This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:08] John Schwab: Hi, John Schwab here from Curtain Call, and welcome to episode 77 of the Curtain Call Theatre Podcast.

[0:14] John Schwab: The podcast that brings you backstage as close as you possibly can be, often while shows are happening, to meet the people that make theater happen.

[0:23] John Schwab: It's great to have you all here, and if it's your first time, welcome. You are welcome. You're in a safe place.

[0:44] John Schwab: Yet. And now for this week's podcast. Um, while we were posting a job on our Curtain Call Jobs board, that's a little plug there. We do have a jobs board on CurtainCallOnline.com. Just visit the site and see if there's a job up there for you.

[0:59] John Schwab: Uh while we were posting a job up on the Curtain Call Jobs board, I came across a company that made me sit up and take notice. Uh, first the name HandleBards. Catchy, right? Uh and then I saw the job description, uh, which they were uh was basically, you know, ride a bike 30 miles a day and perform Shakespeare by night. Um, I knew I just had to get in touch to find out more.

[1:23] John Schwab: I sat down and talked to Tom Dixon, a founding HandleBard and their producer, uh, about their charmingly chaotic bicycle-powered Shakespeare. Um, as it says on their website. Unfortunately, what we didn't talk while recording, uh, had to let you in on this, was the story of their first tour. Um, when their director, James Farrell had a nasty fall, and literally, and I'm not using that word in the Kardashian way, literally, James literally fell and broke his ass.

[1:52] John Schwab: But the show went on, and that's the kind of thing the HandleBards have to put up with all the time. Now, fortunately for you listening at home or wherever you are listening, there were plenty of other things that we talked about, including how they started, their upcoming tours, views on sustainable theatre, their company's vision, and so so much more. So let's just dive in. Have a listen sitting here in the old deck.

[2:33] John Schwab: And I would love to start with your origin story. Because I think a few people have heard of you that may not know where you guys came from. It feels like you've exploded onto the scene as well. I know you've come from nowhere. Nothing's no nothing's an overlay success.

[2:50] Tom Dixon: Yeah, yeah. Can you take me through the origins of what you guys are?

[2:54] Tom Dixon: Sure, yeah, of course. Um so uh about five years ago, um my best friend, um Paul got in touch with me, said, uh, I've got this idea. Um I think we should do Shakespeare and cycle around the country.

[3:09] Tom Dixon: And good idea. I said, you're mad, but yeah, sure, why not? And so uh Paul, I, and uh Callum, uh who is a friend of his from Durham, and another guy called Callum Brody, who we uh hired uh to bring on board with us. Uh the first company setup, we we we interviewed some directors. We've got a director, um, and a city uh called James Farrell, and an assistant director, Emma Sampson.

[3:38] Tom Dixon: So between the six of us, we kind of threw together um Twelfth Night and Romeo and Juliet over about a week. As you do, just throw it together. Um we we we was in and then we we we got a train up to Glasgow, we had a couple extra days of rehearsal, and then we started the tour from there, and we cycled in our first year. Uh we cycled down from Glasgow uh through to London, and it it's an amazing experience actually. But we thought it was only that.

[4:10] Tom Dixon: We thought it was a summer experience straight out of university, let's let's have a good time, and then um you know, that'll be that. And then lo and behold, here we are five years later, still going. Um people just seem to enjoy the product, uh they enjoy the shows, it's four-handers, four people doing Shakespeare, but also incorporating the bikes into the shows as well, so bicycle themed props, and so everyone knows that we cycle from venue to venue.

[4:40] Tom Dixon: And I think there was a real sense of camaraderie with our audiences. They they they they felt for us that we'd cycled that day, but they could also tell that we were just a group of friends having fun, and I think that really came across in our shows that we were really enjoying ourselves, and so that energy I I'd like to think was quite infectious, and is why we're still touring today.

[5:03] Tom Dixon: It's crucial. No one wants to see a group of actors who are miserable.

[5:08] John Schwab: Looking miserable.

[5:10] Tom Dixon: Well, we've all seen it, yeah.

[5:11] John Schwab: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. But that's I mean, that that does I mean it is a kind of a giant leap from like an idea like, hey, let's let's do some Shakespeare and cycle, but I mean because it's it's not it's not a gimmick, it's just it's a functional thing of being venue to venue, and it's a way to put on a tour.

[5:30] Tom Dixon: It's good. There's a journey.

