Shows
Acting UpWomen Have BEEN Directing!Welcome back to Acting Up! This week Megan and Jordan are catching up and diving into the historical world of female film directors! Jordan kicks it off by discussing the statistics and state of affairs for female directors today (shocker - it’s not looking great) despite the quality and cult impact of the work being made. Are things even changing for the better? Jordan then dives into the life and work of Alice Guy-Blaché, who is widely regarded to be the first woman to direct a film and one of the first filmmakers to make...
2025-07-2446 minActing UpMorgan Beale is BurtonesqueToday Megan and Jordan are Acting Up with the wonderful Morgan Beale! Colleague of Megan (shocking) and shockingly talented Actor, Morgan is here to share his unconventional journey into the industry, and how he found himself on the set of Wednesday! Morgan’s journey started as many of ours do, in a school play that ignited a love for theatre he’s still trying to understand. Studying GCSE and then A Level drama Morgan ended up doing a degree in… American Studies? Thank god for student lead theatre! Morgan then discusses a trip to fringe that lead to dram...
2025-07-241h 00Acting UpCatching UpIn the effort of drumming up suspense for the finale of our GIFF 2 series, enjoy a simple catchup with your hosts Megan and Jordan! But not TOO simple, as nothing ever is. Sorry about the immediate chronic wheeze.The long overdue catch-up includes: Megan booked a short film (!), the audition process for said short, upcoming auditions and lack of auditions, filling the void with other voids, standing by selectiveness, the myth of “just put yourself out there”, has the podcast served its purpose, “Just make your own stuff” and hula no hooping on camera and battling the ‘if I don’t...
2025-06-1349 minActing UpGIFF 2, EPISODE 4: Out of Competition Panels: ‘Rodent’ and ‘Twain’Welcome to the grand finale of our series from the second Gloucester Independent Film Festival! Become part of the festival audience and tune in to hear panel interviews and audience Q&A’s with the teams behind the evenings incredible out of competition screenings, ‘Rodent’ and ‘Twain’.Firstly, Megan and Jordan snatch a quick interview (couldn’t let Joshy and Oscar have all the fun) with the incredible Pip, renowned photographer turned narrative writer & director and the wonderful producer Benjamin Jacob Smith to speak about their short thriller ‘Twain’ in which a man confronts his incarcerated twin brother, both gr...
2025-05-2847 minActing UpGIFF 2, EPISODE 3: ‘The Monster Beneath Us’, ‘Him Then Us’ & ‘Ingest’Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with your hosts Megan & Jordan! For this, the third instalment of the behind the scenes interviews, the Acting Up girls sit down with the some of the creatives behind ‘The Monster Beneath Us’ - nominated for best feature film, ‘Him Then Us’ - nominated for best short film and ‘Ingest’ the festivals winning Micro-Short.First we have the fabulous actor Nicola Wright to tell us all about her work on the horror feature film ‘The Monster Beneath Us’. Discussions include upstairs/downstairs, psychological horror and serious casting, her journey into the industry...
2025-05-281h 02Acting UpGIFF 2, EPISODE 2: ‘Two Big Feet’ & ‘Don’t Give Up’Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with your hosts Megan & Jordan! In this second instalment of the behind the scenes interviews, the Acting Up girls sit down with the incredible creatives behind ‘Two Big Feet’, the festivals winning feature film, and ‘Don’t Give Up’, nominee for best music video! ‘Two Big Feet’ is an improv comedy about two best friends, one down on his luck and craving some cryptids - the other trying to make his friend happy before he inevitably makes him sad. They are joined by the creator of the film, Noah Stratton-Twine (who basically di...
2025-05-081h 05Acting UpGIFF 2, EPISODE 1: ‘The Little Cinema in Gloucester’ & ‘Milking the Dog’Welcome back to Gloucester Independant Film Festival with Acting Up! For the first instalment in their series of interviews, Megan and Jordan sit down with the incredibly talented film makers behind this years entries for Best Short Documentary.First up, Director Sam Pope and Producer Tom Crawford of Imaginary Man Productions to discuss their truly heartwarming documentary ‘The Little Cinema in Gloucester’ which premiered at the festival! The documentary takes the audience to the Sherborne Cinema - a tiny building filled with enormous passion - and introduces you to the wonderful people behind it, Mark and S...
