Podcasts about West End

Tahra Zafar is a costume and creature effects designer. She designed the Paddington Bear puppet featured in the hit West End production Paddington: The Musical.Born into a theatre family, she grew up with an Armenian American father who worked as a choreographer in the first West End production of West Side Story, and a mother who moved from a career as a ballerina to theatre work around the world. Her interest in making began early, helping her father with practical projects such as restoring their house, even learning to build walls and spending her spare time model making, with Airfix creations suspended from her bedroom ceiling.After studying theatre design at Central Saint Martins, she began her career making theatre costumes. She spent some time at the Jim Henson creature workshop where she made some of the creatures for the first Harry Potter film including Hedwig the owl and Scabbers the rat.After her daughter was born, Tahra worked on some of the characters for In the Night Garden with her daughter, a willing judge of what worked for toddlers. In 2012, Tahra was in charge of 23,000 costumes for the London 2012 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. This role included an audience with the late Queen to ensure the wig and dress were correct for Her Majesty's stunt double when that iconic skydive was performed at the Olympic opening ceremony. Tahra lives in London with her daughter.DISC ONE: Thunderbirds (Main Theme) - The Barry Gray Orchestra DISC TWO: Gee, Officer Krupke. Composed by Leonard Bernstein and performed by Leo Kharibian, Norman Furber and Vince Logan DISC THREE: Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 In D Minor (movement six) Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven and performed by Berlin Philharmoniker, Wiener Singverein and conducted by Herbert von Karajan DISC FOUR: Brazil – Geoff Muldaur DISC FIVE: Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder DISC SIX: Groove Is in the Heart - Deee-Lite DISC SEVEN: Eclipse - Pink Floyd DISC EIGHT: Take Five - Dave Brubeck BOOK CHOICE: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Complete Books by Douglas Adams LUXURY ITEM: A set of art materials and a storage box CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Eclipse - Pink Floyd Presenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Sarah TaylorDesert Island Discs has cast other costume designers away to the island over the years including Oscar winners Jenny Beavan and Sandy Powell. You can hear their programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or our own Desert Island Discs website.

Laura Harrison is playing Mrs Lyons in the touring production of Blood Brothers.Laura is also the alternate Mrs Johnstone and has history with the show, having previously played Donna Marie and Miss Jones whilst understudying Mrs Lyons. Written by Willy Russell, Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in the West End and has toured extensively.Laura was Standby Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked, having previously been in the show's ensemble whilst understudying Elphaba. Laura was in Jamie Lloyd's West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, understudying for Norma Desmond. Her theatre credits also include: Magenta in Rocky Horror, Vivienne in Legally Blonde, Lucille in Parade and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. In this episode Laura discusses her return to Blood Brothers and what it's like to be covering one of her dream roles, Mrs Johnstone. She also takes a deep dive into her Elphaba journey and some of the remarkable moments from her time in Oz. Laura also reflects on Sunset Boulevard and how she's navigating her the industry after some major career highs... and lots more pops up along the way.Blood Brothers tours the UK. Visit www.kenwright.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fraser Smith, the founder of EH9 Espresso, shares how a deep connection to Dundee's West End, paired with a vision for a speciality coffee experience, inspired him to create a community hub unlike any other in the city. What began as a nod to his origins in an Edinburgh postcode quickly evolved into a business built on approachable culture, high standards, and a genuine love for the ritual of the daily grind.In this episode, Fraser opens up about the intentional but organic process of building EH9, from refining the shop's identity through face-to-face interactions to crafting a space that mirrors the creativity and grit of Dundee.Let's connect with Fraser and EH9:Instagram: @eh9.espressoAddress: 250 Perth Road, DundeeWebsite: https://www.eh9espresso.com/

Our guest today is the delightful Sophie Carmen-Jones, who played Nini in the original London cast of Moulin Rouge before bringing that same performance to Broadway. She is currently commanding the stage as Velma Kelly in Broadway's Chicago - a role that, as it turns out, has been on her bucket list since day one. Sophie is a true gem and it was an honor to have her on the show. Join us as we talk all about her journey from the West End to Broadway, manifesting her turn as Velma Kelly, adjusting to life in the spotlight and so much more. ______ Follow Sophie on Instagram: @sophiecarmenjones Follow Goodversations on Instagram: @goodversations ______ If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on your social media stories! In this way, more people will get to hear Sophie's thoughts on the industry. Be sure to follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for a fresh batch of weekly episodes, featuring the stars of Chess on Broadway, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge and more.

Music that makes you feel deeply human… There's a version of events where Joshua Idehen is still behind a bar in the West End, coming home late, flicking through channels. But then came Dizzee Rascal on Channel U – that first-person rant, that stream of consciousness pouring into the void – and something locked into place. Nearly two decades later, the British-born Nigerian poet and spoken-word artist, now based in Stockholm, has signed to Heavenly Recordings and released one of the more quietly essential debut albums of 2026. I Know You're Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try is out now. Made with his long-term creative partner Ludvig Parment (Saturday, Monday), it's the full realisation of something that's been building since the pair's 2023 mixtape Learn to Swim — a record that holds you through it all: grief, euphoria, fatherhood, friendship, the liturgic pull of a club at the right moment. House beats, choral swells, Shabaka Hutchings on flute, a choir singing a melody Idehen himself composed. The kind of album that makes you want to wave your arms in the air and then call your mum. The ride here wasn't quiet. ‘Mum Does The Washing' began life as a Twitter thread, set to Parment's spacious beats, went viral, earned Idehen support from Jamz Supernova, Huw Stephens and Robbie Williams (yes, really), packed out Glastonbury and Green Man, and landed him a spot on Later… with Jools Holland. Sold-out Jazz Café dates followed. A headline European and UK tour runs through spring, culminating at KOKO in London on 23rd April. To mark the album, Joshua and Ludvig have put together this mix of music to bring joy. Not one shade of it either. There's unbridled joy (Peter, Björn & John, a Kanye recommendation from a different time), celebratory joy (“a today I don't have to fight kind of joy,” as Ludvig puts it, via Primal Scream), defiant joy (Kendrick, for the days you will have to fight, but you'll pull through). Soul II Soul shows up to preach and repeat. James Brown is just kind of everything. Caribou injects the dance floor with melancholy and joy at the same time, which is basically the whole project in a nutshell. And somewhere near the end, a Mesadorm song that made Joshua cry on first listen, second listen, third listen. Music that makes you feel deeply human, as you've never felt before. Over to them. https://www.theransomnote.com/music/mixes/joshua-idehens-music-to-make-joy-to-ransom-note-mix/

Únete a nosotros en Patronus Unplugged, tu podcast en español especializado en Harry Potter, Animales Fantásticos y todo lo relacionado con el Wizarding World de la mano de Beatriz M. Arranz, Saida Herrero y Fernando Vidal. Han pasado... 84 años... Bueno, no, concretamente va a hacer 10 años que se estrenó en el West End de Londres la obra "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". Bea y Fer pudieron verla en 2021 y siempre quedó pendiente eso de "cuando todos la hayamos visto, haremos un programa en condiciones". Bueno, pues 5 años después, por fin Saida (en 2024) y Pablo (hace escasos dos meses), ya han visto la obra, y aprovechando que Bea y Fer la han visto en su versión reducida en Broadway (Nueva York), Y CON TOM FELTON HACIENDO DE DRACO MALFOY, os traemos por fin ese esperado (por alguien, suponemos) PROGRAMÓN. DISCLAIMER: El programa contiene SPOILERS tanto de la trama como de la puesta en escena, pero más o menos la primera hora de programa está libre de ellos, igualmente antes de entrar a los spoilers no os avisamos ni una, ni dos, ni tres, si no TRES veces de que vamos a ello, por lo que, quedáis más que avisados. Se acerca el especial de los oyentes, el décimo episodio de la temporada, en el que os damos voz a vosotros y os contestamos a reflexiones y preguntas. Por lo que si quieres participar en el programa, puedes mandarnos un mensaje a través de instagram, o del correo electrónico (más abajo), o a través del canal de Discord que abrimos para esta ocasión (puedes unirte más abajo). O si quieres aparecer en el programa directamente, puedes mandarnos una audiolechuza con el siguiente enlace: https://www.speakpipe.com/PatronusUnplugged Únete a nuestra comunidad en el siguiente enlace: https://discord.gg/aS3UMmj8nh ¡Pásate por nuestro Patreon y consigue recompensas exclusivas! https://www.patreon.com/c/patronusunplugged Cualquier comentario será bienvenido por aquí, por nuestras redes sociales (o a través del hashtag #PatronusUnplugged) y a través de nuestro correo electrónico. https://www.instagram.com/patronusunplugged/ PatronusUnplugged@gmail.com

