella like no one else could.And let's talk The Little Big Things—the hit musical that earned her the 2024 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. That's right. A standing ovation for talent, representation, and a damn good performance.On this podcast, Amy dives into bold chats with Martin and Patrick, reflects on backstage chaos, celebrates disability pride, and proves that life isn't about waiting in the wings — it's about rolling straight into the spotlight.#HeartTransplant#eatingdisorder#RareCondition#HealthJourney#LifeChangingDiagnosis#MentalHealth#Vulnerability#SelfCompassion#PostTraumaticGrowth#MedicalMiracle#BBCSports#Inspiration#Cardiology#Surgery#Podcast#Healthcare#HeartHealth#MedicalBreakthrough#EmotionalJourney#SupportSystem#HealthcareHeroes#PatientStories#CardiologyCare#MedicalJourney#LifeLessons#MentalWellness#HealthAwareness#InspirationalTalk#LivingWithIllness#RareDiseaseAwareness#SharingIsCaring#MedicalSupport#BBCReporter#HeartDisease#PodcastInterview#HealthTalk#Empowerment#Wellbeing#HealthPodcast#Harryhill#Aid's#HIVCheck out our website at www.whostomanddick.comCheck out our website at www.whostomanddick.com

Join Justin as he speaks with actor Vincent Regan about life in Ireland, the Royal Shakespeare Company, filming 300, troubles on the set of Troy, HBO's House of the Dragon, and more!Vincent Regan bio:“Regan was born 16 May 1965 in Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales. He attended Nicholas Breakspear School, St.Albans, Hertfordshire, then St Joseph's College, Ipswich, before going on to study acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London.”Intro and outro theme created by Wyrm. Support Wyrm by visiting the Serpents Sword Records bandcamp page (linked below):https://serpentsswordrecords.bandcamp.com/Monsters, Madness and Magic Official Website. Monsters, Madness and Magic on Linktree.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Instagram.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Facebook.Monsters, Madness and Magic on Twitter.

Sir Gregory Doran is the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent a total of thirty five years with the RSC directing fifty productions in the UK and abroad. He's been called “one of the great Shakespeareans of his age” and has won multiple awards for his work.Born in 1958, Greg was brought up near Preston and played a number of female Shakespeare roles when he was a young pupil attending an all-boys secondary school. He went on to study English and Drama at Bristol University followed by a stint studying classical acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After a few bit parts in TV sitcoms and a spell at Nottingham Playhouse, Sir Greg decided that he would prefer to carve out a career as a director. He went on to stage some of the most critically acclaimed theatre productions – including an all-black cast of Julius Caesar and took Titus Andronicus to South Africa.More recently, he has been touring the globe on his Shakespeare's First Folio tour to look at as many different copies of the texts as possible. He survives his husband, the actor Sir Anthony Sher whom he met in 1987 whilst they were both part of a production of the Merchant of Venice at the RSC in Stratford. Sir Greg lives in London.DISC ONE: Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17, Act 1: Duetto. "Son nata a lagrimar" (Cornelia, Sesto) Composed by Georg Friedrich Händel and performed by Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto) Philippe Jaroussky (counter tenor) Oreo 55 (Orchestra) DISC TWO: Sicut cervus – The Choir of Preston Catholic College DISC THREE: Born Free - Matt Monro DISC FOUR: It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls DISC FIVE: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon DISC SIX: J.S. Bach: Cantata "Ich habe genug" BWV 82: I. "Ich habe genug, ich habe den Heiland". Performed by Thomas Quasthoff (bass-baritone), Berliner Barock Solisten, conducted by Rainer Kussmaul DISC SEVEN: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414: 2. Andante. Composed by Mozart and performed by Alfred Brendel (piano) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner DISC EIGHT: Where the Bee Sucks - Paul Englishby, Royal Shakespeare Company BOOK CHOICE: A 1609 copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets LUXURY ITEM: A shelf of photo albums CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414: 2. Andante. Composed by Mozart and performed by Alfred Brendel (piano) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville MarrinerPresenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Sarah Taylor