2025-04-2351 minActing UpTHE Vampire Media of All TimeWe are so back! Post the slightly depressing ageism episode and being professionals at Gloucester Independent Film Festival 2, Acting Up are back with a BITE… Another episode of the ‘Just Two Besties and Their Special Interest’ genre, this week Megan and Jordan are talking vampire media, and they’ve prepared their whole mortal lives for this.Discussions include would you accept the dark gift? Eczema, skinniness and vampirism and the media that most impacted your hosts and the culture. The media discussed includes Twilight (DUH), Lost Boys, Interview With the Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. Jord...
2025-04-101h 05Acting UpChat, Are We Expired? Ageism and Misogyny in HollywoodMegan and Jordan both recently celebrated their 25th Birthdays! And by celebrated they mean crashed out about their impending expiration from an industry famously unkind to older women! Yippee! So here it is - the long awaited and truly infuriating episode about ageism and misogyny in Hollywood. Buckle up because we’ve all been indoctrinated…Jordan confronts the idea of the ‘expiration date’, anti-aging culture and paradoxical procedures to prolong careers, villainous hags and youth as a type-cast. Megan discusses the women of Hollywood that are fighting the odds and showing us there’s nothing brave about simply exi...
2025-03-241h 00Acting UpImmersing Ourselves in Immersive TheatreThis week Megan and Jordan are immersing themselves in the world of immersive theatre, from the history to personal experiences recent and historic - it’s time to go beyond breaking the fourth wall.Jordan covers the basics of Immersive Theatre for actors, what it is, expectations for actors, Equity standards, how it’s been commercialised, what the future holds and the Post-Immersive Manifesto. Megan enlightens us on the pioneers of the genre such as Punchdrunk Theatre, Fruit for the Apocalypse and more. Touching on the political origins, the rise of site specific theatre and successful shows arou...
2025-03-151h 01Acting UpIs Rhea Ripley Real?This week Megan and Jordan are asking themselves the age old question - is wrestling real? Why? Because Rhea Ripley that’s why.Inspired by their newfound love for one particular wrestler, Megan and Jordan slam into the world of wrestling, starting with Megan’s brief history of the WWE and Jordan’s honourable mention to oily naked wrestling in Ancient Greece.Discussions include films about wrestlers and the industry, wrestlers who became actors, fakery and nuance, the real dangers of safe stunts, getting hit by a car but the car is Rhea Ripley, can wrestl...
2025-03-0559 minActing UpThomas Walton & Theatre North CICThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by the wonderful performing, milk drinking, dog loving, plant father that is Thomas Walton! Thomas is here to discuss his journey into the musical theatre industry and how he’s giving back to his community.Thomas tells his story from being a young working class lad in ‘Alifax, pursuing theatre despite the all too common lack of opportunity in his area. Discussing the importance of school trips to the theatre, Pantomime and its accessibility, reach, culture and tradition and how it upholds regional theatres, the value and quality of work that...
2025-03-021h 22Acting UpUnapologetically EliThis week on Acting Up, Megan and Jordan sit down with another face from their drama school days, the incredibly talented, not Spanish speaking, dance virtuoso that is Eli Follant! Eli opens up about their experiences within drama school and the industry, including the pressure to be a triple threat and moving away from expectations, moving out at 16, queerness, class clowning, coming out, changing your name, zoom pronouns and effective allyship. Eli gets candid about their experiences navigating institutions as a gender non-conforming person, from being made to choose gendered uniform to asserting yourself in the face of...
2025-02-2153 minActing UpOutrageously Madelaine CrabbYou thought they were done interviewing Megan’s coworkers? Think again! This week Megan and Jordan are joined by the fiercely funny Actor/comedian Madelaine Crabb!Maddie joins Acting Up to discuss all things her life and career (try to listen past the accent will you?). A Scottish child of Actor parents, Maddie delves into when your parent is your teacher, maybe I could have skipped drama school? leaving for London and winding up in the DUNGEONS with Ruth Jones and threatening yourself into becoming a stand-up comedian.Discussions include comedy courses and competitions, writing, partnerships and di...
2025-02-0758 minActing UpSerious About Sophia CordellThis week Megan and Jordan are reuniting with another of their drama school classmates - they are joined by the wonderful, bilingual and certainly not too serious Sophia Cordell! Sophia gets off to a cracking start by telling a tale of Megan in contemporary, but soon rewinds to recount her journey from growing up and singing in Germany to upping and moving country to study Musical Theatre in the UK. Sophia spills on the flights, auditions and lessons learnt that led to her foundation course, diploma course and thus to Acting Up! Discussions include lockdown, expiring and age d...
