Step into a living story where theatre, music, and spirit collide, and discover how art can awaken something ancient and electric within you. 🎭🔥🎶Welcome to Episode 461 of The Martin Talk Show, where I sit down with the remarkable Robert Bailey, actor, teacher, and creator of a haunting solo performance that feels less like a play and more like a visitation. 👁️✨In “In Some Dark Valley: The Testimony of Reverend Brand,” Robert embodies a circuit preacher from 1870s Appalachia, confronting us with faith, fury, tenderness, and the cost of absolute conviction. Directed by Billy Siegenfeld and inspired in part by Henrik Ibsen’s verse drama Brand, the piece transforms into a deeply personal testimony set against the scarred landscape of post Civil War America. 🌫️📖But this episode goes far beyond plot. We explore the heartbeat behind the work. Robert shares how field recordings of Southern hymns, ballads, blues, and children’s songs became the spark. Music passed from voice to voice, generation to generation, carrying memory like embers in cupped hands. 🎵🕯️We talk about the seismic cultural moment of the folk revival, what Dave Van Ronk once wryly called “The Great Folk Scare,” and how archival voices preserved by Alan Lomax continue to echo through contemporary performance. 🎙️🌾Robert opens up about the books and artists that shaped his journey, from Flannery O’Connor’s fierce spiritual landscapes to Woody Guthrie’s restless autobiography, and the unflinching historical lens of Drew Gilpin Faust. We examine how storytelling can wrestle with war, poverty, faith, class, and redemption without losing its humanity. 📚⚖️This conversation is about artistic courage. About listening to the ghosts in the archive. About allowing history, music, and spirit to move through the body of an actor and into the soul of an audience. 🌌If you are an artist searching for deeper roots, a storyteller craving truth, or simply someone who believes theatre can still shake the rafters of the heart, this episode will stay with you long after the final note fades. 🎬💡

Find out more: https://www.insomedarkvalley.org

As always, connect with Martin via: www.themartintalkshow.com

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Step into a conversation that reignites the soul of British theatre and hands you practical inspiration to sharpen your creative edge 🎭✨ In this powerful Episode 460 of The Martin Talk Show, host Martin Colton sits down with Harry Burton, Kate Maravan, Louise Bangay and Ayvianna Snow, the directors behind the New Actors Centre, to explore how community, craft and courage keep artistry alive.Recorded at the iconic Marylebone Theatre, this episode dives deep into the launch of an exciting new initiative designed to nurture actors, makers and theatre lovers alike 🎬🔥 From January onwards, a vibrant programme of regular classes, courses and masterclasses will open across three studio spaces, led by experienced teachers and visiting practitioners, including acclaimed artists like Harriet Walter and Dominic Cooke 🎶🎭Together, we reflect on the legacy of the Actors Centre, founded in 1978 and supported by giants of British theatre such as Laurence Olivier, Sheila Hancock, Anthony Hopkins, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Julie Walters, Indira Varma, Sam West and Simon Callow 🌱🕯️ We explore how the New Actors Centre is stepping forward to honour that spirit, filling a vital gap and creating a new home where actors can gather, hone their craft and keep the flame of British theatre tradition burning bright.This conversation is a rallying cry for trained professionals seeking to deepen their practice, and for passionate performers with a sincere love of theatre who are ready to grow 🚀💡 Expect insight, history, hope and a reminder that creativity thrives best when it is shared.

The new Actors Centre: https://www.marylebonetheatre.com/news/new-actors-centre-at-marylebone-theatre

As always, connect with Martin via: www.themartintalkshow.com

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Step into an episode that will stretch your imagination, challenge your creative instincts, and remind you why authentic art still matters 🎧✨ This is Episode 459 of The Martin Talk Show, and from the first moment you’ll gain insight, courage, and creative fuel to push beyond comfort and into truth.In this powerful conversation, host Martin Colton sits down with Akashic Gods for Gods and Machines, an episode that explores reinvention, artistic bravery, and the cost and beauty of starting again 🔥🎶 Akashic Gods opens up about her profound transformation from dance music acclaim to a raw, punk rock, indie-fuelled rebirth, stripping everything back in pursuit of honesty and creative freedom.Once celebrated for dance releases supported by global icons like David Guetta and Fatboy Slim, she reflects on walking away from expectations to reconnect with her artistic roots 🌱⚡ What emerges is a fearless conversation about identity, resilience, and trusting your inner compass even when the industry pulls you elsewhere.As a one-woman force, Akashic Gods has commanded legendary stages, from supporting SHALAMAR to performing at Radio 1 Live Roadshows, appearing at Arthur Baker’s Return to New York event, and being featured in the Daily Mirror’s Streets of Peace campaign 🎤🌍 Her journey includes touring with Secret Life and lighting up some of London’s most iconic venues, each chapter adding texture to her evolving story.Now, she returns with renewed purpose and a debut single that marks a defining moment in her career 🎸✨ Gods & Machines, released July 26, 2024, is an alternative indie-punk anthem born from the pandemic-era Orbit To Landfall project. Channeling the spirit of icons like David Bowie, Grace Jones, and Lenny Kravitz, the track blends bass, guitars, drums, and beats into a soundscape that feels both elegant and feral 🎵⚙️💫🎧 This episode dives deep into that process, revealing how vulnerability, patience, and conviction shape music that truly connects.This is not just a chat, it’s a meditation on courage, creativity, and reclaiming your voice in a noisy world 🌌🖤 If you’re an artist, a creative, or someone standing on the edge of change, this conversation will meet you right there.

As always, connect with Martin via: www.themartintalkshow.com

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