Will Trice is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and has been since 2019. He has served as a producer for nearly 30 productions on Broadway, the West End, and National Tours. Trice is a three-time Tony Award winner for All The Way, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Porgy & Bess, though he gives away any credit to the fabulous actors, writers, and production crew. He is a five-time Tony nominee for Fiddler on the Roof, The Royal Shakespeare Company's Wolf Hall, You Can't Take It With You, The Glass Menagerie, and The Best Man. Other credits include: American Son, starring Kerry Washington; The Lifespan of A Fact, starring Daniel Radcliffe; American Buffalo; American Psycho; Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill, starring Audra McDonald (Broadway & West End); The Realistic Joneses, starring Toni Collette, Michael C. Hall, & Marisa Tomei; Blithe Spirit, starring Angela Lansbury (West End & National Tour); The Bridges of Madison County; and Glengarry Glen Ross, starring Al Pacino. Prior to his career in producing, Trice served as a Business Analyst with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, an Artistic Administration Associate with The Metropolitan Opera, and a Strategic Growth Associate with alternative asset managers D.E. Shaw & Company. He holds degrees from Southern Methodist and Northwestern Universities.

Earlier this week, Mickey-Jo spent two evenings at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon, seeing two entirely different pieces of theatre.First he saw Laura Wade's new adaptation of The Constant Wife starring Rose Leslie, and the next evening was the press night performance of 4.48 Psychosis, a hugely impactful play by Sarah Kane recounted with the play's original cast.Check out this double bill review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought of these two pieces of theatre...•00:00 | introduction02:01 | The Constant Wife12:30 | The Constant Wife (contd)20:20 | 4.48 Psychosis•About Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 80,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Unofficial Unreal Engine Podcast, host Alex talks with Tom Wexler of 59 Productions about bringing Stranger Things: The First Shadow to life on stage. They explore how Unreal Engine powered stunning flyovers of Hawkins and enabled rapid iteration for a groundbreaking theatrical experience. Tom shares insights into his journey from live music visuals to cutting-edge VR tools for previsualization and stage design. Learn how the team balanced ambitious real-time tech with rock-solid reliability for a show that feels both cinematic and theatrical. Plus, behind-the-scenes stories from their Royal Shakespeare Company collaboration and why liveness in theater still matters in a digital age.StrangerThingsOnStage.comhttps://59.studio/https://www.tomwexler.com#UnrealEngine #VirtualProduction #StrangerThingsTheFirstShadow #UnrealPodcast #TheaterTech #VRDesign #59Productions #StageDesign #Previs #RoyalShakespeareCompany #UE5 #LivePerformance #VolumetricCapture #ImmersiveTheater

RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the next of his regular audio described theatre reviews for 2025. This week we have a reimagining of Somerset Maugham's ‘the Constant Wife' at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with description by Professional Audio Describers Julia Grundy and Carolyn Smith. About ‘The Constant Wife' ‘I can't help it if you were careless with your cigarette case. I was extremely careful with your heart' Constance has everything. A loving family, a beautiful home, a fulfilling career, and a husband as devoted to her as he is to his mistress. When her perfect set up is threatened, Constance fights back but refuses to play by the rules. Can she withstand society's expectations? And can society withstand the force of a woman determined to do things her own way? RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey (Pericles) and playwright Laura Wade (Posh, Rivals) reunite after their Olivier Award-winning collaboration, Home, I'm Darling, to reimagine Somerset Maugham's subversive comedy, The Constant Wife, in a sparkling new version featuring original music by multi award-winning jazz artist Jamie Cullum. Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Vigil) plays Constance, a 1920s heroine with a decidedly modern spirit. For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

Actress and writer Lizzie Hopley was born in Liverpool and trained at RADA. As an actress, she has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe Theatre and recent screen work includes Black Doves and upcoming feature film Fackham Hall. As a writer, her radio sitcom Green won Pozzitive TV's Funny Dot Comp 2021 and TV series Bloody Betty is currently in development. She has written and appeared in over 90 Big Finish audio adventures including Dark Shadows and Doctor Who, and her Doctor Who audio play The Curse of Lady Macbeth won the 2022 Scribe Award. Lizzie joins me to talk about how her childhood love of writing and acting became a vocation, auditioning for RADA—twice—and how she ended up continuing to write even as a drama student, how learning to think of acting and writing as having a target changed her work, and a whole lot more. Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Lizzie Hopley shares her creative childhood and love for books. 04:56 Acting out movie scenes alone sparked early passion for performance. 08:45 Family encouraged storytelling, costumes, and imagination at home. 13:11 Difficulties pursuing creative careers; importance of following passion. 17:33 University and RADA experiences shaped her acting and writing path. 22:24 Writing plays began due to lack of desired acting roles. 27:29 Rewriting and feedback are crucial for improving both crafts. 32:54 Learning to target audience while writing; acting versus writing focus. 37:22 Acting training emphasizes focusing on scene partner, not yourself. 43:48 Importance of editors and learning to kill your darlings. 48:21 Confidence and caring less about others' opinions increases with age. 53:07 Acting and writing overlap at Big Finish; playing her own roles. 57:16 Big Finish's community impact, creative freedom, and professional development. 01:02:18 Target books and early Doctor Who fandom as creative inspiration. 01:07:04 Embrace varied interests; open doors for yourself in creativity. Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who.   If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you'll share it with a friend. Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it's really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you've been tearing up when you encounter other people's art because you've lost touch with your own, we should talk.  