2025-01-311h 01Acting UpOne Year of Acting Up!1 year, 1 podcast, 2 besties, 2 countries, 4 counties, 25 guests, 49 episodes, a million train journeys and a whole film festival later?! We're so back.Welcome to Acting Up in 2025!In this episode we take a moment to reflect on and celebrate one more year of the podcast, one more year of friendship and one more year traversing the industry. Discussions include the Spotify Creators Wrapped and the statistics that blew our minds and warmed our hearts (we hit the charts and didn't even know about it?!), learning to pod as we go along, we did a film festival?! the friends we...
2025-01-251h 10Acting UpI Gay Therefore I HorrorThis week Acting Up are joined once again by the original guest and bestie of the pod - Rhys Tinney. Rhys returns for chatty discussion on a special interest, welcome to three besties on a sofa talking about horror! Rhys discusses their relationship with horror and how they came to be (in Jordan’s words) ‘an infinite well of knowledge’, spills some history and gifts you all a wonderful guide to getting into horror. Jordan laments again on the death of the medium budget film and remembers the horror that was her cortisol levels while watching queer icon, The Bab...
2024-12-131h 40Acting UpWhy Do I Cry When I Sing?This week Megan and Jordan are revisiting a question that haunted them during drama school - why do I cry when I sing?!They each unpack their relationship with singing pre, during and post drama school, having both suffered with panic attacks while singing. Jordan spills on doing everything she could not to sing in first year and the time she had to relive being cheated on in Acting through Song, while Megan tells her past self to stop caring what other people think of her! Of course while acknowledging both the environment and external factors (being mentally...
2024-12-091h 06Acting Up#NotaStripper and the History of Pole DanceThis week Megan and Jordan sit down to talk about their new favourite hobby, Pole Dance! From personal experience to a perplex history, this week it’s time to delve into the wonderful world of pole. Guest starring Jordan’s mum!Megan discusses how the film ‘Anora’ inspired her to start, while Jordan discusses how she followed the ballet-aerial-pole pipeline and how it’s healing her relationship with dance.Megan goes into the nuanced and contested origin story of pole dance and how it became the art form/sport we know today and how sex workers brought it into th...
2024-11-241h 23Acting UpJoshy Lee & Oscar Wenman-Hyde!This week Megan and Jordan are joined by another dynamic duo, Melodrive megaminds and the founders of Gloucester Independant Film Festival; the wonderful Joshy Lee and Oscar Wenman-Hyde!Joshy and Oscar delve into the inspiration and process behind founding a film festival in a community previously lacking one, nurturing a creative partnership, highlights from the evening itself and taking inspiration from authenticity.Joshy reveals the formative media that kickstarted his career (Transformers 2) and his journey into the industry from college to writing, directing, producing and editing his own feature length film.Oscar admits to sneaking into D...
2024-11-141h 07Acting UpGetting Drunk and Explaining ShakespeareThis week Acting Up has, along with many of you, been deeply saddened, angered and disappointed to be reminded of the hate fuelled dystopia we find ourselves living in.This podcast has and will always be a safe space to build community and uplift your voices. For the working class, the LGBTQIA+ community and especially our trans friends, for POC, for women and femmes and anyone who’s safety and body autonomy is threatened by politics. Though it’s so important to stay informed and to keep fighting for freedom and safety for all, it’s also okay to tak...
2024-11-0945 minActing UpGloucester Independent Film Festival Part 2: The Vox PopsWelcome back to Gloucester Independent Film Festival! This week Megan and Jordan invite you to join them as they run around the beautiful venue, microphones in hand, to converse with the attendees of the evening.Tune in as they gather intel, insight and inspiration at the very beginning and very end of the night. They speak to everyone from locals to photographers, costume designers to graphic designers, Actors to Producers, family members to filmmakers and students to Academy Award Winners! The Podcast for people in all aspects of industry, truly found them all. Not to mention some familiar...
2024-10-311h 17Acting UpGloucester Independent Film Festival Part 1: The PanelsThis week Megan and Jordan invite you to join them at the inaugural Gloucester Independent Film Festival, where they were Acting Up live on stage! Tune in to hear the panel interviews (hosted by Megan, Jordan, Joshy and Oscar, including questions from the audience too!) with the award winning directors of the festivals headlining short films: Matty Reese and and Tom Berkeley.Megan and Jordan sit down with Matty Reese - of multi award winning production company Colossal Films - the director of ‘How to Build a Life’. A deeply personal film about Matty’s brother Louis and his pe...
