This is a bonus episode brought to you by the Run the Show Podcast. We chat to the creators Clare Bartholomew & Daniel Tobias about a brand new show about to hit the stage called The Anniversary. Tune in to find out what the show is about, how it came about, what audiences can expect and how to write a non-verbal physical comedy!  ON SALE NOW 10 - 21 February 2021 fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne, Australia. BOOK HERE: https://fortyfivedownstairs.com/event/the-anniversary You’re invited to Jim & Barb’s golden wedding anniversary! After 50 years of marriage, these Baby Boomers from Balwyn annoy one another so much… they literally want to kill each other. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg is on the TV telling them that the world is on fire and it’s all their fault. Their comedic dissent into the disappointing abyss of unfulfilled dreams and a mounting fear of ‘what’s outside’ is layered with precision timing, nonsensical absurdity and deadpan delivery. Multi award-winning creators of Die Roten Punkte, Clare Bartholomew and Daniel Tobias are back with a brand new murderously funny physical farce. Think Beckett meets Wallace and Grommit. Since 2006, Clare Bartholomew and Daniel Tobias have been touring their award-winning, irreverent brand of theatre and comedy-cabaret to North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Together they’ve been nominated for thirteen Greenroom Awards, winning 3 of them, and nominated for a Time Out & Soho Theatre Award and a Total Theatre Award in Edinburgh. Praise for previous work: ★★★★ ‘Intensely funny…a class act!’ The Age ‘The most important element of all is exceptional: the performers.’ The Courier, South Carolina, USA ‘Inspired, brilliantly executed lunacy.’ The Gazette, Montreal   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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BONUS EP - The Anniversary (behind the scenes)

Janet A McLeod is a Melbourne-based performer/producer/broadcaster/writer with over 25 years of experience is the field of live comedy. As a performer, Janet hosts countless trivia nights and events both live and online, and is co-host of cult-favourite movie comedy commentary show Cinema Fiasco (in which Janet and her double-act partner Geoff Wallis show B grade movies in cinemas and provide a running commentary as the movie plays - yes, this is as much fun as it sounds). As a producer, Janet's adaptability and attention to detail - coupled with a genuine love and understanding of comedy - has made her long-running comedy room Local Laughs (17 years) a favourite for established artists as well as an incubator for promising emerging talent. Fun fact: during lockdown, Local Laughs became the first regularly operating comedy room in Australia to do weekly shows live via Zoom. Janet's active championing of - and collaboration with - a large numbers of comedy practitioners has seen her dubbed "The Fairy Godmother of Melbourne Comedy". In this episode: We talk about comedy history in Melbourne, when you feel comfortable about calling yourself a producer, clarifying your role as a producer, working out what part of the role you will do, and more importantly, what you won’t do, and discuss the links between producers and lava lamps! Yes, you read that correctly.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

EP 26 - Janet A McLeod (Performer/Producer)

Sam Strong is an award-winning theatre director and one of Australia’s most successful and influential arts leaders. Sam is currently the Chair of the Melbourne Fringe and was previously Chair of Circa. Sam has also been Artistic Director and CEO of Queensland Theatre and Griffin Theatre, Associate Artistic Director of the Melbourne Theatre Company, Literary Associate at Belvoir, and the founding dramaturg in residence at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre. As a director of theatre, Sam has created productions for all Australian State Theatre Companies and the Melbourne and Sydney Festivals. His directing credits include EMERALD CITY, JASPER JONES, TWELFTH NIGHT, Working Dog’s THE SPEECHMAKER, PRIVATE LIVES, LES LIASONS DANGEROUS, and THE BOYS. Sam has won Best Direction of a Mainstage Production at the Sydney Theatre Awards and has received multiple Best Director and Best Production nominations at the Sydney Theatre Awards, the Green Room Awards, and the Helpmann Awards. Sam’s next project is the world premiere stage adaptation of Trent Dalton’s novel BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE. In this episode: We talk about the now and how we will potentially work in a post-COVID universe. We discuss who we make work for and how we might do that moving forward. We talk about the importance of audience and the live experience. We discuss the adjustment of our rhythms as creatives when there is currently no deadline to work to and what might come next in how we create new work and so much more!  