Send us a textPlaywright and performer, Ashley Griffin, swung by the studio to sit in the Playwright's Spotlight before her West Coast Premiere of her Off-Broadway play The Opposite of Love. It's a compelling conversation that tackles so many aspects of playwriting, that the title of the thumbnail became a struggle. In this discussion, we breakdown her playwriting origins, learning lessons from mentors, overcoming technical challenges, magical realism and heightened language, and achieving the goal of giving a gift to the audience. We also unpack recognizing issues, characters having objectives, knowing where you're going, and using language like magic. We wrap it up by exploring - determining beats, separating yourself as a playwright/actor/director in your own work, how acting assists writing, organic dialogue, punctuation as sheet music, and the benefits of locking opposite characters in the same room. Ashley gives a plethora of insight in such a short amount of time. Every playwright will walk away with at least one nugget of knowledge if not a bagful. Enjoy!The West Coast premiere of her play The Opposite of Love opens July 25th through August 31st at The Hudson Backstage Theater in Los Angeles. Tickets can be purchased at - https://www.onstage411.com/newsite/boxoffice/cart.asp?orgin=guest&show_id=7383&skin_show_id=&runall_id=176397  Ashley Griffin is a writer and performer. Her work has been produced and/or developed at New World Stages, Manhattan Theater Club, and Playwrights Horizons amongst others. She received the WellLife Network Award and a county commendation for her off-Broadway play Trial. She holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has trained at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theater.To watch the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/XaEV3GfqwfYLinks to sites and resources mentioned in this episode - Santa Monica Playhouse - https://www.santamonicaplayhouse.com/Websites and Socials for Ashley Griffin -www.ashleygriffinofficial.comYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@ashleygriffinBlank Paige by Ashley Griffin - https://www.amazon.com/Blank-Paige-Ashley-Griffin/dp/B0CKPVPT9VThe Spindle by Ashley Griffin - https://a.co/d/8JjdNm3IG - @ashleygriffinofficialWebsites and socials for James Elden, Punk Monkey Productions and Playwright's SpotlightPunk Monkey Productions - www.punkmonkeyproductions.comPLAY Noir -www.playnoir.comPLAY Noir Anthology –www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.htmlJames Elden -Twitter - @jameseldensauerIG - @alakardrakeFB - fb.com/jameseldensauerPunk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir - Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods                  - @playnoirla IG - @punkmonkeyprods       - @playnoir_la FB - fb.com/playnoir        - fb.com/punkmonkeyproductionsPlaywright's Spotlight -Twitter - @wrightlightpod IG - @playwrights_spotlightPlaywriting services through LACPFest - www.lacpfest.comSupport the show

