Need something new to listen to this lockdown? Then get on to Spotify and Apple Music to listen to The Amplify Podcast – the latest podcast by Nottingham Playhouse as a part of the Nottingham Playcast series.
Every Friday, Craig Gilbert – Amplify producer at the Nottingham Playhouse, reports from his own makeshift studio and interviews artists known not only nationally, but internationally.
So far, we have been graced with ten episodes of the series as Gilbert released three within one day so fans have more content to listen to. Guest stars so far have included David Haig, Natalie Abrahami, Gbolahan Obiesesan, Davina Moss, Jeremy Herrin, Maria Aberg, Paulette Randall, Tim Sheader and Nikolai Foster.
Throughout the series, we gain an insight into the careers of each of these interviewees and find out what it is really like to be successful in the entertainment whether that’s theatre, TV or even film.
Amongst these interviewees are award winners such as Tim Sheader who has previously won Olivier awards including best revival for Jesus Christ Superstar in 2018. As well as TV producer Paulette Randall who has worked on some of British finest creations such as Eastenders, Holby City and more recently Sky One’s Tin Star.
At the start of each episode, we are introduced to the podcast with us being told that it is about to start and that we should take our seats. Sound familiar? Well, you are probably thinking this sort of speech is familiar to you because it is what we are told when a theatre production is about to start.
Even though this is just an intro to the podcast and is most likely irrelevant to the rest of the piece, it is as if we are back in the theatre, sat down in our seats ready to watch a play unravel before our eyes. This is something that we cannot experience at the moment, being able to go to the theatre and watch some of our favourite shows on stage.
This is what makes this podcast a great alternative for now because it still allows us to be connected to the entertainment world such as theatre and still pursue the enjoyment we had before lockdown occurred.
Craig Gilbert then explains his purpose of this podcast and his special guest along with some background to their career. This is when we get into the juicy bits! What makes this podcast so great is we don’t only get to hear these artists talking about how well they’ve done in the entertainment world, but we get a real feel why they love their work so much and some of the highlights they have seen throughout their career.
Image credit: Nottingham Playhouse
Perhaps the only pitfall to the series is it isn’t the top sound quality we may experience in other podcasts but this is something that cannot be helped and is expressed by Craig at the start of each podcast as like he said, this is reported from his own “makeshift bedroom studio.”
This is a pitfall that shouldn’t stop you from listening to his podcast because it is people like Mr Gilbert that are going the extra mile to still provide us with content like this so we are not missing out on the things that we love but have been taken away from us such as something simple as just going to the theatre to watch a play.
Ultimately, The Amplify Podcast alongside others in the Nottingham Playcast series is an essential for anyone who is a fan of the entertainment we are missing out on such as the theatre – or for anyone interested in knowing what it’s really like behind the scenes of a achiever with the entertainment world.
The Amplify Podcast releases an episode every Friday, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher
By Katie Green
Feature Image: Visit Nottinghamshire