I teach people how to monetise their own home! Register for my next FREE webinar here - https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/h15hgvyqQYmHk4GFjlaTAg In this episode, Neil reflects on the rare occasions when drama unfolds in the world of hosting. Drawing from over a decade of experience and more than 18,000 guest nights, Neil shares three distinct stories of ‘crisis', from a midnight EpiPen emergency to a mysterious police investigation involving a garden dome. With a blend of humor and wisdom, he explores the fine line between real emergencies and mere noise, emphasising why a host's primary job is to remain a ‘calm center' rather than a detective or a judge.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Out of 18,000 guest nights, Neil only encountered two truly unusual ‘crisis' scenarios, proving that the vast majority of hosting experiences are smooth and joyful. When a crisis occurs, a host's job is to facilitate help and remain calm, not to investigate, judge, or construct their own narrative about the guests. Trust the expertise of paramedics, police, or other first responders. Your role is to support them so they can do their jobs effectively. Not every declared emergency is a true crisis. Learning to observe without getting swept up in the guest's personal drama is vital for your own peace of mind. Sometimes being a host puts you in the right place at the right time to help a friend or a stranger, turning a potential crisis into a meaningful connection. BEST MOMENTS "In over 18,000 guest nights, I've had exactly two that make me pause with a kind of fascinated curiosity over what was actually going on." "Hosting isn't about avoiding drama; it's about knowing your role when it appears." "As hosts, we don't always see the full picture, and we don't need to." "Our job as a host is not to get swept up in the drama, but to stay steady should drama unfold around you." "Calm hosts win, because calm hosts are worth more than gold." CONTACT DETAILS Visit Neil's Airbnb https://bit.ly/SuperhostNeil Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superhostneil/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperhostNeil TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@superhostneil Email: SuperhostNeil@gmail.com ABOUT THE HOST Neil has led a fulfilled and unconventional life, navigating an extraordinary journey from the Royal Navy to prop-making in London's West End theatres. Born into a military family, it was a twist of fate which led him to the theatre, where he contributed to iconic productions such as Phantom of the Opera. Eventually, Neil transitioned to Corporate Event Team Building, eventually founding his own venture in 1999. Financial challenges in 2017 are what prompted a strategic shift to Airbnb hosting, proving a reliable backup income. By 2021, Neil and his business partner triumphed over significant debt, fuelled by their resilience and the success of Neil's Airbnb venture. Now, Neil has left the corporate world behind, thriving solely through his flourishing Airbnb endeavours. Disclaimer: The Airbnb Superhost is in no way affiliated with Airbnb. All ideas, thoughts, concepts and data presented in this podcast are entirely Neil's own and do not represent the views of Airbnb.

Actor and theatre artist Girija Oak Godbole (Taare Zameen Par, Jawan, Vaccine War, Quarter) joins Abhay Dandekar for an in‑depth podcast interview about acting, Marathi theatre, motherhood, and Indian cinema. She talks about staying authentic in an industry obsessed with virality (yes, the blue sari!), why she rejects the “switch on–switch off” myth of acting, and how live theatre keeps her grounded and connected to audiences.​They explore the joy and pain of working across Marathi, Hindi, and Gujarati, the toxicity of language chauvinism, and why she believes translators always lose “a little something” in adaptation. Girija opens up about growing up as the daughter of an artist, choosing a full life over a never-ending race of exams and roles, and why she wants her biggest “success” to be the freedom to stop and smell the flowers.​As a mother, she reflects on the surreal love she feels for her son, how parenting cracked open new emotional depths in her acting. She also shares her big dream: producing world‑class Indian live musicals so that people from around the world come here to watch them, not just to Broadway or the West End.Chapters / Timestamps00:00 – Intro: Girija Oak, nostalgia, and connecting art to real life03:45 – The myth of “switch on–off” acting & the magic of live theatre10:30 – Language, Gujarati–Marathi backlash, and the beauty (and politics) of words17:15 – Sponsor Break - Travelopod17:49 – Exams, moving finish lines & redefining success beyond the hustle26:55 – Playing nurses, systems, and building empathy through roles31:20 – Aging gracefully on screen, relevance, and bridging “massy” and “meaningful” cinema38:20 – Producing dreams: why India deserves iconic live musicals43:50 – Parenting, unconditional love, and Rasik Maibap humility toward audiencesSpecial shout outs this week to everyone at Dhanashree Foods and Boonlife for their wonderfully healthy  and delicious foods and snacks, and to anyone out there trying their best to learn and speak Marathi - there is an online conversational Marathi language training class through Bruhan Maharasthra Mandal. https://dhanashreefoods.com/https://www.boonlife.in/https://bmmonline.org/languages/TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING is brought to you by TRAVELOPOD, with personalized travel support to help you explore the wonders of the world.  Start your next journey at https://vacation.travelopod.com/

Melissa Nettleford (Rocky Horror / Moulin Rouge) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Melissa joins Andrew Tomlins (West End Frame's Editor) to discuss Dear England (UK Tour, New Wimbledon Theatre) as well as the latest news about Catherine Tate being cast in Oh, Mary!, Megan Thee Stallion being cast in Moulin Rouge, Jonathon Groff making his RSC debut and lots more.Melissa recently starred as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show (European Tour). She was in the original West End cast of Moulin Rouge, originally in the ensemble before becoming a Walking Cover for Latina and the Lady Ms. Her theatre credits also include: Cora Macrae in South Pacific (Chichester Festival Theatre), Ali in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre), Dynamite in Hairspray (UK Tour), ensemble in On The Town (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), ensemble and cover Nala in The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre & Germany), dance captain and cover Columbia & Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show (European Tour), ensemble in We Will Rock You (Zurich/Vienna), ensemble and cover Narrator in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour).Follow Melissa on Instagram: @melissanettleford This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William and Kate's rain-soaked Wales walkabout delivers hugs, selfies and glowing headlines in what allies call a crucial show of stability. Excerpts from a new book allege Meghan and Harry created a toxic palace workplace, Mike Tindall faces backlash for a “Make England Great Again” cap, and West End star Ruthie Henshall teases a memoir about her romance with Prince Edward. Optics, nostalgia and crisis management across the House of Windsor.Get episodes of Palace Intrigue by becommming a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Click the button that says uninterrupted listening.  Just $5 a month, and that includes many ofther shows on the Caloroga Shark network.Royal Books:William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside StoryThe Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

In this episode of The Fit2 Perform Podcast, we're joined by Tom Ping, a theatrical agent at Global Artists who represents an extraordinary roster of leading actors and creatives. Between them, his clients hold multiple Olivier Awards, Tony nominations and even a CBE.Before moving into agenting, Tom spent a decade as a professional performer. Trained in opera and violin at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he performed with Opera North and English National Opera, and appeared in West End and touring productions including My Fair Lady, Zorro, Sweet Charity and Judy. Music was even written specifically for his voice by Andrew Lloyd Webber and composer Gareth Valentine.Alongside performing, Tom taught at leading drama schools and qualified as a personal trainer before making the transition into artist management. Now co-managing an award winning client list with Euan Livingstone at Global Artists, he brings sharp industry knowledge and genuine empathy for the performer's journey.In this conversation, we explore:

Hazel Baker hosts a special bonus edition of the London History Podcast celebrating over 500,000 streams and downloads and continuing a “London's firsts” theme with a slightly harder, play-along quiz. Listeners get 12 questions with 15 seconds to think, then the show shares the answer and a short story behind each landmark “first,” spanning Norman and medieval London through the Georgian era and beyond. The topics range across royal power, religion, law, theatre, newspapers and magazines, West End planning, docks and trade, botanic gardens, and public art exhibitions. Hazel invites listeners to keep score, compare results with the first bonus quiz, share the podcast, and send in scores via Spotify Q&A or social media.

The 50th anniversary of the Rocky Horror Picture Show last year reignited everyone's nostagia for the classic zany musical. And that's just as well, because now the stage production is returning, too. The international production featuring a West End cast will be running in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington from now unil the end of March. To celebrate, one very special member of the Rocky Horror family is here, Nell Campbell, the original Columbia is in New Zealand and joins Jesse.

Today's guest is Jon Robyns who is starring as Miss Trunchbull in the West End production of Matilda.Having premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010, the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical has been seen by 11 million people across 100 cities worldwide. Written by Dennis Kelly, Matilda has music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and direction by Matthew Warchus. Jon took over as Miss Trunchbull last year, immediately after his run as Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum.Jon's West End credits include The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (having previously played Enjolras and Marius), King George in Hamilton, alternate Huey in Memphis, Scrooge & others in Dickens Abridged, Galahad in Spamalot and Princeton & Rod in Avenue Q.Jon's other theatre credits include: Adam Nehemiah in Dessa Rose (Trafalgar Studios 2), Robbie in The Wedding Singer (UK & Ireland Tour), Emmet in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve), Eddie in Sister Act (UK & Ireland Tour), Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre), Hollis in Road Show (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mark in Rent (Frankfurt) and alternate Chris in Miss Saigon (UK & Ireland Tour). Jon performs in concerts all around the world and, alongside his performing work, is also a writer. Jon and his writing partner Christopher J Orton's musical Then, Now & Next premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in the summer of 2023, and they continue to collaborate on new writing projects.In this episode Jon discusses his time in The Great Gatsby, the process of taking over as Miss Trunchbull and his next writing project, plus lots more.Matilda runs at the Cambridge Theatre. Visit www.uk.matildathemusical.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RHLSTP #600 - Paul Hollywood Hand Shandy - Richard returns to the Leicester Comedy Festival and news has broken of his upcoming appearance on Bake Off and his starring role in a (slightly) off-West End play. His guest is the feisty, slightly scary, but soft-hearted Fatiha El-Ghorri. They talk about whether she got close to marrying Greg on Taskmaster, her fantasic comedy pilot Donkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3RJwtzKk2A, how and why Rich and Fatiha struck up a very close friendship on a recent secret TV appearance which won't do either of their reputations any good, Fatiha's new tour and why she sometimes does clean versions of the show, ghosts, learning lines, celebrities in the audience and going public with personal news.See Fatiha on tour https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/fatiha-el-ghorriSUPPORT THE SHOW!See details of the RHLSTP LIVE DATES Watch our TWITCH CHANNELBecome a badger and see extra content at our WEBSITE Buy DVDs and books from GO FASTER STRIPE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I welcomed actor, musician, director and educator George Ure to the BrawBrave Clan! Treading the boards from an early age, George's first professional job straight out of training was playing Boq in Wicked on the West End! Teaching at the prestigious URDANG Academy in London for a number of years, George returned to the West End stage more recently starting as Midge Ure in Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical! An incredibly talented creative on and off stage, George is hugely passionate about the world of the arts and sharing his knowledge and experiences with others to support and inspire! This episode is supports by: This episode is supported by: 1. Scottish Vocal Coach. Angela's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/scottish_vocal_coach?igsh=ZXp2azczcG13YTFk Contact Angela: ‪+44 7849 012649‬ 2. SODA (Studio One Dramatic Arts) Website link: https://studio1drama.org Socials: @studio1_drama “If you're looking for a place where creativity, confidence, and community come together — you've just found it. At SODA (Studio One Dramatic Arts), we offer fun, inclusive drama and musical theatre training for kids. More than a performing arts school, SODA is a space where young people are encouraged to express themselves, build confidence, and feel supported every step of the way. Perfection isn't our goal — joy is. We believe in trying new things, making lasting friendships, and helping every student discover what makes them shine.” Follow The Braw and The Brave Website: https://www.thebrawandthebrave.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrawandTheBrave TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebrawandthebrave Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrawandthebravepodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBrawandTheBrave

With theatre fans once again talking about stunt casting, it's finally time to have a robust conversation about the controversial topic.From Whitney Leavitt in Chicago on Broadway to Natalie Bassingthwaite in the Australian premiere of Waitress, there are plenty of current examples of the practice which have been come under criticism.check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter:www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com•00:00 | introduction02:41 | what is stunt casting?09:49 | current examples22:22 | the "new talent" problem28:07 | conclusionAbout 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 95,000 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.

Club Select Radio with @djprophet delivers a forward-thinking club experience, spotlighting the best and newest Bass House and Tech House edits lighting up dance floors right now. Expect tight transitions, exclusive cuts, and peak-time energy designed for the club and beyond. Broadcast monthly — Week 4 Wednesdays at 1:00 PM EST, Club Select Radio is your midweek fix for fresh sounds, heavy grooves, and next-level club vibes.

Join screenwriter Stuart Wright as he dives into movies that changed your life with film producer Daisy Allsop, in this engaging episode of 3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life. Explore Dances With Wolves's impact, The Terminator analysis, and True Romance's influence on her personal growth and cinema's transformative power. Daisy Allsop also discusses the making of her first documentary OTTO BAXTER: NOT A FUCKING HORROR STORY and the short film THE PUPPET ASYLUM - directed by Otto Baxter within the making of this documentary. Movies That Changed Your Life   Find out about Daisy Allsop producing her first documentary first documentary OTTO BAXTER: NOT A FUCKING HORROR STORY and the lasting impact of cinema with Stuart Wright on his movie podcast.   [1:20] OTTO BAXTER: NOT A FUCKING HORROR STORY 3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life Dances With Wolves impact  [19:55] Daisy Allsop says Dances With Wolves is an early memory of going to the cinema with her father and how it felt like a big event to go up to the West End, from Wimbledon.  The Terminator analysis [24:45] Daisy Allsop says she does not how many times she watch The Terminator. It was one of many films her father had recorded off of TV. They were stored on VHS shelving he had made in the hallway with titles on their spines, alphabetised.  True Romance Influence   [29:58] Daisy Allsop says True Romance is officially the film that made her want to work in film. Key Take Aways:   Discover how movies that changed your life shape personal and professional growth. Learn about how Daisy Allsop produced her first documentary OTTO BAXTER: NOT A FUCKING HORROR STORY. Understand cinema's transformative power through Dances With Wolves (1990), The Terminator (1984), True Romance (1993) About the Guest:   Daisy Allsop is ap producer known for Otto Baxter: Not a Fucking Horror Story (2023) and Tell It to the Bees (2018). Otto Baxter: Not a Fucking Horror Story is available to watch in the UK on NOW TV   Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts for more movies that impacted your life!  Share your favourite movies that impacted your life on X (@leytonrocks) and leave a 5-star review and tell us which 3 films impacted your adult life. Best ones get read out on the podcast. Credits:   Intro/Outro music: *Rocking The Stew* by Tokyo Dragons (https://www.instagram.com/slomaxster/)  Written, produced, and hosted by Stuart Wright for [Britflicks.com](https://www.britflicks.com/britflicks-podcast/)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam Tutty is an Olivier Award winning actor and singer. Following his graduation from drama school he originated the role of Evan in the Tony Award Winning Musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, in the West End. His performance garnered widespread acclaim from critics, eventually going on to receive numerous awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards, Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in Leading Role in a Musical in 2020. Being aged 22 at the time, he is one of the youngest winners of this prestigious theatrical award in history. Following its sell-out run at The Kiln Theatre, Sam transferred the role Dougal in the new two-hander musical ‘TWO STRANGERS' to the Criterion Theatre in the West End, directed and choreographed by Tim Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hr 1 - USA takes hockey from Canada + Vols win on West EndSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hr 1 - USA takes hockey from Canada + Vols win on West EndSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ntombizodwa Ndlovu is starring as Marie Knight in Marie and Rosetta.Written by George Brant and directed by Monique Touko, Marie and Rosetta premiered last year at the Rose Theatre in Kingston ahead of a short tour. The production is now transferring to the West End for a limited run at @SohoPlace. Ntombizodwa stars alongside Beverley Knight as Rosetta Tharpe.Ntombizodwa has worked extensively in Manchester, with some of her theatre credits including Blithe Spirit at Hope Mill and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Royal Exchange. For her performance as Marie, Ntombizodwa received a UK theatre award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and the show's upcoming run marks her West End debut. In this episode Ntombizodwa explains why Marie and Rosetta is a huge moment and what it means to her. She also discusses why she fell in love with the play, how Beverley Knight has taken her under her wing and her journey in theatre so far. Marie & Rosetta runs @SohoPlace 28th February – 11th April 2026. Visit www.sohoplace.org for info and tickets. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erica is the founder of  Stage Door Tours, your ticket to the incredible magic of the West End! Get ready for an unforgettable adventure with our specialised and enthusiastic guides as they share backstage stories, the thrilling history of London's iconic theatres and uncover hidden gems. Whether you're a die-hard theatre fan or gearing up for an exciting musical experience, our tours are bursting with captivating stories just waiting to be discovered. Book your tour today and dive into the vibrant heart of London's theatrical world!Website

Rosamund Pike, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, is known for standout roles in Saltburn, her Oscar nominated lead in Gone Girl, and Made in Dagenham. Next month she stars on the West End stage, coming back to the role of Jessica Parks, the maverick judge at the heart of the National Theatre's hit play Inter Alia, also filmed for NT Live screenings. She joined Anita Rani to discuss her role that explores motherhood, masculinity and the complexities of justice.It's more than a decade since Nadiya Hussain became a household name after winning the Great British Bake Off. Since then, she's fronted her own cookery shows, written more than a dozen cookbooks and a series of children's books. Her latest collection of recipes is called Quick Comforts, and Nadiya joined presenter Clare McDonnell to talk about finding comfort in food, her career so far and lots more.In December 2024, Dominque Pelicot and 46 other men were found guilty of the aggravated rape of his wife Gisèle. Another two were found guilty of attempted rape and a further two were found guilty of sexual assault. Dominque had drugged Gisèle with medication without her knowledge, raped her and invited other men to rape her, filming as they did so. At least another 20 men who took part in these rapes could not be identified. Waving her right to anonymity, Gisèle Pelicot declared that shame has to change sides. Despite her becoming a household name, not only in her native France but around the world, very little was known about Gisèle herself. She has written her memoir, A Hymn to Life, with writer Judith Perrignon and Judith joins Nuala McGovern to discuss.Dr Punam Krishan is a Glasgow based NHS GP and the resident doctor on the BBC's Morning Live programme. Back in 2024 she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing where she was the first dancer to perform a Bollywood routine. But six months ago, at the age of 42, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and has since gone through treatment. She has recently written about how being a doctor didn't prepare her for the experience of being a patient. Dr Punam joined Anita to discuss.Ketamine has become a worryingly popular recreational drug among young people, and the consequences can be devastating. That's according to a specialist NHS clinic which reports that some teenagers suffer such severe bladder damage from taking it, that some rely on incontinence pads. To discuss the implications, Anita was joined by Dr Alison Downey, Consultant Urologist at Mid Staffs NHS Foundation Trust, who is treating young people with ketamine related bladder problems. Also joining them is Eva, who has stopped using ketamine and is receiving support from the hub.The award-winning internationally renowned Welsh harpist and composer Catrin Finch first came to prominence in her early 20s as the official Royal Harpist to King Charles, the-then Prince of Wales. She achieved chart success with her No. 1 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations and has performed with many of the world's leading orchestras. Catrin, who began playing the harp at just six years old, has a new album, Notes to Self, a series of reflective and deeply personal new tracks she has composed for Katy, her 13-year-old-self. She joined Nuala and performed live in the studio. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells

This week on "I've Been Meaning To Listen To That", we review WEST END GIRL by Lily Allen with special guests Michael Limentato & Harper Thomson! Plus, we discuss whether or not this album crosses a rubicon in terms of unapologetic oversharing, whether or not David Harbour is as famous and powerful as he's portrayed in this album, how this album attempts to come to grips with familial cycles of trauma, how this album will potentially be very influential, whether we will be having a roommate summer, the toxic sequence in Pitch Perfect 3, and more!Co-Hosts: Andrew Ambrose Lee, Dakota West Foss, Harper Thomson, Michael Limentato1:23 Preconceived notions on Lily Allen15:17 Themes31:14 Did Lily Allen go too far?43:09 What is you Tahm Bout46:21 Madeleine56:21 West End Girl59:22 Ruminating1:04:05 Tennis1:07:50 Nonmonagamummy / 4chan stan1:10:46 Relapse1:12:28 Let You W(in) / Fruity Loops1:14:28 Just Enough1:16:34 Stray Observations1:34:16 Final Thoughts & RatingsFollow Harper Thomson on Instagram (⁠@harpingabout⁠)Follow Michael Limentato on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@limentaco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Follow Andrew Ambrose Lee on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewambroselee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Follow Stenley Philippe on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@snapasten⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Follow Stefanie Senior on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@⁠stefmsenior⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Cover Art by Megan Rika Young ( Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@meganrika⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Theme Song by OTNES (Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mxotnes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)Follow us at (@ibmtltt) on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ &⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and email us at ivebeenmeaningtolistentothat@gmail.comPlease leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!Have a good daaay!