This week, Alexa is joined by performer and vocal coach Conor O'Hara (fresh from the UK tour of Wicked) to explore 10 standout songs for male singers in the contemporary musical theatre space. From smart audition choices to vocal technique tips, Conor offers practical, performer-led insight that both singers and teachers will find invaluable. Whether you're building your rep book or guiding a student through their next audition, this episode is packed with gold.  WHAT'S IN THIS PODCAST?   1:04 What is Conor's dream Musical Theatre role?  2:37 What was Conor's journey into Musical theatre?  5:44  What is a Musical Theatre audition like?  12:25  What's Conor's ‘go-to' song? 13:20 What song should you really take to an audition?  20:35 Conor's 10 song list   About the presenter, click HERE RELEVANT MENTIONS & LINKS Emily Kristen Morris Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.200 The Secret to Powerful Belting and Seamless Mixing The Hangar Theatre Company GSA Mountview  RSC Debbie O'Brien  Artists mentioned: Jamie Muscato; Jeremy Jordon; Ben Platt; Aaron Tveit; Jack Wolfe; Brian Darcy James; Ben Joyce; Gavin Creel Danielle Tarento  Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.212 10 Songs to Find Your Pop Style Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.205 10 Songs to Inspire Your Singing Lessons Royal Scotland Conservatoire  Spotify Radio Jeanine Tesori   ABOUT THE GUEST Conor trained at Mountview Dramatic Training, gaining a BA (Hons) in Performance (Musical Theatre). He led the UK premier tour of 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' as Charlie Rawlins, was a swing in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 'A Christmas Carol' and has recently finished touring around the UK with the Musical 'Wicked'.  Alongside a career as a performer, he is currently a singing teacher at Italia Conti. Based in North London, he offers private tuition in person and online for professionals looking to book their next job, students in or out of work aiming to better their technique, drama school auditionees, non-professionals and more.  Conor believes strongly in finding the right repertoire to suit the goals of the performer, whether that's to forward the development of technique, to book the job or even just to keep the enjoyment of singing alive.  E: cohara1998@gmail.com Instagram: @conorcoaches BAST Training helps singers gain the confidence, knowledge, skills & understanding required to be a successful singing teacher. "The course was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. It's an investment with so much return. I would recommend this course to any teacher wanting to up-skill, refresh or start up." Kelly Taylor, NZ ...morebasttraining.com | Subscribe | Email Us | FB Group

Join us on The Explaining History Podcast as we welcome Dame Vikki Heywood, former Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre, to discuss her dazzling debut novel Miss Veal and Miss Ham. Set against the sleepy veneer of a 1951 Buckinghamshire village post office, this intimate tale reveals the hidden passions and unspoken resilience of two women whose lives span from the suffragette movement to the aftermath of World War II.In this episode, we explore:A Day of Reckoning: How one pivotal day in 1951 cracks open Miss Dora Ham and Miss Beatrix Veal's carefully maintained spinster façade—and what it tells us about post-war Britain.Through Beatrix's Eyes: The wry, poignant narrative voice that illuminates the challenges of love that “cannot be spoken,” and the heart-breaking decisions forced by changing times.Echoes of Literary Greats: Why fans of Barbara Pym and Sarah Waters will be drawn to Heywood's rich tapestry of gay underground clubs, wartime Blitz life, and the shifting landscape of women's work after the war.Hidden Lives, Lasting Love: What inspired Heywood to tell a four-decade story of clandestine romance, and how her own career in the arts informed this deeply human portrait.Whether you're intrigued by post-war social history, the evolution of LGBTQ+ narratives, or the behind-the-scenes world of theatre leadership, this conversation shines a light on love, loss, and the unbreakable dignity of lives lived in the shadows. Tune in for an episode that bridges art, history, and the enduring power of storytelling.*****STOP PRESS*****I only ever talk about history on this podcast but I also have another life, yes, that of aspirant fantasy author and if that's your thing you can get a copy of my debut novel The Blood of Tharta, right here:Help the podcast to continue bringing you history each weekIf you enjoy the Explaining History podcast and its many years of content and would like to help the show continue, please consider supporting it in the following ways:If you want to go ad-free, you can take out a membership hereOrYou can support the podcast via Patreon hereOr you can just say some nice things about it here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to another episode of The Audiobook Podcast.We've touched loosely on the subject of diction in earlier conversations, but werealise that what we said was fairly general. We'd mentioned casting people towork within the normal range of their voice, and that forced diction can soundforced!In this episode, Justine is in conversation with Geraldine Cook-Dafner, who holdsa Licentiate in Voice and Speech from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama inLondon, and additional training at the Royal Shakespeare Company and we thinkthere's nobody better to have this conversation with about diction.

