Persistent and Nasty

Episode 115: Éimi Quinn by Persistent and Nasty

This week Elaine chats with the inspirational Valerie Edmond.

We cover so much in today’s episode. Everything from the outdated views on the physical appearance of actresses, to knowing your worth in an industry that doesn’t always encourage you to value your own time and effort to embracing and loving where you come from. As well as the importance of being an artist and remembering to always say exactly what you are.

An uplifting, inspiring beautiful episode from a immensely talented, gifted and giving human.

VALERIE EDMOND

Valerie is an award-winning actress who began her life in a single end tenement in Springburn, Glasgow before moving to a council estate in Balornock - built in the shadow of The Red Road Flats. To escape break time bullying at her secondary school an English teacher gave Valerie the keys to a long forgotten drama studio and there, using a torch to see, she stepped from darkness into the technicolour world of William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Christina Rosetti and Edwin Morgan. Valerie became the youngest person to ever attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Conservatoire) set up her own theatre company on leaving, and has gone on to work with Stephen Frears, Gavin Millar, Vadim Jean, Daniel Craig, Greta Scacchi, David Harewood Peter Capaldi and Brian Cox amongst others, winning nominations and awards for her performances on film and television. She also uses her voice - currently narrating a series of award-winning campaigns promoting health throughout Scotland for the Scottish Government, the BBC and remains a key worker throughout COVID-19 for services to broadcasting. In 2020, when Covid prevented the Scottish Legion/Poppy Scotland from collecting funds, Valerie approached the barracks of Edinburgh Castle and the Scottish War Memorial Monument and read the battalion names of those who died for Scotland in WW2 as the sun came up. Remembrance Sunday

Like Elaine, Valerie Edmond is a founder member of the Class Network for Equity, a curator of the ‘Who’s Afraid of the Working Class” event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, an award-winning actor, producer, and author currently writing, Working Class Heroes in the Performing Arts - A Handbook. She has appeared in Outlander, Succession and Lessons of the Hour- Fredrick Douglass - a ten screen immersive film installation by artist Isaac Julien currently showing around the world and last month on the giant Piccadilly Circus screens in central London.

Still raising her children, Valerie returns to an industry mired in controversy and has switched on her torch once more, campaigning for ERA, speaking in Parliament on behalf of Equity, The Musician’s Union and the Writer’s Guild to support working class portrayal, content and representation across all platforms in the arts finding ways to shine a light for those who would otherwise stay in the dark.

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Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Stonewall UK Trevor Project Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+

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This week Elaine chats with the brilliant, funny Laura Lovemore.

We chat growing up in Scotland from a working-class background, imposter syndrome, the happiness we feel being in a rehearsal space and on stage. Our hatred of the “what’s next for you” question and an important discussion about Scotland dealing and admitting it’s past with the slave trade.

Remember to us your stories of the women who inspire you from your life our history to [email protected] Let’s celebrate all the wonderful humans in our life.

LAURA LOVEMORE

Laura Lovemore is a Zimbabwean born Scottish actor, who graduated with a BA Hons in Acting and Performance at New College Lanarkshire. She is known for BBC Scotland’s, “The State of it”, The National Theatre of Scotland, “The Panopticon” and The Royal Lyceum Theatre “Life is a Dream”.

TWITTER: @LauraLovemore

INSTAGRAM: @lauralovemore

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PayPal

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Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Stonewall UK Trevor Project Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+

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This week Elaine and Louise chat with the inspirational American Actress, Director, Writer, and Filmmaker.

In this momentous week with a formal apology from the Scottish Government to the thousands of people prosecuted of witchcraft during the 17th Century in Scotland. We chat with Julia about her feature film about one of those witch trials. That of The Paisley witches. The amount of research Julia has done is incredible and it all comes from a place of making sure these people’s stories are not erased.

So really today’s podcast is a Herstory episode.

Enjoy.

Remember to us your stories of the women you admire to [email protected] Let’s celebrate all the wonderful humans in our life.

