Welcome back to Acting Up! This week Megan and Jordan are catching up and diving into the historical world of female film directors! 

Jordan kicks it off by discussing the statistics and state of affairs for female directors today (shocker - it’s not looking great) despite the quality and cult impact of the work being made. Are things even changing for the better? 

Jordan then dives into the life and work of Alice Guy-Blaché, who is widely regarded to be the first woman to direct a film and one of the first filmmakers to make a narrative fiction film. Her fairytale film ‘La Fée aux Choux’ was created to demonstrate the capabilities of the camera used and the potential it had for creating fiction entertainment. Your hosts did indeed watch the film and share their thoughts (poor babies?).

Megan then dives into the achievements of Lois Weber, an American silent film director, screenwriter, producer and actress. Her work was pioneering, demonstrating the inner lives of women and including the first non pornographic depiction of a naked woman her film ‘Hypocrites’. A artist in all aspects, her work was infinitely detailed. Lois has since been inducted into Jordan’s dream blunt rotation.

Megan then discusses the work of Madeline Anderson, a black American filmmaker, television and documentary producer, film director, editor and screenwriter who is credited as being the first black woman to produce and direct a televised documentary film, the first black employee at New York-based public television station WNET and so much more. She was truly an incredible woman.

Ending with a healthy dose of incredible films directed by women for your convenience.

Tangents include catching up, booking a short film, pre BIG CHOP discussion, men stealing women’s ideas, letting your crusty boyfriends be your personality in 2025, unioniosisionation and trigger warning: French accents.

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Today Megan and Jordan are Acting Up with the wonderful Morgan Beale! Colleague of Megan (shocking) and shockingly talented Actor, Morgan is here to share his unconventional journey into the industry, and how he found himself on the set of Wednesday! 

Morgan’s journey started as many of ours do, in a school play that ignited a love for theatre he’s still trying to understand. Studying GCSE and then A Level drama Morgan ended up doing a degree in… American Studies? Thank god for student lead theatre! Morgan then discusses a trip to fringe that lead to drama school auditions, discussing auditioning the school while they audition you and why it wasn’t the right path for him.

Short courses, workshops and community theatre lead to signing with an agent and Morgan’s career began! Morgan then discusses the highs and lows of auditioning and how he landed his role in Wednesday season 1! How one round of auditions lead to 4 months in Romania, and as far as first times on set go, this experience was HUGE. 

Morgan also gets candid about managing expectations when you think you’ve got it all sorted and things don’t go as planned and the auditions seemed to dry up. Discussions then turn to writing and directing and potentially creating your own work, with aspirations to create a short film! 

Discussions then turn to scratch nights, fast moving sets, being trained on the job, self tape training, screen acting confessionals, where are the stage auditions at and what’s been good (drinks?), not so good (bashing Jenna Ortega?!) and what’s coming next (who knows!)! 

Tangents include chubby kittens, Letterbox favourites, directing playtime, unspoken Elves and of course Moblin.

Also featuring a hello from Florence of the @sleeplesscreativespodcast - check out her wonderful work!  

Sending love to anyone struggling with the weight of it all right now, please look after yourselves <3

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

In the effort of drumming up suspense for the finale of our GIFF 2 series, enjoy a simple catchup with your hosts Megan and Jordan! But not TOO simple, as nothing ever is. Sorry about the immediate chronic wheeze.

The long overdue catch-up includes: Megan booked a short film (!), the audition process for said short, upcoming auditions and lack of auditions, filling the void with other voids, standing by selectiveness, the myth of “just put yourself out there”, has the podcast served its purpose, “Just make your own stuff” and hula no hooping on camera and battling the ‘if I don’t try I can’t fail’ mindset. 

Discussions then turn to the girls upcoming adventure… THE LOXWOOD JOUST! There will be archery, goblins, sword and shield training, goblins, fighting for the kingdom, goblins, purchasing weapons, gambling on jousting, goblins, jesters and generally having a wonderful, whimsical time! 

Tangents include, coughing up George Michael, revoking the BBL, matcha, crispy tattoo removal, currently watching, celebrity crushes, charity shop wins and more on fan fiction…

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Welcome to the grand finale of our series from the second Gloucester Independent Film Festival! Become part of the festival audience and tune in to hear panel interviews and audience Q&A’s with the teams behind the evenings incredible out of competition screenings, ‘Rodent’ and ‘Twain’.

