It Pays the Bills

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! This will be our last episode, and I want to thank all of our listeners and readers that have followed along this podcast’s journey. All good things must come to an end, and while my curiosity about what creatives are doing to survive remains strong, the reality of running a regular podcast alongside my own creative pursuits and full-time work is too much at the...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Lucy Buncombe, an actor and workshop facilitator. We chatting about Lucy’s various and varying day jobs, her current pursuits (including facilitating weekly play reading workshops!), and more. A bit about Lucy: Lucy Buncombe is an actor based in London who graduated from Mountview last year. Her recent credits include INK Festival, NewsRevue, Rea...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Holly Gibson, a singer, dancer, and choreographer. Holly and I chatted all about her life at sea, her life on land, and everything in between. A bit about Holly: Holly has worked as a dance teacher and choreographer for over 15 years. She has taught for multiple dance schools and franchises in both specialized dance and musical theatre, winning m...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Zoe Morris, a director, writer, and lawyer. She and I actually met years ago during a day job, so it was great to sit down with her and chat about her writing process, her winding career, and her next projects. A bit about Zoe: Zoe trained as a theatre director graduating from her Masters at Mountview in 2018. She has an interest in shows that de...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Niall Hemingway, a London-based actor and writer. We chatted about their journey as an actor, writer, and teacher, and the difference between writing for print and for stage! A bit about Niall: Niall Hemingway is an actor and writer based in London. They graduated from the Courtyard Theatre Training Company with a BA in Acting. Their debut novel...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Dillon Brown, a newly-graduated director and writer. We chatted about the state of film, Dillon’s university project, which was screened at the BFI, and more! A bit about Dillon: Dillon Brown is a Horror writer / director by day but a waiter at a French restaurant by night. Dillon recently graduated a film production course at London Metropolitan...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Gabrielle MacPherson, whose love of performing and comedy finally led her to stand-up after a drunken bet with a friend. We chatted about comedy, the importance of youth arts, and all of Gabrielle’s previous day jobs. A bit about Gabrielle: Gabrielle is a proud working class, northerner who started stand up comedy a couple of years ago. Since the...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is George Hider, who’s day job and creative pursuits merge brilliantly in his work at the London Dungeon. We chatted about staying creative, George’s cheesemongering experiences, and more. A bit about George: George never set out to become a “Scream Queen” - it just sort of happened. As a multi-hyphenate actor-writer-comedian-content creator, he is...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Bethany, an actor, singer, and small business owner. We chatted about how Bethany’s goals have changed through the years, why she enjoys teaching so much, and how she’s shaping the next generation through inclusive performing arts. A bit about Bethany: After graduating from Bird College, Bethany has gone on to work as a vocalist internationally,...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills, and welcome to our first episode of 2025! Today’s guest is Arieta Visoka, an actor, poet, and barista. We chatted about Arieta’s past and present day jobs, her approach to comedy, and how she develops her characters. A bit about Arieta: Arieta is a British Albanian Actor from Kosova who graduated from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2019. Her credits includ...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Hannah Johnson, a comedy actor, improviser, and dog walker. We chatted about following two interests at once, how to build up comedy chops, and the joy of looking after dogs daily. A bit about Hannah: Hannah graduated from Guildford School of Acting in 2020. Recently: Gang Bang at the Edinburgh Fringe 2024. Studied Comedy Improv with Hoopla and C...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Hannah-Theresa Engen, who leads a double life in musical theatre and the heavy metal music industry. We had a great chat about everything from Hannah-Theresa’s arts background and her time playing the trumpet to her least favorite job and how she stays creative in busy London. A bit about Hannah-Theresa: Hannah-Theresa Engen is a musical theatre...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Steph Darcey, a London-based actor, singer, and writer, who took inspiration from her job turning the dials for autocue and turned it into a hilarious political comedy about AMEXA: The Robot Politician. A bit about Steph: Steph Darcey is an actor, writer, singer, improviser & comedian. Steph recently performed her debut comedy show ‘Prototype’ (a...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guests are Helen Cunningham and Nikoletta Soumelidis, our first-ever joint interviewees! We chatted about how they created their production company, 28&2 Productions, how they started theatre, and how they’re staying afloat. A bit about Helen & Nikoletta: Helen Cunningham attended The Oxford School of Drama. An actor and singer who now regularly writes an...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Josefin Tønnessen, who has the distinction of being the first non-actor interviewed on the podcast. We chatted about her love of dancing, her foray into writing for musical theatre, and her latest venture, a new musical theatre programme for all ages. A bit about Josefin: Josefin is a Norwegian actor/writer/teacher based in Oslo. After years of b...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Iris Goldsztajn, who has the distinction of being the first non-actor interviewed on the podcast. We chatted about Iris’ writing career, the rom com she’s been writing, and her future plans and creative goals. A bit about Iris: Iris Goldsztajn is a journalist and author based in London. Her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, Cosmopo...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Aimee Olivia, a globe-trotting actor from Aotearoa/New Zealand, who currently works at the Frog & Bucket Comedy Club in Manchester. In today’s episode, we catch up on comedy vs. acting, her film production company, and jumping on once-in-a-lifetime chances. A bit about Aimee: Aimee Olivia is a Kiwi actress, writer & co-founder of Good Egg Film Pr...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Marnie Yule, an outstanding singer and actor who is pretty constantly making everyone around them laugh. We got to chat with them about their current day job - the not-so-dreaded 9-to-5 - plus some colorful previous jobs to boot! A bit about Marnie: Marnie is a singer, actor and strong mover based in London. After training at Mountview they have...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Millie Thorne, a comedy actor and writer who is about to bring her debut show, Sketchy, to the Edinburgh Fringe! We got to chat with Millie about her creative goals and day jobs past and present, and got to hear a bit more about what she’s planning for the future as well. A bit about Millie: Millie is a Writer/Performer based in Manchester. After...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Harvey Westwood, a triple threat performer with boundless artistic talent. As Harvey boards his cruise job, we thought it would be a great time to ask him about his creative journey so far. A bit about Harvey: Harvey is an actor from Bristol with a degree in Art and Design. In his Musical Theatre career, he is currently playing ADAM in BEETLEJUIC...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Stephen Hayward. Stephen’s journey has been full of varied work and creative exploits, leaving him with a wealth of experiences to draw from as he continues to build his creative life. A bit about Stephen: Stephen is an actor, writer and director based in South London. Having trained at Mountview, Stephen's credit's include Blitz! (Union Theatre)...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Alan Wilson. We chatted about career highs and lows, keeping creative in creative ways, and keeping a positive mental attitude! A bit about Alan: Alan is an actor and podcast host based in North London. Since graduating in 2021 he has been seen in workshops for new musicals, pantomimes and cruise ships. Earlier this year he became a podcast co-ho...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is George Lester. From folding clothes at Primark publishing a book during the pandemic to his award-winning drag act, That Girl, George has had a wealth of experience in and out of creative industries. A bit about George: George Lester is the author of award nominated YA novel Boy Queen, an actor and drag queen based in London. When he’s not living...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Katy Reynard. We chatted about her 10+ years in the hospitality industry, her love of D&D, and how taking a small step back from theatre led to better auditions! A bit about Katy: Katy is a queer Scottish actor based in London, working full time in hospitality, helps run Catapult Theatre London and somehow finds time to play nerd games with her f...

Welcome back to It Pays the Bills! Today’s guest is Lani Calvert, who speaks about the nature of theatre and communication, and why we should all be rioting. A bit about Lani: Lani Calvert is a London based performer, writer and professional loon. She gets a kick out of using comedy to tackle socio-political issues and will be taking her play 'The Room Upstairs' to the Edinburgh Fringe this year!...