Mickey-Jo was recently invited to attend a gala night at the West End production of CABARET, currently running at the Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre in London.The production, which has been directed by Rebecca Frecknall and originally starred Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley has recently welcomed new stars Matt Willis (Waitress, Little Shop of Horrors) and Katie Hall (Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera) as The Emcee and Sally Bowles.Check out Mickey-Jo's thoughts on what the production is like with these brand new stars as well as the continuing supporting cast...•00:00 | introduction04:51 | Matt Willis as The Emcee10:52 | Katie Hall as Sally Bowles 17:15 | the supporting cast 23:31 | conclusion 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 95,000 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.

Rosamund Pike, the Emmy and Golden Globe winner, is known for standout roles in Saltburn, her Oscar nominated lead in Gone Girl, and Made in Dagenham. Next month she stars on the West End stage, coming back to the role of Jessica Parks, the maverick judge at the heart of the National Theatre's hit play Inter Alia, also filmed for NT Live screenings. She joins Anita Rani to discuss her role that explores motherhood, masculinity and the complexities of justice. Ketamine has become a worryingly popular recreational drug among young people, and the consequences can be devastating. That's according to a specialist NHS clinic which reports that some teenagers suffer such severe bladder damage from taking it, that some rely on incontinence pads. To discuss the implications, Anita is joined by Dr Alison Downey, Consultant Urologist at Mid Staffs NHS Foundation Trust, who is treating young people with ketamine related bladder problems. They are also joined by Faye Maloney, Director of The Lifeboat Recovery Community Hub, along with Eva, who has stopped using ketamine and is receiving support from the hub. The American writer Madeline Cash has just published her debut novel Lost Lambs — already an instant bestseller — and she's only 29. She won high praise from Lena Dunham, who has called her ‘a voice like no other'. Lost Lambs follows the Flynn family — parents Bud and Catherine and their three teenage daughters — whose decision to open their marriage plunges the household into chaos. As the Winter Olympics comes to a close, BBC sports reporter Katie Falkingham joins Anita to discuss the standout female athletes and record breaking performances.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

He won hearts as Beppe di Marco on EastEnders, commanded the West End stage in Chicago, and is now making moves on the big screen with a project backed by 50 Cent. But Michael Greco's story is about far more than the roles that made him famous.In this raw and honest conversation, Michael sits down with Glenn Marsden to pull back the curtain on the journey behind the success — the early struggles, the defining moments, the highs and lows of life in the spotlight, and the resilience it takes to keep going when the cameras aren't rolling.This is the side of fame you don't usually get to see. The grit. The growth. The truth.Don't miss it.

This week's Doll is a whole lot more than a name squished into a clickbait slop article. She met Mick Jagger several years into her own storied career; which brought her from the UC Berkeley campus to playing Dionne in the West End production of Hair, then gracing the pages of fashion magazines and performing at Isle of Wight. She's a novelist and memoirist, activist, actress in TV and film, and a stage 3 cancer survivor. What can't Marsha Hunt do? Plus, Emma gives an update on her home renovations, and Abby shares her experience at the MCA's Yoko Ono retrospective and her day with friends of Cynthia Plaster Caster.“Marsha Hunt: The Story of a Survivor” is available wherever you stream your podcasts.(Episode starts at 7:00)Sources used for this episode:Marsha Hunt, “Real Life: The Story of a Survivor” (1988)Marsha Hunt, “Undefeated” (2005)Songs used in this episode:John Mayall - “Brown Sugar” (1967)Marsha Hunt - “I Walk on Gilded Splinters” (1969)Renn Woods - “Aquarius” (From the film soundtrack of “Hair”) [1979]The Rolling Stones - “Brown Sugar” (1971)Marsha Hunt - “Oh No, Not The Beast Day” (1973)Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and photos mentioned in this episode!

KoKo Alexandra is starring as Katherine Jackson and Kate in the West End production of MJ The Musical. KoKo is from Alabama and has been on an incredible journey so far in her career. After spending many years performing at sea on cruise ships and appearing on The Voice US, KoKo moved to London. She received huge acclaim for her performance as Lady Liv in Play On on tour and at the Lyric Hammersmith and later played Spirit of the Ring in Aladdin at the Palace Theatre in Newark. For the last year KoKo has been making her West End debut as Katherine Jackson and Kate in MJ and the show is now coming to the end of its London run. Since moving to the UK, KoKo has performed at The UK Theatre Awards, The Black British Theatre Awards, West End Live and Magic at the Musicals at the Royal Albert Hall.In this episode KoKo discusses why she moved to the UK and how she established herself on the theatre scene over here. She talks about her performance in Play On, her first experience of British pantomime and delves into all-things MJ.Follow KoKo on Instagram: @forever_kori You can see KoKo as Katherine Jackson in MJ The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre until 28th February 2026. Visit www.london.mjthemusical.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles is a West End-resident and progressive from the Bronx who founded Safe Space NOVA for LGBTQ+ youth, who chaired the Alexandria AIDS/HIV Commission, and has an MBA focused on Human Capital.  Fun fact - Charles' favorite mode of transportation is Metro! Sad fact - his dog passed away a little over a year ago, who was a star of the Scottish Walk Parade.His policy corners:Affordability - deeply affordable housing supplyWorkforce pathways. Trade schools Sustainable infrastructure amidst climate change, including snowcrete removal Transportation & Congestion. “Get out of your car!” Liberally Social Podcast collaborates with Ryan Belmore of The Alexandria Brief for a special collaboration series of interviews for this Firehouse City Council Primary!Vote in the Democratic Party volunteer-run firehouse primary on Saturday, February 21st from 8:30am-7pm at Cora Kelly Rec Center + Beatley Central Library OR Online if you register in advance by Friday Feb 20th at 5pm! Visit alexdems.org for more information.Want to watch this as a video? https://www.alexandriabrief.com/podcast Want to check out Charles' campaign? https://www.sumpterforvirginia.com/

Amazing actor and the voice of Blur's Parklife, Phil Daniels tells us all about his new play Teeth 'n' Smiles at London's West End.Ocean Colour Scene's riff-maker Steve Craddock pops in ahead of his new Travellers Tunes Tour.Join Chris and the Class Behind The Glass live from the rock n roll tower every morning from 0630! Watch all the stars live on the FREE Virgin Radio UK app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FLOYD WEST22 returns with Lip Biter Sounds – Episode 48, a high-voltage ride through peak-hour tech house, acid pressure, and warehouse-ready techno. This one moves slick and seductive at first… then gradually turns into a full-blown dancefloor sermon. We open deep and hypnotic with Kristin Velvet and Stolen Faces, setting the tone with rolling low-end tension. Then the energy spikes with a slick mashup of Rihanna's Don't Stop The Music colliding against Mau P's club weapon Neck — pure dancefloor ignition. From there it's non-stop momentum: Plastik Funk & Esox, HIISAK & Reeva, and the legendary Benny Benassi alongside Fideles deliver sleek, driving heat. Basslines get heavier with Wax Motif & Sarah De Warren, plus Night Bass energy from Body Ocean & Benni Ola. Groove masters like Ewan McVicar, Blackloud, R3WIRE, and Marten Hørger keep the house pulse tight and addictive. Then the shift happens. The techno takes over. Adam Beyer, GENESI & Aye Anne bring the Drumcode thunder with DNA. A reworked classic from Soulwax hits via the Westend edit. Latin-charged emotion lands with Victor Tellagio. Groove precision from Ad-Apt & Max Styler keeps the tension rising. And the final stretch? Pure acid warehouse chaos — A.D.H.S. into Conduit & Charlotte de Witte closing with A Prayer for the Dancefloor — a cinematic, pounding finale built for 3AM strobe lights. Episode 48 is bold, sexy, and unapologetically club-focused. Lip Biter Sounds. ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

Comedians and dearest pals Tom Allen and Suzi Ruffell chat friendship, love, life, and culture... sometimes...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get in touch with all your problems or if you want to give your Like Minded Friend a shout out:hello@likemindedfriendspod.comWe'll be out and in your ears wherever you get your podcasts every Wednesday morning, and if you like what you hear why not leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever it is you listen... Thanks - Tom & Suzixx

A long-standing cast member of Phantom of the Opera with a string of amazing West End credits, it’s the gorgeous Adam Linstead!