Firstly, Megan and Jordan snatch a quick interview (couldn’t let Joshy and Oscar have all the fun) with the incredible Pip, renowned photographer turned narrative writer & director and the wonderful producer Benjamin Jacob Smith to speak about their short thriller ‘Twain’ in which a man confronts his incarcerated twin brother, both grappling with scars of the past.

Megan and Jordan then take to the stage to host the panel interview with Joe Fereday, extremely talented natural history filmmaker and writer and director of the short film ‘Rodent’ in which a foraging rat guides us through the last traces of humanity, on a dying planet with a formidable threat. Discussions include rat protagonists, storyboarding vs improvised cinematography, synthetics vs organic, equipment and favourite fictional rats.

Joshy and Oscar (the festivals founders) then hit the stage with Pip, Benjamin and Chris Clarke, director of photography to talk to them further about ‘Twain’, asking about transitioning from photography to narrative filmmaking, writing processes, working class backgrounds, freedom in creative partnerships, finding a producer, building a crew, playing the festival circuit, prepping for efficiency on set and poetic metaphor.

Also featuring a sneak peep of the proceedings of the awards, with a speech from a previous category winner and reflections on the festival as a whole by an incredibly grateful Megan and Jordan!

Massive thanks to:

@twainfilm

@bypip

@ben_jacobsmith

@rawinventive

@joefereday

@gloucesterfilmfestival

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with your hosts Megan & Jordan! 
For this, the third instalment of the behind the scenes interviews, the Acting Up girls sit down with the some of the creatives behind ‘The Monster Beneath Us’ - nominated for best feature film, ‘Him Then Us’ - nominated for best short film and ‘Ingest’ the festivals winning Micro-Short.

First we have the fabulous actor Nicola Wright to tell us all about her work on the horror feature film ‘The Monster Beneath Us’. Discussions include upstairs/downstairs, psychological horror and serious casting, her journey into the industry, writing for older women, home from home on set, listening for laughs, what’s next and some words of wisdom. 

We are then joined by director Elika Norowzian, executive producer and runner Gabriel Plant and camera trainee and associate producer Thomas Bewes to speak about their short film ‘Him Then Us’. Discussions include a spoiler free synopsis, casting and building bonds with actors, working with the weather, creating a time capsule, applying animation skills to pre-production, fundraising and personal premieres, approaching directing, women on set (<3) and how to support the film.

Finally we have writer and director of colossal films Callum Wilkins, actor William Obeldiston-Hawkes and composer Mera Royle to talk about their winning micro-short ‘Ingest’! Discussions include creation from frustration, acting to nothing and no one, detailing at the day job, composing a hypnotic message, blending music genres, directing a solo actor, creating nuance, hearing yourself through the big speakers, c*nty harps and what’s next for them!

Special thanks to: @gloucesterfilmfestival @nk_wright @himthenus.film @elikanorowzian @colossalproductionsuk @cwilkinsfilm @mera_royle @w.f.o.h

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with your hosts Megan & Jordan! 
In this second instalment of the behind the scenes interviews, the Acting Up girls sit down with the incredible creatives behind ‘Two Big Feet’, the festivals winning feature film, and ‘Don’t Give Up’, nominee for best music video! 
‘Two Big Feet’ is an improv comedy about two best friends, one down on his luck and craving some cryptids - the other trying to make his friend happy before he inevitably makes him sad. They are joined by the creator of the film, Noah Stratton-Twine (who basically did everything bar act in it), and lead actors/producer/exec producer Ollie Woolf and Luke Rollason! Discussions include dripping in the gorilla suit, CLOWN SCHOOL!, the nature of improv, composition, gorilla sightings and origins, bold editing, micro budget manifestos, shooting what you need and hitting the marks (or not).
They then sit down once again with Videographer Ross Goatman to discuss his experience creating the music video for the drum and bass tune  ‘Don’t Give Up’ by Dr Meaker, ft Tenisha Edwards & Celestine! The video is a direct reflection of the lyrics - written during Covid - re-contextualised for the present day. Discussions include sitting with the song and lyrics, birds eye shots, consistency and self criticism, guerrilla (not gorilla) film-making, creating narratives, virality vs artistic integrity and effective collaboration.
Enormous thanks to: 
@nhoast @ollie_woolf @lukerollasonisaclown @thatsthefish 
@satyrmediauk 
@joshylee_ @oscarwenmanhyde @gloucesterfilmfestival @glosguildhall 
Apologies for sound issues! x

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with Acting Up! 