EP 25 - Sam Strong (Director)

Jamie Bretman is a circus performer and producer with the multi award-winning company Dummies Corp. A graduate of Circo Arts in New Zealand and the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) in Australia. He has an incredibly diverse set of skills spanning acrobatics, fire performing, clowning, manipulation and music (Jamie can play more than six different instruments). Jamie’s characteristic performance style, a clever mix of vaudeville clown and contemporary circus, has enchanted audiences through his solo shows and larger ensemble work. Dummies Corp have toured extensively across Australia and around the world with their productions, Trash Test Dummies, Splash Test Dummies and Don’t Mess With the Dummies, delighting families in the UK, China, Korea, Europe, USA, Singapore, New Zealand and at home in Australia. Jamie has directed for Madhouse Circus, Head First Acrobats, Trash Test Dummies and consulted for numerous emerging Australian companies. He is Executive Producer for Dummies Corp, collaborating with venues, producers and agents to deliver touring productions and corporate entertainment and bespoke performance. More info can be found here:  https://dummiescorp.com/ In this episode: We talk about the massive issue of burnout and how to deal with it. We discussed the benefits of writing a position description for the job you have created as a producer and how that can help you. We look at the importance of having a mentor, why having kick-arse images and posters is a must, plus so much more in this awesome conversation.   

EP 24 - Jamie Bretman (Performer/Producer)

Vanessa Immink is an emerging wāhine Māori/Pākēha theatre maker, producer and marketer, with experience in touring large scale international productions to independent solo shows, as well as marketed and publicised dozens of independent events over the past seven years. Originally from Whakatāne, Immink moved to Wellington in 2012 to study performing arts. Once graduating from the Whitireia Performance Centre with a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Performing Arts – Musical Theatre), she began working as a production assistant & tour manager for Lunchbox Theatrical Productions on international touring shows such as Singin In the Rain, Cats, Blue Man Group and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Immink is the founder and creative producer of The Co - Lab, a Wellington based theatre company, created in 2016 with a focus on producing emerging Māori and Pasifika artists’ new theatre work. Work of note are Kasiano Mita’s Talofa Papa (NZ Fringe & Kia Mau Festival 2018, WORLD FRINGE, Adelaide Fringe & Basement Theatre 2019, and Maia Diamond’s Fishin’ Chip (Kia Mau Festival 2019). The Co – Lab won “Most Promising Emerging Company” at the 2018 New Zealand Fringe Festival and Talofa Papa won “Most Outstanding Performer”, “Adelaide Fringe Tour Ready Award” (NZ Fringe 2018), and a Theatre Weekly Award at FRINGE WORLD (Perth Fringe 2019). Vanessa is of Nga Wairiki o Ngati Apa and Tuwharetoa descent. In this episode: We talk about the difference between producing in New Zealand vs Australia. Why we need to diversify as independent producers and take on other work. Why there are so many hats in the job of producing, and how producers are able to do so much with so little money. 

EP 23 - Vanessa Immink (Producer)

Catherine Alcorn is an award winning artist and producer who works extensively in theatre, cabaret and television. As an artist, Catherine has produced and performed in national and international tours of her own stage shows The Divine Miss Bette, Go Your Own Way: The Story of Christine McVie, Cathartic and 30 Something and is a regular fixture in Festival programs including Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Sydney Festival and as Ambassador for Noosa Long Weekend and Ballarat Cabaret Festival in 2014/15. During her appointment as Ambassador, both festivals broke attendance and box office records. In 2018 Catherine made her triumphant USA and Sydney Opera House debut in her most famous role as The Divine Miss Bette, winning her the Best Cabaret Production in the 2018 Broadway World Awards. As a producer, Catherine's cabaret credits include Creative Director of Slide Lounge (2010 - 2014), Slide Cabaret Festivals (2011 - 2013), From Sydney With Love: A Concert for Orlando at Sydney Town Hall (2016), High Standard for Actor Benevolent Fund (2019) and in October 2017 launched Glen Street Theatre's inaugural Cabaret In The Glen program in the role of Artistic Director. Her television credits include The Today Show (NINE Network), Making Australia Happy (ABC) and Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (HARPO) Since founding Tenacious C Presents, Catherine has produced and delivered multiple tours and productions to regional theatres and festivals across Australia.  More info here http://tenaciousc.com.au/​ In this episode: We talk about how we are coping in the time of COVID19 and how our producing practice will change. We crystal​ ball what the future may look like and why relationships are going to be more important than ever moving forward.

Ep 22 - Cath Alcorn (Artist & Producer)

Welcome back - a message about new episodes starting 2 April 2020. Yah!