One of the most anticipated West End productions of 2026 has finally arrived, as Dracula starring Cynthia Erivo opened last night at the Noël Coward Theatre in London.The production, which has already been seen in Australia, has been adapted and directed by Kip Williams and comes on the heels of his previous staging of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook.The production has divided critics, with some outlets giving 2* critiques while others delivered 4* praise. Check out a selection of the critical responses in this review roundup...•00:00 | introduction02:09 | The Stage07:52 | The Sunday Times 13:32 | WhatsOnStage18:18 | The Guardian23:48 | TimeOut London28:58 | The Standard33:27 | The IndependentAbout 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 95,000 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.

One of the most anticipated West End productions of 2026 has finally arrived, as Dracula starring Cynthia Erivo opens tonight at the Noel Coward Theatre in London.The production, which has already been seen in Australia, will be adapted and directed by Kip Williams and comes on the heels of his previous staging of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook.Check out this full review to find out more about the production, this adaptation of the Bram Stoker story, and Cynthia's performance as every one of its characters...•00:00 | introduction02:59 | how does the play work?11:30 | the material / adaptation16:24 | Cynthia's performance 24:57 | conclusion 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 95,000 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.

Spymaster George Smiley was at the breakfast-table for Nick Harkaway growing up. His father, John le Carré, born David Cornwell, would draft the Circus's latest intrigues on scraps of paper at dawn and read them aloud over tea and toast. It was an apprenticeship in spymasters and writing. Five years after le Carré's death, Smiley lives on in a play on London's West End and in new novels written by Harkaway himself including a 2024 revival with another on the way.