2024-10-2452 minActing UpDelulu is the Solulu: The Career of Amy Louise EverettThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by West-End Veteran, Essex gal, musical theatre queen and another of Megan’s co-workers: the incredible Amy Louise Everett!From pretending to be an aeroplane in baby ballet to an illustrious career across the musical theatre industry, Amy is here to tell the story of her life as a performer and how she’s come to have a career to be proud of.Amy unpacks the pressures of starting drama school at age 16, the nuances of sexuality and dance, Cats and cruise ship contracts, developing selectiveness in the work you do a...
2024-10-181h 05Acting UpJester’s Privilege and the Sad Clown ParadoxThis week Megan and Jordan are back with a research episode! This time unpacking their very own logo and its symbolism, it’s time to talk about Jesters and Clowns! Megan delves into the silly yet sinister history of Jesters, from their role in courts to Shakespeare appearances, their power and influence, the great Jester Wars and the concept of Jester’s Privilege and how this podcast is attempting to utilise it. You can’t backlist us if we are funny yet insignificant enough! Jordan then discusses the difference between clowns and jesters, Coulrophobia - the fear of clown...
2024-10-101h 01Acting UpWho Let the Lowborns On The Westend?!This week Megan and Jordan are once again blessed with the presence of the Lowborn Theatre Company Directors: Meghan Loughran and Gray Enever! They are back and they are back with news…YOU CAN CATCH ALL FUR COAT ON THE BLOODY WEST END FROM THE 14th TO THE 19TH OF OCTOBER 2024! We hope you enjoy this episode of celebration and introspection.Discussions include extending the original material, recasting (or not), the dreaded merge of your work and your WORK, the logistics of scheduling literally everyone’s debut, print vs performance, the symbiosis of writer and director, down...
2024-10-031h 20Acting UpActing Up at Gloucester Independent Film Festival!This week Megan and Jordan are quickly hopping on to share the exciting news that they will be attending Gloucester Independent Film Festival (GIFF) and they want to hear from YOU!GIFF hosts local and international filmmakers for premieres, Q&As and networking opportunities, and your hosts are going to be on the scene asking the questions you want the answers to. So send in your questions! The categories include Feature Film, Short Film, Animated Film, Music Video and so much more, and Acting Up will be hosting the panel Q&A for Colossal Film’s How to...
2024-09-2736 minActing UpYou Want Versatility, You Want Conor DonovanThis week Megan and Jordan are completing the set of Acting Up Alumni Twins - today they are joined by the wonderful Conor Donovan! Conor is here to give his side of the origin story, to reflect on his year post graduating drama school, his time during and to tell the tale of how he came to play Quentin on the Netflix hit show - Sex Education. From extra to credited cast member! Discussions include talent equating identity, first times on set, queerness in casting and naturalism, what do Producers actually do (whatever it is Conor has do...
2024-09-201h 25Acting UpBringing a List to the Catch-UpThis week Megan and Jordan (and Elvis the dog) are reunited, after their longest time apart since the pod began! Did they miss one another? What’s happened since? Tune in to get caught up.Jordan spills on her recent commercial (#bookedandblessed, #cheekynandos) and Megan talks on tattoo removals, secret crochet and being depressed.Jordan also brings forward a list of travel thoughts, including the club from the Cat in the Hat, do I believe in tarot now and are we witches? private healthcare, a formal apology on recall fees, French animals, book reviews, surveillance, TikTok and to...
2024-09-1246 minActing UpMamma Mia Coffield!This week Megan and Jordan are joined by long time bestie of the pod, class of Acting Up, Megan’s ex housemate and Scottish lass: the incredible Mia Coffield! It’s been a long time coming and tears are shed… From wardrobe department to ensemble/1st cover Sophie, Acting Up are so proud to finally be able to share the news that Mia will be joining the cast of Mamma Mia! on the West End! It’s incredibly deserved, but Mias journey certainly hasn’t been orthodox. From drama club to the Dance School of Scotland, to Drama school and...
2024-09-051h 06Acting UpThe Goose and the Stab Wound TrousersThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by the fabulous Honey Holder! Fresh into the industry having studied performance design and film costume, Honey is here to shed light onto what goes into what goes on you.Honey discusses her work as a prop supervisor, prop etiquette, designing theatre vs film, battling budgets, the grey area that is hats, costuming student films, stop-motion, where are all the women? and of course, being an ex theatre kid. Talks also turn to puppetry: the creation and theatre of puppets and creating consciousness and breath. Using our show of the y...
