
Our final podcast episode of 2024!!!
For this very special episode we have none other than poet and all round wonder, goodnighttheskye!
goodnighttheskye (they/them) is a Leeds-based poet and spoken word artist best known for wearing black and spending too much time in the woods. Permanently preoccupied with what we keep under the bed, their work explores themes of queerness, chronic illness and childhood with a healthy dose of the dark and the fantastical. In short, they write about mosh pits, monsters and the people who love them.
Their debut collection, New Fables For Transformation was released via Written Off Publishing in November of 2024. It has since been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
You can also find @goodnighttheskye on Instagram for more of their wonderfulness, their upcoming work and of course, to check out their book!
As always, we have been Blue Balloon Theatre and this podcast is hosted by @RebeccaPhythian - thank you so much for your continued support!
Have a very merry Christmas and happy new year when it arrives!
Blue Balloon Theatre xxx
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Poet #Author #Book #Published #Poetry #SpokenWord #Folklore #Magic #Fantasy #Writer #Christmas
Dec 20, 2024
32 min

Who fancies another festive podcast upload? ☃️🤩
We are joined today by the utterly brilliant, Carol J Forrester! 🌟
Carol J Forrester is a poet with two collections to her name and a host of publications and performances under her belt. She lives in Cheshire with her husband and daughter while studying for an MA in history. Her work focuses on forgotten women and overlooked moments in history, combining folklore, magic, and archival material with poetry to resurrect those whose stories have been buried.
You can also watch our podcasts on our YouTube channel, @BlueBalloonMCR.
Thanks, as ever, for all your listens and support. We hope you enjoy! 🥰
Blue Balloon Theatre 💙
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Poet #Poetry #Author #SelfPublished #Book #Published #Spotify #YouTube
Dec 13, 2024
47 min

Welcome, everyone, to the first of our festive uploads of Blue Balloon Theatre's podcast!
In this episode we chat to the brilliantly funny, David Allen, about all things theatre and acting. It really is a deep dive into technique and what it means to be an actor, especially a character actor!
David Allen is an actor/producer with 14 years experience in the professional theatre network. In that time he has been through the typical highs and lows from the industry. From performing in historical venues such as The Blackpool North Pier to performing fringe shows to audiences of three. From enduring his nightmares of TIE touring to enjoying the joys of taking his own collaborative shows on the road.
David has also built great friendships with many performers including Blue Balloon Theatre's very own Rebecca Phythian. Together they performed side by side for three pantomimes at Salford Arts Theatre.
David is also now part of Precarious Theatre where he starred and co- produced their new show Conversion at The Lion & Unicorn Theatre.
What a pleasure it was to have David on the podcast and we hope you enjoy listening to it too!
Head to social media to find David and Precarious Theatre at @davidalster88 and @precarioustheatre
See you next Friday for another episode of the Blue Balloon Theatre podcast!
BBT xxx
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Actor #Theatre #CharacterActor #MethodActing
Dec 6, 2024
1 hr 5 min

Welcome back to another Blue Balloon Podcast episode! This time, we chat to the wonderful poet, Jacob Davies, about his poetry journey and upcoming collection.
Jacob Davies is a poet and writer from West Yorkshire. His poetry has been described as passionate, confessional and raw, whilst maintaining a cryptic and abstract core. His acute wit, clarity and ability to articulate the seemingly incomprehensible has set him apart from his peers, with his three published collections of poetry ‘The Things They’ve Never Seen’ , ‘Every Night is November’ & ‘The Dream Must Die’ creating a real resonance with his audience.
To order 'The Dream Must Die', click here: https://linktr.ee/jdavieswriter?lt_utm_source=lt_share_link#408366163
To attend Jacobs book launch on 22nd November at The Queen's Mill, head here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jacob-davies-live-the-dream-must-die-book-launch-tickets-1026995801087?aff=oddtdtcreator&utm_campaign=postpublish&utm_medium=sparkpost&utm_source=email
You can also find Jacob on Instagram or YouTube - @JDaviesWriter
As ever, these details can be found on our social media @BlueBalloonMCR and you can also follow our host @RebeccaPhythian there too!
Thanks for listening!
Blue Balloon Theatre
#MakeItHappen #Poet #Poetry #Podcast #Spotify #Yorkshire #BookLaunch #Published #Author
Nov 8, 2024
29 min

Hi everyone, before this podcast begins we want to provide some content warnings:
At approximately 16:00-17:00 minutes, there is mention of a poet that suffered a car crash, their recovery in hospital, as well as Sarah Everard.
At approximately 29:30, there is brief mention of Prime
Facie, the play, it being about rape and the injustice surround this story. That section will end at approximately 30:45.
At approximately 36:50 until 37:50, there is brief
mention of the Hillsborough Law Project, Grenfell and politics surrounding these topics.
Feel free to skip these sections and listen to the rest
of the amazing episode with Jen Corcoran!
Jen is a parent, poet and performer, who juggles these loves with day jobs and political passions, and wouldn't have it any other way. She especially enjoys writing that celebrates, intrigues, educates and inspires.
Our host, Rebecca, described her debut collection, Witch, Mother, Child, Lover, as "A living, breathing collection with strength at it's heart. A modern woman's political speech and call to arms!"
You can find more of Jen's poetry on social media @wrenverse and as always, you can find us and our host on there too @BlueBalloonMCR and @RebeccaPhythian.
Enjoy!
Blue Balloon Theatre
#MakeItHappen #Creative #Poet #Actor #Mother #Storytelling #Theatre #Eurovision
Nov 1, 2024
44 min