CHUKWUDI IWUJI joined host NATHAN WINKELSTEIN, Red Bull's Associate Artistic Director, for a conversation centered on Henry VI—the man who would be “a homely swain.” Chukwudi played the title role across all three parts of the Henry VI trilogy with the ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY in 2006, in productions helmed by Michael Boyd. He read an excerpt from Act 2 Scene 5—“This battle fares like to the morning's war”—and reflected on three pivotal turning points in his career. (6/29/2020)

Called “the finest actor of his generation,” Sir Simon Russell Beale has played just about everyone in Shakespeare's canon—Hamlet, Lear, Macbeth, Falstaff, Malvolio, Iago—and most recently, Titus Andronicus, for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In this episode, Beale reflects on the Shakespearean roles that have shaped his career and how his approach to them has evolved over time. He shares what drew him to Titus, and how he found surprising tenderness in Shakespeare's brutal tragedy. The actor revisits past performances, exploring grief in Hamlet, aging and dementia in King Lear, and how time has deepened his connection to the plays and the characters. Beale's memoir, A Piece of Work: Playing Shakespeare & Other Stories, is a moving and often humorous reflection on acting, Shakespeare, and the power of performance to reveal something essential about being human. Sir Simon Russell Beale studied at Cambridge before joining the RSC. Described by the Daily Telegraph as “the finest actor of his generation,” he has been lauded for both his stage and TV work, winning many awards including the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Evening Standard Best Actor Award, and the BAFTA Best Actor Award. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published June 17, 2025. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica. Garland Scott is the executive producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. We had help with web production from Paola García Acuña. Leonor Fernandez edits our transcripts. Final mixing services are provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc.

Amir Nizar Zuabi is artistic director of The Herds – an astonishing work of cardboard and imagination, which is sweeping northwards from Africa. The lifesize puppets of The Herds are given dazzling life by teams of puppeteers, drawing attention to climate emergency as the animals look for home in a changing world. Amir previously directed The Walk, where a 12-foot puppet girl sought refuge, greeted by dance and music wherever she went – these projects inspire art as well as empathy. Amir's own journey is also remarkable – a Palestinian-Israeli director now working on an almost unimaginable scale.   Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning playwright and director. He was the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company, an Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement, and an alumni of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Following his work on The Walk, in 2022 he took up the role of Artistic Director of The Walk Productions Limited. Alongside many writing credits, he has directed productions at Flanders Opera, Edinburgh International Festival, Bouffes du Nord and Royal Shakespeare Company.   The Herds https://www.theherds.org/ The Herds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the__herds/ Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. In this mini-episode, we sit down with author Julie Hammonds to discuss her debut novel, Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Shakespeare festival in the Arizona mountains during the 2009 financial crisis, the story follows theater director Richard Keane, company manager Kate Morales, and enigmatic actor Peter Dunmore as they strive to save their beloved open-air stage. Julie shares insights into how Shakespeare's works inspired the novel's structure and themes, the challenges of portraying the behind-the-scenes world of theater, and the enduring relevance of the Bard's plays in times of personal and collective hardship. Whether you're a Shakespeare aficionado, a theater enthusiast, or a lover of character-driven narratives, this conversation offers a compelling look into the intersections of art, community, and resilience. Blue Mountain Rose is now available at booksellers near you and on our Bookshop.com storefront. About Julie Hammonds Julie Hammonds fell in love with Hamlet during a high school trip to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has nurtured her passion for Shakespeare ever since. She learned to run a light board on an Army base in South Korea, studied the plays on her own and in school, stage-managed The Winter's Tale and Much Ado About Nothing, and became the founding board president of the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. Along the way, she decided to complete the canon as an audience member by seeing Shakespeare's plays performed on as many different stages as she can reach. The quest has taken her from a community hall in Juneau, Alaska, to the noteworthy festivals in Stratford, Ontario, and Cedar City, Utah, to Shakespeare's Globe in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She has four plays to go. This is her first novel. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Hammonds, Julie C. Blue Mountain Rose: A Novel in Five Acts. Soulstice Publishing, LLC, 2025.  