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Elena has been Creative Producer of events and shows since 2006. Specialising primarily in circus, variety and multi-artform shows, Elena makes and tours shows which have included Rouge, Dinosaur Time Machine, Papillon, Le Petit Circus, So You Think You Can Drag, Shake It and more, and have toured extensively around Australia and to Europe and Asia. Elena has worked on a variety of events and festivals. She is co-producer of Gluttony, one of the big hubs at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and was the Director of Harlequins, the premiere event for children as part of Canberra's year-long Centenary Celebrations in 2013. She has run Bally On High in 2012 and 2014 and Anstey Village Festival in 2018 in Melbourne, and collaborates on the artistic program at the National Folk Festival, Floriade Australia and Corinbank Festivals in Canberra.Gluttony is a hub at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Gluttony was born in 2011 and has grown extensively since. 2018 saw over 500,000 people come through the gates, with over 170,000 tickets sold. The site had 12 ticketed venues ranging in size from 80 to 600 seaters as well as eight activation venues including an Escape Room, a Karaoke Caravan and a Nerf Arena. In this epsiode: We chat about what a venue does in terms of programming.  Why  Elena puts dragons in your email.  Yes you read that correctly!  We have a very honest conversation about who is making money or not in the fringe circuit and why commerical is not a dirty word. 

Ep 21 - Elena Kirschbaum (Creative Producer - Gluttony)

Pieta has been performer all her life and recently moved into producing live performance events. With a history in dance and physical theatre Pieta has a passion for all forms of live performance from Comedy to Circus, Burlesque to Ballet, Music, Mime and everything in between. A former Go Go Dancer and Burlesque Performer, Pieta has oftened dabbled in creative producing live shows and events in Sydney and Melbourne, before moving into independent producing a few years ago. Armed with a Masters in Arts and Cultural Management, a Bachelor in Performance Studies and Gender Studies, and experience working for locally run community arts organisations to Melbourne Theatre Company and Arts Centre Melbourne, Pieta enjoys supporting and advocating for artists pushing the boundaries on mainstream representations of gender, sexuality, politics and empowerment. Pieta currently works for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival as the Artists and Program Administrator, and has recently worked with Don't Be Lonely production and Briefs Factory.  Pieta is continuing to produce independent artists at various fringe festivals around the world including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, working with the likes of Trygve Wakenshaw, Betty Grumble, Yummy, Garry Starr, Wild Dandelions, The Listies, and Miss Venezuela (Andrea Spisto). In this epsiode:  We chat about what an artists manager does within a major festival context.  The importance of having a good image.  What it’s like producing shows in Edinburgh Festival and the importance of relationships buildign with perforemrs, prodcuers and venues.

EP20 - Pieta Farrell (Producer)

Tom Dickins is a producer, singer-songwriter, publicist and composter based in Castlemaine, Victoria. He is the co-director of Crowded, a business dedicated to helping performing artists and independent venues find and grow their crowd.  Tom is one of the creative producers and lead performer in the smash hit production Young Hearts Run Free. He has toured the UK, US and Australia with both Amanda Palmer and her band, The Dresden Dolls and co-written a song with Neil Gaiman. He was the composer / Musical Director for the Korean-Australian production Shimchong: Daughter Overboard at the Brisbane Powerhouse. His debut album A Brief Case Of Madness broke Australian crowd-funding records in 2011. In this episode:  We talk a LOT about marketing and publicity in this ep. There is some great insight into what to do and what not to do. We ask that million dollar question of who is your audience and look at where of how to define your audience.  We then chat about if publicists are still relevant on a show?

EP 19 - Tom Dickens (Producer)

After graduating from Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School in 2000, Heather has been an actor, producer and director in Wellington and across New Zealand.  In 2008 Heather joined the team at the biennial New Zealand Festival where she worked predominantly in marketing, partnerships and audience development until 2016. That year she directed Fleabag for Centrepoint Theatre, and joined the team at BATS Theatre in Wellington as the Programme Manager and Co-General Manager. BATS has been a hotspot for Wellington artists since 1989, providing a supportive, professional and accessible theatre venue that fosters the development  of practitioners, audiences and New Zealand performance work.   In this episode:  We talk about the history of BATS in Wellington, NZ and how artists and producers can get involved.  The reason why (we think!) there isn’t as much touring between Australia and New Zealand and why we should be doing more.  We discuss what a program manager does in a major independent venues and the misconceptions about the role and the difficulty in self-producing and wearing too many hats. 

Ep 18 - Heather O’Carroll (Programme Manager)

