Mondays from October 28th to December 9th, 2024, and February 3rd to 24th, 2025:
Part I
October 28th: PILOT: How To Use The Classically (Un)Trained Podcast
In this pre-season episode I want to tell you a little about how to listen to the podcast and how I envision it to be useful. I’ll also talk about who I imagine my audience to be, how I’m using the term “classical,” and why I decided to create the show in the first place.
November 4th: But Do You Know WHY You Matter as a Performing Artist?
Let’s start this first season with the assumption that what you do as a performer is valuable beyond bringing you joy or status or distraction. It’s a radical thought, I know. But without it, there’s no point in your listening to this podcast. So let me make a case for why you matter as a performing artist and how what I want to share this season can help you make the best use of it.
November 11th: Can You Escape the Performing Arts Education Industrial Complex – While Still Investing In Developing as an Artist?
What can you do with a performing arts degree, you ask? Well, according to some educators within the performing arts, you can be a great realtor if your performing career doesn’t pan out. Let’s articulate why that sort of thinking is counterproductive but also how exactly academic training DOESN’T prepare us for the real world and which skills to focus on to fill in what academic training leaves out.
November 18th: Is Finding Meaning – Rather Than Gigs – the Difference Between Having a Performance Career and Drifting Into Irrelevance?
Artists are’t usually seen as lacking meaning, but if you’ve ever been stuck in a loop of auditions and rejections, lack of meaning, even more so than a lack of funds, may be what’s making it so hard to stay motivated. So, how do you (re)discover meaning in performing? And why is that the first, crucial, step?
November 25th: The Big Picture I: What Are The Five Types of Arts Funding and Why Should You Know About Them?
Let’s get a basic understanding of the five basic ways the arts get funded, how funding influences the nature of the art being made, and what that means for you as a performer.
December 2nd: The Big Picture II: What Did the Internet Do to YOU?
If you’ve never heard of the network effect, prepare to get disillusioned. But don’t despair – knowing how the internet works can help you put focus in the right place.
December 9th: As a Performer, Are You the Product, Employee, or Service Provider?
The first thing I learned about marketing for performers is: “You are a product.” But is that really the right message for young performers? And might there be a better alternative?
Part II
February 3rd: How do You Practice Like a Standup Comedian – if You’re a Classically-Trained Performer?
Writers throw away drafts, painters paint over botched canvases. But where can classically-trained performers try and fail and try again?
February 10th: Does Ageing Actually LIBERATE Performers Who Haven’t Yet Broken In?
Real talk: There is a small window of time in which you can reasonably hope to START a TRADITIONAL performance career. But what if the alternative rout is much more interesting?
February 17th: Can You Make People Want to Collaborate With You on Performance Projects – Without Being a Sleazy Networker?
Ah, networking…not to be confused with the network effect, though perhaps there are some similarities. Let’s examine the ever-befuddling Human Element of the arts, how it’s different inside and outside of the traditional industry, and how important it is to accept that not everyone will like you.
February 24th: Are You Knocking on The Wrong Doors Or Living in the Wrong Neighbourhood?
One of the wisest pieces of advice I’ve gotten is that success is about knocking on as many doors as possible. As in: If you aren’t wanted in one place, try another. And while a place might be a particular company or theatre or agency – it can also be a city or even a country. But how do you know it’s time to seek greener pastures? And what are some of the pitfalls of doing so?