How do you stay audacious in a world that's noisier and more saturated than ever? How might the idea of creative rhythm change the way you write? Lara Bianca Pilcher gives her tips from a multi-passionate creative career. In the intro, becoming a better writer by being a better reader [The Indy Author]; How indie authors can market literary fiction [Self-Publishing with ALLi]; Viktor Wynd's Museum of Curiosities; Seneca's On the Shortness of Life; All Men are Mortal – Simone de Beauvoir; Surface Detail — Iain M. Banks; Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Lara Bianca Pilcher is the author of Audacious Artistry: Reclaim Your Creative Identity and Thrive in a Saturated World. She's also a performing artist and actor, life and creativity coach, and the host of the Healthy Wealthy Wise Artist podcast. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why self-doubt is a normal biological response — and how audacity means showing up anyway The difference between creative rhythm and rigid discipline, and why it matters for writers How to navigate a saturated world with intentional presence on social media Practical strategies for building a platform as a nonfiction author, including batch content creation The concept of a “parallel career” and why designing your life around your art beats waiting for a big break Getting your creative rhythm back after crisis or burnout through small, gentle steps You can find Lara at LaraBiancaPilcher.com. Transcript of the interview with Lara Bianca Pilcher Lara Bianca Pilcher is the author of Audacious Artistry: Reclaim Your Creative Identity and Thrive in a Saturated World. She's also a performing artist and actor, life and creativity coach, and the host of the Healthy Wealthy Wise Artist podcast. Welcome, Lara. Lara: Thank you for having me, Jo. Jo: It's exciting to talk to you today. First up— Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing. Lara: I'm going to call myself a greedy creative, because I started as a dancer, singer, and actress in musical theatre, which ultimately led me to London, the West End, and I was pursuing that in highly competitive performance circles. A lot of my future works come from that kind of place. But when I moved to America—which I did after my season in London and a little stint back in Australia, then to Atlanta, Georgia—I had a visa problem where I couldn't work legally, and it went on for about six months. Because I feel this urge to create, as so many of your listeners probably relate to, I was not okay with that. So that's actually where I started writing, in the quietness, with the limits and the restrictions. I've got two children and a husband, and they would go off to school and work and I'd be home thinking, ha. In that quietness, I just began to write. I love thinking of creativity as a mansion with many rooms, and you get to pick your rooms. I decided, okay, well the dance, acting, singing door is shut right now—I'm going to go into the writing room. So I did. Jo: I have had a few physical creatives on the show. Obviously one of your big rooms in your mansion is a physical room where you are actually performing and moving your body. I feel like this is something that those of us whose biggest area of creativity is writing really struggle with—the physical side. How do you think that physical practice of creativity has helped you in writing, which can be quite constrictive in that way? Lara: It's so good that you asked this because I feel what it trained me to do is ignore noise and show up. I don't like the word discipline—most of us get a bit uncomfortable with it, it's not a nice word. What being a dancer did was teach me the practice of what I like to call a rhythm, a creative rhythm, rather than a discipline, because rhythm ebbs and flows and works more with who we are as creatives, with the way creativity works in our body. That taught me: go to the barre over and over again—at the ballet barre, I'm talking about, not the pub. Go there over and over again. Warm up, do the work, show up when you don't feel like it. thaT naturally pivoted over to writing, so they're incredibly linked in the way that creativity works in our body. Jo: Do you find that you need to do physical practice still in order to get your creativity moving? I'm not a dancer. I do like to shake it around a bit, I guess. But I mainly walk. If I need to get my creativity going, I will walk. If people are stuck, do you think doing something physical is a good idea? Lara: It is, because the way that our body and our nervous system works—without going into too much boring science, although some people probably find it fascinating—is that when we shake off that lethargic feeling and we get blood flowing in our body, we naturally feel more awake. Often when you're walking or you're doing something like dance, your brain is not thinking about all of the big problems. You might be listening to music, taking in inspiration, taking in sunshine, taking in nature, getting those endorphins going, and that naturally leads to the brain being able to psychologically show up more as a creative. However, there are days, if I'm honest, where I wake up and the last thing I want to do is move. I want to be in a little blanket in the corner of the room with a hot cocoa or a coffee and just keep to myself. Those aren't always the most creative days, but sometimes I need that in my creative rhythm, and that's okay too. Jo: I agree. I don't like the word discipline, but as a dancer you certainly would've had to do that. I can't imagine how competitive it must be. I guess this is another thing about a career in dance or the physical arts. Does it age out? Is it really an ageist industry? Whereas I feel like with writing, it isn't so much about what your body can do anymore. Lara: That is true. There is a very real marketplace, a very real industry, and I'm careful because there's two sides to this coin. There is the fact that as we get older, our body has trouble keeping up at that level. There's more injuries, that sort of thing. There are some fit women performing in their sixties and seventies on Broadway that have been doing it for years, and they are fine. They'll probably say it's harder for some of them. Also, absolutely, I think there does feel in the professional sense like there can be a cap. A lot of casting in acting and in that world feels like there's fewer and fewer roles, particularly for women as we get older, but people are in that space all the time. There's a Broadway dancer I know who is 57, who's still trying to make it on Broadway and really open about that, and I think that's beautiful. So I'm careful with putting limits, because I think there are always outliers that step outside and go, “Hey, I'm not listening to that.” I think there's an audience for every age if you want there to be and you make the effort. But at the same time, yes, there is a reality in the industry. Totally. Jo: Obviously this show is not for dancers. I think it was more framing it as we are lucky in the writing industry, especially in the independent author community, because you can be any age. You can be writing on your deathbed. Most people don't have a clue what authors look like. Lara: I love that, actually. It's probably one of the reasons I maybe subconsciously went into writing, because I'm like, I want to still create and I'm getting older. It's fun. Jo: That's freeing. Lara: So freeing. It's a wonderful room in the mansion to stay in until the day I die, if I must put it that way. Jo: I also loved you mentioning that Broadway dancer. A lot of listeners write fiction—I write fiction as well as nonfiction—and it immediately makes me want to write her story. The story of a 57-year-old still trying to make it on Broadway. There's just so much in that story, and I feel like that's the other thing we can do: writing about the communities we come from, especially at different ages. Let's get into your book, Audacious Artistry. I want to start on this word audacity. You say audacity is the courage to take bold, intentional risks, even in the face of uncertainty. I read it and I was like, I love the sentiment, but I also know most authors are just full of self-doubt. Bold and audacious. These are difficult words. So what can you say to authors around those big words? Lara: Well, first of all, that self-doubt—a lot of us don't even know what it is in our body. We just feel it and go, ugh, and we read it as a lack of confidence. It's not that. It's actually natural. We all get it. What it is, is our body's natural ability to perceive threat and keep us safe. So we're like, oh, I don't know the outcome. Oh, I don't know if I'm going to get signed. Oh, I don't know if my work's going to matter. And we read that as self-doubt—”I don't have what it takes” and those sorts of things. That's where I say no. The reframe, as a coach, I would say, is that it's normal. Self-doubt is normal. Everyone has it. But audacity is saying, I have it, but I'm going to show up in the world anyway. There is this thing of believing, even in the doubt, that I have something to say. I like to think of it as a metaphor of a massive feasting table at Christmas, and there's heaps of different dishes. We get to bring a dish to the table rather than think we're going to bring the whole table. The audacity to say, “Hey, I have something to say and I'm going to put my dish on the table.” Jo: I feel like the “I have something to say” can also be really difficult for people, because, for example, you mentioned you have kids. Many people are like, I want to share this thing that happened to me with my kids, or a secret I learned, or a tip I think will help people. But there's so many people who've already done that before. When we feel like we have something to say but other people have said it before, how do you address that? Lara: I think everything I say, someone has already said, and I'm okay with that. But they haven't said it like me. They haven't said it in my exact way. They haven't written the sentence exactly the way—that's probably too narrow a point of view in terms of the sentence—maybe the story or the chapter. They haven't written it exactly like me, with my perspective, my point of view, my life experience, my lived experience. It matters. People have very short memories. You think of the last thing you watched on Netflix and most of us can't remember what happened. We'll watch the season again. So I think it's okay to be saying the same things as others, but recognise that the way you say it, your point of view, your stories, your metaphors, your incredible way of putting a sentence togethes, it still matters in that noise. Jo: I think you also talk in the book about rediscovering the joy of creation, as in you are doing it for you. One of the themes that I emphasise is the transformation that happens within you when you write a book. Forget all the people who might read it or not read it. Even just what transforms in you when you write is important enough to make it worthwhile. Lara: It really, really is. For me, talking about rediscovering the joy of creation is important because I've lost it at times in my career, both as a performing artist and as an author, in a different kind of way. When we get so caught up in the industry and the noise and the trends, it's easy to just feel overwhelmed. Overwhelm is made up of a lot of emotions like fear and sadness and grief and all sorts of things. A lot of us don't realise that that's what overwhelm is. When we start to go, “Hey, I'm losing my voice in all this noise because comparison is taking over and I'm feeling all that self-doubt,” it can feel just crazy. So for me, rediscovering the joy of creation is vital to survival as an author, as an artist. A classic example, if you don't mind me sharing my author story really quickly, is that when I first wrote the first version of my book, I was writing very much for me, not realising it. This is hindsight. My first version was a little more self-indulgent. I like to think of it like an arrowhead. I was trying to say too much. The concept was good enough that I got picked up by a literary agent and worked with an editor through that for an entire year. At the end of that time, they dropped me. I felt like, through that time, I learned a lot. It was wonderful. Their reason for dropping me was saying, “I don't think we have enough of a unique point of view to really sell this.” That was hard. I lay on my bed, stared at the ceiling, felt grief. The reality is it's so competitive. What happened for me in that year is that I was trying to please. If you're a new author, this is really important. You are so desperately trying to please the editor, trying to do all the right things, that you can easily lose your joy and your unique point of view because you are trying to show up for what you think they all need and want. What cut through the noise for me is I got off that bed after my three hours of grief—it was probably longer, to be fair—but I booked myself a writing coach. I went back to the drawing board. I threw a lot of the book away. I took some good concepts out that I already knew were good from the editor, then I rewrote the entire thing. It's completely different to the first version. That's the book that got a traditional publishing deal. That book was my unique point of view. That book was my belief, from that grief, that I still have something to say. Instead of trusting what the literary agent and the editor were giving me in those red marks all over that first version, I was like, this is what I want to say. That became the arrowhead that's cut into the industry, rather than the semi-trailer truck that I was trying to bulldoze in with no clear point of view. So rediscovering the joy of creation is very much about coming back to you. Why do I write? What do I want to say? That unique point of view will cut through the noise a lot of the time. I don't want to speak in absolutes, but a lot of the time it will cut through the noise better than you trying to please the industry. Jo: I can't remember who said it, but somebody talked about how you've got your stone, and your stone is rough and it has random colours and all this. Then you start polishing the stone, which you have to do to a point. But if you keep polishing the stone, it looks like every other stone. What's the point? That fits with what you were saying about trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. I also think the reality of what you just said about the book is a lot of people's experience with writing in general. Certainly for me, I don't write in order. I chuck out a lot. I'm a discovery writer. People think you sit down and start A and finish Z, and that's it. It's kind of messy, isn't it? Was that the same in your physical creative life? Lara: Yes. Everything's a mess. In the book I actually talk about learning to embrace the cringe, because we all want to show up perfect. Just as you shared, we think, because we read perfect and look at perfect or near-perfect work—that's debatable all the time—we want to arrive there, and I guess that's natural. But what we don't often see on social media or other places is the mess. I love the behind the scenes of films. I want to see the messy creative process. The reality is we have to learn to embrace the messy cringe because that's completely normal. My first version was so messy, and it's about being able to refine it and recognise that that is normal. So yes, embrace it. That's my quote for the day. Embrace the cringe, show up messy. It's all right. Jo: You mentioned the social media, and the subtitle of the book mentions a “saturated world.” The other problem is there are millions of books out there now. AI is generating more content than humans do, and it is extremely hard to break through. How are we to deal with this saturated world? When do we join in and when do we step away? Lara: I think it's really important not to have black and white thinking about it, because trust me, every day I meet an artist that will say, “I hate that I have to show up online.” To be honest with you, there's a big part of me that does also. But the saturation of the world is something that I recognise, and for me, it's like I'm in the world but not of it. That saturation can cause so much overwhelm and nervous system threat and comparison. What I've personally decided to do is have intentional showing up. That looks like checking in intentionally with a design, not a randomness, and then checking out. When push comes to shove, at the end of the day, I really believe that what sells books is people's trust in us as a person. They might go through an airport and not know us at all and pick up the book because it's a bestseller and they just trust the reputation, but so much of what I'm finding as an artist is that personal relationship, that personal trust. Whether that's through people knowing you via your podcast or people meeting you in a room. Especially in nonfiction, I think that's really big. Intentional presence from a place where we've regulated ourselves, being aware that it's saturated, but my job's not to be focused on the saturation. My job is to find my unique voice and say I have something to bring. Be intentional with that. Shoot your arrow, and then step out of the noise, because it's just overwhelming if you choose to live there and scroll without any intentionality at all. Jo: So how do people do that intentionality in a practical way around, first of all, choosing a platform, and then secondly, how they create content and share content and engage? What are some actual practical tips for intentionality? Lara: I can only speak from my experience, but I'm going to be honest, every single application I sent asked for my platform stats. Every single one. Platform stats as in how many followers, how many people listening to your podcast, how many people are reading your blog. That came up in every single literary agent application. So I would be a fool today to say you've got to ignore that, because that's just the brass tacks, unless you're already like a famous footballer or something. Raising and building a platform of my own audience has been a part of why I was able to get a publishing deal. In doing that, I've learned a lot of hard lessons. Embrace the cringe with marketing and social media as well, because it's its own beast. Algorithms are not what I worry about. They're not going to do the creativity for you. What social media's great at is saying, “Hey, I'm here”—it's awareness. It's not where I sell stuff. It's where I say, I'm here, this is what I'm doing, and people become aware of me and I can build that relationship. People do sell through social media, but it's more about awareness statistically. I am on a lot of platforms, but not all of them work for every author or every style of book. I've done a lot of training. I've really had to upskill in this space and get good at it. I've put myself through courses because I feel like, yes, we can ignore it if we want to, but for me it's an intentional opting in because the data shows that it's been a big part of being able to get published. That's overwhelming to hear for some people. They don't want to hear that. But that's kind of the world that we are in, isn't it? Jo: I think the main point is that you can't do everything and you shouldn't even try to do everything. The best thing to do is pick a couple of things, or pick one thing, and focus on that. For example, I barely ever do video, so I definitely don't do TikTok. I don't do any kind of video stuff. But I have this podcast. Audio is my happy place, and as you said, long-form audio builds trust. That is one way you can sell, but it's also very slow—very, very slow to build an audio platform. Then I guess my main social media would be Instagram, but I don't engage a lot there. So do you have one or two main things that you do, and any thoughts on using those for book marketing? Lara: I do a lot of cross-posting. I am on Instagram and I do a lot of creation there, and I'm super intentional about this. I actually do 30 days at a time, and then it's like my intentional opt-in. I'll create over about two days, edit and plan. It's really, really planned—shoot everything, edit everything, put it all together, and then upload everything. That will be 30 days' worth. Then I back myself right out of there, because I don't want to stay in that space. I want to be in the creative space, but I do put those two days a month aside to do that on Instagram. Then I tweak things for YouTube and what works on LinkedIn, which is completely different to Instagram. As I'm designing my content, I have in mind that this one will go over here and this one can go on here, because different platforms push different things. I am on Threads, but Threads is not statistically where you sell books, it's just awareness. Pinterest I don't think has been very good for my type of work, to be honest. For others it might. It's a search engine, it's where people go to get a recipe. I don't necessarily feel like that's the best place, this is just my point of view. For someone else it might be brilliant if you're doing a cookbook or something like that. I am on a lot of platforms. My podcast, however, I feel is where I'm having the most success, and also my blog. Those things as a writer are very fulfilling. I've pushed growing a platform really hard, and I am on probably almost every platform except for TikTok, but I'm very intentional with each one. Jo: I guess the other thing is the business model. The fiction business model is very, very different to nonfiction. You've got a book, but your higher-cost and higher-value offerings are things that a certain number of people come through to you and pay you more money than the price of a book. Could talk about how the book leads into different parts of your business? Because some people are like, “Am I going to make a living wage from book sales of a nonfiction book?” And usually people have multiple streams of income. Lara: I think it's smart to have multiple streams of income. A lot of people, as you would know, would say that a book is a funnel. For those who haven't heard of it, a way that people come into your bigger offerings. They don't have to be, but very much I do see it that way. It's also credibility. When you have a published book, there's a sense of credibility. I do have other things. I have courses, I have coaching, I have a lot of things that I call my parallel career that chug alongside my artist work and actually help stabilise that freelance income. Having a book is brilliant for that. I think it's a wonderful way to get out there in the world. No matter what's happening in all the online stuff, when you're on an aeroplane, so often someone still wants to read a book. When you're on the beach, they don't want to be there with a laptop. If you're on the sand, you want to be reading a beautiful paper book. The smell of it, the visceral experience of it. Books aren't going anywhere, to me. I still feel like there are always going to be people that want to pick it up and dig in and learn so much of your entire life experience quickly. Jo: We all love books here. I think it's important, as you do talk about career design and you mentioned there the parallel career—I get a lot of questions from people. They may just be writing their first book and they want to get to the point of making money so they could leave their day job or whatever. But it takes time, doesn't it? So how can we be more strategic about this sort of career design? Lara: For me, this has been a big one because lived experience here is that I know artists in many different areas, whether they're Broadway performers or music artists. Some of them are on almost everything I watch on TV. I'm like, oh, they're that guy again. I know that actor is on almost everything. I'll apply this over to writers. The reality is that these high-end performers that I see all the time showing up, even on Broadway in lead roles, all have another thing that they do, because they can still have, even at the highest level, six months between a contract. Applying that over to writing is the same thing, in that books and the money from them will ebb and flow. What so often artists are taught—and authors fit into this—is that we ultimately want art to make us money. So often that becomes “may my art rescue me from this horrible life that I'm living,” and we don't design the life around the art. We hope, hope, hope that our art will provide. I think it's a beautiful hope and a valid one. Some people do get that. I'm all for hoping our art will be our main source of income. But the reality is for the majority of people, they have something else. What I see over and over again is these audacious dreams, which are wonderful, and everything pointing towards them in terms of work. But then I'll see the actor in Hollywood that has a café job and I'm like, how long are you going to just work at that café job? They're like, “Well, I'm goint to get a big break and then everything's going to change.” I think we can think the same way. My big break will come, I'll get the publishing deal, and then everything will change. The reframe in our thinking is: what if we looked at this differently? Instead of side hustle, fallback career, instead of “my day job,” we say parallel career. How do I design a life that supports my art? And if I get to live off my art, wonderful. For me, that's looked like teaching and directing musical theatre. It's looked like being able to coach other artists. It's looked like writing and being able to pivot my creativity in the seasons where I've needed to. All of that is still creativity and energising, and all of it feeds the great big passion I have to show up in the world as an artist. None of it is actually pulling me away or draining me. I mean, you have bad days, of course, but it's not draining my art. When we are in this way of thinking—one day, one day, one day—we are not designing intentionally. What does it look like to maybe upskill and train in something that would be more energising for my parallel career that will chug alongside us as an artist? We all hope our art can totally 100% provide for us, which is the dream and a wonderful dream, and one that I still have. Jo: It's hard, isn't it? Because I also think that, personally, I need a lot of input in order to create. I call myself more of a binge writer. I just finished the edits on my next novel and I worked really hard on that. Now I won't be writing fiction for, I don't know, maybe six months or something, because now I need to input for the next one. I have friends who will write 10,000 words a day because they don't need that. They have something internal, or they're just writing a different kind of book that doesn't need that. Your book is a result of years of experience, and you can't write another book like that every year. You just can't, because you don't have enough new stuff to put in a book like that every single year. I feel like that's the other thing. People don't anticipate the input time and the time it takes for the ideas to come together. It is not just the production of the book. Lara: That's completely true. It goes back to this metaphor that creativity in the body is not a machine, it's a rhythm. I like to say rhythm over consistency, which allows us to say, “Hey, I'm going to be all in.” I was all in on writing. I went into a vortex for days on end, weeks on end, months and probably years on end. But even within that, there were ebbs and flows of input versus “I can't go near it today.” Recognising that that's actually normal is fine. There are those people that are outliers, and they will be out of that box. A lot of people will push that as the only way. “I am going to write every morning at 10am regardless.” That can work for some people, and that's wonderful. For those of us who don't like that—and I'm one of those people, that's not me as an artist—I accept the rhythm of creativity and that sometimes I need to do something completely different to feed my soul. I'm a big believer that a lot of creative block is because we need an adventure. We need to go out and see some art. To do good art, you've got to see good art, read good art, get outside, do something else for the input so that we have the inspiration to get out of the block. I know a screenwriter who was writing a really hard scene of a daughter's death—her mum's death. It's not easy to just write that in your living room when you've never gone through it. So she took herself out—I mean, it sounds morbid, but as a writer you'll understand the visceral nature of this—and sat at somebody's tombstone that day and just let that inform her mind and her heart. She was able to write a really powerful scene because she got out of the house and allowed herself to do something different. All that to say that creativity, the natural process, is an in-and-out thing. It ebbs and flows as a rhythm. People are different, and that's fine. But it is a rhythm in the way it works scientifically in the body. Jo: On graveyards—we love graveyards around here. Lara: I was like, sorry everyone, this isn't very nice. Jo: Oh, no. People are well used to it on this show. Let's come back to rhythm. When you are in a good rhythm, or when your body's warmed up and you are in the flow and everything's great, that feels good. But what if some people listening have found their rhythm is broken in some way, or it's come to a stop? That can be a real problem, getting moving again if you stop for too long. What are some ways we can get that rhythm back into something that feels right again? Lara: First of all, for people going through that, it's because our body actually will prioritise survival when we're going through crisis or too much stress. Creativity in the brain will go, well, that's not in that survival nature. When we are going through change—like me moving countries—it would disconnect us a lot from not only ourselves and our sense of identity, but creativity ultimately reconnects you back into life. I feel like to be at our optimum creative self, once we get through the crisis and the stress, is to gently nudge ourselves back in by little micro things. Whether it's “I'm just going to have the rhythm of writing one sentence a day.” As we do that, those little baby steps build momentum and allow us to come back in. Creativity is a life force. It's not about production, it's actually how we get to any unique contribution we're going to bring to the world. As we start to nudge ourselves back in, there's healing in that and there's joy in that. Then momentum comes. I know momentum comes from those little steps, rather than the overwhelming “I've got to write a novel this week” mindset. It's not going to happen, most of the time, when we are nudging our way back in. Little baby steps, kindness with ourselves. Staying connected to yourself through change or through crisis is one of the kindest things we can offer ourselves, and allowing ourselves to come into that rhythm—like that musical song of coming back in with maybe one line of the song instead of the entire masterpiece, which hopefully it will be one day. Jo: I was also thinking of the dancing world again, and one thing that is very different with writers is that so much of what we do is alone. In a lot of the performance art space, there's a lot more collaboration and groups of people creating things together. Is that something you've kept hold of, this kind of collaborative energy? How do you think we can bring that collaborative energy more into writing? Lara: Writing is very much alone. Obviously some people, depending on the project, will write in groups, but generally speaking, it's alone. For me, what that looks like is going out. I do this, and I know for some writers this is like, I don't want to go and talk to people. There are a lot of introverts in writing, as you are aware. I do go to creative mixers. I do get out there. I'm planning right now my book launch with a local bookstore, one in Australia and one here in America. Those things are scary, but I know that it matters to say I'm not in this alone. I want to bring my friends in. I want to have others part of this journey. I want to say, hey, I did this. And of course, I want to sell books. That's important too. It's so easy to hide, because it's scary to get out there and be with others. Yet I know that after a creative mixer or a meetup with all different artists, no matter their discipline, I feel very energised by that. Writers will come, dancers will come, filmmakers will come. It's that creative force that really energises my work. Of course, you can always meet with other writers. There's one person I know that runs this thing where all they do is they all get on Zoom together and they all write. Their audio's off, but they're just writing. It's just the feeling of, we're all writing but we're doing it together. It's a discipline for them, but because there's a room of creatives all on Zoom, they're like, I'm here, I've showed up, there's others. There's a sense of accountability. I think that's beautiful. I personally don't want to work that way, but some people do, and I think that's gorgeous too. Jo: Whatever sustains you. I think one of the important things is to realise you are not alone. I get really confused when people say this now. They're like, “Writing's such a lonely life, how do you manage?” I'm like, it is so not lonely. Lara: Yes. Jo: I'm sure you do too. Especially as a podcaster, a lot of people want to have conversations. We are having a conversation today, so that fulfils my conversation quota for the day. Lara: Exactly. Real human connection. It matters. Jo: Exactly. So maybe there's a tip for people. I'm an introvert, so this actually does fulfil it. It's still one-on-one, it's still you and me one-on-one, which is good for introverts. But it's going out to a lot more people at some point who will listen in to our conversation. There are some ways to do this. It's really interesting hearing your thoughts. Tell people where they can find you and your books and your podcast online. Lara: The book is called Audacious Artistry: Reclaim Your Creative Identity and Thrive in a Saturated World, and it's everywhere. The easiest thing to do would be to visit my website, LaraBiancaPilcher.com/book, and you'll find all the links there. My podcast is called Healthy Wealthy Wise Artist, and it's on all the podcast platforms. I do short coaching for artists on a lot of the things we've been talking about today. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Lara. That was great. Lara: Thank you.The post Audacious Artistry: Reclaiming Your Creative Identity And Thriving In A Saturated World With Lara Bianca Pilcher first appeared on The Creative Penn.

01. White Barba - Es el Sueno 02. Agustin Pietrocola - Nitrogen 03. Amir Telem, Radical Fantasy, Kyotto - Kiss the Sky 04. Digital Mess, Astral Base, Taylan & Solvan - Pixelfish 05. Meloko, Konvex, Garla - If U Ever 06. Riko, Gugga - Tekatu 07. Monophase, Skuro, Sorlong - Deeper 08. Raz Alon - Hustler 09. Protoculture - Chromaflora 10. Sergey Alymov - Transcendens 11. Mayro, Haft - The Search 12. Cedren, Manu-L - Perception 13. Gabriel Robella - Ancient Waves 14. Limetra, Ranta - Bloom 15. Steve Parry - Freeze 16. Max Wexem - Asterism 17. Lean Robotti - Framna 18. Gmj - Higher Self 19. Kamilo Sanclemente, Andre Moret - Dichotomy 20. Auseeb, Rabiee Ahmad - Comet 21. Tiefstone - Juggler 22. Quivver, Dave Seaman - Cowbells of Nuneaton 23. Leo Perez, Dhany G, Andres Perez - Spicy Groove 24. Cioz, Super Flu - Jodi Bush 25. Brvnov - Sunseeker 26. Du More - Industrial Tears 27. Marco Fredrick - Breakthrough 28. Echo Daft - Not Like Us 29. Cary Crank, Kyotto - Inner Atlas 30. J Lauda - The Frequency 31. Kostya Outta, Greta Meier, Alisha - Far Above 32. Goodkidmadcity, Gonzalo Cotroneo - Conundrum 33. Four Days, Levitone - Discotheque 34. Doug Crawford, Forty Cats - Expectations 35. Deepme - Bodywork 36. Matt Oliver - Rust Signal 37. J Lauda, Noiyse Project - Meridian 38. Anton Make - Velurion (Extended Mix) 39. Protoculture - Skoenlapper 40. Anyma, Rebuke - Syren 41. Nicolas Soria - In the Light 42. Chris Doppler - Filtrum 43. Facundo Navarro - Ravens & Sirens 44. Milkwish, Van Dope, Jerome Isma-Ae - Rivers 45. Benja Molina, Ilias Katelanos, Plecta - Pandora 46. Belben, Bilal Santiago - Hypnodance 47. Rokazer - Nekkar 48. Dylhen, Dmitry Molosh - Elements 49. Blaktone - Move Your Body 50. Katy Kvint - Essence 51. Passenger 10 - Sahara 52. Yohai Mor - Nedarim 53. Elecground - Day Light 54. Savin - Trip 55. Hoostage - Triple X 56. Amir Farhoodi, Ihsa Kent - Dynamics 57. Max Styler, Notre Dame - You & Me 58. Affkt - Kamatoro 59. Nichols Roark, Fernando Olaya, Gorkiz - Time Space 60. Ariel Stamile - Watanga Spirit 61. Sanders Soul, Vibe Beside - Chukotka 62. Third Son - Ptolemy 63. Westend, Max Styler - Rhythm Machine 64. Kostya Benjamin - Broken Dreams 65. Rauschhaus, Greta Meier, Gai Barone - Painting In The Sky 66. Hidden Empire - Turnout 67. Rufus Du Sol - Inhale 68. Evoxel, Amiel Adany - Down To The Beat 69. Deep Dish, Haft & Peyman S - Flashdance