JULIA CAMPANELLI

Julia is a filmmaker, actress, and Raindance Fellow known for her commitment to gender parity and inclusion in the arts. Julia is Founder and Executive Producer of Shelter Film, dedicated to changing the narrative in front of and behind the camera with visually arresting and socially impactful films by and about women, BIPOC and under-represented humans. Shelter’s inaugural film ‘116’ written, directed and produced by Julia, screened in over 50 festivals world-wide, won 27 awards, and releases in 2022. Her screenplay, THE PAISLEY WITCH TRIAL, in pilot and feature versions, has won 12 Best Screenplay awards including Raindance Film Festival Best Unproduced Screenplay and Francis Ford Coppola American Zoetrope Screenplay finalist. TPWT is in development for production on Scotland. Julia also founded Shelter Theatre Group, a not-for-profit company dedicated to diversity and inclusion on stage. She directed and produced 13 stage productions in NYC including the critically acclaimed MACBETH on LES. As an actress Julia is known for NBCUniversal’s DEMENTIA 13, 116, KILL THE MONSTERS, ABC’s ONE LIFE TO LIVE, and as Hecate in Punchdrunk’s Obie, Drama Desk, & Outer Critics Award-winning immersive production SLEEP NO MORE.

WEBSITE: http://www.shelterfilm.com

TWITTER: @jcampanelliNYC

INSTAGRAM: @juliacampanelli

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PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/persistentandnasty for those who can donate. A million thanks and love.

Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Stonewall UK Trevor Project Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+

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This week Elaine and Louise celebrate the inspirations and the people who inspire us and light the fire in our souls.

Send us your stories of the women you admire to

Let’s celebrate all the wonderful humans in our life.

endometriosis-uk.org

Acting your age campaign

@MrsNickyClark

Equity Women’s Committee Toolkit Launch

eventbrite - equity4women-toolkit-launch

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PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/persistentandnasty for those who can donate. A million thanks and love.

Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Stonewall UK Trevor Project Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+

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Join our Zoom Coffee Morning every Friday at 11am GMT, email [email protected]

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This week Elaine and Louise chat with the incredible Scottish triple threat, will now quadruple threat Dawn Sievewright. We cover everything from getting sober, to pushing ourselves to the importance of your voice and embracing who you are and where you come from. It’s another brilliant episode with another brilliant guest.

At the end of today’s Episode is something a little different

We have Dawn and John McLarnon singing one of John’s original songs

HOPE.

Feels like we all need a little hope just now.

DAWN SIEVEWRIGHT

Dawn is a Scottish award-winning performer and writer. Dawn trained at GSA and then went on to be in productions on the West-End and international tours. Some of her many credits include the Oliver award-winning Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, Legally Blonde, The Welkin, Pinocchio, Quadrophenia, Glasgow Girls, Twelfth Night.

During the first Lockdown in 2020 Dawn and her flatmate John McLarnon created The 3M MIXTAPE, in association with Dundee Rep. These mixtapes celebrate the wonderful talent of that Scotland has to offer.

Dawn began writing a few years ago and was the runner up in South of the River Pictures and SISTER ScreenShot competition.

Dawn and her writing partner Brennan Reece. This has led to a commission from BBC 3 for their story.

Dawn is not one for social media so below are links to the 3M Mixtape and ScreenShot. She does very occasionally partake in Instagram

WEBSITE 3M MIXTAPE

INSTAGRAM @dawnsievewright

WEBSITE South of The River Pictures

John McLarnon @johnnymcl

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PayPal

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Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Stonewall UK Trevor Project Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+

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This week Elaine chats with the incredible Kaite Welsh. Kaite is an author and journalist whose work and views are not to be missed. They give such brilliant insight into so many of the important discussions facing modern feminism. Elaine and Kaite cover everything to writing reviews for sex toys, to Lesbian and Bi visibility on stage and screen to history to Trans Rights and the hope we have in our younger generation. It’s an important, inspiring episode.

*Elaine mentions stats which she wasn’t sure of at the time but has attached the below document with the correct statistics*

Stats

KAITE WELSH

Kaite Welsh writes high-quality arts and lifestyle journalism and award-nominated fiction, including the Sarah Gilchrist mysteries. Their work has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent and the New Statesman, and they cover LGBT issues for the Telegraph’s Women’s section. They were the previous Books Editor of DIVA magazine, the UK’s biggest lifestyle magazine for LGBT women.

