This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Josh: Hey Queens, what's going on? It is Josh here with another episode of The Queendom Podcast, and I am really excited about this episode because we have our first return guest coming back to the podcast to chat about an update of life, I guess. Maddie Bulleyment from the UK Tour Cast is here and ready to rumble. And we're really excited to chat just theatre, life, everything. This is a really long episode, guys. So please stick around right to the end because this is just a really amazing chat. It's not like our other episodes. And if you like it, I've got something in the works for you guys later on down the track. But this week Maddie is back. The girls are nearly back on stage, so make sure you're checking out all the SIX official stuff. But you know what time it is. It is time to get down. Here we go. I'm the Queen of the Castle. Get down, you dirty rascal, get out.

[1:03] Josh: Hey Queens, welcome back to The Queendom Podcast. This week we are going for something a little different because we have a return guest coming to join us this week. Maddie B.

[1:11] Maddie Bulleyment: Hello, hello. Hello, how are you?

[1:15] Josh: I am fabulous. I'm trying to figure out when we last spoke to each other.

[1:22] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh gosh. Let me see. Because it's been a hot minute.

[1:25] Josh: It has. Yes, it's been a long time. I think it's close to like three or four months. Like a lot has happened in the last like 26 weeks.

[1:38] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[1:39] Josh: Wow. So that's what we're gonna do today, guys. We're gonna unpack the next 26 weeks and then chat about Maddie going back to work in like three. So yay. Keeping everything crossed. So if you have missed it out already and you haven't listened to Maddie's previous episode, I believe episode 15 is the one you're looking for. So pause right here and go listen. Oh, check it out. If you type up Queendom into Spotify, the podcast is the first thing to come out. How good's that? Um, where are we? Hello, 15? Fift episode 15. Look, I know my podcast, guys. So go listen to that one because it's a banger, and then come back here because this is gonna be like the hangout chill. So learn about Maddie in the first one, and then come here. Um, so in those, what are we at? Twenty-three yeah, 23 weeks since we last spoke. Or even more than that because we recorded beforehand. Um, how have you been? What have you been up to?

[2:36] Maddie Bulleyment: Gosh, I mean, with the brilliant news coming up that hopefully we're going back to the show and everything's going well at the moment, I've been retraining up, you know, getting back to that stamina again. I've been staying fit, but getting back to the stamina of the show, and vocally and physically, um, and mentally as well. I've been preparing, you know, re-going over everything and also, but in the meantime, when I've been chilling, I've kind of I've been binging every sort of Ryan Murphy series there is. I've been doing Hollywood, um pose, um, American Horror Story, Ratchet. I've just been going through all of it. That has been my chill time, and it's been the best. It's been amazing. So, yeah, if you haven't seen those, check them out. Do it, do it, do it, do it.

[3:23] Josh: Um took me through the emotions of finding out we're going back, because we spoke about like the potential and then like not knowing in a couple of months ago, and now we're like yeah close. We're close. So, what's that like for you right now?

[3:39] Maddie Bulleyment: Do you know what? So, when there was news of the potential drive-in tour back way back a few months ago, I got really really excited and really really hyped up and excited about it. Obviously, because it was like we thought it was all going back. And um when we found out, obviously no one, no fault of anyone, just the nature of how everything went, um that it was cancelled. I really was devastated and I had quite a low period after that.

[4:10] Josh: Yeah.

[4:11] Maddie Bulleyment: So weirdly, when this was announced that we were going back, being honest, I kind of was preparing myself for it to not go ahead. I was I was almost thinking, well, don't get your hopes up, don't you know get too invested almost weirdly and kind of protecting myself in a weird way. But what I realized is that I thought, well, I'd actually rather get really excited and really invested and have that low time because then I've enjoyed that time that we've been of being excited about it, yeah, than be on the fence and not feel anything really at all. And I thought so now I'm getting excited about it. Now I thought, okay, it's alright, it's gonna be it's brave to like get excited about something in this time, and it's so you're doing well, Mads.

Like I've been I've been doing that. So now I'm really excited, and now I'm really gearing up and you know, been chatting to I mean we've been chatting to the girls all the way through, but kind of chatting and getting excited and yeah, so it's been and now I'm really excited.

[5:10] Josh: Yeah. We're almost at that point. What is it like right now, like two, three weeks until you go into rehearsal?

[5:15] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes, three six it's about a it's about a month, so four four weeks, three and a half weeks, probably. By the time this airs, guys, it'll be like a week.

[5:25] Josh: And rehearsals um oh that's so cool um and obviously and you see more um so what's yes what's it been like welcoming saying bye to Lauren and then welcoming Carly into the do you know what obviously because we've we're all very close um to Lauren and and that was it was really really heartbreaking because obviously of course you know you don't want to say goodbye to one of your really close friends and and you know I think with the added um not having the kind of not having known that it was her last show. I think if you know knowing that we would have made it like a big thing. Do you know what I mean? But obviously that goes nowhere we could know. Um but at the same time of course you know she's there's it's for it's not for like bad reasons it's for a very like awesome reasons so it's all fine.

[6:15] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah and um so that's very excited and we're all so happy for her and basically um and then I messaged gave Carly a message and and um kind of we had a little chat and voice snow and it's been lovely so I can't wait to meet her I can't wait to meet Carly and it's gonna be great. So yeah she seems like it's gonna fit right in it's just she's very much very similar from what I gather from what we've chatted like she's quite similar to our group anyway so feel like just gonna just slot right in and have fun. I'm so excited to see like the dynamic and everything and it's gonna be so good.

[6:47] Josh: Um so how's Berlin looking after quarantine with your running run through this you've been doing?

[6:54] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh gosh I mean so um I'm definitely getting um the stamina back, but also I think do you know what I was thinking through what I needed to go over, and yes, I mean we we actually had a lot of choreo sessions over Zoom with Carrie in prep to go to the driving tour. So we recapped a lot of stuff, and I've been going through that in my head anyway, and physically I've got quite a good memory in terms of things stay in my head for a long, long, long time. So I feel like I muscle memory wise will be fine with the choreo. It's the lines. So that's what I'm going over at the moment. It's the lines. And I'm telling you now, the big long line about her being, I mean, this is a spoiler, but I mean, I, you know, I'm it's been out for a while. People are listening to the show the podcast at this point, they know it.

[7:46] Josh: Exactly, right?

[7:47] Maddie Bulleyment: So the big long line about her being a feminist, yeah. I cannot tell you what that line is right now. So that is a line that I'll be relearning. Um I honestly, honestly could not tell you.

[8:00] Josh: I know Maddie, you've got me stumped.

[8:03] Maddie Bulleyment: I know. And you you like do you know what I mean? It's one of those lines. Other lines I'm pretty okay, but it's a patriarchal structures one, isn't it?

[8:11] Josh: Yeah, it's the patriarchal structures one.

[8:13] Maddie Bulleyment: Um, I um everyone listening to this right now is just rattling it off the top of their heads while we're sitting here.

[8:19] Josh: Yeah, literally, yeah. You all know it better than I do.

[8:23] Maddie Bulleyment: Um, so yeah, that is where I'm at. That is from now I'm going over that line, and I'm sure it'll pop into our heads at some random point in this session. And I've I just can't remember the start. If I remember the start, it's going. But but I just can't, for the life of me, remember the start.

[8:40] Josh: So it's good.

[8:44] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, I read. That would be me. If I just do it now, I'd be I'm a feminist.

[8:50] Josh: Yes, I read. That would be the line, right? At the moment.

[8:52] Maddie Bulleyment: Same over. So that is where I'm at. That's you know, going over all the lines and and getting that back in. And I'm sure once I've once I've gone over the lines, and once we've done that, it'd be fine. And we've talked about as a group doing a line run and and all that, so it will be it'll be chill.

[9:09] Josh: Yeah, sweet. Um also in this time you did a drive-in. Uh it wasn't the drive-in that we were planning, but the West End Musical Brunch drive-in. How was that whole thing? Getting to see everybody for a while. Because that was like a mini reunion. Um what was that?

[9:24] Maddie Bulleyment: It was so magical. My good friend Chine, who I was in Bridges with, um, Bridges Madison County, she runs this company called West End Musical Brunch that turned into West End Musical Drive-in over um over this time. So if you haven't checked it out, I'm just doing a shameless little plug of my mate, West End Musical Brunch on Instagram. There's some great things, they just just check them out. Um, but um she ran um West End Musical Drive In, and basically we had this event where um she invited lots of the actors from SIX to come and do kind of a couple of songs from musicals, not from SIX but from other musicals. And do you know what was really lovely was I think because we've only ever properly heard everyone sing as the character in the show, it was so lovely to hear everyone sing other things, yeah, and and see what other styles people can bring out.

[10:18] Maddie Bulleyment: And it was just I mean, one performance that stuck out to me was um Shekinah's um Rose's turn, and she just it was just brilliant, and it was just magic, and the whole day was magic, really, but it was such a moment. I thought, oh my gosh, you'd be amazing in this role, and it was that's what I was doing all day. I was like seeing everyone and going, they would be brilliant in that role, they'd be brilliant in that role, and oh my gosh, this song, I haven't heard this for ages, and and then obviously seeing everyone and um socially distance, of course, but you know, seeing everyone and having a laugh and just like falling straight into the pattern.

[10:52] Maddie Bulleyment: And I'm not gonna lie, the the week running up to it, having not done performances for a long time. And I know I'm very grateful that you know I I had the show and I've had a break, and I'm going back to the show, but having not done those performances for a long time, I was absolutely oh, I cannot tell you how nervous I was. So nervous, especially with it being a new event, like you know, in no other universe have we ever experienced standing up in front of a load of cars and singing, like it's just a completely new thing. So um, that when we got there, I honestly thought that I was gonna be the only one, so scared. And I got there, and everyone was there going, Oh my gosh, what's going on?

We're so nervous. So it was so nice because we all kind of came together and and thought, let's just have fun and and have a good time. So it was such a brilliant event, and seeing everyone, just seeing it made me fully, and I knew this anyway, but it reaffirmed how important theatre is in terms of something to look forward to and something to share and and like and memories to to have that you can you can form, and it was so special seeing um seeing everyone's faces like other people were dancing and beeping their horns, and it was just it was just great, it was just lovely.

[12:08] Maddie Bulleyment: So, yeah, very lucky, very lucky. I just I miss theater. I missed live music. Like I was walking through a shopping center the other day, and a band was set up at a bar and they were playing, and I was like, excuse you, hi, what? That's amplified. Hello, I'm just gonna get a drink and sit down for a second.

[12:30] Josh: It's just it's crazy.

[12:34] Maddie Bulleyment: It it baffles me. And we spoke about my idea before the podcast, guys. You'll be made aware of it soon once I get it past through the change. But it baffles me how people still aren't understanding how important live performance, not theatre, but live performance.

[12:52] Josh: Yeah.

[12:52] Maddie Bulleyment: Is to society. Like I'm talking old branches, I'm talking dance, bands, yeah, soloists, theatre. Like it's just it's just I think there's such a there's some places obviously in the world that the arts are so valued and it's just beautiful to see. Like I'm thinking kind of like Paris and and France and being the first thing that sticks out to me. They they're quite immediately I can I I feel like I read that they got funding quite quickly, and a lot of places did get funding quite quickly because they realize how important it is, like they they know how important the arts are, and and uh I think it was quite I didn't realise how demoralizing it felt to have um a government that didn't fully give that support early on.

[13:49] Maddie Bulleyment: But you didn't show any recognition. It was just I didn't realise how demoralizing until I think I'd just been kind of putting it off in my head thinking, oh it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's okay. Almost as a coping thing, and then it got to a point, and I just I I don't know what happened. I think actually it was something had gone round about what funding was going where and when it was going round and what that and I just had a I just broke down into tears and it just kind of I think I realized how how it is how sad it is when you're kind of being constantly not even told that they don't that people don't care about it but it's like the complete ignoring the spoken about yeah yeah and it's like completely ignoring all the these hundreds of people that are thousands of people that are working again not just in musical theatre in in gigs and bands and live art and backstage and and dance and and all this and it's just um even to the point of how useful theatre is as an educational tool as a developmental tool for people with kind of learning um difficulties and disorders like how um you know I saw a video where there's this brilliant company um that drive round in their van and basically they can set up outside someone's house and their sensory play theatre is beautiful and um these little kids are just you can see them light up when they've been missing that and it's just I think people that are doing things like that are just absolute angels right now because it's so it's not just important for like mental health and and just to go to the theatre and as much as that is sh wholly important it's actually how people develop and grow and and exist and I think that's that's what's been difficult I've found seeing it affect such a wide variety of people and it's actually reaffirmed how I know I've already said it but how important it is because I think I did have an internalized thing in my head of when you hear about and it's not been from my family or anyone in my family because everyone's really appreciative of the arts of my family but just in general what you see on media and what you kind of hear little jokes about in school and you know about like acting being useless and all this and it made me realise how internalized that is when you go into the arts and then it's almost I don't know about you but it's made me more confident in saying no this is really important as an industry this is so important and we need to keep this yeah like look at the the three main centres that didn't initially rush to funding the arts are three main epic centres for my performance in the world.

[16:27] Josh: Australia, US US yeah like yeah like I'm haven't really looked into mainland Europe so sorry if I'm missing anything there.

[16:37] Maddie Bulleyment: But yeah no I haven't either those three governments yeah Australia's only just done it in the last like two months.

[16:47] Josh: Yeah but everything else is just like why wasn't this when everybody like and it took like it still isn't happening everywhere. Like everyone's speaking about it and trying to get it out there but it's just falling up their fears.

[17:02] Maddie Bulleyment: So because the thing is the really hard thing is as well it's that it's so brilliant obviously that the fact that um big theatres in the West End and all this are getting funding and that's amazing and that is the right step it's seeing how it's affecting local theatres and um and you know theatres where people don't travel out to London or or do this why I'm so excited about going on tour again and bringing it to places on tour that's really like reminding me how important touring is because for anyone that can't get to those big theatres in the main kind of London like West End or that.

[17:37] Josh: Yeah.

[17:38] Maddie Bulleyment: It's supporting it it just the support needs to be there for smaller theatres and theatres that you know a family would go to and they'd bring their their grandparents. They've come out of the house and and all this and it's it's so crucial and I think that's been a painful thing to see how many theatres have had to go under because there's just not that support there and I hope that at some point something happens where they they that turns around but at the moment it's yeah and I can imagine it's the same where you are like yeah we've like in my local area everything kind of shut down. There wasn't any closures but like it was just like it was ghost down like there was absolutely nothing we've only just started going.

[18:19] Josh: I think we had the first show in the region over the last two weeks.

[18:23] Maddie Bulleyment: Like wow yeah and to think guys like London is what uh when to see so what's December is first shows November first shows.

[18:36] Josh: November, yeah.

[18:37] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[18:37] Josh: And there's been some um so the last five years the Sud at Playhouse has been playing since the start of October I'm pretty sure. Um so that's been one that's been going but apart from that and then random there's been like you know when Jody and everyone was in um hair and things like that but in terms of West End long term theatres that's yeah the first one is November.

[18:57] Josh: Yeah.

[18:59] Maddie Bulleyment: No th nothing in New York is opening until June.

[19:02] Josh: Like oh like it just makes the horrible doesn't it just feels so much for everyone in over there like yeah yeah.

[19:13] Maddie Bulleyment: So let's put this in perspective. Um there are like something ridiculous, like a hundred there's forty-one Broadway theatres in New York, right?

[19:24] Josh: Mm-hmm.

[19:26] Maddie Bulleyment: That is close to six to seven thousand jobs.

[19:32] Josh: Hmm.

[19:34] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. And that's probably going on the the the On the low scale. Not including all the people at like house or marketing that do events and PR.

[19:47] Josh: Like there's probably upwards of twenty-five to thirty thousand jobs just in New York.

[19:54] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[19:55] Josh: That won't come back until June.

[19:57] Maddie Bulleyment: Like guys.

[20:01] Josh: So alarming.

[20:02] Maddie Bulleyment: I think I really re I mean, even with not even the the slightest hint of like a hopeful idea. I mean, that video recently where everyone was still on the steps singing Sunday, oh my gosh, sobbing, sobbing. It's just and that's the thing. I think people do I think when people watch not in general not everyone obviously, but I think there's a big thing where when people watch a show, because we're so used to putting on Netflix or putting on TV or something like that, people kind of watch the show that aren't as familiar with theatre and view it as this event singular to their experience and don't even think about the reads of people that are involved and I think that's that's been the main thing.

It's just the ignorance of of these three like main places and other places that are neglecting it. It's just complete ignorance of not even realizing that and also there's been quite a few times when the government have said, Oh, okay, you can open tomorrow. And it's like it's not like television. Okay, how about the six months of rehearsal that we've got to do to show you?

[21:08] Josh: Yeah we can't it's a human beings.

[21:11] Maddie Bulleyment: Like we need to people need to get in shape and you know, like it's just not the same and yeah it's so I'm really really feeling for everyone over there and you know seeing how the people are moving out of New York and moving to different places and for the meantime and and when they can come back and it's just it's a real real time in it. So really thinking of everyone over there because it's yeah insane insane.

[21:36] Josh: So let's keep on that mental health train guys this is a capital off script episode so if it feels yeah disjointed it's because it is um so stick with this um it was pure combo you you had a really good like coping mechanism for the start of like you had you had it down and I was like I did I had it down so um obviously your what were your session things called they were the um isolation imagination that's the thing which I named it and then realised how difficult that is to say every time so yeah that kept me going um yeah so it was 30 days the first one was 30 days of of journaling prompts and um in that people could do journaling or they could do painting or I mean someone made a full sixth costume completely that could be in the show and like each day they made an another bit and it was just magic.

[21:36] Maddie Bulleyment: And it was just kind of encouraging mental health and kind of self care in terms in that way like not just being like I'll have a bath and I'll put a candle on like it's like you know caring for the the mental side and yeah um so that was for 30 days and then I started again I meant to start it again for 30 days and I got to like halfway through and it was actually I got it got kind of like I just got mentally quite tired so I thought I've gotta just stop that there um and actually after that um was a time when actually I kind of went through my own kind of journey of yeah of I think I'd been using it as a coping mechanism as much as as it's it was great coping mechanism to use and I'm so glad I did it because it really actually brought together quite a community of people it was really special and it was lovely to see everyone's um vulnerability and sharing um the fact that they were joining in like even even sharing and going I'm joining in with this shows that they were needing to use it somehow and it was just really lovely to see actually after that was when I fully processed everything going on like everything in my head.

[23:46] Maddie Bulleyment: I actually almost like short time thing Maddie like literally I think it was actually when that kind of six week adrenaline low hit and everyone kind of hit that adrenaline mark of yeah right this is long term now and from then onwards I actually crashed quite a bit and um because I'd been running on that adrenaline and then um and actually did like was able to process a lot of this stuff myself and um I think because I've been doing the um isolation imagination I've been like I'm fine because I'm running this and I've got nothing to think about about this and actually afterwards I was like come on Mads you really have like you yes yes you've been journaling but like come on now you need to have a look at this and it was really healthy then it was healthy for me to stop it at that point and process everything going on, even things like um there'd be there'd be days when it'd be fine, and there'd be days when I just you know I'd have thoughts of you know what if I had my last show on six and didn't realise that that was my last show, like that really played on my mind because there's not that sense of of closure there, and I I really like it really got me.

I think on those days when it was a low day, I was then that was around you know the time at the start when loads of different shows had been having to close, and it really hit me how much for other people and and for all of these other casts that that was a reality, like they had had their last show, and and what that would do to your your mind, and it really so it was a real going through a load of these sorts of thoughts and prep almost for every outcome and eventuality, but also allowing like listening to music and allowing yourself to just kind of sit there in a feeling and be and not have to.

[25:34] Maddie Bulleyment: I think what I don't know about you, but I think what this has shown me and actually allowed a lot of people to re realise is that it's all like you don't have to constantly be fine all the time, and yeah, funnily enough, I was going through my I've got a few quote highlight reels on my Instagram page, and um I've come across the term toxic positivity quite recently, and it's something that me and my friends have talked about quite a bit, and I didn't realise that I would share quotes sometimes that'd be like be happy, life's great, or like be positive, and I realised that sometimes that's fine, sometimes that really works, but when you're not feeling great and you're not feeling positive, it just doesn't work, it makes you feel worse and doesn't do anything, and um, and I really kind of had to look at how like I had I was able to process emotions like that and not have to feel like I was positive all the time, and I think also allow my head to to grieve because at first I was thinking, Oh, I'm in this amazing show, and I've got this thing, and I'm I might be able to go back and so I'm really lucky, so actually I feel really bad for feeling bad, and and there was all that going on, and then I heard a really great Brene Brown podcast. If you haven't checked out Brene Brown, if you're listening, go and listen to the podcast, she's an actual wizard, she's amazing.

[27:03] Maddie Bulleyment: But um, she basically said, and something that really stuck with me, she said, you know, your the thoughts that you have about kind of thinking that someone else, you know, I shouldn't feel bad because someone else has it worse than me. That thought can't get to them, like that's not gonna help them in life. It's not gonna do anything else. That's not gonna do anything, or you're doing is just like discrediting your own emotions.

[27:27] Josh: Yeah, exactly.

[27:28] Maddie Bulleyment: You're suppressing and denying what you're feeling, and she said, So it's it's not bad in whatever situation to feel whatever you're feeling, and that really helped me. And I think yeah, it just helped me get through the time, and also you know, I was I'm home with really brilliant family, and we're all quite open about the sort of thing, so I was very lucky in that sense as well.

[27:49] Josh: Yeah, yeah.

[27:49] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, I totally agree with that because like at the start of lockdown was when the podcast picked up, so I'm like, Yeah, I'm lying on that for like five months, and I got to a point where I was like, shit, like why like I said to someone, I was like, COVID's been a blessing for me, and they looked at me and I was like, Yeah, and I felt bad, and then I went home and processed, I was like, No, like it has, like, yeah, I get to do something I love, I get to talk about something I love, and I get to have conversations that are potentially healing. Like I don't know what anyone's going through, but sometimes just talking about shit.

[28:24] Josh: And that's what Jenna and I did for like two months. We just talked every week, just for fun of talking shit.

[28:32] Maddie Bulleyment: Like Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[28:33] Josh: And I think mentally allowing your yeah, allowing your brain to go, of course, COVID as a situation and as what the devastation it's left has been awful. But this this time for people that have been healthy and been able to sit and process this time has been a real um I don't say gift, but it's a time that we've been given that it's not a bad thing that we've been able to use it in this way.

[29:03] Maddie Bulleyment: I think that's what it is.

[29:04] Josh: Yeah, do you know what I mean? It's like it's not a bad thing that we've been able to use this time for people fortunate enough to be healthy in a way that is a healing time. Because in a time that is life is so rushed and so quick, and the next thing and and getting onto this thing and that and that and that, that actually having this length of time is such a strange feeling, and I think it's actually been quite useful for a lot of people to be able to learn how to deal with this sort of time again for like if it happens again, you know, touch wood it doesn't, but like to just process being on your own and and having that time and developing things that you would never have normally, you know, things that are growing out of this time that would never have happened, like your podcast and you know, things that have been going on.

[29:48] Maddie Bulleyment: So yeah, I completely understand that, completely get that. But also just focusing on things and like that that's you said it there, jumping from thing to thing. I think the biggest thing that we saw come out of this and we had a chat around this time with like the Black Lives Matter movement and everything like that.

[30:04] Josh: Yes.

[30:04] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. There was nothing to jump to. Nobody could be like okay next. Cause yeah.

[30:11] Josh: It was just like cool, we have to focus on this.

[30:14] Maddie Bulleyment: Like there's nothing else to focus on. Our day-to-day lives are inside.

[30:18] Josh: Yeah.

[30:18] Maddie Bulleyment: It was almost the perfect timing for that whole thing to come up and props out there to all the the big brands like the uh the Premier League and everything that are still pushing for the like no room for racism and everything that are keeping it at the forefront of the conversation. Um yeah but it it was just the I think that the perfect thing where it was like yeah cool you can't jump so focus like learn read yeah yeah yeah yeah educate which was it it was just a really wakened people to a a to this truth that has been you know I wouldn't say easy to ignore but it we've been obviously from a place of being privileged and and white and privileged and very fortunate that that hasn't been something before now that I've been aware of of course and I've been fighting you know people say you say you know you're not racist and and things like that but it's been in this time of real like really learning and and you know having to wise up and go this how is this not been something on my mind for longer and really confronting that and going right this is time to do something and actually jump on this properly and and do the part that I should have been doing for a long time and face up to that.

[31:34] Josh: And yeah, so completely completely.

[31:38] Maddie Bulleyment: So right now, uh, besides rehearsing, what is your go-to thing to do during your day? What are you what is your um probably watching American Horror Story?

[31:54] Josh: Um, no, it's been it has been Netflix actually, but that's just been my way of of relaxing, I think, um, and spending that time and also um playing guitar and uh writing music and and allowing also something that I've found really great over this time is realising that you can do things creatively for the sake of just doing them creatively, it doesn't have to be with an end goal or a purpose or like I can play guitar and I can have a sing just for the sake of playing guitar and having a sing and writing a song, not even for this this the purpose, and you never know.

[32:36] Maddie Bulleyment: Like I don't I'm not say I'm absolutely not saying that I would be releasing any music, I'm putting that out there now. But gonna edit that whole part out the conspiracy um, but um no, it's fine.

[32:51] Josh: Um it's fine.

[32:52] Maddie Bulleyment: What was that, Matty? You're releasing an album at the end of the year, huh?

[32:55] Josh: What?

[32:56] Maddie Bulleyment: So what?

[32:57] Josh: No, um, but you know, it's something that it's been able to let your brain kind of just have that freedom to create, yeah, without having to think, oh okay, I've got to get this deadline for this and do this for this, and have people think almost when I funnily enough, when I was starting to I've been writing, kind of having ideas for writing music for a long while for a few years, but um, but I realized that I had a kind of frame of mind when I was like, oh, what will people like and what will this person like and what will and actually this time has made me go, hold on on on.

[33:33] Maddie Bulleyment: Like what do I like? What does what would my brain like? Like and that's so important. And you kind of think, hold on, like I have agency over this and I have control over that, and it's been really lovely to listen to all this music that I I would never have listened to because I don't know, I I might have thought weirdly in my head, oh it's just that's really like wacky and out there and blah but like no, I really like that in like writing music in the way that you want to write it, or I don't know, painting in the way you want to paint and uh creating in any way that you want to create, and I think finding the joy in that and in movement and in song and all that without it being for I don't know, to sell something or for a purpose, or has been really healing and really lovely, and that's so that's what I've been doing.

[34:17] Maddie Bulleyment: Whenever I've I haven't made myself go, okay, every day at this time I'm gonna write something, or every day at this time I'm gonna play a piano. Like it's like if I've felt like it, I've gone, oh I'm really feeling like this today, and and trusting learning to trust your gut instinct and your knowing and kind of going, Oh okay, I'm feeling like this, so I'm gonna do it instead of thinking, I'm feeling like this, but I'm just gonna like go with this.

[34:40] Maddie Bulleyment: Like and reawakening that again has been really, really special. So that's what I've been doing recently, and I've been kind of trusting that and going along with it and seeing.

[34:50] Josh: Yeah, I love that. And just while I've got the thought, guys, speaking of Netflix and the arts and how important it is, um I don't uh do you watch the blacklist?

[35:00] Maddie Bulleyment: Uh no.

[35:01] Josh: So this is something my mum brought up to me. I don't watch it either.

[35:04] Maddie Bulleyment: No.

[35:05] Josh: The end of their last season that they recorded, um was just as COVID restrictions hit on filming to do.

[35:11] Maddie Bulleyment: Whoa, okay.

[35:13] Josh: They had half of the final episode of the season recorded. So instead of waiting until filming could go back, the creatives sat and animated the sections that they hadn't filmed.

[35:27] Maddie Bulleyment: So go and watch the last episode of the most recent season of the blacklist. And they do like a whole they like cast talks about it and everything. Um but they literally edit sections together and it's all animated to finish the episode, and I'm like, this is just like simple.

[35:47] Maddie Bulleyment: That's so cool. Like in it was I was just like, oh, I don't know the show, I don't know what's going on, but I just watched the episode and it was just like man, I'm like Tell me the arts isn't important. Like all the people, all the animators that had to work on that, like storyboarders that would have had to pr translate the script into something that could be animated, like oh guys.

[36:09] Josh: Oh if you don't understand how big the arts industry is, please Google it because like there are so many people.

[36:17] Maddie Bulleyment: Like look at it. And it's so exciting. There are so many jobs, like people can be interested in the arts and think, oh, but I'm not interested in that job or that job. There are so many jobs that that you can almost literally cater to what you like as a person and you specifically, like there's so many jobs out there that just uh just do it.

[36:39] Josh: It doesn't matter if you can't dance or sing or anything like that. If you can do hair, if you can do makeup, if you can costume and it's been amazing, actually.

[36:49] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. Well, thing is, so after watching um Ratchet, um that's on Netflix at the moment, brilliant series, quite a bit gory, quite serious, so you know, because that's not your thing, but it's just brilliant. And there's a whole there's lots of interviews with the cast, and they did like you know, zoom interviews and all this, and they're talking about and the good thing is about it that they've got all the memb like loads of members of the the team on there.

[37:13] Josh: So they've got like costume on there and design and and uh the nice thing is is that the like the designers and the costume are aware of like how the actors informed their choices and the actors are aware of how the costume informed their choices and the set informed their choices, and it's such a brilliant like way of looking at how it's so interlinked, like you you can't yes.

[37:35] Maddie Bulleyment: I mean if you look at it, you know, if there's a stage and there's someone that's saying a monologue, yes, okay, that's acting, but like the good stuff is when it's all mixed and it's all everyone's sharing and interweaving and like oh it's just magic, it's magic, it's magic.

[37:51] Josh: So yeah, just uh yeah, it's how people can tell that we're not only a part of the industry, but we kind of love it.

[38:01] Maddie Bulleyment: Really?

[38:01] Josh: Do we?

[38:02] Maddie Bulleyment: I don't know.

[38:04] Josh: Like I just I just I want to hear everyone's like opinions right now.

[38:12] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[38:12] Josh: Like I feel like everyone's like biting their tongue and it's gonna like there's a certain little snippets that'll like bubble up and then just go down.

[38:22] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, it's like yeah, the pot is like simmering, it's just like feeling yes, yeah.

[38:28] Josh: I think it's interesting because places like Twitter, it's so easy to broadcast an opinion straight away, and I think Twitter's been very vocal about all of this.

[38:43] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[38:43] Josh: Um, but in like statements, obviously, because Twitter, you know, can't have that depth on Twitter that's as much. Whereas Instagram has been very positive and not had as many like statements and all that has been like flash things, and I think the it is true, like this sort of recording and this sort of podcast now of being able to talk in depth about it and and I don't know, like just think about things that you wouldn't have thought about just on your own.

[39:11] Maddie Bulleyment: Like you may have thought about it in your head, but I mean chatting and sharing that and even like sharing it with someone else and and realizing that you aren't alone in certain frustrations and and thoughts is so important because you do think, oh, am I like really overthinking this, or am I, you know, well, you know, again, other people other people have it worse, even though you know that, and it's just it's good to chat about all of that and properly vocalize and yeah, I do think there's gonna be a lot of the longer it goes on to be a little bit more than a lot of people.

[39:38] Maddie Bulleyment: There's a lot of like small outbursts of anger, that uh then simmered by like a small glint of hope.

[39:47] Josh: Yeah, like I feel like a lot of the six people were like teetering on the edge, and then you guys got that news and then it kind of simmered, but like imagine being the guys from freaking Santa Man.

[40:01] Maddie Bulleyment: That freaking broke my heart.

[40:02] Josh: Like oh honestly ALW doing like the walkthrough of the like the bump out.

[40:11] Maddie Bulleyment: I was like, yo stop. I mean, to know what, right? So I remember so I worked front of house um at 42nd Street at Drew Lane before um so when I was in training at drama school, and even um seeing when the theatre closed for that run and had to close and like they were started getting everything out was really heartbreaking, and that wasn't even for a bat like for a negative, like it closed because of something like this.

[40:43] Maddie Bulleyment: It was like, oh, it's closed because that is just the natural time, but it's closed, and so seeing like walkthroughs of the theatre and thinking this is so bizarre.

[40:52] Maddie Bulleyment: I think bizarre is the word because it's just surreal, thinking like in a completely different universe where none of this has happened.

[41:01] Maddie Bulleyment: This would literally people would still be up doing this and on a warm-up, like you'd be doing a warm-up.

