Review: The PlayMakers Podcast

The PlayMakers programme from Manchester-based theatre company Box of Tricks is a creative network of Northern playwrights and theatre makers: an ‘engine room for new plays’. Offering masterclasses and residencies, Box of Tricks commissions new work through this programme and creates ongoing relationships with playwrights. The PlayMakers podcast is an offshoot of the programme, showcasing a range of conversations with people working in writing and creating theatre.

The podcast showcases predominantly northern voices, interviewing those from within the Box of Tricks family and beyond. Highlights include Succession staff writer Jamie Carragher, theatre director Matthew Xia and actor Lauren-Nicole Mayes, who took her one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe last year. Hosted by director and dramaturg Karla Marie Sweet, the conversations tend to explore how the interviewees entered the industry, found their speciality and gave their art a broader platform.

They are often asked why they chose the discipline they ended up working in, and how they reached this decision – a conversation which would be particularly useful for A Level students to listen to as they themselves work out their own route into the industry. Many of the interviewees have segued from one discipline to another, which adds another dimension to the podcast discussions.

One of the fallbacks of interviewing writers who aren't media trained is that they will speak in generalisations. The interviewer often needs to work harder to bring out the more nuanced or interesting stories. While Sweet is an excellent conversationalist, the edit could be tighter and the questions more probing and reactive.

While the PlayMakers Podcast might not offer anything particularly innovative in terms of format, it's a worthwhile listen for anyone interested in getting into playwriting or play development.