2024-08-291h 03Acting UpMolly’s Got Talent!This week Megan and Jordan are joined by the Marvellous Molly Griffin-Jones to discuss all things graduating, dancing and navigating the industry.Molly spills on her time at the BRIT School, dancing her way to the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent! and her journey into the industry since. Including as always a meaty chat on drama school, favouritism, agent showcase flops and identity.Mollys introspection is infectious and discussions turn to curating training that serves you post-graduating, separating your ego from your work, battling the expectations you have set on yourself, menstruation as a dancer and ma...
2024-08-221h 14Acting UpBirthday Fish at Fringe!This week Megan and Jordan are joined by the incredible Erin and Steph (and a fish) - the founders of Birthday Fish Theatre - before they head up to Edinburgh Fringe!Erin and Steph discuss the birth of the surrealist wonder that is Birthday Fish, starting with conversations in contemporary class and developing into a creatively, collaborative friendship - they get candid about what it takes to get a show to fringe, from conception to completion.Steph discusses her decision to leave dance school to pursue other interests and how she found her way back to theatre...
2024-08-151h 02Acting UpOne Man: Owen DennisThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by friend of the pod, the wonderful Owen Dennis! From freaky fringe performances to frightening French directors - Owen spills on his time in the industry.A career sparked by watching Doctor Who behind the scenes (her influence!), it’s the classic bossy child to performer pipeline, including after school clubs and the wonderful world of drama school.Owen gets candid about his experience booking a one man fringe show before even graduating, doing a photo shoot in a sex shop on Easter Sunday, being naked on stage, dealing with in...
2024-08-081h 13Acting UpWe Want To Be Voice Actors!This week a very giggly and tired Megan and Jordan have a discussion on voice acting. Something they don’t (or didn’t!) know all that much about. Discussions include the Acting Up home studio, Indeed’s (?) guide to becoming a voice actor, Rob Wiethoffs story, more on Dungeons and Dragons and SAG-AFTRAs current video game strike. Jordan has plans to be an audio-erotica voice actor while Megan may be in the market to be the new Ralph Wiggum.Tune in for many impressions, including but not limited to: the Wilhelm scream, the Shark Tale shrimp, R2D2, Sh...
2024-08-011h 13Acting UpCombat Kevin You Were a Real OneThis week Megan and Jordan are back on topic with an episode for you on none other than stage combat.Starting as usual with Jordans ‘a brief history’ segment, going back to the literal beginning of humanity and working its way up through Gladiators, Samurais and Shakespeare, it seems stage combat has existed for as long as performance has.Your hosts reflect on their own experience with stage combat, from workshops and auditions to training in drama school - an iconic experience (cut tragically short by lockdown) with a teacher who for the sake of the podcast will...
2024-07-2549 minActing UpHoliday Special (Or Is It?!)Did you miss us? This week Megan and Jordan are on a mountain in Corfu! So the audio is dodge… Sorry :/Welcome to the holiday special, what’s special about it you ask? How much less depressed we are! Tune in to hear tales of Acting Up abroad such as: adding horse riding to our spotlight skills, little German boys and hermit crabs, holiday reading material, taking shots in matching fits and please don’t fart on planes.But inevitably the question arises - are you ever truly on a break from acting? From holiday self tapes t...
2024-07-2038 minActing UpHighly Skilled at Overcharging? Equity vs SpotlightThis week Megan and Jordan discuss two of the most essential pillars of the industry: the casting directory - Spotlight and the performers union - Equity, who are taking action against Spotlights “Tax on Hope”.This episode includes discussions on what Equity is, the things they are fighting for, how it can benefit you and how it is has helped members previously. Megan and Jordan also debrief on Spotlight and its undeniable monopoly on the industry, how essential it is in their own careers and expose what they think their playing age is and the questionable skills they have...
2024-07-041h 08Acting UpUP THE WORKING CLASSIt’s finally here: the episode that attempts to tackle the immense subject that is being a working class actor in the industry. A historic episode indeed, as Megan and Jordan both shed actual, real tears on the pod.The episode includes a dumb beginners (Jordan) guide to the class system, private school privilege, cosplaying the poor for funsies, talking proper and the horrifying statistics that make the dream seem impossible.But it’s not all doom and gloom, we of course have to celebrate the actors who have made it despite the odds and the organisations worki...
2024-06-271h 27Acting Up2012 Called It Wants It’s Q&A BackLife is well and truly battering Megan and Jordan, so what else is there to do but the classic Q&A? You asked and they answered. Questions and answers… Q and A… The fans (friends) asked questions such as:What would we do with unlimited funding? Who would win in a fight? Who would we cast one another as? Wildest Auditions? What would we be doing if we weren’t actors? Also including (of course) more soliloquies on drama school - including the grand theft of Jordan’s uniform - and discussions on how we can expand the...
