The WhatsOnStage Podcast
Episodes
(ATASTTC) Groundhog Day, Tom Stoppard - and why actors make art
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy has been curating an exhibition of art made by actors; Sarah has been watching musicals including Groundhog Day at the Old Vic and 42nd Street o...
(ATASTTC) Succession and acting on screen vs stage
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Sarah's obsession with Succession and the way in which actors with both screen and stage backgrounds combine to make a perfect whole, Sara...
(ATASTTC) The power of Puppets - ft Finn Caldwell
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finn Caldwell is the Olivier-award-winning movement director and director of puppetry behind Life of Pi and Ocean at the End of the Lane and many othe...
(ATASTTC) Dancing at Lughnasa and Brian Friel - ft Jo Stone-Fewings
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the National Theatre's wonderful new production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa, Nancy and Sarah talk about what makes the play such...
(ATASTTC) Richard Burton and the appeal of Hamlet
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Motive and The Cue by Jack Thorne is about to open - inspired by the time Richard Burton played Hamlet in New York, directed by John Gielgud, with...
(ATASTTC) Violence on stage
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Ivo van Hove's ultra-violent version of A Little Life starring James Norton opens on stage, Nancy and Sarah take a look back at some of the history...
(ATASTTC) In praise of the matinee
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Nancy's matinees at the Menier Chocolate Factory in Marjorie Prime, Sarah and Nancy take a gentle look at the pleasu...
(ATASTTC) Losing - and finding - your voice
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy, currently on stage in Marjorie Prime, completely lost her voice thanks to bacterial laryngitis - which prompted Sarah to ask whether actors' vo...
(ATASTTC) Putting Women Centre Stage
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Nancy prepares to open in Marjorie Prime, she and Sarah discuss how few women's voices are still heard - and ways to make sure women are studied i...
(ATASTTC) Dog poo, creatives and critics
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After an incident in which a choreographer smeared dog faeces in a critic's face because he took against her review, Nancy and Sarah discuss what driv...
(ATASTTC) What happens in rehearsals?
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy is in rehearsals for a new play at the Menier Chocolate Factory. So she and Sarah take the opportunity to talk about what goes on behind the sce...
(ATASTTC) A visit to the Circus ft Luke Hallgarten of Revel Puck Circus
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah return from their January break full of excitement as Luke Hallgarten, artistic director of the Revel Peck Circus, explains how the ar...
(ATASTTC) What makes a great Christmas show?
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah and Nancy tip full-tilt into Christmas with a chat about Scrooge, pantomime dames, and all things festive. What does make a good Christmas show?...
(ATASTTC) Why the arts deserve government support
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Second World War, the British government thought the arts mattered enough to fund an entire entertainment arm. After the war, they built new theat...
(ATASTTC) Best of Enemies ft Jeremy Herrin
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As James Graham's new play Best of Enemies transfers to the West End, Nancy and Sarah talk to director Jeremy Herrin about working with new playwright...
(ATASTTC) Theatre for kids
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we begin the run up to Christmas, Nancy and Sarah look back on shows that had a huge impact on them and their children - and the magic ingredients ...
(ATASTTC) First Nights - the triumphs and disasters
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Dominic Dromgoole's new book First Nights That Changed the World, Nancy and Sarah talk about the rituals of first nights - the food, the p...
(ATASTTC) Food for thought ft Sarah Hemming
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah welcome their first critic guest, Sarah Hemming, who writes for the Financial Times and the conversation goes all over the place, from...
(ATASTTC) A life in theatre - ft David Hare
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah talk to David Hare about actors he has loved, performances he remembers, the difference between writing and directing, why some people...
(ATASTTC) The funny thing about comedy
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Nancy and Sarah went to the Old Vic to see Eureka Day - a comedy about a serious subject. One scene makes the audience collapse with helple...
(ATASTTC) Much Ado About Much Ado
24 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy and Sarah discuss recent theatrical outings at the Globe, the National Theatre and elsewhere to see multiple versions of Much Ado About Nothing....
(ATASTTC) The Queen on stage and screen
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the week after Queen Elizabeth's death, Nancy and Sarah find themselves talking about the way she had been portrayed on stage and screen and how th...
(ATASTTC) Previews - what's the point?
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy has been watching All's Well that Ends Well at the RSC in preview on her travels, and Sarah has been to see a sensational and long-running produ...
(ATASTTC) Theatre in the open air - and on the road
13 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a visit to the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to see 101 Dalmatians together, Nancy and Sarah talk about the effects of theatre in the open air ...
(ATASTTC) The Edinburgh Festival
06 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As thousands flock to the Edinburgh Festival over the next few weeks, we decided to devote this week's podcast to the joys of being in a city which is...
(ATASTTC) Closer 25 Years On - ft Patrick Marber
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Marber's Closer is 25 years old. As a new version opens at the Lyric Hammersmith, Nancy - who was in the last London revival - and Sarah are...
(ATASTTC) All about Christopher Marlowe
08 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy has been part of a project performing all Christopher Marlowe's plays so we took the opportunity to have a chat about the mysterious life and di...
(ATASTTC) What's the point of theatre awards?
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode, as the awards season comes to its end with the announcement of the Tony Awards in New York, we talk about theatrical prizes - ...
(ATASTTC) Do critics have to weigh their words?
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Carroll and Sarah Crompton begin by discussing how critics write about actors on stage - and the difficulties of intensely personal descriptions...
(ATASTTC) The Ian Charleson Awards
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Carroll and Sarah Crompton discuss the value of the Ian Charleson Awards - invented by a critic to honour a great actor - and their remarkable s...
(ATASTTC) Company, Oklahoma! and other great musicals - ft Rosalie Craig
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nancy, Sarah and their special guest Rosalie Craig talk about Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein and the great musicals they l...
(ATASTTC) Donald Trump and real people on stage
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Carroll and Sarah Crompton talk about what it's like to play a real person - Nancy has - and about Bertie Carvel as Donald Trump at the Old Vic....
(ATASTTC) The Corn is Green
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Actress Nancy Carroll and critic Sarah Crompton discuss what plays should be revived- and what it's like to work at the National Theatre. Hosted on ...
(ATASTTC) What's it like to get a no-star review?
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of our theatrical encounters, we introduce ourselves and discuss the role of the critic and how it feels as an actress when you get a bad...