Maeve Marsden is a writer, producer and theatremaker, focusing on comedy, cabaret, live music and storytelling.  Mother’s Ruin: A Cabaret about Gin, a theatrical cabaret Maeve wrote and performs in has sold out seasons at Sydney Festival, Perth Fringe World, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Festival of Voices (Tasmania), Melbourne Cabaret Festival, the Sydney Opera House, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Underbelly Festival, London, as well as regional seasons in Australia and the UK. Mother’s Ruin was named one of Time Out’s Best 10 Shows on Sydney Stages 2017. Winner Best Cabaret, Sydney Fringe 2016, Lady Sings it Better, a feminist comedy cabaret act Maeve directs and performs in has been touring to critical acclaim for 8 years, with seasons at Sydney Comedy Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Festival of Voices (Tasmania) and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, among others.  Maeve also hosts and programs Queerstories, a storytelling event and podcast that features members of the LGBTQI community, has been running monthly at Giant Dwarf in Sydney since September 2016, with satellite events in Melbourne and Brisbane. Winner Best Spoken Word, Sydney Fringe 2016, Queerstories has sold out every month since its inception, and has welcomed Australian LGBTQI icons to its stage. As a child of same-sex parents, Maeve is passionate about the rights of diverse families, and she writes and speaks on the issue often. As a writer, her work has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, Junkee, ABC Online, SBS Online, ArtsHub, Daily Review, Archer Magazine and Audrey Journal. In 2018, she edited at the ABC’s Sydney Mardi Gras 40th Anniversary Magazine, and she is currently editing a book for Queerstories, due for release with Hachette Australia in 2018. Maeve likes gin, dancing, cheese and TV melodramas with good ethics and bad dialogue. In this episode: We chat about leaving the day job and moving into being a full-time artist.  The importance of a long-term strategy and taking time to work on a show's development.  We then delve deep into what it really takes to have a SOLD OUT season at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and what it took to achieve that.

Ep 17 - Maeve Marsden (Writer, Producer and Theatremaker)

Danny Delahunty is a Melbourne based arts producer and director. Danny has been a prolific producer in the independent arts world in recent years, presenting over 50 seasons of 34 projects, working both with established theatre companies and on independent projects. Most recently Danny has been working as the Festival Producer for Drama Victoria, an Events Producer for Melbourne Writers Festival, the Tours Coordinator for Melbourne International Comedy Festival and as a freelance producer, both independently and for Attic Erratic, the theatre company he started in 2011. Other notable projects include producing the Short+Sweet Arts Festival, the MUST Container Festival and touring independent work to Brisbane Festival, Darwin Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Fringe World and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As a director Danny's recent work includes Blessed, The City They Burned and Domino. A strong advocate for the small-to-medium sector, Danny finds great joy in working with independent artists to help grow ideas into fully realised events. In this episode:  We chat about the difference between “helping out” on a show vs producing a show.  What is the best time is to come onto a project as a producer?  What to do when you’re stabbing in the dark, trying to work out ways of finding out who your audience is and the benefits of planning and not be reactionary. 

Ep 16 - Danny Delahunty (Producer & Director)

Annie’s career in the arts spans across a diversity of roles including educator, marketing manager, producer and administrator. After completing a degree in performing arts, she received her Master of Arts & Entertainment Management. Annie is currently the General Manager at Malthouse Theatre. Previous roles include Executive Administrator at Melbourne Theatre Company, Marketing & Communications Manager at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre and Marketing Coordinator at Melbourne Fringe. Annie is also an independent producer, championing female artists through her company Hot Mess Productions, and an Executive Member of the Green Room Awards Association.    In this episode: We chat about the love and dislike about the role of producer.  Defining who work with and what genre you work in.    The importance of communication between producer and artist and then a brilliant discussion about marketing.  What you need to budget, what content you should be putting out there for your show.  We also talk about the importance of batching your work and have some kind of “work/life/balance.”

EP 15 - Annie Bourke (Producer)

In this episode:  We talk about working an independent producer. Discuss how Lauren got started and why she has now chosen producing as career.  We chat about why looking for the right work to work on is so important and how the early work she did shaped her into the producer she is now. Lauren works predominantly as a producer of circus and theatre. She has a healthy disregard for the impossible and a love of work that sparks the imagination. She has been programmer and producer of Circus City for Sydney Festival and Circus Hub for Underbelly at Edinburgh Fringe. She also manages an independent company Lauren Eisinger Productions which develops and tours small to medium scale circus and theatre work. She was producer and Artistic Director for the Australian premiere of the symphonic spectacular, ‘The Magical Music of Disney’ in association with the Walt Disney Company and that year co-directed the highly successful ‘Verge Festival’ with James Colley (writer at The Weekly, SBS Comedy, Giant Dwarf) at Sydney University. She produced the acclaimed blacklight circus show LUMINOUS which toured Australia for four years, pioneering the collaboration of body art, blacklight and circus to incredible critical reception. Lauren is a consultant for emerging circus artists and collectives and a strong advocate for the art form. Lauren is currently the Festivals Programmer and Producer for Underbelly, UK. More info at:  www.laureneisinger.com 

EP 14 - Lauren Eisigner (Producer)

Melbourne Producer Laura Milke-Garner talks with all the movers and shakers behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. Conversational chats with Producers, Arts Managers, Artistic Directors, Program Managers and so much more! Find out what it really takes to run the show!

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Run the Show Podcast

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