2024-06-201h 10Acting UpVeteran Actor: Vissey Elliot SafaviThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by the incredible Vissey Elliot Safavi, Iranian/Bristolian, MOTHER, colleague of Megan and incredible actor - Vis has been Acting Up longer than your hosts have been a thought.Pushed towards drama as a child to help her learn English, Vis started acting so a lady called Edwina could live vicariously through her, and thankfully she did - as it lead Vis to attend the prestigious RADA (in the 90’s!). Vis gets candid about how she’s navigated the industry as an Iranian woman (picking your equity name - nightmare!) and s...
2024-06-071h 07Acting UpGetting My First Period At The Lion KingThis week Megan and Jordan were meant to talk about pieces of theatre they’ve seen and the experience of watching things as an actor yourself. Which, between multiple tangents and questionable singing, they kind of do?Conversations include having two very different experiences at the same audition, an Acting Up trip to Spirited Away at the London Coliseum, the theatrical experience of seeing Mitski and… WATCHING THE PREMIERE OF MEGANS FILM!!! They delve into the influential productions that shaped them into the performers that they are (including a lovely segment on the wonder that is the secon...
2024-06-061h 04Acting UpThe F*ckboy Fairytale TellerThis week Jordan and Megan are graced by a guest that Megan scouted in a smoking area. You may recall how Morgan directed a one woman show called Fuckboy Fairytales - well, introducing the one woman herself: the wonderful Eleanor Chilton-Sutton.A career sparked by watching Narnia - Eleanor trained at BRIT School, went on to study English and Theatre at university, ended up doing stand-up comedy and of course wrote and starred in her debut work ‘Fuckboy Fairytales’.Eleanor discusses how the show came to be, from the actual writing of it to how she has chann...
2024-05-301h 27Acting UpAdela the Next Top Model: TRANSitioning the IndustryAnother episode coming at you from Vauhaus HQ, this week Megan and Jordan are joined by certified gorgeous gorgeous girl Adela Mortimer! Trans hottie and fellow Vauhaus model who also (of course) dabbles in acting, Adela talks us through her journey in the industry - from a young diva who always had to play the lead to her involvement with the incredible Take Back Theatre Company and finally how an open casting brought her to model with Vauhaus. Adela gets candid about dealing with anxiety during the lulls, the importance of valuing creatives, acknowledging nepotism and please ju...
2024-05-191h 08Acting UpToria Brightside: Mother of VauhausWhat a treat we have this week! Megan and Jordan are joined by the mother of models, Jordans actual agent and founder of Vauhaus Model Agency - the incredible Toria Brightside.Toria reveals the origin story of Vauhaus, a revolutionary modelling agency founded 10 years ago on principles of ethics, personality and sustainability, and shares invaluable wisdom on how to catch the eye of an agent and what makes a good model.Tune in for discussions of Vauhaus HQ, the developing industry and to discover the inner machinations of an agency championing diversity, creativity and (Jordans favourite part...
2024-05-1655 minActing UpLowborn Theatre!This week Megan and Jordan (your favourite lowborn actors) are joined by founder, director & writer Meghan Loughran and co-director & director Gray Enever from Lowborn Theatre!From university project to Edinburgh Fringe to a full on theatre company, Lowborn Theatre is dedicated to creating meaningful, nuanced and accurate depictions of working class life, told by working class voices.Gray discusses their journey into directing, from finding acting in their late teens to discovering an approach to directing that values detail, improvisation, lore and a trusting relationship between actor and director.Meghan reveals the origins of Lowborn and...
2024-05-091h 18Acting UpSo Who is Ollie Smith?This week Megan and Jordan are joined by our first stranger! Brought to Acting Up by the podcast itself, introducing actor Ollie James Smith.From being naughty at school to boxing for England and then finding acting when you needed it most - Ollie gets candid about how he turned his life around and began an exciting career that started with a talent for mixology and has taken him onto some incredible sets and into rooms with his heroes.Tangents include the awful t-shirt Jordan bought Megan, using a sneaky wee to meet Jordan Peele and that...
