That's Theatre Darling

This week I’d like to introduce you to a delightful woman by the name of Sophie Acreman! Sophie is a Stage Manager who has worked her way up through the ranks, working both freelance and in full time employment. We had a right giggle chatting about some of her more obscure shows, including a very specialised skill that gave her a bit of a starring role…

During the episode, we chatted about the infuriating rustling in theatre audiences, the heartbreak of redundancy and the importance of shaking off a mistake before you make more! Sophie very rightly highlighted that we need to be supporting our favourite theatres in any way that we can, big or small, they all need our help and support.

What an absolute delight to get to natter away with this fabulous lady, I hope you enjoy the episode!  

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Introducing the brilliant…James Turner! James is a hugely talented Set and Costume Designer with some great stories to tell. He’s a self-professed superfan of the podcast, and we had a lovely time chatting about his life in the wonderful world of theatre.

When his trouble ‘walking properly’ halted his aspirations to be an actor, he realised his talents were much better suited to being behind the scenes, making model boxes and forming a close bond with his scalpel. During the episode we chatted about his favourite moment in the process of making a show (and his worst!), having a cheeky snooze during a show, and carrying a frozen sheep’s head on the tube…

James shared his Dear Theatre letter with me, which was an absolute joy to hear, despite apparently being a less smutty version than his first draft! I really hope you enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

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What a treat to introduce you to this delightful lady, Sarah-Jayne Butler! Sarah-Jayne is an Actor and an Acting and Communication Coach, spending her time working between both theatre and film. She speaks with such enthusiasm about her work that it’s impossible not to feel inspired by her! I now want her to be MY coach and I’m not even an actor.

From a young age, Sarah-Jayne found a passion for ‘trying on’ other personalities and personas which quickly blossomed into a love for acting. We had a good old giggle about some hilarious costume mishaps, one resulting in an unexpected trip…

Sarah-Jayne’s letter is a piece of art in itself, so well thought out and beautifully written. I was spellbound when she read it to me, and it caused me to shed a tear (let’s be honest now…a few!). This episode was such a joy to record and I really hope that you enjoy it too.

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This week I’m delighted to introduce to you, Mr Peter Carrington! Peter is an Assistant Stage Manager and a Candle Technician, or ‘professional helper-outer’ as he modestly describes it. His cool, calming presence has taken him from studying Archaeology and Egyptology, all the way to starting a show on the Globe stage with a special delivery.  Peter has so many interesting and fun stories to tell, and I loved hearing about his journey into theatre.

During the episode we chatted about the first (and last!) time he wore a suit to a theatre interview; what he feels theatre has done for him as a person; and what it feels like to be a grown man, crouched on top of a fake lift, clawing at unsuspecting members of the audience…

Peter wrote a delightfully honest and endearing thank you letter to theatre. Thanking theatre for many experiences and relationships that he’s had, while ensuring that it doesn’t get away with too much either! I had a lovely time chatting to him and I really hope you enjoy listening to it too.

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It’s with the biggest grin on my face that I get to introduce to you, the absolutely fabulous…Annette Badland! Nettie really needs no introduction from me, as she has spent her years winning our hearts on the stage and screen.

During the episode we whizzed through some of her theatre highlights, starting from when she was small and entertaining her classmates with her bus stop antics, all the way through to the joy of playing a fairy queen! We chatted about her expert veg chopping skills; getting her fix of her other love, Picasso, whilst in lockdown; and stopping theatre-goers in their tracks with her décolletage in a theatre foyer.

Nettie shared with me her beautifully written love letter, which brought up some unexpected emotions for her. I think it’s going to be so relatable for many people who work in theatre, being separated from the place we call home. It was utterly glorious to spend time talking and laughing with her, I really hope you enjoy it too.

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I’m very excited to introduce you to a ridiculously talented and wonderful human being…Ingi Bekk! Ingi is a Video and Lighting Designer who has taken the world by storm, literally, jetsetting between countries and shows at lighting speed. Over the past couple of years he’s made some active choices to slow down a little and take stock, spending more time with his family and in exploring his new love of golf! This isn’t stopping him from doing some brilliant things, putting ideas in place to inspire the younger generation, opening up the world of backstage theatre to people who have no idea that it’s there.

Ingi is so passionate about mental health and finding ways to support us in this industry, particularly as freelancers. He talks about ways that he endeavours to keep his own mental health in check, including the simplicity of spending more time outdoors. And of course the “elixir of life”…ice cream!

We chatted about the balance of tech and creativity; holding onto ‘the rope’; and what advice he would give his younger self, when he was just starting out in the industry. I hope you enjoy the episode!

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Introducing the one, the only…Sule Rimi! Sule is an incredibly skilled and generous actor with so many brilliant stories to tell. Having pursued and started a career in Law, you wouldn’t believe Sule’s gutsy entrance into the theatre industry. He regales us with stories of unexpected requests to learn Swahili (which he nailed, by the way!); that feeling of imposter syndrome when you’re a freelancer; and the absolute horror of falling asleep on stage. And if that doesn’t tempt you in…we fully get into the nitty gritty of Zip Zap Boing. If you don’t know what that is, you don’t know what you’re missing…  

I’m sorry to say that we had a bit of technical difficulty, so this is a backup recording. Still the same excellent content, just with a lot more chair squeaks, shuffles and car noises than I’d have liked. As Sule says in the episode, we are all still learning all the time and that is very pertinent for me and all of this podcast lark! We had a blast catching up, and I loved hearing all of his stories. I really hope you do too!

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I’d like to introduce you to this lovely lady, Charlotte Smith. Charlotte is Deputy Head of Wardrobe on Dear Evan Hansen in the West End, where she has spent her time mastering some nifty side line medical skills which I was very impressed to hear about.  

Charlotte gives us a whistlestop tour of how she got into theatre. Igniting her passion for it at a very young age, when she was dazzled by ‘Be Our Guest’ in Beauty and the Beast in the West End when she was only five years old. She tells us all about her teen years where she was let loose in London at the age of sixteen, and working her way up in the West End to where she is now.

We chat all about the importance of a work life balance, funny show stops (or shows carrying on when bonkers things are happening offstage!) and the importance of having your very own cheerleaders in life. I loved having a good old natter with Charlotte and I think you’re going to enjoy hearing it too.

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Chatting Sarah Barnes for this episode was an absolute treat. Barnes, as she is more commonly known in the industry, is a Freelance Deputy/Assistant Stage Manager. In her heart she prefers spending her time as a Deputy Stage Manager, but she also doesn’t mind picking up a props list and getting stuck into being an Assistant Stage Manager too. She explains to us what on earth all the acronyms mean when it comes to Stage Management, and what it is that each of those roles spend their time doing.

During the episode we have a chat about how she went from wanting to be a Bank Manager, to ending up in this mad old world we call theatre; she impresses upon us the most important thing to have around during Technical Rehearsals, and we muse about where to get all the best gossip.

It’s always a pleasure talking to Barnes, and this was no exception. I hope you enjoy the episode!

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Holly is a Freelance Costume Supervisor who works on a number of West End shows including Wicked, Waitress, Lion King…to name but a few. She is an absolute wizard when it comes to all things fabric and she is the first person I go to for advice when it comes to anything sewing, fabric, even laundry related! She knows her stuff inside out, back to front and standing on her head.

During the episode we got to talk about what she wanted to be when she grew up (I can honestly say, it’s not what you’d expect!). We zoom through her journey into theatre from home schooling, a very tearful car journey, to how on earth she’d go about describing what she does now. She tells us all about an unexpected visit from a well known celeb, chatting to Actors in their pants, and how she really feels about Production Meetings.  

Visit my website for a full transcription of this episode: www.thatstheatredarling.com 

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