Graduate focus | 10 top podcasts to help theatre graduates on the path to success

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Eyes (and ears) wide open – podcasts could prove a useful tool to those new to the industry. Photo: Shutterstock

1. Creatively Freelancing

This podcast is hosted by Wendy Lap, a voice actor, writer, audio-drama creator and visual artist. “I’ve been working on audio-drama podcasts for some time and realised I could release a non-fiction podcast to help others. It’s aimed at two audiences: those working as creative freelancers and those considering it. We interview working creatives and cover topics such as work-life balance, generating income, managing finance, marketing, wearing multiple hats and deciding when to go full-time.”
Find it here.

2. The Spotlight Podcast

Available on the Spotlight website as well as on streaming platforms, this podcast covers a range of industry-related topics, from personal career stories and advice on being self-represented and progressing voice-over careers to a variety of meditations to help performers relax and deal with industry stress. Natasha Raymond, Spotlight’s digital marketing specialist, notes that episodes particularly relevant to graduates include: ‘Your working rights, pay and taxation as a performer’, ‘What to include in a showreel’ and ‘How do I prepare for auditions with an accent?’.
Find it here.

3. The 98%

Co-hosts and creators, actors Alexa Morden and Katie Elin-Salt, explain the name of this podcast as follows: “Only 2% of actors earn their main source of income from acting work. We represent the majority of actors – the 98%. We are for and by those actors, or anyone who wants to know what being an actor is realistically like. Pre-2018, we used to only ever hear about the 2% in the media… it was time for a change. We cover a wide range of topics from mental health to chatting with leading casting directors. As well as industry insights (and wild stories), we discuss important but less covered topics such as redefining what success means to you. We have a graduate-specific episode (S1E8) and episodes on resilience with Dr Steve Bull (S1E5) and finding the right job for you (S5E27) with Robyn Holdaway, which would also be helpful to graduates who want to come into the industry with their eyes open.”
Find it here.
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4. Act on This

Actor Ross Grant created the Act on This podcast and platform in 2010, shortly after his own graduation. “I quickly realised that I hadn’t been taught a thing about the real business of the business – and how to actually land a job. Between the podcast and the private Zoom calls we host for platform members, I have now spent several thousand hours interviewing casting directors, agents, actors, writers, directors and producers. One big takeaway is that the actors I see win are the ones who treat their career as though it is a business. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you don’t learn how to market yourself, you won’t work. You must be the one who takes control of your career – the harder you work at that, the luckier you’ll get.”
Find it here...

5. Wellbeing with Manny in conversation with…

This podcast is hosted by vocal and well-being coach Manny Crooks. “During lockdown many of my performer friends felt lost. I had weekly Zoom chats and practice sessions to help lift spirits. One, with my friend and West End performer Matt Mills, went quite deep. I flippantly said: ‘I should be recording this.’ I had long dreamed of becoming a podcast host so, in 2021, I did it, recording my first episode with Matt. We are now four series in. Not everyone I interview is in the arts but so many of the topics we talk about are transferable, it seems to resonate no matter the guest.”
Find it here.

6. In the Room

Another podcast started in lockdown, hosts Matthew Philip Harris and Christian Lee Smith describe themselves as “two jobbing actors trying to learn how to get in the room and hoping to find the answer by talking to a diverse array of successful industry guests”. Each episode features at least one graduate-focused question. “Many graduates feel lost when they finish training. Our mix of education and humour is a great way for actors to feel engaged and included within a difficult to access industry,” they say.
Fi nd it here.

7. Run at it Shouting

This is the podcast element of a wider platform created by Charlie MacGechan to provide ongoing learning and networking events for actors and others in the industry, in remembrance of his late mother and community theatremaker, Frances. “Podcasts are recorded live in a Q&A format as well as being available for listening later. In addition to interviews with actors, directors, writers and casting directors, they include a Working with Pinter series hosted by the playwright’s close friend and collaborator Harry Burton as well as episodes with Mike Leigh, Lesley Manville and Amma Asante.”
Find it here.

8. Let’s Create: Do We Know How To?

As part of her Clore Fellowship research, Naomi Alexander, chief executive and artistic director of Brighton People’s Theatre, explored skills needed by artists who lead co-creative practice. One result was a series of podcast conversations with outstanding practitioners in this area of theatremaking. “I was inspired to make this podcast because I believe that artists who co-create are rarely resourced, valued or supported properly. I wanted to reveal and amplify the extraordinary work that they do.”
Find it here.

9. Acting with Asha

Actor, writer and producer Jade Asha describes her content as encompassing “everything you’d find actors chatting about in a green room: agents, auditions, casting directors, but also more personal subjects such as intimate scenes, dealing with down days and juggling a career with starting a family”. She adds: “I’ve been in the industry a long time and it is a minefield. I wanted to help others, especially those new to the industry. If you have all of the information, then you can make an informed decision. I try to give you the information, or at least flag up the questions, that you need to ask.”
Find it here.

10. Things I Forgot Were Good for Me

Arts and well-being advocate Dr Radha Modgil co-hosts with author Giles Paley-Phillips. “We try to be a bit different as a podcast and cover the kind of well-being strategies that no one else is talking about. We’ve spoken about colour and fleeting interactions as well as space and exploration and adventure. Acting can be a career with lots of ups and downs and I think, given what graduate actors have to manage and deal with day to day, having strategies for their well-being really help. A central theme is a sense of community and belonging, which is really important when you’ve just graduated.”
Find it here.