2024-04-231h 15Acting UpLiterally Soooo Obsessed With Biopics!Leading on from the discussion of The Method, this week Megan and Jordan are now asking: why is Hollywood so obsessed with Biopics?Bohemian Rhapsody, Elvis, Priscilla, Oppenheimer, Blonde and most recently Amy to name but a few - the film industry is well and truly saturated with Biopics, but seemingly never without controversy. But why? And how do we as actors fit into this body of work? Who could you play and how do you accurately replicate them? Lengthy tangents include Jordan’s green hand, Megan bringing forth the Snapchat renaissance, relapsing on Vinted and Jord...
2024-04-221h 04Acting UpQueers, Castrati & Killing It With The BandToday Megan and Jordan are joined by the the dramatic, operatic and potentially aromatic Jenny Perry!Opera singer and actor and model and in a band (stream Brand New Legs!) AND the list goes ON - Jenny is, was, and will be busy.From climbing through musical grades to starting a band at Uni and finding your agent in a Tim Hortons, Jenny spills on their experience navigating the industry as someone working class, non-binary and an ex-weener.Tangents include women playing Peter-Pan, driving like a Pisces and that time Jordan butchered Megan’s hair....
2024-04-181h 02Acting UpMethod Acting a Year 5 Student (Always)This week we are back to just two besties in bed, and Megan and Jordan are diving under the covers and into the infamous and controversial - Method Acting.Everyone has an idea of what it is, from sending your coworkers dead rats to the spirit of Elvis living in your accent - but is that truly The Method? From how it began and is implemented into actors practice to the infamous actors who just took it too far, Megan and Jordan consider their own position on the technique.Tangents include, Jordans Soliloquy on a stagnant ca...
2024-04-111h 29Acting UpMegan’s Pretend BoyfriendThis week Acting Up is graced by the presence of actor (muso?) Matt Wake!From cricket to creating, Matt explores his journey into the acting industry, from a secondary school where it was actually cool to do drama and eventually into the professional arms of our very own Megan.Discussions include the Straight Acting Drama School Experience and the impact of covid, agent relationships and devising your own work - “If you can act, you can write”.Tangents include don’t talk to Jordan until she’s had her coffee, the dissertation that never was and making an...
2024-04-0449 minActing UpBen Donovan: The Immersive ExperienceThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by actor and long time bestie of the pod Ben Donovan!A career that began thanks to Kiera Knightleys stunts and led Ben into the drama school class of Acting Up, Ben delves into his life in the industry!Including: the perks of being a twin, the dark time (post graduating), improvising on investment banking and accepting your place in the industry.Tangents include dying and leaving behind only a podcast, the perfect audition lockscreen and the infamous yellow sofa cushions.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast...
2024-03-2545 minActing UpRooting Out the IPhone FacesThis week Megan and Jordan are graced by the presence of Nathan Francis! And this Kens job… is Film! Nathan enlightens us on the wonderful world of the 3rd Assistant Crowd Director (professional vibe crafter), from breaking into the industry fresh out of college to addressing the masses on set. And the sets? CRAZY ;) Nathan also discusses the friendly push that lead him to creating his own work and the leaps of faith that followed. Tangents include hot gifs of Henry Cavill, walking into strangers hotel rooms and watching yourself die on screen.You can f...
2024-03-181h 08Acting UpFalling Over in a Push-Up BraThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by actor/director Morgan Chalmers!A fellow graduate of Musical Theatre and colleague of Megan, Morgan walks us through her life in the industry - from using your acting skills to pretend you like customers to playing a page 3 model when you can’t see.Tune in for tales of hotel adverts, vocal haemorrhages and the journey into directing as an actor.Diversions include unwelcome yoga retreat posters, The Willy Wonka Experience and, once again, fairy porn!You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We...
2024-03-1458 minActing UpFalling Over in a Push-Up BraThis week Megan and Jordan are joined by actor/director Morgan Chalmers!A fellow graduate of Musical Theatre and colleague of Megan, Morgan walks us through her life in the industry - from using your acting skills to pretend you like customers to playing a page 3 model when you can’t see.Tune in for tales of hotel adverts, vocal haemorrhages and the journey into directing as an actor.Diversions include unwelcome yoga retreat posters, The Willy Wonka Experience and, once again, fairy porn!You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We...
2024-03-1458 minActing UpAssistant Directors We Appreciate YouThis week Jordan and Megan sit and chat with 1st Assistant Director Brad Yorke.Brad is here to enlighten us all on the secret world of Assistant Directors, the sometimes under-appreciated and always essential schedulers of the film world.Having chosen films over planes, Brad has worked in the industry for two years and though his projects are mostly too exciting to name, we can in fact reveal he was 1st AD on a very special film starring the very special Megan ;)Make sure to check out Brads production company, Colossal Productions (@filmsbycolossal) to keep up...
