Kumiko Mendl has worked as an actor, teacher, storyteller and director and is Artistic Director of Yellow Earth, the award winning British East Asian theatre company. She led on the companies education and outreach programme before becoming Artistic Director in 2011 and set up the first BEA acting summer school; Yellow Earth Academy in 2010 to encourage more BEA’s into the industry. She is also co-founder and co AD of A Thousand Cranes and artistic associate at Artsdepot. Andrew and Kumiko discuss her career from growing up in Watford, discovering her passion for mime and subsequently training at Jacques LaCoq. The two amble through the various important acting, directing and other jobs that she would go on to do including appearing at the National Theatre, Carol Churchill’s Top Girls, appearing as a life-model and how she and others founded Yellow Earth Theatre – a company dedicated to creating work for British East Asian artists, her involvement with A Thousand Cranes, setting up the UK’s first BEA summer school and the many different challenges that she and other British East Asians face in today’s industry.

Episode features include:

The Soapbox: Andrew and Kumiko discuss the many unfair challenges that face being an East Asian performer in the performing arts industry and surrounding issues such the use of yellow-face, white-washing, colour-blind and colour-conscious casting and dispel the myth that there aren’t enough East Asian performers in the UK.

Dramatic News: Andrew covers the latest news headlines including stories relating to Kevin Spacey, The King & I and Evita.

The Platform: Our featured composer is Joe Purdue with a song called Still So Close performed by Lewis Greenslade and Sarah Joyce from his Tolkien inspired musical Unfolding Tales.

oin host Andrew Keates as he and Anna Jane Casey cover her extraordinary career from leaving Lancashire to joining the West End production of Cats at the age of sixteen to being the world’s greatest showbiz mum and her recent appearances as Mrs Wilkinson in the UK tour of Billy Elliott, Mavis in the West End production of Stepping Out plus her many other iconic roles and breathtaking appearances. AJ didn’t go to drama school and instead learnt her craft in countless stage productions including playing in Starlight Express, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Grease and West Side Story, where she met her husband Graham McDuff. Anna discusses her many other credits including Wild, Wild, Women, Velma in Chicago, Edith Piaf in Piaf, Dot in Sunday in the Park with George (and why she didn’t go onto do the later West End and Broadway productions), Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, frequently singing at the Royal Albert Hall (including with Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlene), Forbidden Broadway and is even brought to tears recollecting her involvement in Daniel Evan’s recent new British musical, Flowers For Mrs. Harris with Clare Burt.

Episode features include:

The Soapbox: Andrew and AJ discuss ageism including frustrations with casting actors who are too young for leading roles – is it because younger performers are cheaper? Why do great actors seem to be forgotten about once they reach their 40s? The importance of understanding company etiquette and how to lead a company when you are a leading lady and the advice she gave Ruthie Henshall before she took over her role in Billy Elliott and some of the little things Amanda Holden did for her during her time in Stepping Out.

Theatrical Tips including the 50th Anniversary production of Hair at the Vaults Theatre, the brand new West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre and Privates on Parade starring Simon Green and Sam Curry at the Union Theatre.

The Platform: Our featured composer is Ed Zanders and a song from his London Underground inspired musical performed by Eleanor Walsh and a concert orchestra.

Rob Houchen joins the Show People Podcast just days before the launch of his brand new EP, ‘Within Reach’ an album of his own writing influenced by artists such as Luther Vandross & Stevie Wonder to Adele & Sam Smith.

This episode features two of his songs including Safe and Sound and the studio version of Warning Signs. Rob is best known for playing the role of Marius in Les Miserables at the Palace Theatre for just under three years, as well as Tony in the BBC documentary about West Side Story. Rob discusses his passion for art, growing up in Norwich, goes into great detail about his time training in Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting as well as his experiences of appearing in the world’s longest running musical.

Episode features include: The Soapbox: Andrew and Rob discuss the trail and tribulations of Twitter. Do artists need to be on Twitter? Do we need to watch what we tweet? Dramatic News: Andrew shares the latest dramatic news, including the recent award nomination from the Community Theatre Awards for favourite radio show/podcast.

The Platform: Today’s episode is a special episode that focuses on the original work of our special guest Rob Houchen and his new Album, ‘Within Reach’.