We are five episodes into our podcast relaunch and in this particular episode, we are joined by none other than Blue Balloon veteran, Adam Martyn.
Not only has Adam been a wonderful part of Blue Balloon Theatre's past productions, but he has been working on lots of exciting projects since he last worked with us. From Doctor Who stories with Big Finish Productions, to his upcoming appearance in CAST Theatre's family pantomime, we delve deep into Adam's life as an actor and YouTuber!
We are so proud of the work he continues to do on his channel too and cannot recommend his videos enough. There is quite literally something for everyone on there!
As always, leave a like or comment on the podcast, wherever you may be streaming it and subscribe for regular updates on our upcoming episodes!
Find us on social media for more creative content, upcoming podcasts episodes and performance news:
@BlueBalloonMCR
And find our host and guest on social media too:
@RebeccaPhythian
@AdamMartynAMTV
Thanks for listening and see you next time!
Blue Balloon Theatre x
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Spotify #Actor #Singer #YouTuber #Performer #Broadcasting #Manchester #NorthWest #Yorkshire #Cast #Pantomime #Voiceover #AudioDrama #DoctorWho
Oct 26, 2024
49 min

Welcome back to episode four of the Blue Balloon Theatre podcast. In this episode we speak to the singer-songwriter, The Dove and The Dragon about their writing process, inspirations and upcoming EP celebration!
To listen to more of The Dove and The Dragon's music, you can find her on Spotify and if you fancy some live music, she will be performing at her headline gig and EP launch at The Carlton Club on November 27th. This event will be in aid of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
If you like Americana, folk and country, with a sprinkling of Joni Mitchell - The Dove and The Dragon is for you!
As always, leave a like or comment on the podcast, wherever you may be streaming it and subscribe for regular updates on our upcoming episodes!
Find us on social media for more creative content, upcoming podcasts episodes and performance news:
@BlueBalloonMCR
And find our host and guest on social media too:
@RebeccaPhythian
@thedoveandthedragon
Thanks for listening and see you next time!
Blue Balloon Theatre x
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Spotify #Music #Creative #Manchester #NorthWest #Musician #SingerSongwriter
Oct 26, 2024
25 min

Welcome back to our third podcast since our relaunch! This time, we are chatting to the brilliant Tom Stocks, a.k.a. The Chubby Northerner!
The Chubby Northerner opened the 2021 Champions League final on BT Sport with his poem “The Final Step” and was reused for the 2023 Champions League final too. He is the most featured artist on BBC Radio Manchesters BBC Upload. He recently beat the frog at The Frog & Bucket comedy competition and came runner up. He also was runner up at A Lovely Word poetry slam 2023. He has a book out called Lovely Chubbly featured in Waterstones. Supported JB Barrington on his 2022 “Showing Potential Tour” He also co runs The Mic At The Mill events in Leigh Spinners Mill.
This chat got more and more insightful as it went on, as we spoke about Tom's creative journey, his recent decision to venture to new cities to perform and his positive impact on the community!
As always, leave a like or comment on the podcast, wherever you may be streaming it and subscribe for regular updates on our upcoming episodes!
Find us on social media for more creative content, upcoming podcasts episodes and performance news:
@BlueBalloonMCR
And find our host and guest on social media too:
@RebeccaPhythian
@thechubbynortherner
Thanks for listening and see you next time!
Blue Balloon Theatre x
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Spotify #Poetry #Poet #Performer #Writer #Positivity #Manchester #NorthWest
Oct 11, 2024
39 min

Welcome back to another cracking podcast episode with our artistic director, Rebecca Phythian and fiercely brilliant poet, Stevie Turner.
This episode in earnest chat about all things poetry and we delve into the fantastic mind of Stevie's by asking him about his writing process and connection to nostalgia, especially in writing.
We also talk a lot about Manchester as a vibrant, diverse city and lots of different poetry events.
We hope you enjoy this episode, despite some minor issues with Rebecca's Zoom video!
Find us on social media for more creative content, upcoming podcasts episodes and performance news:
@BlueBalloonMCR
And find our host and guest on social media too:
@RebeccaPhythian
@stevie.poet
Thanks for listening and see you next time!
Blue Balloon Theatre x
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Spotify #Poetry #Poet #SpokenWord #Nostalgia #Writer
Oct 4, 2024
55 min

Not only is Blue Balloon's 8th birthday, but we are celebrating with the relaunch of our podcast with the brilliantly funny, Jenny McIntyre and our artistic director, Rebecca Phythian.
Jenny is an actor currently residing in Manchester and with a passion for film, tv and a good piece of writing, this podcast delves into her audition experiences, relationship with her agent and stories about self confidence and career so far. It really is a go to for any performers or actors that feel they need a boost right now!
The pair also highlight the importance of wellbeing as an actor and what it takes to make a great performance in theatre.
Please note there is some strong language in this podcast.
We hope you enjoyed this episode!
Find us on social media for more creative content, upcoming podcasts episodes and performance news:
@BlueBalloonMCR
And find our host and guest on social media too:
@RebeccaPhythian
@jennyamcintyre
Thanks for listening and see you next time!
Blue Balloon Theatre x
#MakeItHappen #Podcast #Actor #Auditions #TV #Film #Dance
Sep 27, 2024
1 hr 28 min
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