Send us a textTo commemorate Shakespeare's 461st Birthday, I am very happy to bring on to the Fixate & Binge Podcast, HANNAH YOUNG, a native of Stratford-on-Avon, the home of Shakespeare. Hannah is a classically trained actress who has performed extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company over several seasons in her career. She features as Lady Macbeth in Cheek by Jowl's film ‘Acting' which is premiered this weekend in London's The Barbican Centre, and has also worked at the National Studio in London and in several West End productions.In this episode, Hannah shares her first experiences with Shakespeare, growing up in Stratford-on-Avon, recounting her work on the stage with stage and screen legends. She illuminates how she approaches her characters, and uses the text itself to explore clues and ideas about her portrayals for audiences.If you're a casual fan of Shakespeare, a budding academic, a Bardolater, or terrified of experiencing Shakespeare for the first time -- this is the perfect podcast  to hear from Hannah on how best to approach the immortal Bard.In this podcast, I also provide a spoiler-free review of Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza's film WARFARE -- currently in theaters and well-worth the price of admission to experience on the big screen!Thank you for listening! You can find and follow us with the links below!Read our Letterboxd reviews at:https://letterboxd.com/fixateandbinge/Follow us on Instagram at:https://www.instagram.com/fixateandbingepodcast/?hl=msFollow us on TikTok at:https://www.tiktok.com/@fixateandbingepodcastVisit our website at:https://fixateandbingepodcast.com/

Rebecca and Tori are joined again by Louise discuss two productions of Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's Dream'—the 1968 Royal Shakespeare Company version and the 2016 adaptation directed by David Kerr. We explore these productions of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', focusing on character analyses, particularly of Bottom and Theseus, and the dynamics of love and friendship within the story. We make some pop culture connections such as Dr. Who, Hannibal Lecter, and 'The Wizard of Oz.'MusicApache Rock Instrumental | by Sound Atelier; licensed from JamendoRemember the way | Mid-Air Machine | Free Music ArchiveThe Vipers Skiffle Group. 1957. Non-Commercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International. https://archive.org/details/vipers-skiffle-group-dont-you-rock-me-daddy-oRecord Scratch: Sound Effect free on PixabaySourcesA Midsummer Night's Dream Part 3: The Language - Shakespeare For All | Podcast on SpotifyA Midsummer Night's Dream Part 2: Context and Questions - Shakespeare For All | Podcast on SpotifyShakespeare For AllA Midsummer Night's Dream Part 1: The Story - Shakespeare For All | Podcast on SpotifyBBC Arts - BBC Arts - Skiffle: The musical revolution that time forgot

Welcome Back to TBOTA!Dan Milne trained as a theatre practitioner after studying English at Cambridge and training at the Drama Studio, London. He has acted with leading UK theatre companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Young Vic, and Complicité, as well as regionally with the Royal Exchange Manchester, Birmingham Rep, and Liverpool Everyman. His international tours have taken him to Broadway and festivals in the US, Mexico, India, Australia, and New Zealand. Screen credits include Eastenders, The Nevers, and Star Wars: The Acolyte.As a director, Dan has worked with the RSC and Young Vic and presented work at BAC, Trafalgar Studios, and off-Broadway. He produced the documentary The Longest Game and two features, Never Here and Widow's Walk, and is currently developing The Gate with Camille Thoman and Tobias Menzies. He also co-founded Narativ, a storytelling company born from his acclaimed New York theatre piece Two Men Talking. The company's mission is ‘a world connected by listening and sharing personal stories' - a mission to support people to explore, tell and reflect on the stories of their personal experience.Jane Nash is Director and Lead Trainer of Narativ in London. She believes passionately in the transformative power of Listening & Storytelling and brings a rigorous, compassionate ability to listen in all situations, creating trainings that her clients say are practical, inspiring and always human. Jane developed her love of story and her expertise in the behaviours of personal impact in a career spanning many decades, working internationally as an actor, writer, director and theatre maker. She has appeared in film and on television, and in theatre spaces as diverse as Greenwich Park, St Pancras Station and the Olivier Theatre. She has created many pieces of theatre drawing on elements of personal storytelling - such work includes ‘Big Space', ‘Small Space', and a piece about family currently being developed with Dan and her daughter, entitled ‘All Those Things'.Support this show:Become a patron and help me make this show. Bonus episodes every week: >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Robert Neumark Jones | creating podcasts and extra content | Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy me a coffee ☕⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://paypal.me/robertneumark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Or support me through other ways:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bliss of the Abyss⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Give us a rating & review:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Write a review for Bliss of the Abyss ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Like and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My Webpage:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Robert Neumark Jones | Actor | Voice Artist (robertnj.com)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠© Robert Neumark Jones

