The Uncensored Critic Podcast

Chris and Tom Godwin are actors with a supreme wealth of experience on stage, screen and television.

They were the first father and son to play the roles of Arthur Kipps and The Actor in the West End in the outstanding play The Woman in Black. 

They both take me through what's it like to scare an audience, working with director Robin Herford, and how rewarding it is to perform such a brilliant text. 

Thank you both for your time and your generosity to share with me your experience of this play and your careers!

Oliver Gower

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Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

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Mark is an actor, writer, dramaturg, and founder of Stratford Productions based in Hertfordshire. 

His first one man show The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, played to sold out audiences both at the Watford and Brighton fringe in 2020 and 2021. 

His second show Drama King based on the life of famous actor-manager William Charles Macready premiered at both fringes as well. 

Mark has appeared in West End shows, national and foreign tours, reparatory theatre, pantomimes, as well as across Tv, Film and Radio. 

His two one man shows are embarking on a tour of the UK, details of which can be found on his website, get your tickets now!

I was lucky to see Mark perform Jekyll and Hyde recently, and its a truly great adaptation and one that is not to be missed!

Great talk for anyone studying the play and for anyone who wants to get to know it better.

Mark's website: https://www.stratfordproductions.co.uk/

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

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Adam is an actor, singer and public speaker who is currently on the UK tour of Les Miserables. He's worked with the RSC, BBC, and appeared in ad's for Tesco and Google.

Adam offers some great insight into the life on the road, how to organise yourself when on tour with a show, and shares some stories from his experiences up and down the country, as well as in Europe. 

Great conversation with another member of the GSA family about keeping the faith after you leave drama school and how you shouldn't worry about taking the life of an actor too seriously. 

Highly recommend this episode to graduating actors from drama school, as well as this who need a boost if things aren't going the way you want them to.

Follow Adam's Instagram: @adamboardman94

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

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Tom Berkeley and Ross White are Academy Award and BAFTA award-winning filmmakers.  

They met after completing the BA Acting programme in 2014 and have since set up their own production company Split Second Productions. Which is for everyone from actors, musical theatre performers, and those interested in technical theatre.  

Their experience in playwriting has seen them be shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize, Papatango Prize and Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama writing.   They transitioned into filming in 2020 and co-founded the Belfast-based production company Floodlight Pictures which is the vehicle to drive their own projects. Such as two great films in ROY with David Bradley, and AN IRISH GOODBYE. ROY was shortlisted by BAFTA for Best British Short Film, and AN IRISH GOODBYE won the BAFTA and Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film in 2023. 

Tom and Ross take me through the ins and outs of filmmaking, the challenges, the rewards and the editing process. As well as working for David Bradley and how his preparation is a benchmark for actors working on sets.   

Watch their Oscar-winning Short Film "An Irish Goodbye" on BBC iPlayer now! 

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001k2z5/an-irish-goodbye 

Tom's Instagram: @tom_berkeley 

Ross' Instagram: @rossjwhite  

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

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Thank you all for your support!

Jack is an extraordinary actor whose worked across stage and TV with some of the best people in the business. 

We discuss his involvement in Sam Mendes' epic global touring production of Shakespeare's Richard III. How he approaches Shakespeare's text, how to find the meaning, and important it is to actors. As Jack says, keep yourself fit with Shakespeare!

Also his experience working alongside Sam Mendes, how he conducts the rehearsal room, and how he works with actors to bring his image to life.

In addition, we also touch on his involvement in the brilliant 2014 production of The Crucible directed by Yael Farber. Alongside Adrian Schiller who has also been on the show, he talks about Yael's rehearsal process, and the rewards and challenges of playing Danforth.

Such a pleasure talking to Jack as I have admired his work in The Crucible since I first saw it, now he's taking a route into directing, it would be great to see what projects he'll be working on in the future.

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

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Katie is a trained musician, actress, dancer, and hypnotherapist who works closely with actors, and creative people of all calibre's. 

This episode was such a great and interesting exploration about what hypnotherapy can do. Helping us conquer any mental boundaries that we as human beings carry around with us in a relaxed, judgement-free zone. Guiding us from burden to liberation in our minds and bodies.

I share some of my own personal burdens I've carried with me unnecessarily and what I've done, with the help of others, to help bring down those boundaries. I, like you, are in the safe hands of someone who knows what it means to be open, vulnerable, and speaking your truth. 

For anyone who wants to have a session with Katie or learn more about hypnotherapy, the link to her website is below. 

Great episode, very informative about how we can literally shake off our insecurities, fill our minds and bodies with what we want like strength, courage, and self-love. And become the person we were born to be. 

Katie's website: https://www.katiecrooks.com

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

Please Like, Download and Subscribe ✍️

Thank you all for your support!

Michael is one of the most prestigious and distinguished directors, writers, producers, and actors that has worked in Hollywood.

Michael takes me through the process of directing, his experiences of working in the editing room, behind the camera, and working with some of Hollywood's elite, such as Robert Downey Jr, Kiefer Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, and Christian Bale to name a few.

Also, he shares his advice to actors coming into auditions, how it's YOUR space, and you have a God given right to be there to show what you love to do! 

Great stories, amazing advice, and I feel very grateful to have had Michael on the show to share some really inspiring things.

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

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Rebecca is a movement director, actress, and all round lover of the arts. 

She specialises in movement sequences for screen and stage. 

Rebecca and I both worked together at GSA on our public show Widows by Ariel Dorfman and Tony Kushner, and it was a pleasure to learn from her techniques and rehearsal activities to help myself and my peers immerse ourselves in the play, and find the inner journey of our characters.

She is also incredibly passionate about just how important actors are to themselves and to the world with what they can do. We as actors show the world as it is, was, and what it could be. We share a physical and emotional bond to the public by sharing what others maybe scared to share, and make you laugh through moments in plays, films, dances that have happened in our own lives that have made you laugh. 

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

Please Like, Download and Subscribe ✍️

Thank you all for your support!

Mike Jibson in an incredible actor and another member of the GSA family, and since graduating he has worked across stage, screen and television with some of the best people in the business. From Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sam Mendes and Anne Hathaway to name a few!

We both worked together recently on the upcoming short film A Path to Ecstasy with Louie Serkis, son of Andy! Filmed in Casino Nightclub in Guildford, directed by Abdullah Khan, due to be released later this year. 

Mike talks about the journey of an actor, the countless auditions, the success in getting the job, and how to stay strong through difficult moments. 

A very insightful, and great conversation to have with actor with such a generous, vastly experienced, and a humble heart. I'm so thrilled to be sharing this episode with you!

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

Please Like, Download and Subscribe ✍️

Thank you all for your support!

Andrew is a director and composer who has been involved in a variety of projects across the artistic industry. 

From plays, musicals, cabaret, opera, and ballet he is a man who loves the arts!

I've had the pleasure of being taught by Andrew at GSA, looking at the play Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, how to breakdown the text, learn lines mechanically, but not perform mechanically. Perform with one thought to the next, engaging and listening to your scene partner, and live in the moment without wondering what your next line is. 

Andrew discusses the work of Samford Meisner, his links to Stanislavsky, Stella Adler, and Lee Strasberg, and how actors achieve their best work through listening to each other. 

As well as, how he approaches projects through a director's lens, his love for music, and how he likes to see the world of a play come together.

Oliver Gower

Spotlight Link: https://www.spotlight.com/9097-9058-5261

Instagram: @ollietheuncensoredcritic

For enquiries and requests: [email protected]

Please Like, Download and Subscribe ✍️

Thank you all for your support!