Julie Atherton joins us shortly after completing the West End run of The Grinning Man at Trafalgar Studios and shares her experiences of working with puppets in that and many other productions she has starred in. She speaks passionately about her frustrations with the patriarchy in the performing arts industry and the reasons why she has decided to become a director to take control and make the work she wants to be a part of. Julie suffered a terrible tragedy as a little girl and spent a great amount of her childhood being a very quiet child growing up in a grieving household in Preston. She explains how her life changed when she discovered the cast recording of Miss Saigon and her experiences struggling at school - later training at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and how her time at drama school was both the very best and the very worst time of her life - especially when she discovered performers who liked to sing in her face. Julie covers her early career successes including Charlotte’s Webb, Just So and Mamma Mia and how she became an established industry name in the original London cast of Avenue Q and the gruelling media schedule she had to endure. Julie Atherton is synonymous with championing new Musical Theatre both in the West End and on the London Fringe and explains why she invests so much of her time in brave new pieces of theatre in tiny little theatres for very little money but with so many rewards. Episode features include:The Soapbox: Julie shares the difficulties she has faced in her career thanks to a theatre industry that is still very much lead by white men. She explains why she doesn’t like female roles in older musicals and what she is doing in her work as a director to empower women and the preconceptions that many women face when it comes to comedy. Theatrical Tips: Andrew shares his theatrical tips of things to see in July 2018 including Home, I'm Darling by Laura Wade and The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini in an English version by Ben Power at the National Theatre and Consent by Nina Raine at the Harold Pinter Theatre. The Platform: Today’s platform is a Show People Podcast exclusive! Actor and comedian Steve Furst has sent in a very special recording he made for the London cast of Matilda - The Musical just before he left the production playing Mr. Wormwood. You won’t hear this anywhere else!

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