A podcast for young or emerging performers and the people supporting them - whether you or your child are just starting out or already navigating auditions, training and performances.
Hosted by actor, drama coach and parent Lisa Southam, with honest, practical insight from solo episodes and guest conversations.
No hype - just real guidance to build skills, confidence and a love for the craft.
@TheDramaCoach
https://linktr.ee/TheDramaCoach
Music: âSoft Musicâ by Nastelbom via Pixabay
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My Child Wants to Be an Actor - Where Do We Start?
Season 3 ¡ Episode 10
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 ⢠Duration 14:17
Your child has said, âI want to be an actor!â But what comes next? Drama classes? An agent? Headshots? Spotlight? And do you really need all of it straight away?
In this episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Lisa Southam helps parents make sense of those first steps, with practical advice and a reassuring reminder: there is no rush.
From finding opportunities to learn to supporting auditions and handling disappointment, this episode is about helping your child develop at their own pace while protecting their enjoyment of performing.
In this episode, Lisa covers:
Starting with your childâs love of acting and the work it involves.
Why training and experience come before chasing representation.
Choosing what your child needs now, without buying everything at once.
Understanding how audition opportunities happen and what agents can realistically do.
Recognising emotional and practical readiness for representation.
Supporting self-tapes without becoming your childâs director.
Getting familiar with licences, schooling, safeguarding and the questions parents should ask.
Keeping drama fun and making room for other interests.
Responding to rejection in a way that builds confidence and resilience.
Letting go of comparisons with other young performers.
An agent represents the performer; they donât create the performer. The starting point is somewhere your child can learn, explore and enjoy acting.
Whether performing becomes a profession or remains a much-loved hobby, the confidence, creativity, communication and teamwork developed through drama have value far beyond an audition.
Explore the podcastâs back catalogue for more on agents, casting platforms, self-tapes, safety and training.
If this episode helped you, follow The Drama Coach Podcast wherever you listen, and leave a rating or review to help other parents and performers find the show.
Music: Soft Music 295878 by Nastelbom from Pixaby
Beyond the Audition: Understanding Casting with Rose Rosen, CSA
Season 3 ¡ Episode 9
Saturday, October 24, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:02:08
What actually happens after you send a self-tape?
In this episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Iâm joined by casting director Rose Rosen, CSA, host and creator of Casting Confidential, for an open and refreshingly straightforward conversation about what really happens on the other side of the casting process.
Rose takes us behind the scenes of casting - from receiving a breakdown and watching hundreds of tapes, to deciding which actors move forward to producers and directors.
Most importantly, she reminds performers that casting isnât about ranking actors from best to worst. Itâs about building a cast - and chemistry, age, appearance, scheduling and countless other factors can influence a decision.
We talk about:
What a casting director actually does
What happens to your self-tape after you press send
Why your tape is not disappearing into a void
Why a brilliant audition still might not lead to the role
Why âthe audition is the jobâ
What Rose really wants to see in an actor
Authenticity and bringing yourself to the material
Why actors should stop chasing the âperfectâ self-tape
Roseâs three-take approach to self-tapes
Why parents need to be careful not to over-coach young performers
The importance of letting casting see the actual child
What performers can control - training, materials, submissions and preparation
Why parents should regularly check that their child is still enjoying performing
How parent behaviour can affect a young performerâs opportunities
Self-tapes versus in-person auditions
Protecting your energy in the audition waiting room
Slates and why following the individual casting instructions matters
Coming Back to Yourself: A Meditation for Performers & Parents (With 852Hz Music)
Thursday, October 22, 2026 ⢠Duration 17:35
A little time when you donât have to deliver, impress anyone, or find every answer.
In this bonus episode of The Drama Coach, Lisa Southam guides a gentle meditation for performers of all ages and the people who support them, accompanied by soft background music.
Perhaps youâre preparing for an audition, rehearsal or performance. Perhaps youâve spent the day encouraging a young performer. Or perhaps the day is finished, and youâre ready to put it down.
Through a gentle body scan, awareness of the support beneath you, and imagery of warmth, light and softness, this practice offers space to rest and reconnect with yourself. Thereâs no need to force your breathing, picture anything perfectly, or feel a particular way.
Return to this meditation before a busy day, after a demanding experience, or as you settle down for sleep.
Three thoughts to take with you:
⢠I can take my time.⢠I can listen and respond.⢠I can begin from where I am.
Listen somewhere comfortable, only when itâs safe to rest your attention - never while driving or doing anything that needs your focus. Keep your eyes open or closed, change position, or stop whenever you need to.
This version includes gentle background music at 852 Hz. If you prefer to listen without music, look for the Voice Only edition of Coming Back to Yourself.
Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: OND2D0NS3CD6HQUF
Coming Back to Yourself: A Meditation for Performers & Parents (Voice Only)
Thursday, October 22, 2026 ⢠Duration 17:24
A little time when you donât have to deliver, impress anyone, or find every answer.
In this bonus episode of The Drama Coach, Lisa Southam guides a gentle meditation for performers of all ages, parents, and the people who support them.
Perhaps youâre preparing for an audition, rehearsal or performance. Perhaps youâve spent the day encouraging a young performer. Or perhaps the day is finished, and youâre ready to put it down.
Through a gentle body scan, awareness of the support beneath you, and imagery of warmth, light and softness, this practice offers space to rest and reconnect with yourself. Thereâs no need to force your breathing, picture anything perfectly, or feel a particular way.
You can return to this meditation before a busy day, after a demanding experience, or as you settle down for sleep.
Three thoughts to take with you:
⢠I can take my time. ⢠I can listen and respond. ⢠I can begin from where I am.
This is the voice-only version, without background music.
Listen somewhere comfortable, only when itâs safe to rest your attention - never while driving or doing anything that needs your focus. Keep your eyes open or closed, change position, or stop whenever you need to.
Why Am I Not Getting Acting Auditions? 10 Things to Check
Season 3 ¡ Episode 8
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 ⢠Duration 12:51
Youâve trained. Youâve got headshots. Maybe youâre on Spotlight, you have an agent, and youâre actively submitting for work⌠so why arenât the auditions coming?
In this solo episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Lisa Southam looks at 10 practical things actors can check when auditions have gone quiet - from headshots, showreels and casting clarity to self-tapes, training, submissions and representation.
This isnât about assuming youâre doing something wrong. Sometimes you can have everything in place and simply not be the right fit for whatâs casting at that moment.
Instead, this episode focuses on the part of an acting career you can control.
Lisa covers:
Whether your headshots still genuinely represent you
How to tell if your showreel is actually helping you
Why clear casting can make it easier for casting directors to place you
Keeping your Spotlight profile, credits and skills accurate and current
Whether youâre submitting for roles that genuinely fit
Availability, location and the practical realities of being employable
Why continued acting training matters, even between auditions
How to assess whether your self-tapes are strong enough
Knowing when to have a conversation about your representation
Why the number of auditions you get is not a measure of your talent
Lisa also talks about staying proactive when you have an agent, avoiding endless self-tape takes, staying âmatch fitâ as an actor and being ready before the opportunity arrives.
Because your agent can be an important part of your team - but they are not your entire career.
If auditions have been quiet recently, use this episode as a practical acting career check-in and ask: is there anything I can strengthen, update or approach differently?
The goal isnât to suddenly become ready when the audition lands.
Building Truthful, Sustainable Acting with Eric Geynes
Season 3 ¡ Episode 7
Saturday, October 17, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:01:40
In this episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Lisa is joined by actor, writer and certified Chubbuck Technique coach Eric Geynes to explore what really helps an actor move from âperformingâ a scene to genuinely living within it.
Eric shares his unusual route into acting after years as a competitive swimmer, the discipline he carried from sport into his training at Drama Centre London, and why the hardest part of acting preparation can sometimes be learning to let all that preparation go.
Together, Lisa and Eric explore the Chubbuck Technique, character psychology, scene objectives, action verbs, movement psychology and the relationship between inside-out and outside-in approaches to performance.
They also discuss how actors can work with emotionally demanding material safely, why emotion should be a result rather than the goal, and the importance of understanding what your character actually wants from the other person in the scene.
Eric shares practical advice for self-tapes and screen work, including:
Finding a clear scene objective
Using playable actions rather than chasing emotion
Creating a strong moment before
Allowing the character to exist beyond the first and last line
Using simple physical âdoingsâ to make a scene feel lived-in
Avoiding anticipation and staying genuinely responsive
Letting accidents and unexpected moments become part of the performance
Knowing when to stop analysing and trust your preparation
The conversation also moves into Laban and Yat Malmgrenâs Movement Psychology, performance capture, working without physical sets or props, and how physical choices can sometimes unlock a character from the outside in.
Finally, Eric discusses the idea behind his forthcoming book, The Constant Actor, and what performers can do when they arenât currently employed as actors. From creative practice and collaboration to training, career development, consistency and looking after your mental health, he offers a practical reminder that being an actor is about far more than your latest credit.
Changing Agents Without Burning Bridges
Season 3 ¡ Episode 6
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 ⢠Duration 27:34
How do you know when itâs time to move on from something that isnât actually bad?
In this solo episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Lisa shares a recent decision from her own acting career - changing agents - and explores the much bigger lesson behind it: how to leave well.
There was no dramatic falling out and no terrible experience. Lisaâs previous agency had supported her, submitted her for work, secured auditions and offered brilliant communication.