What did it take to get nearly 200 nations to agree on tackling climate change in 1997? And what have we learned in the decades since?In this episode, we reflect on the drama, the impact and the legacy of the Kyoto Protocol, and go behind the scenes of the Royal Shakespeare Company's powerful and acclaimed production of Kyoto, currently playing in London's West End.After watching a performance of the play this week, Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson introduced a live event at The Conduit, bringing together those who were in the room at COP3 in Kyoto with those now shaping the path to COP30 in Belém and beyond.First, we hear from a panel of seasoned voices from the world of international climate diplomacy, moderated by climate journalist Ed King. Farhana Yamin, longtime negotiator for small island states, speaks of how Kyoto helped amplify the voices of vulnerable nations for the first time. Nick Mabey, co-founder of E3G, reflects on Kyoto's economic impact, arguing that it sparked a global clean tech revolution by making climate action economically viable. And Richard Kinley, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, offered rare insights into the diplomacy that shaped Kyoto. Together, they paint a vivid picture of Kyoto's legacy and what it still offers to today's climate movement.Later, we hear from the playwrights behind Kyoto, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, about how they turned bureaucratic negotiations into riveting on-stage drama.So, what's changed since 1997? Are we in a better place thanks to Kyoto? And is multilateralism still fit for purpose in today's world?Follow us on social media for behind the scenes moments and to watch our videos:Instagram @outrageoptimism LinkedIn @outrageoptimismOr get in touch with us via this form.Producer: Ben Weaver-HincksVideo Producer: Caitlin HanrahanExec Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino SofosCommissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 409 of the "Smashing Security" podcast, we uncover the curious case of the Chinese cyber-attack on Littleton's Electric Light Company, and a California landlord's hidden camera scandal. All this and more is discussed in the latest edition of the "Smashing Security" podcast by cybersecurity veterans Graham Cluley and Carole Theriault.Warning: This podcast may contain nuts, adult themes, and rude language.Episode links:This is the FBI, open up. China's Volt Typhoon is on your network - The Register.Landlord recorded nude videos of woman tenant with cameras hidden in bedroom smoke detectors, lawsuit says - The Independent.Landlord arrested after tenant discovers hidden camera in rented room - PBSO.Hidden Cameras: What Travelers Need to Know - The New York Times.Shakespeare insults t-shirt - Royal Shakespeare Company.OAS Exhibitions - Oxford Art Society.Carole's “Rusty Sage” - Bluesky.Smashing Security merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, stickers and stuff)Sponsored by:Drata - The world's most advanced Trust Management platform – making risk and compliance management accessible, continuous, and 10x more automated than ever before. Acronis Threat Research Unit - Your secret weapon against cyber attacks. Access the reports now.Vanta – Expand the scope of your security program with market-leading compliance automation… while saving time and money. Smashing Security listeners get $1000 off!SUPPORT THE SHOW:Tell your friends and colleagues about “Smashing Security”, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser.Become a supporter via Patreon or Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes and our early-release feed!FOLLOW US:Follow us on Bluesky or Mastodon, or on the

This week, novelist Damon Galgut remembers the ground-breaking South African playwright Athol Fugard; and Michael Caines on two very different approaches to the Danish prince.'Grand Theft Hamlet', on Mubi'Hamlet', by William Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon- Avon, until March 29 Produced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ABOUT RACHEL:Rachel McVay is an American actor rooted in UK training. Classically trained, with an MFA from the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and a BFA in Theatre & Dance, Rachel also studied with the Royal Shakespeare Company and RADA. She has made her mark as a dynamic stage, TV, & film actor, often employing her skills in stunts, stage combat, and dance.With an affinity for Shakespeare, Tarantino, and Ryan Murphy, Rachel's proudest roles include the "fierce" Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, the "magnificent" & "regal" Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing ("McVay stands out as Beatrice"), and the lead in the award-winning film, Broken Nails, in which she plays a boxer/dancer who struggles with self love in overcoming cancer.Some of her TV credits include Westworld, Forever, and The United States of Tara. Teaching/directing credits include Northern Stage, Stagedoor Manor, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School's Young Artists Academy, A Noise Within, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, amongst others across the country.Connect with Rachel on social:https://www.instagram.com/therachelmcvay/www.imdb.me/rachelmcvayConnect with me and learn about my services at Hollywood Bound Actors:⁠https://hollywoodboundactors.com/⁠Learn about my signature course Book More TV ® https://bookmoretv.com/