Stephanie Paolini is the reason "Seacoast Stories" exists.Without her, host Troy Farkas never would have planted roots on the Seacoast.And today (finally), the owner of 3 Bridges Yoga (Portsmouth) finally makes her long-awaited debut on the 100th EPISODE OF THE PODCAST

We're celebrating 350 episodes with Billy Nevers!Billy has just completed his run as Aaron Burr in the UK and Ireland tour of Hamilton. Billy was part of the tour's original cast as Lafayette and Jefferson whilst also understudying Aaron Burr. He went on to takeover as Aaron Burr full-time for the final year of the tour. Billy's theatre credits include: Fred in Groundhog Day (Old Vic), Jesus Christ Superstar (Barbican/Regent's Park Open Air), Wonderful Town (Opera Holland Park) and Turn Up, The Color Purple in Concert and Overture (Cadogan Hall).Billy was nominated for Outstanding Performance in a Musical at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards for his performance as Store Manager and Dewey in the London revival of Legally Blonde (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre). He was a swing in the original cast of & Juliet in Manchester and in the West End, and later returned to the show as Francois.Billy has co-hosted The West End Frame Show a couple of times, but this is his first time In The Frame! In this episode, Billy delves into his journey with Hamilton. He discusses his history with the show, what it was like to open the tour and how he came to take over as Burr and what the role meant to him... and lots more.Follow Billy on Instagram: @billylukeneversThis podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this live video chat recorded Friday, Feb. 15, 2026, Charlotte Ledger reporters discuss some of their coverage from the week:* Opposition increases over plans to expand I-77 near uptown* Early voting starts for the March 3 primary* New job numbers show Charlotte was No. 2 in the country for creating jobs in 2025, behind only New York City* A closer look at a mixed-use project in Charlotte's West End — and what it might mean for similar projects elsewhere in the city* The start of soccer season for Charlotte FC and Carolina Ascent* Valentine's Day flowers are costing more this year — with our panel's tips on gift-giving if you don't yet have a plan… and more!Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 6 of our local newsletters:The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.◼️ About The Ledger • Our Team • Website◼️ Newsletters • Podcast • Newcomer Guide • A Better You email series◼️ Subscribe • Sponsor • Events Board • Merch Store • Manage Your Account◼️ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charlotteledger.substack.com/subscribe

Shenoah Allen is the co-creator of the legendary The Pajama Men, as well as a writer, actor and director with credits across the Soho Theatre, the West End, and projects developed with the BBC and HBO - as well as even appearing on Breaking Bad!Now he's now created the dazzling work of genius that is Sunlight with Nina Conti and is currently on tour with Bloodlust Summertime. We discuss:using a monkey mask to tell the most human love story possibletreating the script like a jazz framework rather than a rulebookhow “doing nothing” can be the strongest acting choicethe challenges of leaving a 20-year comedy partnershipturning teenage dread into a solo comedy showand creating something that outlives youJoin the Insiders Club at Patreon.com/ComComPod where you can instantly WATCH the full episode and get access to 20 minutes of exclusive extras including:finding the humour in dangerous teenage experienceshow he pushed boundaries working with Kim Nobleand breaking out of characters to tell the truth on stage

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has outlined her intentions bring down barriers to closer integration with the EU's defence industry - with an eye on its huge spending plans. We speak to the UK industry's trade body to discover what's at stake. And ahead of the publication of the UK's GDP figures for the end of last year, we speak to a businesswoman and a finance expert to hear their thoughts on what the economy needs to grow. Also, musical Billy Elliot is going on tour, more than 20 years after it left the West End. We'll be finding out why shows like this are so important to keep the arts alive outside London.

[REBROADCAST FROM Apr 1, 2025] The Olivier Award-winning musical "Operation Mincemeat" was a sensation on London's West End, before landing on Broadway along with its original cast. But after Feb. 22, they'll be passing the torch to an all-American cast. The show is based on the true story of a daring and implausible British intelligence mission to trick the German forces. David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoe Roberts, who co-wrote and star in the musical, discuss the show.Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Since October 2023, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have advanced a new iteration of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, proposing to replace the existing bridge and expand capacity along I-71 and I-75.In 2025, community engagement sessions in the West End (OH) and Covington (KY) were led by Hub + Weber in collaboration with the Devou Good Foundation's Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development, A Picture's Worth, and Urbanist Media⁠ as part of a broader people-over-pavement initiative.This audio piece, narrated by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and produced by the Urban Roots podcast team (Deqah, Vanessa Quirk, and Connor Lynch), centers West End resident voices reflecting on the proposed highway expansion and envisioning more equitable transportation futures.For more information, visit the Sustainable Cincy website.

The Nemacolin Castle is also known as the Bowman's Castle and is found in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. While the mansion itself dates back to the Victorian era, there are things on the property that go back even further than that with remnants from the former Fort Burd here and even before that from indigenous people. The Bowman family built the castle and three generations lived here before it became the museum it is today. There are claims that nearly a dozen ghosts haunt the property. Join us for the history and hauntings of Nemacolin Castle. The Moment in Oddity features Robert Liston, Fastest Knife in the West End. Check out the website: http://historygoesbump.com Show notes can be found here: https://historygoesbump.blogspot.com/2026/01/hgb-ep-622-nemacolin-castle.html      Become an Executive Producer: http://patreon.com/historygoesbump Music used in this episode: (Moment in Oddity) "Vanishing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music: Fragments Of Love Produced by Sascha Ende Link: https://ende.app/en/song/12238-fragments-of-love  Nemacolin Castle picture: By Acroterion - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33363905 Nemacolin collage and pictures courtesy of pabucketlist.com

We have award winning actor Bryan Cranston on the podcast this week! He's the star of Breaking Bad, Malcolm in the Middle, and currently starring in the West End in the play All My Sons, and he's popped round for lunch before his show that evening. We covered everything from working with Tom Hanks, his love of TV dinners, creating a Mezcal brand with Aaron Paul, embracing his fatherly role on every set, his daily routine for London's West End, filming The Studio with Seth Rogen & Catherine O'Hara, and we hear what it was like when he tried mushrooms in Las Vegas during filming! Plus we hear possibly the strangest nostalgic smell any guest has ever revealed on the podcast before… Talking to Bryan was a complete delight, he has the most soothing voice and we could listen to his stories for hours. Basically he needs his own podcast! You can catch Bryan's play All My Sons at the Wyndham's Theatre until the 7th of March, you don't want to miss it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.