Daniel Aukin (Act I)

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1. 

   S5 · E1 · 17 Jul 2025 · 39 min

   J. Smith-Cameron (Act II)

   In Act 2 of their chat, J Smith Cameron talks Jonny through the rich stew of differing ideas that went into making the West End Juno and the Paycock and the difficulty of reconciling different opinions in the rehearsal room, especially when war is waging in the world outside. J ruminates on whether it’s harder for an artist to be soulful when they get successful. She talks about the part that made her feel like a race car driver, acting through grief and the parts that she and Jonny felt like they shouldn’t have attempted after the death of a parent; the weird assimilation that sometimes…

2. 

   S5 · E1 · 16 Jul 2025 · 45 min

   J. Smith-Cameron (Act I)

   The star of Rectify and the unforgettable Gerri Kellman in Succession sits down with Jonny to talk about her storied life on the New York-and now West End- stage. From the tyranny of acting to the influence of her sister Joanne, what she owes her and the influence of sibling order on being an actor (John Hurt had strong feelings about it), to a life changing trip with her sister to New York, being winked at by Dudley Moore and the break that brought her her first leading role on Broadway, which also happened to be her first job in New York; what “preparing properly” for an audition really…

3. 

   7 Jul 2025 · 44 min

   Season 4 Highlights (Act II)

   n Act 2 of the highlights of Season 4, Jonny kicks off (appropriately) by discussing the famous moment when James Corden stopped the show at the Old Vic to watch a penalty shoot out with the audience; he compares notes with Maxine Peake on audiences and their different levels of tolerance; he discusses Bobby Cannavale doing Glengarry Glen Ross with his hero, Al Pacino; he hears from Cynthia Nixon what it was like to be starring in two shows on Broadway at the same time; and he hears from the radically honest Alan Cumming about the actors best kept secret- an experience onstage where he felt…

4. 

   30 Jun 2025 · 33 min

   Season 4 Highlights (Act I)

   Stage Door Jonny is back! Bursting into Summer like a less Nigel Farage-friendly Rod Stewart at Glastonbury, your favourite habitué of the alley round the back of a theatre launches his new season of conversations with world-renowned theatre artists with a highlights package from Season 4. From the romance of the stage door with Matthew Broderick, to a wee-based confession from Rhea Norwood, Bobby Cannavale on what Al Pacino would do about a ringing telephone during the show, Bertie Carvel’s pre-interview preparation, Paapa Essiedu’s hair-raising dressing room ritual, a rock star’s…

5. 

   S4 · E9 · 10 Dec 2024 · 32 min

   Daniel Aukin (Act II)

   In the second half of Jonny’s al fresco chat with Daniel Aukin, we hear about Sam Shepard and The Pocket, the ten year journey, the challenges and the “electrified horror” of making the triumphant, Tony record-breaking Stereophonic, David Byrne’s opinion of the band, the struggle to make a living wage in the theatre- and a plan to change that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6. 

   S4 · E8 · 28 Nov 2024 · 35 min

   Rhea Norwood (Act II)

   In the second half of his conversation with a hyper-talented young performer already making waves in the acting world, Jonny and Rhea discuss the differences between acting for tv and the theatre, never taking a phone to set, the beautiful words to “Maybe This Time” and not going under playing Sally Bowles. On struggling sometimes with contemporary writing, Rhea’s interest in female rage, why she’s drawn to Hedda Gabler, what pisses her off about the theatre- and plans for her “flip a coin” show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7. 

   S4 · E8 · 27 Nov 2024 · 34 min

   Rhea Norwood (Act I)

   Two weeks after she finished her West End run as Sally Bowles in Rebecca Frecknall’s triumphant staging of Cabaret, Jonny sat down with Heartstopper star, Rhea Norwood. They discussed her illustrious predecessors in Cabaret, Alan Cumming’s dressing room being sponsored by a booze company, her Sally Bowles feeling like a car crash (in a good way), wild wee-ing, coping with repetition and the sad story of Jonny being ordered to get stoned by a director. They share memories of the same drama school, being pigeon-holed and wanting her training to be more traumatic; the complications of going off…

8. 

   S4 · E7 · 21 Nov 2024 · 37 min

   Sir Christopher Hampton (Act II)

   In the second half of Jonny’s chat with the great Christopher Hampton, Sir Chris continues the story of the race to turn his play into the Oscar winning movie, Dangerous Liaisons- and get it out before Milos Foreman‘s rival film; doorstepping a startled John Malkovich; the Queen being sent to sleep by the inaugural play at the National Theatre; the difference between translation and adaptation; his relationship with Paul Scofield, seeing his Uncle Vanya 30 times, why he thinks Scofield was incomparable and the moment when an accident with a gun in Christopher’s play Savages prompted an…

9. 

   S4 · E7 · 20 Nov 2024 · 44 min

   Sir Christopher Hampton (Act I)

   This week Jonny’s guest is on British theatre and film’s Mt Rushmore of writers. Two time Oscar winning screenwriter Sir Christopher Hampton is one of the finest playwrights of the 20 and 21st centuries and in Christopher’s office in Notting Hill that spawned so much of his work they discuss the conditions he needs to write, sometimes needing to go to a posh hotel to finish a script and writing his first west end play in the pub at 18. The crown prince of youthful prodigies tells Jonny about the lesson of terrible reviews, acting with Leonardo di Caprio, why a Christopher Hampton part…

10. 

    S4 · E6 · 15 Nov 2024 · 30 min

    Helena Wilson, Ophelia Lovibond, Leanne Best & Laura Donnelly: Ladies of The Hills Of California (Act II)

    In the second half of his chat with the Ladies of the Hills of California, Jonny hears about the differences between Broadway and the West End, the realities of being a woman in the acting industry, trigger warnings, whether or not they’ve all been ruined by Jez Butterworth, singing for Sam Mendes and the incredible joy of the shared endeavor they are all undertaking onstage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.