WEBSITE Kaite Welsh

TWITTER @kaitewelsh

INSTAGRAM @kaitewelsh

FACEBOOK Kaite Welsh Writer

Helpful Links

Stonewall UK

Trevor Project National Survey

Trevor Project

Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+

Press For Change

GATE

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PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/persistentandnasty for those who can donate. A million thanks and love.

Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Join our Zoom Coffee Morning every Friday at 11am GMT, email [email protected]

WeAudition offer:

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NASTY25

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This week Elaine chats with the incredible Amelia Donkor. A wonderful discussion on the arts industry, how we are remerging from COVID, how we create spaces full of care for artists and audience. We talk finding your confidence in your 30’s to feeling like you need to hide where you come from to make it in this industry.

AMELIA DONKOR

Amelia is an actor, writer and facilitator blending creative arts and community building. She trained at LAMDA and has worked across theatre & television, as well as leading DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion) training, voice workshops and women's circles. She is passionate about story-telling and discovering new ways to play and liberate. Amelia is currently studying for an MA in gender, culture and media at Goldsmiths and is on an enlightening journey of decolonising the heart, body and mind.

WEBSITE ameliadonkor.com

TWITTER ˚@AmeliaDonkor

INSTAGRAM @ameliadonkor

PODCAST The F Less Travelled

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Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Join our Zoom Coffee Morning every Friday at 11am GMT, email [email protected]

WeAudition offer:

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Denise Deegan

Denise Deegan is an award-winning, internationally bestselling novelist and screenwriter. Denise writes for adults, teenagers and children. Her novels have been published by Penguin Random House, Hachette, Lake Union Publishing and Amazon Publishing. Writing under the pen name, Aimee Alexander, her women’s fiction novels have become international bestsellers.

Denise’s historical novel, Through the Barricades, won the SCBWI Spark Award 2017 and was chosen as a Publishers Weekly Booklife Books to Watch.

Her writing for Young Adults includes the much-loved contemporary trilogy, The Butterfly Novels: And By The Way, And For Your Information and And Actually. And For Your Information was nominated for an Irish Book Award and is on Coverfly’s Red List.

All of Denise’s novels are available on Kindle Unlimited, including the box set of The Butterfly Novels: Box Set.

Denise is an award-winning screenwriter. Her comedy drama, Tough Old Broad, was selected for Screen Ireland’s Spotlight Scheme 2020, debuted on The Filmarket Hub as an “Excellent Script” and featured in Variety when it was chosen by Wscripted as an Excellent Script to be presented at Marché du Film at Festival de Cannes 2021.

Denise is a Top 50 ScreenCraft Finalist and a Top 50 Roadmap Writers Finalist. Her short film, 3 Down, won the Shedunnit Short Script Competition at WOFFF20. Her radio play, The Last PTA Meeting, won the Little Wonder Radio Play Competition 2020. Denise won the Raindance Pitching Competition, January 2021, following a general anaesthetic!

Website Denise Deegan

Instagram @denisedeegan

Twitter @DeniseDeegan

Facebook Denise Deegan

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PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/persistentandnasty for those who can donate. A million thanks and love.

Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Join our Zoom Coffee Morning every Friday at 11am GMT, email [email protected]

WeAudition offer:

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NASTY25

Backstage Offers:

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY P&N

Persistent and Nasty are celebrating their 4th anniversary today. Elaine and Louise chat about the birth of P&N, where we are now and what the future holds. It’s been a hell of a ride so far. We hope you will stay with us for the next part of the awesome rollercoaster that is Persistent and Nasty.

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PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/persistentandnasty for those who can donate. A million thanks and love.

Resources

https://www.samaritans.org/?nation=scotland

http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/

https://rapecrisisni.org.uk/

https://rapecrisis.org.uk/

https://www.artsminds.co.uk/

https://www.bapam.org.uk/

https://freelancersmaketheatrework.com/sexual-violence-support-services/

Join our Zoom Coffee Morning every Friday at 11am GMT, email [email protected]

WeAudition offer:

For 25% off your monthly subscription quote:

NASTY25

Backstage Offers:

Get a free 12 months Actor Subscription:

https://join.backstage.com/persistentnasty-uk-12m-free/

Or if you've got a project to cast, you can Post Castings for free:

Apply promo code PERSISTENTANDNASTY at the checkout