In the time since she became Prime Minister of Barbados in 2018, Mia Mottley has become known as a moral force for action on climate change. The Bridgetown Initiative, which she launched at COP26 in 2021, transformed the conversation around climate finance – pushing rich nations to do more to support developing countries struggling with the impact of climate change. But as the US retreats from climate action, her bold vision faces new challenges. At the Sustainable Energy for All Global Forum in Barbados, she tells Akshat Rathi why she remains optimistic, and she spoke about the role of pragmatism in tackling the climate challenge. Explore further: Past episode with Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Development Program Past episode with Avinash Persaud about the Bridgetown Initiative Past episode about the Royal Shakespeare Company’s play about the 1997 Kyoto Summit Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Siobhan Wagner, Kanika Chawla and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Gareth FarrOn Christmas Eve 2002, a girl is born in a seemingly ordinary family-run Northern pub. That baby is Amy and from the moment of her birth the fate of the pub is inextricably linked with her own. Cracks that have always existed break wide open and as she grows, the foundations of this legendary local pub start to shake.Narrated by Amy, through intimate and lyrical language, we are guided through the first twenty-one years of her life to a point where she alone must decide the future of those closest to her.Sally . . . . . Siobhan Finneran Amy . . . . . Sophie Cox Brendan . . . . . Pearce Quigley Karen . . . . . Leah Brotherhead Mark . . . . . Matthew Durkan Jack . . . . . David Hounslow Younger Amy . . . . . Maddie Evans Even Younger Amy . . . . . Miriam MiticSound design: Peter Ringrose Production coordinator: Gaelan Connolly-DavisDirector: Sasha YevtushenkoGareth Farr is an award-winning playwright. He started work as an actor, working at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court and West End as well at several regional theatres and on many TV roles. Gareth's first stage play Britannia Waves the Rules (Manchester Royal Exchange) won a judge's award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwrighting. His other works include The Quiet House (Birmingham Rep Theatre and Park Theatre London), Biscuits For Breakfast (Hampstead Theatre) and A Child of Science (Bristol Old Vic – nominated for Best New Play at UK Theatre Awards 2024.). Shandyland started life as a stage play but was cancelled during rehearsals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shortlisted for the George Devine Award in 2021.

Happy flipping on this fine Shrove Tuesday! Today, Jane shares a memory of being left fully exposed on the loo at a National Trust property, while Fi recalls delivering a lesson on life at the Britannia swimming baths. Fi also speaks with actor Jared Harris about his role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's new production of Hamlet. The next book club pick has been announced! 'Eight Months on Ghazzah Street' is by Hilary Mantel. If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radio Follow us on Instagram! @janeandfiAssistant Producer: Hannah QuinnPodcast Producer: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From playing Lane Price in Mad Men to King George VI in the Crown, and now Claudius in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Hamlet, performing is in Jared Harris' blood.His earliest memory is being in Hawaii while his late father – the actor Richard Harris – was filming a movie with Julie Andrews. But as a child, he wanted to be an astronaut...which might explain his Inheritance Tracks.Inherited: Fly Me to the Moon by Tony Bennett Passed on: The Galaxy Song by Monty PythonProducers: Ben Mitchell and Jack Lee

This week, Michael Caines interviews the men behind the Royal Shakespeare Company's thrilling new production of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II; and Nat Segnit finds Pico Iyer's journeys to a Californian monastery a welcome retreat from the world.'Edward II', by Christopher Marlowe, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until April 5 2025'Learning from Silence: Lessons from More Than 100 Retreats', by Pico IyerProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Olivier and Emmy-award-winning Dame Harriet Walter must have acting in her blood: her uncle is the legendary horror star Christopher Lee, she turned down a place at Oxford in favour of drama school, and began her career at the Royal Shakespeare Company. On screen you'll know her from Killing Eve, Ted Lasso, The Crown or as Lady Caroline in Succession - plus films including Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and The Last Duel. On stage she's embodied everyone from Prospero to Elizabeth I. Her failures include failing to master the piano or music theory, failing to get roles that she auditioned for, and finally failing to cook. I absolutely loved talking to this unbelievably smart and astute woman. Enjoy! She Speaks by Harriet Walter is out now. Have something to share of your own? I'd love to hear from you! Click here to get in touch: howtofailpod.com Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan Studio and Mix Engineer: Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell Senior Producer: Selina Ream Executive Producer: Carly Maile Head of Marketing: Kieran Lancini How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices