In the final episode of this series of the Bridge Theatre Podcast, host Pauline Fallowell sits down with legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips – a woman whose life, as she says, has been “engaged as a choreographer” from the very start.

Arlene looks back on the moment that changed everything: seeing the Russian Ballet at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall as a child, watching The Dying Swan and walking out knowing that dance was all she ever wanted to do. She shares the now-iconic story of the bright green ballet shoes she could afford instead of pink ones – and how that early feeling of standing out, rather than fitting in, shaped the determination that has driven her career.

From creating the trailblazing dance group Hot Gossip and capturing the energy of the 1970s on television, to becoming one of the most in-demand choreographers across film, stage and TV, Arlene talks about style, risk, and why time is the most precious ingredient in any creative process. She reflects on her work at the Bridge on Hallelujah!, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Guys & Dolls – including how a single note from Nicholas Hytner led to the now-famous “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” chair sequence, and why the closing moments of Dream with David Moorst still give her goosebumps.

Arlene also looks to the future: imagining a new life for Hot Gossip as an immersive experience, discussing her ongoing collaboration with choreographer James Cousins, and sharing what she might be doing if she hadn’t stayed in that first class with her green shoes –teaching small children rhythm, confidence and how to move through the world.

It’s a joyful, candid and inspiring finale to the series – a celebration of a whirlwind life in dance, and of the magic that happens when choreographers, directors, dancers and audiences all step into the story together.

Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.

Follow the Bridge Theatre Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, watch on YouTube, and discover more at bridgetheatre.co.uk.

Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan at Pardon Our French Productions, with Executive Producer Pauline Fallowell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the penultimate episode of this series of the Bridge Theatre Podcast, host Pauline Fallowell sits down with composer Grant Olding, whose music has been woven into The Bridge’s story since Young Marx first opened the building. Grant reflects on a lifetime spent in and around theatres – from dancing as a shy three-year-old, to appearing in Oliver! in the West End, The Dark Crystal with Jim Henson, and Hamlet at the National Theatre alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench.

He talks about how growing up backstage shaped the composer he is today, why theatre remains his first love, and what it really means for music to “help tell the story.” Pauline and Grant dive into the power of a great score, the difference between composing for stage and screen, and the thrill (and terror) of opening a brand-new theatre with a “big rock music cue.” Grant also shares his fantasy production – an immersive Sweeney Todd at the Bridge with a dream creative team – and imagines an alternative life running a second-hand bookshop on the Welsh borders. It’s a heartfelt, funny and passionate conversation with one of The Bridge’s longest-standing collaborators – and a love letter to music, theatre, and the people who make both.

Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.

Follow the Bridge Theatre Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, watch on YouTube, and discover more at bridgetheatre.co.uk. New episodes every Friday.

Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan at Pardon Our French Productions, with Executive Producer Pauline Fallowell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Bridge Theatre Podcast, host Pauline Fallowell sits down with Lily Mollgaard, legendary props supervisor and long-time friend of The Bridge. Lily has been working in theatre for over 35 years, joining The Bridge in 2018 for Julius Caesar and returning for production after production, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Guys & Dolls, alongside an extraordinary career across the West End, dance, musicals and plays.

Lily talks about falling in love with theatre as a child on trips with her dad to see shows like Oliver! and Peter Pan, discovering the magic of backstage at the Savoy Theatre, and how working with designer Bob Crowley at the Almeida led her into prop supervision.

She explains what a props supervisor actually does – from engineering a smashable mirror for Jonathan Bailey to creating 49 indestructible chairs for Guys & Dolls – and why detail, collaboration and audience safety are at the heart of it all.

She also shares her fantasy production: a Harold Pinter play in a classic West End house, revisiting the short, razor-sharp Party Time with a dream cast drawn from some of the great actors she’s worked with over the years.

Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.

Follow the Bridge Theatre Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, watch on YouTube, and discover more at bridgetheatre.co.uk. New episodes every Friday.

Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan at Pardon Our French Productions, with Executive Producer Pauline Fallowell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.