All actors need to hear this. The top DOs and DON'Ts from the auditioning process.

Here Alex lays out top tips to stand out and what mistakes to avoid when applying for roles.

Rhiannon White, co-founder and co-director at Common Wealth. Common Wealth are an Arts Council NPO who make socially charged, activist and site-based work. Interestingly they work out of two cities, Cardiff and Bradford.

Rhiannon fronts the Welsh side of the company and here we learn about her journey from her estate, to squatting in Bristol to setting up this exciting company.

Questions include;

-What was your childhood like?

-Your first experience of theatre?

-Squatting in Bristol….what is the journey there?

Does your hustle come down to class?

-Was there a moment that you can remember a certain code in the industry?

-What do Common Wealth do really well?

-What is your rehearsal period like?

-How do you work across two cities?

-What is the most difficult thing?

TW: We do speak briefly about domestic abuse.

Jess Sweet runs CLAY (Centre for Live Art Yorkshire). CLAY is an ambitious, lively and welcoming live art venue in Leeds.

In this chapter Jess speaks about what it was like to quit her job, her relationship and leave her accommodation to then go on to build something. This chapter has multiple take-aways including;

- How to trust your instincts when others doubt you?

- How to choose the right people to work with?

- How to make a company agile and still be able to grow it?

- How can a board make all the difference to a company?

- How can you engage with new audiences and make them feel welcome?

Paul Smith has helped build Middle Child into one of the industry-leading companies in the UK. For years Middle Child have been recognised for their exciting, dynamic performance style. But 6 months into their journey, Paul admits they nearly stopped everything.

Luckily they didn't and lucky for us Paul is here to talk about his experiences with us.

Why didn't they quit? Why didn't they get 'proper jobs'? It's all in this chapter. This feels like one of the most important chapters to date for this reason. We all get to that moment of quitting, this industry is HARD. Some do quit. But what makes others continue...?

This week we speak to Nathan Geering, co-artistic director of Theatre Deli, Chief Exec of Rationale Arts, Accessibility innovator, TED X speaker, Published author, award-winning film maker.

This chapter sheds light on what we can all do to make our art more accessible and why it is important. Nathan gives us practical steps to follow towards where our industry should be.

Towards the end, Nathan speaks honestly about mindset. This is often not spoken about at all in my experience. What does it take to be successful? How can we become the authentic version of ourselves?

Amit Lahav, the Artistic Director of Gecko Theatre comes onto the podcast to share his journey with us. And what a journey it is. From moving from Israel to London as a boy, to finding his love of performing in an unlikely fashion to setting up the company.

Amit shares how he thinks about his process, how to tell the human story, how to juggle the different parts of running a company (Director, performer, producer etc.) as well as telling us how a visit to the opticians can be theatrical!

This is a chapter not to be missed. Gecko are in a really exciting time at the moment with a new show just on the horizon and with The Wedding being invited back to The Barbican (7-11 June 2022) Book tickets here: https://www.geckotheatre.com/

This is a topic we haven't covered but will affect most of us. It has always felt like I have carried around a fear of being an artist becuase I know I want to have a family one day. "How will I do that?", "Will I be able to do that?", "What will I need to sacrifice?".

Here Helen and Abbi from RashDash reveal how they are making it work with an honest account of how becoming Mothers has influenced their work. There is lot online about RashDash and their work, but in this chapter we see a different side to them. We follow them from students trying to choose a name, to picking their values, to making their shows to starting families.

N.B. We are sweetly interrupted by a small person which we have decided to keep in, to maintain the flow of conversation but also to emphasise that this is real, unfiltered and a true picture of what it is like to work in the arts.

If there was one question that unites all freelancers in the arts, this is it. Do I move or stay? Do I go to London because of its possibilities and opportunities or are these even more competitive than the positions in the regions?

Alex has collated responses from people in the industry, previous special guests as well as his own musings on the topic to try to give a well rounded, fair response to the question; do I go to London?

Clem Garritty is the co-founder and creative director at Swamp Motel. Swamp Motel creates entertainment that blurs boundaries between theatre, film and gaming. By giving audiences a pivotal role within story-worlds, Swamp Motel’s innovative productions are always live, social and thrilling whether experiencing them from your sofa, your desk or in an unexpected venue.

Their online experiences combine the artistry of immersive theatre with the thrill of an escape room, made for the internet.

Here Clem goes back with us to the start of the company, how he makes work and uses technology within his work. Making money is necessary as an artist but it is often a "dirty" subject which most duck away from speaking about. What stayed with me after the conversation is how Clem doesn't do this. This is the conversation that many will need, and has the potential to transform how we think about making work.

If I am honest, I am a little nervous to put this out. This is probably the most honest I have been on this podcast. I haven't had a good week and feeling quite defeated about things. Showing you the reality of working and living in the arts is what this podcast is all about, so I felt compelled to put my nervousness aside and open my diary once again.

I hope you are not in my position, but I suspect that a few may be. I hope this shows you are not alone and can give you some sort of value into how to move forwards. As ever, thanks for listening. It is no-ones intention ever to share a diary, so if you are listening to this...keep it close and use it well.