The Show People Podcast With Andrew Keates – Details, episodes & analysis

The Show People Podcast is back! Join host Andrew Keates for a very special relaunch of The Show People Podcast, recorded live from The Two Brewers in Clapham. This episode features an intimate, wide-ranging conversation with national treasure, Sir Stephen Fry, celebrated writer, actor, comedian, broadcaster, and recent knight for his contributions to mental health awareness and environmental causes.

Episode Highlights Include:
- Has Stephen ever been to the Two Brewers before?
- Stephen’s formative years growing up, the first parts he played, how he discovered a love of language and how his Jewishness has shaped him.
- His passion for working with friends, including collaborating with Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson and his unforgettable experiences creating Blackadder, A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster.
- Advice for young actors. - How he prepared to play the role of Oscar Wilde and how the playwright, poet and essayist has inspired him throughout the years.
- How fame does no necessarily lead to happiness
- Frank and powerful discussions around mental health struggles, suicide, addiction and his advocacy for others.

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Sponsors & Supporters:
Theataccounts: The entertainment industry's trusted accountants, looking after thousands of clients across theatre and performance. Connect at www.theataccounts.co.uk or Instagram: @theataccounts.

Jake Waby Productions: London’s experts in theatre and live-performance videography, capturing your stories just the way you want them. From West End shows to global content, their experienced team delivers exceptional cinematic storytelling. Connect at jw.productions or Instagram: @jwproductions

Boyan Georgiev: The Show People Podcast offical photographer. Connect at boyangeorgiev.com or on Instagram: @boyangeorgiev

Special thanks to The Two Brewers and their wonderful team for hosting this event. Connect at www.the2brewers.com/london. or Instagram: @the2brewers

This podcast is proudly produced by Queer Theatre, committed to LGBTQ+ storytelling and nurturing Queer talent. Discover more about their acting classes, Queer Play Reading Club, showcases, and event.
Connect at www.queertheatre.co.uk, Instagram: @QueerTheatreUK, TikTok: @QueerTheatreUK, @Threads @QueerTheatreUK. Follow Andrew Keates: Instagram: @MrAndrewKeates, TikTok: @AndrewKeates, X: @andrewkeates Or connect with him at www.andrewkeates.co.uk

Thank you for your support - until next time, love always.

This episode was recorded in January 2020 - before Covid-19 changed everything. Andrew shares an explanation about where The Show People Podcast has been for most of 2020 and celebrates the podcast’s fourth anniversary.

Andrew and Peter Polycarpou two discuss Peter’s childhood, his relationship with his sister Eve Polycarpou and their Greek heritage and representation within the industry. Peter explains his passion for teaching (including teaching Andrew when he was a teenager!) and playing his many roles in iconic productions including Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Mike Bartlett’s Artefacts and his roles in film and television, including De Lovely, Evita and Birds of a Feather.

Plus the two play Funny Five Minutes and Peter shares what he would need to survive if he was stranded on tour in Whitley Bay.

Andrew is joined by actor, writer, director and musician Daniel York Loh. The two discuss how their friendship was forged during a protest against The Print Room production of In The Depths of Dead Love and their shared passion for the fair representation of BAME artists in the performing arts, the boys discuss Daniel’s career that has taken him from fringe theatres to Hollywood movies, the RSC and the Royal Court and so much more.

Act Hacks
It’s national HIV testing week. Visit www.startswithme.org.uk to find out how you can get tested. Also, get your free tickets to see Gloves Off – West End at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Tuesday 19 November 2019. Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gloves-off-tickets-79748075641 

The Platform: We hear a song called A Woman of A Certain Age from Stephen Cole and Jeffrey Saver’s musical Dodsworth, performed by Christine Ebersole.

Plus the latest dramatic news and our infamous Show People Podcast challenges.

Happy Halloween from The Show People Podcast! Today’s guest may be best known for being the Marmite judge on the BBC reality series All Together Now – however there’s more to judge Paulus than meets the eye. We discover the truth about the man behind the mascara, including his upbringing in Kent, his 30 year career in cabaret and why Paul L. Martin is a very different person to who you may have watched on television. 

Act Hacks: Andrew delivers another ‘Act Hack’ to help you look after the pennies, so the pounds can look after themselves.

The Platform: We hear a song called Tribe from Paul L. Martin and Jordan Clarke’s new musical in development, performed by Paul himself.

The Show People Podcast welcomes world renowned and Olivier Award winning choreographer Stephen Mear as our special guest between rehearsing for both the new West End production of Mary Poppins and an upcoming production of Funny Girl in Paris.

Stephen shares his journey from being a West End dancer to one of the most respected names in the West End as a choreographer and director. Just some of the shows discussed include Acorn Antiques, Tonight’s The Night, The Witches Of Eastwick, The Little Mermaid, Stephen Ward, Betty Blue Eyes, She Loves Me, Anything Goes and of course, Gypsy.

Stephen shares some extraordinary stories about working with some of the finest names in the entertainment industry, including Julia McKenzie, Sir Trevor Nunn, Bob Avian, Ria Jones, Imelda Staunton, Glenn Close and the late, great Victoria Wood.

This really is a must listen to episode.

The Platform: We hear a song called Goodbye Rachael, performed by Ben Lewis from Summer – a new musical written by Jamie St. Glynn.

Plus all of our regular sections, including Dramatic News and our infamous Show People Podcast challenges.