But Lisa had changed.
At this stage of her career, she realised she needed something different from representation - more direction, strategy and honest conversations around casting, positioning, materials and the bigger picture.
And sometimes, thatâs reason enough.
In this episode:
How to recognise when something that was once right no longer fits
Why gratitude doesnât have to become obligation
Positive feedback vs directional feedback
What you actually need from an agent at different stages of your career
The difference between a rough patch and the wrong fit
Why clarity about where youâre heading makes decisions easier
How to move on without unnecessarily burning bridges
Why you donât need to make the old thing wrong to make the new thing right
Questions to ask yourself if youâre wondering whether itâs time for a change
And this isnât just about agents.
The same questions can apply to acting classes, drama schools, teachers, theatre companies, jobs and other parts of your creative life.
Sometimes moving forward doesnât mean rejecting what came before.
It simply means recognising that youâre ready for what comes next.
If this episode resonates, Lisa would love to hear about your own experience of knowing when it was time to move on.
Discipline Over Motivation: Training, Mindset & Showing Up with Ned Drew
Season 3 ¡ Episode 5
Saturday, October 10, 2026 ⢠Duration 53:23
What does it really take to keep showing up when you donât feel motivated?
In this episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Iâm joined by dancer, performer and teacher Ned Drew to talk about discipline, professional training and the mindset behind developing as a performer.
Ned shares his unconventional journey from football into dance, training at Bath Dance College before moving to London to study ballet and contemporary dance at Rambert. We talk about the realities of full-time professional training, why motivation alone isnât enough, and what young performers can learn long before they ever reach drama school or professional training.
We also explore the impact of phones and social media on focus, finding a routine that works for you, balancing training with actually having a life, and what Ned learned when injury forced him to sit on the sidelines.
Thereâs also a brilliant discussion about comparison and casting - including why being in the ensemble is never âless thanâ getting the principal role, and why every performer has their own journey and their own time.
In this episode:
Why discipline matters more than waiting to feel motivated
Nedâs journey from football to professional dance training
What a typical full-time training week really looks like
Managing phones, social media and distractions
Showing up even when youâre not performing at your best
The difference between training for fun and training professionally
What injury can teach you about your attitude to training
Finding a balance between hard work, friends and life outside training
Why open classes can help performers develop
Comparison, casting and learning not to measure yourself against somebody else
Why the ensemble can be just as important as the principal roles
Building habits that work over the long term
Remembering to enjoy performing while youâre young
The Performerâs Toolkit: What Agents Keep Telling Me
Season 3 ¡ Episode 3
Tuesday, October 6, 2026 ⢠Duration 27:39
In this Series 3 solo episode, Iâm pulling together some of the key advice that has come up again and again in my conversations with agents across The Drama Coach Podcast.
Agents may all work differently, but there are some clear themes that keep returning: professionalism, curiosity, self-awareness, resilience, useful materials, strong self-tapes and learning how to meet your agent halfway.
This episode isnât a rule book, and it definitely isnât a âdo this and youâll get signedâ guide. Instead, itâs a performerâs toolkit - a practical, grounded look at the habits, mindset and working skills that help performers become easier to support, easier to submit and better prepared for the realities of the industry.
In this episode, I talk about:
What an agent actually does - and what they canât control
Why getting an agent is the start of a working relationship, not the finish line
The importance of professional curiosity and understanding the industry
Why actors need to watch the kind of work they want to be in
What makes a self-tape clean, simple and useful
Why truth matters more than perfection on screen
How readers and parents can support a tape without taking over
Why endless takes can work against you
The shift from parent-led support to performer ownership
What âreadinessâ really means
Why useful headshots, showreels, profiles and skills matter
Self-awareness around casting, playing age and what you can truthfully carry
Training as part of the performerâs toolkit
Resilience, consistency and curiosity as long-term acting tools
Why performers must not tie their self-worth to the outcome
How parents can support older teens and emerging actors with more independence
This episode is for performers who are starting to take their acting seriously, young actors building their careers, parents supporting older teens, and anyone trying to understand representation in a more realistic and professional way.
Movement for Screen Actors with Pat Garrett
Season 3 ¡ Episode 3
Saturday, October 3, 2026 ⢠Duration 01:10:32
Movement is not just for dancers. It is one of the most powerful tools an actor has.
In this episode of The Drama Coach Podcast, Iâm joined by movement practitioner, actor and highly experienced teacher Pat Garrett to explore the role physicality plays in creating truthful, believable characters.
Pat has taught movement for actors across drama schools and colleges and has worked within repertory theatre, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She also spent more than ten years as a senior examiner for Trinity College London, assessing professional diplomas in Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre â so it is fair to say, she has seen a lot!
