Camden Fringe Pod

It's our final episode of the Camden Fringe Pod before the 2024 Camden Fringe starts. And to help us out with all those last minute technical matters we're talking to Richard Williamson.Richard trained at LAMDA in Stage Management in Technical Theatre. Richard is a lighting designer and theatre consultant based in London who has work extensively at Edinburgh Fringe and is also on the board of trustees at the Kings Head Theatre, although we failed to ask him anything about that! This is quite a practial episode useful for everyone who is about to put a show on an actual stage for the first time.More information about Richard: richard-williamson.comMore info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest is Nick Hooton who is the Artistic Director & Head of Drama st Centre Stage school of performing arts. Each summer, for the last 12 (or is it 13?) with Upstaged Theatre Company he's bought a production to the Camden Fringe (mainly at Upstairs at the Gatehouse). Established in 2006; Upstaged Theatre Company is a creative Drama Group for Centre Stage students over the age of sixteen who wish to gain additional acting experience.We find out more about Nick, the school and this years production Haversham Hall.Centre Stage https://www.centrestageuk.com/Upstaged Theatre https://www.centrestageuk.com/upstagedHaversham Hall https://camdenfringe.com/events/haversham-hall/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.com Our music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to James Seabright about being a producer. James has 25 years of experience in producing live theatre, with an emphasis on touring shows around the UK and internationally, as well as productions in various venues both on and off West End in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe. He's also written a book about this. See the link below.We also try and talk about football and politics in this episode to keep it topical. This isn't entirely successful.Useful links:Seabright Live https://www.seabright.org/So You Want To Be A Theatre Producer by James Seabright http://www.producerbook.co.uk/The Accidental Producer - How Anyone Can Get Their Show on Stage by Tim Johanson https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/accidental-producer-9781350338357/UK Theatre Producers Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/uktheatreproducersMore info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week is Danielle Scott who self produced her one woman show Sex, Drugs & Hairy Bumholes at the Camden Fringe in 2023. We catch up with Danielle one year on to find out how the show - now titled Sour Candi - has developed ahead of it's run at the Edinburgh Fringe this year, and what she has learnt along the way.This episode was recorded and published 2 days ahead of the UK General Election so we are a bit excited about that too.For more Danielle you can find her online atInsta: @__danielle__scott__X: @_danielle_scottSour Candi preview at the Canal Café: https://canalcafetheatre.com/our-shows/sour-candi/Sour Candi at EdFringe: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/sour-candiMore info on Directors Cut: https://directorscuttheatre.co.uk/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Emily Hunter and Gemma Green, the co-founder of Moonstone Theatre who are bringing their show Enough. to the Camden Fringe following an award winning run at the Greater Manchester Fringe is 2023.We find out about the inspiration behind the show, the challenges of moving a show away from your home town to a new festival and pick up some great marketing tips.You can find out more about Moonstone here (check out the merch in their shop) https://www.moonstonetheatre.co.uk/about.Tickets for Enough. which is performed at the Lion and Unicorn 8-10 August at 7pm https://camdenfringe.com/events/enough/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this epsiode we speak to Oli Gordon who is the Professional Licensing Manager at Concord. Concord Theatricals provides the UK arts sector with theatrical licensing with a huge catalogue of works including scripts by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Harold Pinter and Rodgers & Hammerstein. If you want to put on an existing piece of work, at an amateur or professional level, then you'll need to get permission to do this from a company like Concord. Oli helps us to undersand the best way to approach this and addresses some common misconceptions. It was great to break down the mystique of theatrical rights (and wrongs),Concord Theatricals website: https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/More info on the Camden Fringe https://www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Kalburgi is a British playwright and screenwriter, currently based in New Zealand and acting as an international Ambassador for the Dramatists Guild of America. Yep, we are going global!Paul has a book and a podcast called The Writers Toolkit and as a guest on our podcast we've asked him to provide some really practical tips on creating written work and getting on the stage.Paul's website: https://www.paulkalburgi.com/The Writers Toolkit podcast: https://pod.link/1587874384The Writers Guild of Great Britain: https://writersguild.org.uk/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zena and Michelle have a great catch-up with John Plews and find out what he's been up to since he and Katie stood down as the managers of Upstairs at the Gatehouse. The big news is - he's bring his own show to the Camden Fringe this summer!Titanic - The Inquiry: https://camdenfringe.com/events/titanic-the-inquiry/Ovation UK: https://ovationuk.com/Upstairs at the Gatehouse: https://www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com/Society of Independent Theatres https://sitgb.orgMore info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were absolutely delighted to talk to brilliant comedy writer Joel Morris about his new book Be Funny Or Die - How Comedy Works and Why It Matters which is an excellent dissection of comedy, but also contains loads of great advice on writing in general.Joel is one of Britain’s busiest and most respected comedy writers, working on everything from Charlie Brooker’s Wipe shows to the hit Paddington films. Joel co-created the 5-million-plus selling Ladybird Books For Grown-Ups series and the cult humour hit The Framley Examiner and co-wrote the bestselling British travel guides Bollocks To Alton Towers Joel has won a BAFTA, Sony and Broadcast Awards for his writing, and put words in the mouths of everyone from Mitchell & Webb and Flight of The Conchords to