We’re back for series three of The Show People Podcast! Andrew sits down with actor Danny-Boy Hatchard and the two discuss Danny-Boy’s working class upbringing and those that gave him opportunities and the obstacles he faced, his time in training at ArtsEd, appearing in Beautiful Thing at the Arts Theatre and working with his favourite director Nikolai Fosterh on that production and a number of other productions. They also discuss ow his life changed when he was cast in EastEnders working with Danny Dyer, Annette Badland and Timothy West and what life is really like on Albert Square.

The Platform: We hear a song called Self Checkout, performed by Maria Leon from The Memory Robot, music and lyrics by Amir Shoenfeld, book by Matthew Greene, based on a story by Amir Shoenfeld, Matthew Greene and Rebeca McDonald.

Plus all of our regular sections, including Dramatic News and our infamous Show People Podcast challenges.

It’s Christmaaaaas! And The Show People Podcast has teamed up with Alexa Morden and Katie Elin-Salt of The 98% Podcast to bring you a very special Christmas crossover episode. The 98% takes a comedic, brutally honest look at all things within the performing arts industry and lifts the curtain on the real life #actorslife whilst knee deep in the daily grind themselves.

The three podcasters chat about podcasting, surviving the industry, the worst jobs they’ve ever done, give gifts and undertake The Show People Podcast’s infamous challenges and more.

This episode is dedicated to the Hamleys’ Christmas elves.

Andrew is joined by Choreographer and former Head of Dance at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts – Sam Spencer-Lane.

Just some of Sam’s credits include working on FLIGHT for the Scottish Opera (Theatre Royal, Glasgow), West Side Story and Kiss me Kate (Kilworth House Theatre), The UK Premiere of Death Takes a Holiday at The Charing Cross Theatre, Pageant with the writer and Director, Bill Russell for the Camden Festival.
She created the choreography for the European premier of Dessa Rose at the Trafalgar Studios;  the choreography and movement for the Film Private Peaceful, and Sunday in the Park with George last August at The Other Palace For NYMT. Other credits include Barry Humphries ‘Back With A Vengeance  (Drury Lane, UK and Australian Tour); Little Britain Live Arena tour (Apollo Hammersmith and UK Tour);  Personals (Lyric Theatre);  Rat Pack Confidential (Whitehall Theatre); At The Menier Chocolate Factory – The Last Five Years, The Invisible Man, They’re Playing Our Song and the UK premiere of Maltby and Shire’s ’Take Flight’. Company (Southwark Playhouse), Jaques Brel is Alive and well and living in Paris (Charing Cross Theatre). I Love You,You’re Perfect ,Now Change (Arts Theatre) and many, many others.

Sam and Andrew have worked together on a number of shows as well as being Andrew’s dance teacher when a student at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Episode features include:

Dramatic news: Andrew covers the latest dramatic news.

The Platform: Today’s platform is given to Sleeping Beauty The Musical with book and lyrics by Ian Curran and music by Simon Hanson and Peter Vint. We hear a song called Take My Chances – performed by Maria Coyne.

Show People Podcast Challenges: We challenged Sam to a dance quiz, discovered what she would need to survive if she was stranded on tour in Whitley Bay and ask her some hysterical and outrageous questions in our famous Funny Five Minutes game.

Theatre Director and host of The Show People Podcast, Andrew Keates interviews Producer Jamie Chapman Dixon all about his life and career, including being the in-house executive producer of the Barn Theatre, Cirencester and their productions of The Hound of the Baskervilles and Just So.

Jamie is the proud owner of Rigmarole Productions, who focus on new writing, commercial theatre and their boutique agency.  His credits include; Madagascar (UK and International Tour), Spamalot (UK Tour, Dubai & South Korea), Lottys War (UK Tour), Pippin (Southwark Playhouse), Zanna Don’t (The Landor Theatre), Molly Wobbly (The Phoenix Artist Club), Geek! A New Musical (Tristan Bates Theatre),The Mikado (Battersea Barge and No 1 Leicester Square), Kray Kray (N16), Banana Crabtree Simon (Drayton Arms Theatre and Theatre 503),The Singers Soiree West End Concerts (St Giles In The Fields and Battersea Barge), Safe Sex/OnTidy Endings (Tristan Bates Theatre), SPB (Soho Theatre), The Fringe on The Fringe (London Theatre Workshop), Americana (Workshop), Setara (Workshop), Romeo and Juliet (London Theatre Workshop), Santaphrenia (Leicester Square Theatre), Pirates of Penzance (Brookside Theatre), ScreamFest (National Forest), HMS Pinafore (Battersea Barge/Kings Head), Tomorrow Maybe (Workshop, Union Theatre).
Resident Producer credits include: London Theatre Workshop (London) and The Barn Theatre (Cirencester).

Episode features include:

Theatrical Tips: Andrew gets his theatrical tips out of things to see in December 2018, including Just So, How to Catch A Krampus and Snow White at the London Palladium.

The Platform: Today’s platform is given to Wardrobe – A New Musical. Composed by Ian Stephenson, with a book by Tom Allsopp and lyrics by Adrian Kimberlin. We hear a song called ‘Home by Christmas’ sung Lucy Follows, George Stuart, Liam Sargeant & Aiden Cutler.

Show People Podcast Challenges: We challenged Jamie to a Sherlock Holmes quiz, discovered what he would need to survive if he was stranded on tour in Whitley Bay and ask him some hysterical and outrageous questions in our famous Funny Five Minutes game.

In memory of Daniel ‘Dani’ Bolton (1990 – 2018)

To donate to the Daniel Bolton Memorial Fund, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/raising-funds-for-dani-bolton.

Thank you.