For the first instalment in their series of interviews, Megan and Jordan sit down with the incredibly talented film makers behind this years entries for Best Short Documentary.

First up, Director Sam Pope and Producer Tom Crawford of Imaginary Man Productions to discuss their truly heartwarming documentary ‘The Little Cinema in Gloucester’ which premiered at the festival! The documentary takes the audience to the Sherborne Cinema - a tiny building filled with enormous passion - and introduces you to the wonderful people behind it, Mark and Sammy. Discussions include the cinema cat, capturing the essence of a place, creating the soundtrack, avoiding comedy while keeping quirks, being selective with footage and creating a story not an advertisement.

Next the girls speak with Joe Murphy, Director and Editor of ‘Milking the Dog’, a hilarious and inspiring documentary that follows Stand Up Comedian Phil as he  works passionately on his craft to make it through a gong show. Discussions include how to find a subject and capture them respectfully, the emotional barrier that is the camera, subjectivity, comedy, and the power of the audience and leaving room to breath.

Massive thanks to:

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

We are so back! Post the slightly depressing ageism episode and being professionals at Gloucester Independent Film Festival 2, Acting Up are back with a BITE… Another episode of the ‘Just Two Besties and Their Special Interest’ genre, this week Megan and Jordan are talking vampire media, and they’ve prepared their whole mortal lives for this.

Discussions include would you accept the dark gift? Eczema, skinniness and vampirism and the media that most impacted your hosts and the culture. The media discussed includes Twilight (DUH), Lost Boys, Interview With the Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. 

Jordan delves into the concept of immortality and delivers a sort-of brief history of vampires. Megan explores how vampires transitioned from scary to sexy and how cultural perception shifts when GOD FORBID women have hobbies. Then of course, it’s time for a deep dive on the cultural impact of Twilight (which much like this podcast, came from a dream) and the birth of Supernatural Romance as a genre.

Tangents include Gibby singing, Cassandra Clare and incest, Jordan is the new Renfield,  Megan is cancelled and singing the entire Twilight soundtrack.

TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN!

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

Megan and Jordan both recently celebrated their 25th Birthdays! And by celebrated they mean crashed out about their impending expiration from an industry famously unkind to older women! Yippee! So here it is - the long awaited and truly infuriating episode about ageism and misogyny in Hollywood. Buckle up because we’ve all been indoctrinated…

Jordan confronts the idea of the ‘expiration date’, anti-aging culture and paradoxical procedures to prolong careers, villainous hags and youth as a type-cast. Megan discusses the women of Hollywood that are fighting the odds and showing us there’s nothing brave about simply existing. They also explore the all too common experience of being “too old” to play the love interest of a much older man and how this can impact audiences and why an actress may choose to conceal her age.

Jordan then takes things to a place of data, discussing the infamous OkCupid study that exposed the preferred dating age of men and women and the graphs that have haunted her since she saw them, and an article from The Guardian which provides data that shows the older women get, the less they are heard - literally! But it’s not all doom and gloom, things are getting better - we just aren’t there yet.

And of course they couldn’t end the episode without a discussion on The Substance.

A heavy episode, look after yourselves! <3

Tangents include a trip to the vets, warm bread, Megan’s armpits and Jordan’s lazy eye, not getting your hopes up but envisioning your life, a surprise appearance and Magpie shagging.

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏

This week Megan and Jordan are immersing themselves in the world of immersive theatre, from the history to personal experiences recent and historic - it’s time to go beyond breaking the fourth wall.

Jordan covers the basics of Immersive Theatre for actors, what it is, expectations for actors, Equity standards, how it’s been commercialised, what the future holds and the Post-Immersive Manifesto. Megan enlightens us on the pioneers of the genre such as Punchdrunk Theatre, Fruit for the Apocalypse and more. Touching on the political origins, the rise of site specific theatre and successful shows around the world.

Discussions include improvisation, celebrating Megan at the Moonshine Saloon, You Me Bum Bum Train, scare acting and assaulting nuns, Disneyland, Dismaland, the Willy Wonka Experience and so much NUANCE.

Tangents include Megan’s babadook birthday, Jordan’s tuberculosis, pro-library, a twilight ep, did you light a candle or is your house on fire? and seams where there shouldn’t be seams.

You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)
We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skids
Artwork by @those_who.try
Wanna be on the pod? Email [email protected] 🃏