Armstrong & Miller and Miranda Hart. Joel is the co-host and producer of Comfort Blanket, the top 10 arts podcast analysing how comforting films, tv, music and books achieve their magic, and the award-winning Rule of Three podcast about the craft of comedy writing (winner, best arts and culture podcast British Podcast Awards 2020). Joel Morris Substack https://joelmorris.substack.com/Joel Morris Twitter https://twitter.com/gralefritComfort Blanket podcast https://pod.link/1614879928Be Funny or Die book https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Joel-Morris/Be-Funny-or-Die--How-Comedy-Works-and-Why-It-Matters/29622539Be Funny or Die audiobook https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Be-Funny-or-Die-Audiobook/B0CQ3FMQXW?More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An insightful interview with Matthew Parker, an all-round accomplished Fringe Theatre maker. He speaks to us primarily about marketing and press relations, but has many insights to share.If you only take one bit of his advice, make it "don't be a dick." But do take more of his advice as it's excellent and based on his wide experience.Find out more about Matthew and engage his services: https://www.matthewparker.net/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zena and Michelle meet Nia Williams and Katie Blackwell of Three Chairs and a Hat Theatre who are bringing their show Mrs Pack to the Camden Fringe this summer. Find out about the real story behind this new piece, the challenges of putting on a fringe musical and recording your performance.Mrs Pack can be seen at the Etcetera Theatre on the 19th, 20th, 24th and 15th of August https://camdenfringe.com/events/mrs-pack/More about Nia: niawilliams.comMore about Katie: katieblackwell.comMore info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are delighted that Mark Ravenhill - playwright and theatre maker - agreed to talk to us about his work and to share his advice for fringe theatre makers. Mark is currently mailing out (for FREE!) 101 Exercises for Playwrights via Buttondown. You can sign up and find out more via: https://twitter.com/MarkRavenhill2More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We chat to Chris Grady about first time producing, chocolate cake and musicals. Chris Grady is a facilitator, workshop leader and trainer specialising in the support of the next generation of creative producers and practitioners. Chris created and ran the MA in Creative Producing at Mountview Academy for of Theatre Arts, until August 2018. He then returned to live in Scotland where he works for the University of the West of Scotland and founded the CGO Institute to deliver an online Diploma in Creative Producing from 2020. Useful links:CGO Institute https://www.chrisgrady.org/Musical Theatre Network https://www.musicaltheatrenetwork.com/Mercury Musical Development https://www.mercurymusicals.com/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle and Zena speak to Heather Jeffrey the founder and editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine. Heather is a playwright and artistic director of a theatre company, so is always a thoughtful and sympathetic reviewer of fringe shows. She talks about pub theatre, writing press releases, contacting the press and how to become a reviewer.Heather is on twitter https://twitter.com/HJwritesAnd you can find London Pub Theatres here: https://www.londonpubtheatres.com/ Their "Getting Into Theatre" series is well worth looking at if the themes of the Camden Fringe Pod are of interest to you.More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about the latest news and then chat to Joe O'Byrne - the Salford Scorcese - about having a lot of brass neck and taking his many shows on the road.More info about Joe and his work: https://www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/More info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet our friends in the South (of London) Rebecca Pryle and Velenzia Spearpoint. They run the Bread and Roses Theatre and the Clapham Fringe, which has now evolved into the Lambeth Fringe. Hear it expand whilst we are chatting.Bread and Roses: https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/Lambeth Fringe: https://www.lambethfringe.com/More info on the Camden Fringe: www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zena and Michelle catch-up with Chris Perkins and Holly Whytock from Eventotron. Eventotron is the arts admin site that the Camden Fringe (and many other festivals and venues use to contact acts and populate their programmes. We find out where it came from, where it's going and what AI means for the future of theatre and fringes.More info on Eventotron: www.eventotron.comMore info on the Camden Fringe www.camdenfringe.comOur music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back for our first episode of 2024. Michelle and Zena catch you up on where things are at with the 2024 Camden Fringe, some venue news and some awards news before an interview with Leslie Ewing-Burgesse. Leslie has performed stand-up at the Camden Fringe in the past and this year has taken on the role of programming the shows for Aces and Eights in Tufnell Park.Here are your useful links for this episode:Leslie's website, including all her social media links https://leslieis.cool/about/acesAces and Eights: https://www.acesandeightssaloonbar.com/Troy Club: https://troyclubcomedy.comCamden Fringe: https://camdenfringe.com/Our music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a lovely chat with showbiz legend Bernie Clifton ahead of the publication of his autobiography Crackerjack to Vegas. We were very lucky to speak to Bernie about how he got his start in comedy, his love of elaborate practical jokes and taking to the skies on an ostrich.Order Bernie's book here! https://www.bannisterpublications.com/product-page/crackerjack-to-vegashttp://www.bernieclifton.co.uk/We'll be back with more regular episodes in the new year, when the Camden Fringe opens for applications for summer 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Cyril Blake who performed his first solo show Bonding at the Hen and Chickens during the Camden Fringe this summer. Cyril also squeezed the pips out of the festival by seeing over 30 other Camden Fringe shows.We discuss his experiences of performing and being an audience member this summer.Follow Cyril https://www.instagram.com/cyrilblakeactor/More information about his sitcom podcast https://twitter.com/BritComPodCamden Fringe: https://camdenfringe.com/Our music is by: https://www.purple-planet.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.