A Manchester-centric local podcast hosted by a local actor, Steve Connolly, who chats with other local performers. The 'sell' in this podcast series though is something a little different, and I quote....
"Two Lines In Doctors is about people like us who dare to dream that they can be actors. People who are doing it a bit differently, who may have had a whole other career, who may not have gone to drama school, who may be older. People who keep on believing because they are passionate despite the hilarious amount of kickbacks and disappointments. Who inspires us? How can we support each other?"
In other words, this podcast is for those who have tried other career paths and are considerably older than the youth and early teenagers coming from Drama Schools - a kind of support network for those who have come to acting later on in life. It's a really lovely idea, and very praiseworthy.
In this episode we listen to and about Marcy Hazell, an honorary Manc originally from Northern Ireland, and how she came to Manchester to study art at the Met univeristy, but then went from briefly owning a gallery, to dreaming about a cafe bar gallery. So in order to get a handle on the business she started from the bottom up and was a waitress before finally owning and managing her own Tea shop.
Tea is something she is still very passionate about and continues to vlog about it and sell it under her own brand 'Parched'.
She talks about her selling her Arndale Market shop - in a way only the mafia could have done better - by acepting a suitcase full of £50 notes! She talks about having to have urgent surgery which involved the removal of a rib. And of her finally getting down to her other passion, acting. Of joining an agency, of taking acting classes, of having walk-on / extra work, and of finally 'making it'!
An Elvis Presley-lover, and Manchester United supporter, she now works very hard in many varying aspects of the industry, such a Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, Roleplay, Promo Work, Fringe Theatre, Rehearsed Readings and she even tells of the time she did skin work as Manchester City's mascot! That really went against the grain for her, but she just thought of the money!
There are a couple of nice little anecdotes in the podcast too. Especially one in which she talks about being an extra as a midwife on Coronation Street and having to deliver Michelle Keegan's baby.
The podcast is 60 minutes long, and to be honest it did drag somewhat. As lovely as it was to listen to two mates chat, it became rather introvert and almost as if I were on the outside voyeuristically listening in on a private conversation. There was little effort only to include the listener into this tete-a-tete. The problem being I think that Steve and Marcy are good friends already and so they did tend to joke between themselves and exclude the listener, whiich was a shame.
At the end of the podcasst, there was a competition question. All you have to do is to answer the following question and you could be in with a chance of winning an exclusive limited edition Two Lines In Doctors mug. The question was, " Where does Steve's sister live?" Email your answers to twolinesindoctors@gmail.com.
Reviewer - Chris Benchley
on - 14/8/19
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