[5:31] John Schwab: Yeah, absolutely. Sorry, mind the pun, but there is a journey of of a real kind of I don't know, it it harkens back to the day of traveling troops of actors visiting places wherever wherever that place may be, yeah, and putting on a show for local punters.

[5:46] Tom Dixon: It's it's something that we've kind of we've talked about a lot in the past actually. It's uh you know, if if back in Shakespeare's day, imagine it was horse and car, you know, for us it's it's bicycles.

[5:57] Tom Dixon: Yeah. Um and we do we perform in theaters, in gardens, in you know stately homes, in bicycle yards, you know, council properties, amphitheaters, wherever we can go.

[6:10] John Schwab: Yeah.

[6:10] Tom Dixon: The beauty of it is we carry all of the set props and costumes on the back of the bike.

[6:14] Tom Dixon: So you're limited in what you can carry. You've um you've got to be innovative and creative with your with your props and your costumes. Um and so because of that, because of that limitation, you can literally fit the show anywhere.

[6:29] John Schwab: Yeah.

[6:29] Tom Dixon: And we have been, I think, in every possible different shape inside. I mean take you know, I'm sure people want to hear what are the like the craziest things.

[6:39] Tom Dixon: Okay, so um there's a in in Dundee there's the HMS frigate unicorn, which is a frigate boat that has not that was built but but never sailed. So that's just sat in in in the docks there and we've performed on that on the day. You know, maybe that frigate finally thought, I've arrived.

[6:56] Tom Dixon: And you know, it's apparently it's haunted and we've we've stayed there overnight. It's been on like a most haunted TV show, and we've stayed there, and a couple of our customers stayed there overnight.

[7:05] Tom Dixon: Um, other ones, you know, a crazy one was we were looking for venues in our first year, and I called uh a bicycle shop and I spoke to them about this idea, and and I if they knew any venues local to the area, and they said, you know what? Just why don't you just do it in our yard?

[7:22] Tom Dixon: And every year, every new cast that we have, they turn up to this bicycle yard in Sheffield, and it is just it's a concrete slab.

[7:29] Tom Dixon: Yeah, uh, and they look and they're like, Where have you brought us? You know, we've we've performed in some national trust venues, and now we're in we're in such a concrete yard. Pay what you can show, and so everyone's a bit like is anyone gonna turn up every year without fail, uh 200 to 300 people just rock up from the local community, amazing.

[7:52] Tom Dixon: They cram into this yard. I mean, I imagine health and safety on that isn't not great, but it's the and they we just have the best experience with them, and because it's so enclosed, there's a huge connection with our audience, and something which we really we thrive off is that connection.

[8:09] Tom Dixon: We do a lot of you know, talking to our audience and audience participation in the shows, so it is a lot about that, and the the atmosphere at those shows every year electric to the point now where the local development uh Healy Development Trust are investing in turning that bicycle yard into a mini amphitheatre.

[8:28] John Schwab: So it's it's a great little story.

[8:29] Tom Dixon: Yeah, that's cool.

[8:30] John Schwab: That's a fantastic story. I mean, where do you guys sleep?

[8:34] Tom Dixon: We uh because I've seen on the website, I see photographs of these you're trailing these, you know, the trick little trailers.

[8:40] Tom Dixon: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The bicycle trailers, yeah. We that's where we keep all the set props and costumes. We um it it it varies.

[8:47] Tom Dixon: We as I said, just like you know, sometimes we stay at the venue, sometimes we camp.

[8:51] Tom Dixon: Yeah, um, and you know, if we're if we're if we're lucky, sometimes it's hotels.

[8:56] Tom Dixon: Uh it it varies, but some of some of the best ones are where you can actually stay in the venue, I think.

[9:02] Tom Dixon: That's such it's such a great experience getting to stay places that that no one else would have got to stay. In in Scotland uh we have a few venues where we camp and it's I I don't know if you've been to Scotland with yourself, but it's just stunning.

[9:16] Tom Dixon: Yeah, like waking up to in these beautiful country houses but in their gardens and stuff and just yeah, it's it's it's an all-encompassing adventure being part of these tours, um which is what we sell it as when we're when we're hiring actors now.

[9:32] Tom Dixon: It's this isn't your average acting, J you gotta be in it for the adventure.

[9:36] John Schwab: Yeah, I think it's fantastic. I mean you know, in my Ruby Shakespeare company days, I think we did a hundred and nineteen venues in two hundred and ten days of our time.

[9:49] John Schwab: And that was I mean that's a lot, too. You gotta play the ninety seat Wichita Arts Theatre to the you know, Liverpool, whatever it is, Empire looks massive.

[9:59] John Schwab: You're gonna go, holy crap.

[10:01] Tom Dixon: Yeah, yeah. But uh you know, or the Bristol Hippodrome, you know, which is bar, you know, it's it's a lovely bar.

[10:07] John Schwab: Yeah, yeah.

[10:08] Tom Dixon: I think the adventure thing for me, I think I cut my teeth.

[10:11] Tom Dixon: I mean, I I'm guaranteed that the actors that you get will learn more about performing doing your tours than they would ever have got from drama school or any other show where they're set, you know.

[10:24] Tom Dixon: I think they're put through the they're put through quite uh a trial as well of you know, it's uh it's a standard day is you you're waking up, you're packing up the bikes, you're cycling thirty miles on average in rain, in sun, snow ne never snow.

[10:40] Tom Dixon: We we we cycle during the summer months, we avoid the snow. Um, and and then you know, so including a lunch break, and uh you're taking four to five hours because of how heavy all of the equipment is and all of the hills.

[10:54] Tom Dixon: And then you're setting up for a show, you're you're performing a show, a very audience interactive, heavy show, so there's got a bit a lot of charisma there.

[11:02] Tom Dixon: You're packing down, and then occasionally you're then camping as well, and then you repeat the next day, like they are put through their paces.

[11:08] John Schwab: Yeah.

[11:09] Tom Dixon: But but that like you said, that's that's a part of it. And you you learn so much.

[11:14] Tom Dixon: And I I'd like to think I mean, we certainly got it in our first years when we were acting in the shows, and any actors who've worked with us since have said it's it's in a it's an experience, it's an adventure.

[11:26] John Schwab: And do you just take the actors? Do you take is there anyone that goes on tour with with the actors?

[11:31] Tom Dixon: Uh in our first years it was just us.

[11:33] Tom Dixon: Uh these days we take uh a company manager as well, um just to kind of I mean the basic premise of the company manager I think is to help with with the wake the actors up.

[11:42] John Schwab: Yeah, wake the actors up, yeah, yeah, and you know, pull them out of the tents, and you know, when the actors are uh legs are in serious pain from pulling that trailer up the hill, the company manager is you know the one to there to to pick them up and to to pull the trailer.

[11:57] Tom Dixon: Yeah. Um it's it's definitely important to have someone on the road with them.

[12:01] Tom Dixon: Yeah, um but every year we take uh you know, because it's all it's I suppose we we put ourselves in a position where we're the only ones who really truly know what it's like to run a cycle to a cycling theatre tour.

[12:16] Tom Dixon: We're only ones mad enough to do it. And so every year when we get a new troop cycling, if if we aren't going on the road with them, we'll train them for two weeks, we'll teach them you know the best way to pack your bike, the best way to, you know, if if someone's struggling with a trailer, how best to push them up a hill.

[12:32] Tom Dixon: Like there's there's so many little tricks and stuff that you don't think about.

[12:36] John Schwab: Yeah, of course. I'm just thinking like they must have some sort of, you know, people in Starlight Express go to skating school. People in the HandleBards must definitely go to a bike school repairing punctures or all of that stuff, yeah.

[12:47] Tom Dixon: And so we we always send people on a uh cycle proficiency course if they haven't cycled before, that's quite important. Just or or if they haven't driven before.

[12:54] Tom Dixon: I think road safety. If you if you're a driver, you've got a good understanding, but if you're not, it's it's a new new world.

[13:02] Tom Dixon: But of course, if you're on B-roads in the country.

[13:04] John Schwab: Yeah, yeah.

[13:05] Tom Dixon: And and then, you know, like you said, fixing points, and the stuff that even cyclists can't uh even plan for, yeah, which is the idea of carrying this you know, 20 kilo trailer um full of weight up a very steep hill.

[13:23] Tom Dixon: Like, how do you how do you think it's a good thing? How do you train for that? You know what I mean?

[13:27] John Schwab: Yeah.

[13:27] Tom Dixon: So it is it is very much a matter of learning on the job, and so we we go and we go out with them.

[13:32] Tom Dixon: And I I love going back out on the bike. I I love the cycling. It's such a beautiful way to see this country.

[13:38] Tom Dixon: Oh man, England is, you know, I'm uh I'm American, obviously, sometimes claim to be Canadian these days, but there you go.

[13:47] Tom Dixon: Um, there is uh there's nothing like England in the summer. You know, it's just the most beautiful country in the summer. As long as it's sunny.

[13:56] John Schwab: Okay, yes, true.

[13:59] Tom Dixon: Um, I want to take you back now because we talked about, you know, five years ago. I mean, um, we talked before we pressed record about having an idea that's that once you put into action kind of grows on its own beyond what you can control or necessarily would have imagined.

[14:21] John Schwab: Yeah.

[14:21] Tom Dixon: So when did that kind of um when did that time come and click into you guys' heads that hold on, we're on to something here? And and and then, you know, beyond that, it was not just you, because I mean everyone can think, oh, I've got a great idea and it's fabulous, I'm great. You've got to get the people in.

[14:40] John Schwab: Yeah.

[14:40] Tom Dixon: People will let you know if you're fabulous and great and wanted. When did it first click?

[14:45] Tom Dixon: I suppose it first when we were incredibly fortunate in our second year, we had a uh a really nice garlic show. So we cycled in our second year, it was the same four again. This time we cycled from London all the way up to Edinburgh, around northern Scotland. We then got ferry over to Europe and we did uh Amsterdam down to Belgium, Eurostar back to London. And we did a nice big show at the end in London to celebrate returning, and uh we managed to get Ian McKellen to come along, which was great. And that was the first like okay, this is cool, you know, this is getting garnering some interest.

[15:22] Tom Dixon: And it was only then in the years after that, the third year where we when we started doing our international work as well. So we started going abroad that we started realizing people would come up to us and say, oh, I've heard of you guys, and you'd be like, I'm sorry. What? Say that again?

[15:39] Tom Dixon: Yeah, I've heard of the HandleBards. And you're like, where and how? And it's so weird because you you don't it just kind of you're right, it sneaks up on you. You don't realize, but suddenly people are talking about you and in a nice way behind your backs.

[15:56] John Schwab: Yeah, I mean, um, and so that kind of happened in our third year and then as we've done more international work, I mean in India in particular in Bangalore, we've we have a in India in Bangalore with the it's we have a great audience base there and they they absolutely love the show.

[16:14] Tom Dixon: Um, and so we so that when we went there after the first time we were we were performing in theaters there as well. So you know, um audiences of 200-300 in a theatre, and after spending three years, you know, on a bike and and of sometimes in very small outdoor venues, so suddenly going into theatres, uh sell out and very uh loud, very intelligent audiences the ending and audiences with just an incredible like whoa, actually this this is kind of cool what we're on to here.

[16:45] John Schwab: Yeah.

[16:45] Tom Dixon: And then it's just and then grown since then. And so in our fourth year we we introduced an old female troop because we in the first instance were an all-male troop.

[16:53] John Schwab: Yeah.

[16:53] Tom Dixon: And that expansion has only been met with a positive response across the board. So I think we just keep trialing, adding new new new things, you know, and and seeing if we're still people are still taking that.

[17:04] John Schwab: And every time we add something new, people seem to enjoy it, which is it's great.

[17:09] John Schwab: Yeah, and so you've got you must have expanded now.

[17:12] Tom Dixon: So the four of you now have expensive.

[17:14] Tom Dixon: Oh yeah, yeah, new new new new places. So so we we acted in it for quite a long time. Um myself and Callum Brody acted in it um for four tours, yeah, I suppose. But but we now I mean this year we're auditioning for an entirely new boys' troupe.

[17:30] John Schwab: Right.

[17:31] Tom Dixon: We're we're bringing in old one of the old girls' shows back out again. Um we kind of produce full-time, we're bringing on an assistant producer, new company managers, and so yeah, the the team, the the core team is growing.

[17:46] John Schwab: That's great.

[17:46] Tom Dixon: And it's it's really exciting. But like I said, you kind of you suddenly caught God, you know, this started four friends out for a laugh, and suddenly here we are hiring people.

[18:00] John Schwab: It's a great way to grow up, Thomas.

[18:01] Tom Dixon: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, you know, it's a great way to kind of go, Well, I didn't expect to be running a tech company.

[18:07] John Schwab: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[18:08] Tom Dixon: You don't expect you, you know. I'm still an actor, you know, yeah, an actor because I have to be.

[18:12] Tom Dixon: You know, you're an actor because you have to be. Not just because I want to, but yeah, I have to do it. It's it's something that's in my blood. Um, but all that's done is expanded my, you know, I've grown up and grown kind of different muscles, yeah, yeah, as it were, you know.

[18:28] John Schwab: And um I think that what you guys are doing is I think it's kind of I'm sure you get this, is that it brings in a new audience for Shakespeare, you know, which is always difficult, you know, in America growing up.

[18:44] Tom Dixon: We don't get a lot of Shakespeare, at least at least I didn't. Where you know, I was a military brat so travel over, but also in high schools, you gotta get Hamlet, yeah, Othello, you know, Romeo and Juliet always, you know, kind of thing.

[18:57] John Schwab: So just but having something that's you know a little bit more accessible for for somebody go, wait, I can ride a bike and then I can do Shakespeare or like I I thought Shakespeare's all stuffy, and yeah, and we're quite fortunate in that uh a lot of our audiences say, and a lot of reviews do say that our the way we go about it is very accessible.

[19:19] Tom Dixon: And I I don't know where that comes from. I think that comes from um this the challenge that comes with cycling and again this coming back to this idea of it's a very it's a family unit, despite the fact that we've expanded.

[19:37] Tom Dixon: And that that that uh friendship and that family vibe then translates into shows.

[19:45] Tom Dixon: Yeah, and then the audience feel like they're it's not they're not just coming along to see Shakespeare, they're coming to join an experience where we're having a this one experience together, and no two shows are gonna be the same, and they are experiencing this one special show with us, and that's that's such a great because you guys are getting up and going.

[20:06] John Schwab: It is just the one just that one, and then we're off again, exactly.

[20:08] Tom Dixon: And there's something exciting about that.

[20:10] Tom Dixon: And just it it's true. No two shows are the same, you know. When you know, there's a lot of stealing picnics and audience interaction, and and audiences, you know, at the most you just never know what they're going to do when you bring them up on stage.

[20:22] John Schwab: Of course.

[20:23] Tom Dixon: And uh it's just it's I mean, I know people sweat when you say audience participation, you know, and but it's it's not uh it's but we in Reduce Shakespeare Company, we do that all the time.

[20:35] John Schwab: Yeah, yeah.

[20:36] Tom Dixon: Every show has an audience, APV, audience build participation.

[20:40] John Schwab: APB.

[20:41] Tom Dixon: And it was always our favorite part of the show. Just because we never know.

[20:46] Tom Dixon: Oh, sometimes it fails spectacularly.

[20:48] John Schwab: Oh, yeah.

[20:48] Tom Dixon: But but most times it was glorious, you know, and you it is because it's that one show, yeah.

[20:54] John Schwab: No one's ever gonna have that that experience again.

[20:58] John Schwab: So, what are your plans? Um, before we get to where are you're gonna be this summer and what you're doing, what is w ha has the HandleBards got some like a grand plan for taking it to America, you know?

[21:11] Tom Dixon: Or is it you know starting what was the vision you have, Tom?

[21:17] Tom Dixon: So so at the moment we uh we we continue to do our our summer cycling tour, that's a big part of what we do. We've we've expanded to do a lot of uh international touring in around Southeast Asia and India, and in we we go to uh a festival in Zimbabwe every year, which is all really exciting.

[21:35] Tom Dixon: Going to America is a big thing that we'd like to do. We actually um we we were so a company got in touch with us recently from America, right? Who and this is another one of those things of people talking about you and having no idea about it, but they'd seen I don't know if they they'd heard of us or they'd seen our website and they were inspired by what we did.

[21:54] Tom Dixon: So they got on their bikes and they cycled across America. Um perform much they cycled much further than we do every day because I think you'd have to to get it. I think they went across the wind of America and they did about 30 shows as they went.

[22:09] Tom Dixon: So apparently we've already inspired another cycling Shakespeare to happen there, but we are absolutely hoping to go to America and cycle across America at one point and perform like that.

[22:17] John Schwab: I think I think the shows are going down really well though.

[22:20] Tom Dixon: I'm I'm sure they would. I'm sure they will.

[22:22] Tom Dixon: And also a massive, massive driver for the next few years is to kind of spearhead, be like the spearhead of of sustainable theatre.

[22:30] John Schwab: Yeah.

[22:31] Tom Dixon: And it's really really important to us. Uh in terms of and and you know, I'm seeing what I'm glad I'm seeing now actually is it's becoming more of a serious issue in the news.

[22:42] Tom Dixon: Yeah, I think you've probably seen a lot recently. Stuff like plastics and plastics in the ocean have become a massive news story to do. And you know it's something that we've always advocated in a really positive way, in that we go, look, we're cycling to shows, you know, we're not expecting you to you know to cycle from London to Edinburgh.

[23:01] Tom Dixon: Yeah, but just these small changes in your life don't have to be difficult. They don't have to be hard. We're still we're still having fun.

[23:08] Tom Dixon: Yeah, you know, we're still having a laughter in Shakespeare, even though we cycle every day, and we're kind of working towards doing more things I uh you know that are more sustainable and encourage our audiences to be more sustainable as well, to the point where you know if you can start getting audiences to cycle to your shows, what an incredible thing.

[23:27] Tom Dixon: And that's that's a real real driver for us over the next few years, is to is to encourage the the theatre industry because I I I've I said it recently in uh in an interview.

[23:39] Tom Dixon: I I think it's our responsibility as as a creative industry. So many people, you know, they they watch films, they watch TV, they watch theatre, they're inspired by it, they they engage with it as on a really visceral level.

[23:53] Tom Dixon: I feel like it's our responsibility with having that captive audience to to put this sustainable message across.

[23:59] John Schwab: No, absolutely.

[24:00] Tom Dixon: Listen, we can't be a wasteful industry.

[24:02] Tom Dixon: Yeah, you can build a set and it goes on a trashy, you know. I I get it, you know. Again, it's great to be spiritheading, to be a vocal kind of company and and visible as well.

[24:14] John Schwab: Yeah.

[24:16] Tom Dixon: Good on you, man. I know that you guys were nominated for an award for your sustainability, that's right.

[24:20] John Schwab: Which is great, you know.

[24:22] Tom Dixon: Um next time around you win, we'll make sure.

[24:25] John Schwab: Uh and um so what what's happening this summer? Can you can you let people know if you want to see the HandleBards. Where will you be?

[24:34] Tom Dixon: So uh we've got two tours this summer. We got our all female Romeo and Juliet, and our all-male 12th Night.

[24:42] John Schwab: Nice, and they'll be all across all across the UK this summer.

[24:47] Tom Dixon: The boys are actually hopping over to Germany for a short spell just for a festival in Dusseldorf. But other than that, yeah, we're all across the UK. Regional theaters, National Trust pennies, nice gardens, castles, wherever you know.

[25:02] John Schwab: And so they can find out all about that on our website.

[25:05] Tom Dixon: Well, cool. I'll put in the show notes. I'll put links to the website the website and everything else, but Tom, that's great. Thanks very much.

[25:11] John Schwab: Thanks very much for talking to us.

[25:13] Tom Dixon: And a pleasure.

[25:14] John Schwab: Go see you. Get on your bikes.

[25:21] John Schwab: Tom Dixon there, founding member and producer of the Incredible HandleBards. Now, what you also didn't hear was me making a promise to visit the guys on tour and doing a little trip with them on one of their legs this summer.

[25:33] John Schwab: I think it's time for me to do a little research on the distance between their tour stops, because it looks like Matt and I are gonna have to get saddle ready. Which should be fun.

[25:41] John Schwab: Uh now, before we wrap up, if you are a theater professional, you need to head on over to curtaincallonline.com and sign up for a free profile page.

[25:49] John Schwab: All you have to do is create an account with an email address, make up a cool password, and away you go. That's for people working on stage, backstage, creatives, producers, theaters, anything.

[26:00] John Schwab: If you're in the theater industry, you need a profile on Curtain Call. Uh it's called the IMDB of theater, and there's a reason. Your theater credits start linking to everyone else's.

[26:09] John Schwab: Start showing who you worked with, not just who you worked for. Uh so once you sign up, you start putting in your theater credits, which our database team will verify and make sure they um start linking to other credits on our site.

[26:20] John Schwab: But you can also list your TV, film, commercial, voiceover, corporate, drama school credits, whatever. Put it up there. If you've done it, get it up there along with your showreel, voice reel, social feeds, and more, and it's all free.

[26:33] John Schwab: You can follow us on all the socials, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at Curtain Call.

[26:38] John Schwab: We'd love to hear from you if you have any suggestions or feedback for the podcast. Get in touch with us via any of the social media platforms I just mentioned, or you can write to me personally at John at Curtain Call Online.com, and that is John with an H.

[26:51] John Schwab: I'd like to end this episode with a big thank you to Tom Dixon and all his fellow HandleBards. Go to handlebards.com to find out tour dates for the girls and boys tours and to find out how you can get involved.

[27:03] John Schwab: Safe journey, guys, and see you on your travels. I'm feeling sore already.

[27:09] John Schwab: Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Curtain Call Theater Podcast, and I will catch you all next week. Bye.