Your guide to the unsigned live music scene in the Northwest (England) and beyond! Interviews, tips and news for anyone interested in the world of grass roots gigs and original live music events.
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John Scanlan Podcasts
Discover your next favourite book, or take a deep dive into the mind of an author you love, with The Shakespeare and Company Interview podcast. Long-form interviews with internationally acclaimed authors, recorded from our bookshop in the heart of Paris. Hosted by S&Co Literary Director, Adam Biles. Discover all our upcoming events here. If you enjoy these conversations, you can order The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews here. Past guests include: Ottessa Moshfegh, Ian McEwan, Ali ...
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A new podcast interviewing professionals in the theater industry about themselves, their careers, and the people they’ve worked with along the way.
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Ever wondered why some film ideas get made – and not others? With the help of a guest industry speaker, each of whom has their own finger on the “greenlighting” button, this weekly podcast examines the creative and business factors that determine what gets seen on movie screens. The series also discusses what tools and tricks are out there that can help a more diverse range of filmmakers and ideas find the paying audiences that their talents deserve. Each episode is hosted by Colin Brown, au ...
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Moonlight Express: Monisha Rajesh on the Magic of Night Trains
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In this conversation recorded live at Shakespeare and Company, travel writer Monisha Rajesh talks about her new book Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train. From Paris to Istanbul, Scotland to India, the United States to Lapland, Rajesh explores the romance and realities of sleeper trains—where the carriages, the landscapes, and above a…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with two-time Tony nominee Carmen Cusack. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including collaborating with Steve Martin on BRIGHT STAR, taking LSD to prepare for FLYING OVER SUNSET, her upcoming role in BULL DURHAM, why the revival of CARRIE didn’t work, why the story of WICKED r…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with Tony-winning writer Dick Scanlan. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including his eight years performing in PAGEANT, how THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE turned him into a theater writer, giving Sutton Foster her breakout role in the show, directing Ellen Greene in LITTLE SHOP OF …
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Twenty Writers, One Bookshop: The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews, now in paperback
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In this special episode of the Shakespeare and Company Interview Podcast, we celebrate the paperback release of The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews (Canongate), a compelling collection of literary conversations recorded live at our bookshop in Paris. Capturing a decade of rich, revealing discussions, the episode revisits unforgettable mo…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with theater veteran Kate Jennings Grant. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including the secret to her role in PROOF, a full-circle moment with GUYS AND DOLLS, working with the late, great Mark Brokaw and Linda Lavin on THE LYONS, a tip from Vanessa Redgrave, why Christopher D…
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Small Girl, Big Ideas: Getting to know Mafalda, with Samanta Schweblin and Frank Wynne
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In this episode Adam speaks with translator Frank Wynne and Argentinian writer Samanta Schweblin about the first-ever English edition of Mafalda, the beloved Argentine comic strip by Quino (Archipelago Books). Together, they explore how this precocious, principled six-year-old girl—who challenged everything from soup to capitalism—shaped generation…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with Tony winner Will Brill, who will be starring in MEET THE CARTOZIANS off-Broadway this fall. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including the unique process of creating STEREOPHONIC, moving the show from Playwrights Horizons to Broadway, being part of the Tonys campaign, why…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with Tony nominee Stephen Lang. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including his memorable audition for DEATH OF A SALESMAN, a harrowing experience onstage during THE SPEED OF DARKNESS, improvising during rehearsals for A FEW GOOD MEN, how he became the youngest honorary member …
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with Oscar nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including her unconventional path to WEST SIDE STORY, how THE HUMAN COMEDY fulfilled a childhood dream, what Brian De Palma taught her during SCARFACE, the thrill of singing SUNDAY IN THE PARK WIT…
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Calls May Be Recorded: Lipstick, Loneliness, and Late Capitalism with Katharina Volckmer
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Katharina Volckmer joins Adam Biles to discuss her biting, bleakly funny second novel, Calls May Be Recorded for Training and Monitoring Purposes. Set in a London call centre, the book follows Jimmie, a disillusioned former actor trapped in a soul-crushing job, a suffocating home life with his immigrant mother, and an alienating body. Volckmer disc…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my interview with Tony winning actor and director John Benjamin Hickey. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including how Terrence McNally took a chance on him for LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!, the joys of playing opposite Natasha Richardson in CABARET, singing for Stephen Sondheim, reimagining …
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The Shape of Survival: Eimear McBride on Love, Art, and the City
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In this textured conversation, author Eimear McBride joins Adam Biles at Shakespeare and Company to discuss her latest novel The City Changes Its Face. Set in Camden Town in the 1990s, the book revisits characters from The Lesser Bohemians as they navigate the complexities of love, art, aging, trauma, and parenthood. McBride explores the enduring i…
