Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Kate Lennon about her career as a talent manager at UTC Artist Management. Kate takes us through the long and varied path that took her from graduating at Kent to where she is now, including stints working in TV, performing with her sketch group Kitten Killers, and working for Funny Women. She talks at length about working for UTC, where she manages comedians like Ria Lina, Toussaint Douglass and Laura Lexx (who featured in episode 7 of this podcast). She has great advice for anyone pursuing careers in the arts, including the importance of a well-written email and even complimenting somebody’s shoes!

UTC Artist Management: https://www.utcartistmanagement.co.uk/

More about Drama at the University of Kent: https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/subjects/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduates Elyse Hall, Colette McLoughlin and Jess Pattrick about how they set up Moonbeam Theatre – which is one of the University of Kent’s Graduate Theatre Companies. This was recorded while they were touring a show around Kent and Essex and preparing longer term for their first national tour. They talk about their three successful applications for Arts Council England funding, the importance of networking with other companies (like Square Pegs and Frozen Light), and how Covid helped them decide to commit to starting their own company. They also explain in detail how the Graduate Theatre Company scheme works and reflect on how the modules they took prepared them for becoming professional theatremakers – at one point using the memorable phrase, ‘What would Roanna do?’ Finally, there’s a bit of bonus fun with an audio clip from before the interview started.

Moonbeam Theatre: https://www.moonbeamtheatre.com/

More information about the Graduate Theatre Company scheme: https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/subjects/drama-and-theatre/graduate-theatre-companies

More about Drama at the University of Kent: https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/subjects/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduates Elyse Hall, Colette Loughlin and Jess Pattrick about how they set up Moonbeam Theatre – which is one of the University of Kent’s Graduate Theatre Companies. This was recorded while they were touring a show around Kent and Essex and preparing longer term for their first national tour. They talk about their three successful applications for Arts Council England funding, the importance of networking with other companies (like Square Pegs and Frozen Light), and how Covid helped them decide to commit to starting their own company. They also explain in detail how the Graduate Theatre Company scheme works and reflect on how the modules they took prepared them for becoming professional theatremakers – at one point using the memorable phrase, ‘What would Roanna do?’ Finally, there’s a bit of bonus fun with an audio clip from before the interview started.

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Verity Tan about keeping her creative career going whilst being a full-time mum to three young children. She talks about how studying Drama at the University of Kent led to a career teaching creative drama classes to children. More importantly, she talks about putting this career to one side for a while to bring up her children – and balancing this with commissions to photograph theatre shows. She also talks about working in different countries, having started her career in Singapore before moving to Thailand. Whilst she was a student, she made a point of taking advantage of creative opportunities, from working for a youth theatre to being an extra in the film Into the Woods. She believes that this set her up for a creative career, and advises: ‘Try everything…You have to hustle. You have to try things.’ This is a perfect episode to listen to if you want to think about how parenthood might fit into your creative career.

Verity’s Instagram: @veritytanphotography

BA in Drama & Theatre: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/114/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Gersom de Koning about his career as Head of Performing Arts at the International Community School in Bangkok, Thailand. Gersom talks about how studying for an MA at Kent led to an international career in the arts up to the job he’s now doing – which includes being in charge of a 600-seat theatre and regularly producing student shows there. Along the way, you’ll hear about staging a Singlish adaptation of Shakespeare, following a production of High School Musical with Lord of the Flies, and being ‘quite the energy bunny’. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is how what Gersom has learned from improvisational theatre and Keith Johnstone’s book Impro has helped him navigate through his career.

International Community School Instragram: @icsdramadept

MA in Theatre Making: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/1222/theatre-making

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Beatrice Hyde about her career as an actor and playwright. This was recorded as Beatrice was rehearsing her play Emmeline for Theatre Lab Company at the Cockpit, and she tells the story of how she started writing it in a second year Drama module at Kent, developed it during a year studying abroad at Berkeley, staged a version at the end of her final year at Kent, and onwards to finally staging it professionally. Along the way, she talks about the option of studying abroad at Kent, doing a postgrad MA at East 15, being mentored, and developing the freelancer lifestyle in a career which ‘can have many slashes’. Want to know what she means by that? Then listen to the episode!

Emmeline on the Theatre Lab website: https://theatrelab.co.uk/productions/emmeline/

BA in Drama & Theatre: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/114/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Claudia Marciano about her career as an actor and creator of physical theatre, particularly with the company Theatre Re. Claudia talks about how the modules she studied at Kent helped equip her with the skills and interests she draws on in her work, and the transition into professional work after graduating. Importantly, she talks about the nature of her portmanteau career, which involves balancing various different jobs, including acting and fitness training, at the same time as studying for an MA. Many who work in the creative industries have this kind of portmanteau career, and Claudia talks about how rewarding it is for each week of your working life to be different from the last.

Theatre Re: https://www.theatrere.co.uk/

BA in Drama & Theatre: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/114/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Peter Morton about his work as a professional puppeteer, puppet maker and the artistic director of Half a String theatre company. The interview took place just before Peter was due to shoot off to a dress rehearsal for the Little Amal project, in which a 3.5 metre puppet of a refugee girl walked across Europe from the Syrian border to the UK. Peter’s contribution was to design and build a giant fox puppet which met Little Amal when she arrived in Canterbury. Current Kent Drama students helped to build and operate the puppet. Peter talks about how he started his puppetry career whilst still studying at Kent, and how he established his career after graduating. He has lots to say about the importance of finding the right people to work with when making theatre.

Half a String: http://www.halfastring.co.uk/

Peter Morton: http://www.peter-morton.co.uk/

Little Amal: https://www.kent.ac.uk/the-walk

BA in Drama & Theatre: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/114/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Kyrah Gray about starting out as a stand-up comedian. Kyrah talks about how going to a networking event instantly got her both gigs and a manager. She explains how she started out on the urban comedy circuit and is now trying to break into the mainstream comedy circuit. This leads to some great discussion about the particular challenges facing black comedians in the UK. She also talks about the craziness of choosing to become a comedian when you suffer from anxiety, and the remarkable fact that she doesn’t actually get anxious onstage. She talks about balancing day jobs with a comedy career, and how the transferrable skills you get in a drama degree set you up for even the most conventional job.

Clip of Kyrah doing stand-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd-YBCzjJd8

BA in Drama & Theatre: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/114/drama-and-theatre

Olly Double interviews Kent Drama graduate Beth Fox about being a Team manager at the Cliffs Pavilion theatre in Southend-on-Sea. Beth only finished her degree a couple of months before this interview – and, indeed, was just two weeks into the job – so it offers a fascinating insight into the very start of a career in theatre. She talks about building up a network of contacts despite not coming from a privileged background or a showbiz family, and gives good advice about making your own luck. She also looks forward to where her career might take her in future, whether into actor training or seeing where her current job might take her. As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also hear about the highlights of her first fortnight working in theatre, from drag queen lunches to meeting the legendary Paul Chuckle.