Together, we discuss why an actorâs physical choices matter, how movement can reveal character before a word is spoken, and why performers should develop greater awareness of what their bodies are communicating.
This is not about choreography, complicated routines or learning how to dance. It is about using the body with purpose â and adding movement to your own Performerâs Toolkit.
Why movement is an essential acting tool
The difference between simply moving and making purposeful physical choices
How posture, pace, gesture and tension communicate character
What an actorâs body can reveal before they speak
Why movement work is not just for dancers or musical theatre performers
How physical choices can support emotional truth
The importance of observing how real people move
Developing greater physical awareness as an actor
How movement training can help performers avoid repetitive character choices
Using the body to create more specific, confident and believable performances
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UK versus US casting - and why there may be fewer differences than actors imagine
Why actors shouldnât expect feedback after every audition
Roseâs brilliant suggestion for keeping an audition log
Why returning to the same casting director is often a positive sign, even when you havenât booked
Why performers shouldnât decide for casting that theyâre ânot rightâ for a role
The importance of professionalism when declining an audition
Why Rose created Casting Confidential
Community, collaboration and learning from others in the industry
Supporting and protecting young performers
Why actors around the world donât necessarily need to move to Hollywood to build a career
Mindset shift:The audition is the job.
For parents:Itâs your childâs journey - not yours.
One thing to do this week:Start an audition log.
Keep a simple record of the project, role, casting director, audition, callback, pin or booking. Rose suggests focusing on the evidence rather than judging how you think you performed.
For young performers, parents can also record one important question:
How did they feel?
Not âHow did they do?â
A really practical, reassuring conversation for actors, young performers and parents who want to understand casting a little better - and spend less energy worrying about the things they simply cannot control.
Follow @TheDramaCoach for acting tips, industry conversations and practical support for performers and parents.
Intro/Outro Music: Nastelbom - Soft Music 295878 from Pixabay
Itâs to already be ready.
đď¸ The Drama Coach Podcast with Lisa Southam
For actors, young performers, parents of performers and anyone navigating acting training, auditions, agents, self-tapes and the professional industry.
Follow The Drama Coach Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, and please leave a rating or review if the episode helps you - it makes a real difference in helping more performers and parents find the show.
Keywords: acting auditions, how to get acting auditions, why am I not getting auditions, actor showreel, acting headshots, Spotlight actor, acting agent, self-tape tips, casting type, actor training, getting an acting agent, acting career advice, audition tips for actors
If youâre enjoying The Drama Coach Podcast, follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with another performer, parent or teacher who might need to hear it.
Keep learning, keep growing and keep telling stories that matter.
Intro/Outro Music: Nastelbom - Soft Music 295878 from Pixabay
One of the biggest messages from this conversation is that progress isnât about being perfect every day. Itâs about continuing to work at something over time, learning what works for you and showing up.
And, as Ned puts it, your journey doesnât have to look like anybody elseâs.
Find Ned on Instagram:@NedDreww
Follow The Drama Coach for more acting tips, industry conversations and practical support for young and emerging performers:@TheDramaCoach
Intro/Outro Music: Nastelbom - Soft Music 295878 from Pixabay
Because representation is not just about being chosen. Itâs about being ready - ready to work, ready to learn, ready to communicate, ready to handle the quiet patches, and ready to keep going without losing yourself in the process.
You can also listen back to previous agent conversations across Series 1 and 2 of The Drama Coach Podcast for more detailed advice on approaching agents, self-tapes, profiles, Spotlight and building a professional relationship.
The Drama Coach Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.
Music: Soft Music 495878 by nastelbom from Pixabay.
Your body is already telling the audience a story.
The question is whether you are making those physical choices consciously â or allowing habit, nerves and your own everyday movement patterns to make them for you.
Movement does not need to be big or theatrical. Sometimes the smallest adjustment in posture, rhythm, focus or physical tension can completely transform a character.
Choose a character or scene you are currently working on and explore:
Where does the character hold tension?
What part of their body leads them into the room?
How much physical space do they take up?
Do they move quickly, slowly, directly or hesitantly?
What changes physically when their circumstances change?
Try the scene again after making one clear physical choice and notice what it unlocks.
Pat Garrett is an actor, movement practitioner and experienced teacher who has taught movement for actors in colleges and drama schools.
Her career includes work in repertory theatres, at the National Theatre and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Pat was also a senior examiner for Trinity College London for more than ten years, examining professional diplomas in Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre.
âMovement isnât just for dancers.â
Movement for actors, physical storytelling, actor training, character physicality, body language, movement practitioner, performance techniques, acting exercises, screen acting, theatre training, The Performerâs Toolkit
In this episode, we explore:Key takeawayA tool to tryAbout Pat GarrettEpisode quoteKeywords