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Today, I’m so excited to announce the 250th episode of Backstage Babble. The mission of the podcast has always been to document Broadway history, and I’m thrilled to welcome a man who has had a profound influence on Broadway history over several eras in his work as a dancer and a choreographer: Wayne Cilento. Tune in to hear some of the stories of …
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Katie Kitamura on Fiction’s Shifting Realities
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Katie Kitamura joins Adam Biles to discuss her remarkable novel Audition. Centred on a middle-aged actress whose settled life is upended by a young man claiming to be her son, Audition blurs the lines between performance, identity, and narrative certainty. Kitamura reflects on the novel’s dual structure—a “rabbit-duck” ambiguity—and her fascination…
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Renton Returns, Sick Boy in Love: Irvine Welsh Reimagines His Antiheroes
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In this electric conversation, Irvine Welsh joins Adam Biles at Shakespeare and Company to discuss Men in Love, the long-awaited sequel to Trainspotting. Picking up moments after Renton's betrayal, Welsh dives deep into the aftermath—friendship, love, addiction, class, and the cultural hangover of 1980s Thatcherism. The pair explore writing authent…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with Broadway poster artist Frank “Fraver” Verlizzo, whose new murder mystery Scenery of the Crime is available anywhere books are sold. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including how the movie of THE LION KING inspired his logo design, showing Angela Lansbury the SWEENEY TODD l…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with Broadway veteran Ann Morrison, who is about to take over the lead role on the tour of KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Tune in to hear some of the stories of her legendary career, including how Stephen Sondheim wrote “Now You Know” for her, her favorite revival of MERILY WE ROLL ALONG, modeling Mary Flynn after Mary …
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Inside the Story Machine: Natasha Brown on Media, Power, and Fiction
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In this episode novelist Natasha Brown joins Adam Biles to discuss her daring second book, Universality. The conversation explores the novel’s structural audacity—opening with a fictional long-read article—and its thematic interrogation of class, race, media narratives, and the modern British middle class. Brown dives into her creation of Leni, a p…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with Adam Grupper, who is currently starring in Joy at the Laura Pels Theater. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including working with Stephen Sondheim on INTO THE WOODS, turning down KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, a memorable mishap during CITY OF ANGELS, a tip from Robert Westenberg…
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Making Sense of Gertrude Stein, with Francesca Wade
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In this rich conversation, Francesca Wade joins Adam Biles to discuss her biography Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife. Wade explores the complexities of Stein’s life, legacy, and literary innovations, foregrounding Stein’s long-overlooked partner, Alice B. Toklas, as a powerful and persistent force behind the myth. They dive into questions of biography,…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with playwright and screenwriter Jonathan Tolins. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including the joke he couldn’t include in the Tony awards, how Barbra Streisand reacted to BUYER AND CELLAR, working with Broadway favorites on ELSBETH, revising the book for ON THE TOWN, the ill-…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with Broadway veteran Sally Murphy, who will recreate her role as Julie Jordan in Carousel my next Backstage Babble Live! concert on Monday, July 7 at 7 PM. In-person and livestream tickets are available here: https://54below.org/events/charles-kirschs-backstage-babble-live-4/ Tune in to hear some of the s…
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Geoff Dyer’s Homework: Family, Class, and Memory
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In this episode, Adam Biles speaks with acclaimed author Geoff Dyer live from Shakespeare and Company about his new memoir, Homework. Dyer reflects on growing up in 1960s Cheltenham, navigating family, class, and the formation of self. With characteristic wit and insight, he paints portraits of his quietly disappointed mother and parsimonious fathe…
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This is a bittersweet day on Backstage Babble. I am proud to present my interview, recorded in January 2025, with legendary Broadway dancer and choreographer Edie Cowan. Ms. Cowan passed away on May 22, 2025 at the age of 88. It is a very sad loss for theater lovers everywhere, and I hope this interview will give you a sense of her humor, talent, a…
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Rebecca Solnit: Changing the Story, Changing the World
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In this powerful in-store conversation, Rebecca Solnit joins Adam Biles to discuss her new book No Straight Road Takes You There — a rallying call for hope, justice, and the reimagining of our collective future. With wit, clarity, and courage, Solnit explores how stories shape our world — and how changing them can change everything. Drawing on deca…
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Today, I’m thrilled to announce my episode with Broadway producer Jeffrey Seller, whose new memoir Theater Kid is available anywhere books are sold. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including celebrating HAMILTON’s tenth anniversary, making RENT accessible to younger audiences, launching a Tony campaign for AVENUE Q, pre…
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The Book That Refuses to End: Catherine Lacey on The Möbius Book
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In this episode of the Shakespeare and Company Podcast, Adam Biles speaks with acclaimed author Catherine Lacey about her daring new work The Möbius Book. Structured as a "Tête-bêche"—two intertwined texts printed back-to-back—the book pairs a memoir chronicling the fallout of a painful breakup with a novella that spirals into the psychological sus…
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