2024-03-0742 minActing UpJordan Skidmore: Actor, ModelThis week Megan outs Jordan as an actor/model.The prequel to Acting Ups Manchester excursion: Jordan reveals how she fell into modelling (Megan pushed her), how it’s going and how it compares to the wonderful (woeful) world of acting. From Megan’s photography career to headshots vs modelling shots. To pay or not to pay? Tangents include getting licked at The Box, wearing fangs to a graduation ceremony and that Jordan won’t be friends with you if you’re ugly.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan...
2024-02-2948 minActing UpI QUIT!This week Megan and Jordan are joined by friend of the podcast and fellow drama school survivor: Kizzi Kitchener. Kizzi comes clean about one of the biggest decisions you can make in the industry… the decision to quit. From being raised as dancer and going to drama school to ultimately deciding it’s not for you and running away to sea. We can only apologise for the diversions which include Glee, rose toys and being victims of the patriarchy.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skidsAr...
2024-02-2246 minActing UpChildren of Hollywood: Brooke Shields & Drew BarrymoreThis week Megan and Jordan discuss children in Hollywood, from the incredible performances to the tragic exploitation. Child actors have been around as long as films have. Do we wish we had done it? How are the children protected? Is it even necessary to have children in the industry? Taking on a case study each and discussing the incredible stories of Brooke Shields and Drew Barrymore, we explore the harsh realities of being a child in the public eye. Side notes include the coming out as a tumblr user, an Acting Up excursion and getting rejected for...
2024-02-151h 22Acting UpActing Like the AssholeIt’s time to re-download Subway Surfers, this week we’re off to REDDIT.A podcast classic for children of the internet, Megan & Jordan delve into the depths of the Am I The Asshole & Acting Subreddits. From cats ruining self tapes to gay Shakespeare and spectacularly unsupportive parents, the Jury of podcasters is out. Diversions include being 50% chips, a Skidmore Veganuary and Varjak shouting.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skidsArtwork by @those_who.tryWanna be on the pod? Email actin...
2024-02-0850 minActing UpRhys Tinney is Acting Up!This week… RHYS TINNEY IS ACTING UPS FIRST GUEST! Close and personal friend of the pod Rhys Tinney joins us to discuss their journey into the industry from working class beginnings, starting “late” and navigating the industry as a non-binary individual. They get candid about auditions, dance classes, cruise ship contracts, “boy day!” and the realities of representation.Megan and Jordan contribute womb discussion, saying WOO 28 times in the introduction and inappropriate laughter.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skidsArtwork by @those_who.tryWanna b...
2024-02-011h 06Acting UpAuditioning For The Role Of ‘Completely Average Woman’This isn’t a ‘how to’ podcast… or is it? This week Megan and Jordan delve into the audition process. From casting to self tapes and the elusive in-person recall, we get real about the highs and lows of auditioning - including but not limited to:Kicking over tripods, sticking lines onto walls and sending a casting director pictures of your pubes.Diversions include Megan’s greasy hair, getting ID’d buying a pipeline punch monster and intense dependency on fantasy escapism.You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson...
2024-01-2547 minActing UpOh, So You’re an Actor? What Are You In?Megan and Jordan answer the dreaded question:‘Oh, so you’re an actor? What are you in?’ It’s time to be candid about credits! From short films to long films and the crippling reality of being on a film set one day and behind a till the next. Side notes include having tattoos, the Monday Morning Debrief and more jokes about Megan’s dad.We are actually actors!!! We promise!!!!You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skidsArtwork by @those_who.tryWanna be...
2024-01-1838 minActing UpDrama School Survivors Speak Your TruthIt had to be done… this week the girls unpack DRAMA SCHOOL.Featuring stories from you!Why did we go? What did we get out of it? Are any of us okay? Highlights include Jordan almost dying, an improvised cartwheel and nepotism pantomimes. Trigger warnings included in the episode, please look after yourselves, resources for support below
2024-01-111h 21Acting UpWe're Acting Up!Meet your hosts, Megan & Jordan, two broke 23 year olds trying to be actors and learning to be podcasters in real time.We get into where we come from, how we met and why are we doing anything of this. Discussions include imaginary games, Megan not liking Jordan, a two person book club and a mandatory draft for hospitality work. Just a cute and cosy chat between friends. Welcome to Acting Up! You can find us as @actingupthepodcast on all socials ;)We are @megan_alderson_ & @jordan.skidsArtwork by @those_who.tryWanna be...
2024-01-0340 min