Bridge Theatre Podcast

This week, Pauline Fallowell is joined by Into The Woods’ Assistant Stage Manager, Coral Nelson.

Coral shares what it really means to be part of the backstage team on a show of this scale. With over 20 people working behind the scenes, she reflects on the precision, communication and quick thinking required to keep Into The Woods running smoothly eight times a week.

She discusses her journey into theatre, what drew her to stage management, and the unique challenges of working on a production where timing, coordination and being calm under pressure are everything. From rehearsals to live performance, Coral offers insight into the unseen work that keeps the magic alive.

She also reflects on the collaborative spirit backstage at the Bridge Theatre, and what audiences might be surprised to learn about what happens beyond the curtain.

Because every role has a story – and some of the most important ones happen out of sight.

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

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

Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced, mixed and edited for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan and the team at Pardon Our French Productions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it true you only notice good lighting on bad shows? Pauline Fallowell is joined by Lighting Designer Aideen Malone to explore how light shapes the emotional landscape of Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s dazzling musical.

Aideen reflects on her creative journey in theatre and how light has become her storytelling language. For Into The Woods, the forest is shaped not just by the glorious tree-filled set designed by Tom Scutt, but by shadow and illumination – creating a world that subtly shifts as the characters move from hope to consequence.

She discusses how lighting guides the audience’s emotional focus, how colour and contrast influence mood, and how darkness itself becomes a powerful dramatic tool. From intricate technical precision to instinctive creative choices, Aideen reveals how light helps navigate the musical’s complexity.

She also reflects on the distinctive spatial possibilities (and constraints) of working at the Bridge Theatre, and how lighting transforms the space as the fairy tale edges into something more unsettling.

Because every role has a story – and sometimes, what you see depends entirely on how it’s lit.

Hosted by Pauline Fallowell, Director of Marketing and Audiences at the Bridge Theatre.
Follow the Bridge Theatre Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, watch and subscribe on YouTube, and discover more at bridgetheatre.co.uk.
New episodes every Friday.
Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced, mixed and edited for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan and the team at Pardon Our French Productions.

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

The Bridge Theatre Podcast is back and this time we’re stepping Into The Woods, exploring The Bridge’s latest production of Stephen Sondheim’s complex and deeply human musical.

In our first episode, host Pauline Fallowell is joined by Tom Scutt, the Olivier award winning set and costume designer behind the production.

Tom reflects on his journey through theatre, music and live events, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to visual storytelling. For Into The Woods at The Bridge, the forest becomes not a literal setting, but a shifting inner landscape – defined by uncertainty, consequence and choice.

He also shares what drew him to the piece, how he tackled its fragmented scenes and overlapping narratives, uncovering a depth and urgency that feel strikingly contemporary.

He also reflects on the unique creative possibilities of working at the Bridge Theatre, and what he hopes audiences take away once the fairy tales end.
Because every role has a story – and sometimes, to find it, you need to step off the path.

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

Follow the Bridge Theatre Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, watch and subscribe on YouTube, and discover more at bridgetheatre.co.uk.
New episodes every Friday.
Bridge Theatre Podcast is produced, mixed and edited for the Bridge Theatre by Jonny Bunyan and the team at Pardon Our French Productions.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.