[41:07] Maddie Bulleyment: I think that's been the stuff that's hit me most, is like seeing a random video on my Instagram archive and going through things and seeing like, oh, that was when we were warming up in, I don't know, Chichester, and that was a random little laugh and vocal scale we did, and like it's so the small things like that, the normal things that you're going through and what you miss kind of just being around people and in the normality of that, and it's because it's not just like I think that's what it is, it's not just like the industry, like you know, so many people in the industry, it's like it's not just the actual show itself, like there's so much you have a couple of hours leading up to it, and you have your warm-up and you're getting into wigs and you're putting your makeup on and having a chat and a laugh in the dressing room, and then you're all kind of chatting and having a laugh about that performance afterwards, something could have gone wrong, and you're having a great and it's all of that, like even things like obviously understandably we're not gonna be able to be at stage door to see people feels really strange because that's a big part of how we meet and how we share that excitement with the fans, and it's kind of even thinking about that when it's like it's this so special, and I don't know, it's just really odd.

[42:24] Maddie Bulleyment: And I think that's what is the odd thing.

[42:26] Maddie Bulleyment: Like that was did you see the Britain's Got Talent um musical performance of—oh, I didn't have another chance to talk about it!

[42:34] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh my gosh!

[42:35] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh my gosh, you're gonna you're just gonna love it.

[42:37] Maddie Bulleyment: I mean, it literally starts with cameras panning across these empty theatres, and I was gone, I was in bits.

[42:43] Maddie Bulleyment: It's so um it's the cast uh Mary Poppins, um Phantom, Phantom is the Phantom and Christine, um, and then it's um Les Mis, and they all come together and it's oh I've got it, it's beautiful, I'm watching it.

[42:59] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes, but like oh it's gorgeous.

[43:02] Maddie Bulleyment: Did you see the photo from New Zealand the other day?

[43:06] Maddie Bulleyment: Um tell me more about it because I feel like I didn't think Mary Poppins was the first musical to open back up, so they've actually fully packed theatre, and it was just like uh we're sending all our love out to everyone else in the industry around the world.

[43:19] Maddie Bulleyment: I was like, man, the fact that like it's just and like the fact that our whole show can open and with a full theatre, full theatre.

[43:29] Maddie Bulleyment: I mean, do you know what, we're really fortunate when we touch wood, everything going well, go back?

[43:34] Maddie Bulleyment: Um superstitious um I'm like gotta do it.

[43:38] Maddie Bulleyment: Um go back.

[43:39] Maddie Bulleyment: That the tour casts are gonna be in Salford and Salford's the um the Lyric Theatre's capacity is huge, and socially distanced, we're still gonna have 800 people in there, so it's gonna be this brilliant audience still, and I think, and that's I realize I was just so lucky because it's still gonna be a great audience, and like so much like uh energy and the vibe there is gonna be great.

[44:05] Maddie Bulleyment: So really fortunate in that sense to have still a good bit of a big audience there, but it's just I mean, and also actually when we were in Wolverhampton, that was the week before lockdown, and um people were starting to not go to the theatre anyway.

[44:18] Maddie Bulleyment: So there were it was kind of like everyone was socially distanced because everyone wasn't going, and it was really odd, but um, but so it's almost we've had a bit of practice there.

[44:28] Maddie Bulleyment: It was really weird because like I was at closing night for Six in Sydney and um walked out, and I literally had a conversation with a group of people about how there wasn't a sign of COVID anyway, like you couldn't see it, everyone was just acting normal.

[44:42] Maddie Bulleyment: There was something like a hundred and twenty people at stage door that night, like it was ridiculous, and it was just like you looked around and you're like, no one's worried, and then like a week later they were like, Cool, we're not going to Melbourne.

[44:55] Maddie Bulleyment: It's like yeah, shit, all right.

[44:58] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, so odd, like the complete flip and change of yeah, but like I think we spent so long thinking, yeah, cool, it's gonna be a couple of weeks.

[45:07] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, we'll be back, we'll be back in April, like we'll be good.

[45:10] Maddie Bulleyment: That's been it.

[45:11] Maddie Bulleyment: It's it's they're not having the definitive, yeah.

[45:16] Maddie Bulleyment: This is when, and I that's I think that's why I think now with certain things opening up here, the fact I mean it's so reassuring, even having a date, like a plan somehow, and really really feel for everyone in New York that is just thinking there's literally no idea.

[45:34] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes, June, but they still don't even have hope in June.

[45:37] Maddie Bulleyment: Like June's just uh hold this place.

[45:40] Maddie Bulleyment: Like, like yeah, yeah.

[45:42] Maddie Bulleyment: So, you know, it will, it will of course get back and it will.

[45:46] Maddie Bulleyment: Um, and I do have hope for that that new again, like you know, we were talking, you know, about just conversations and about trying to just trying to think I think the ideas that people have come up with for um you know how to do productions outside and socially distanced and even um you know my the drama school I went to the way they did showcase and it was all filmed and it was it was really clever, really cleverly done and I think people are adapting and creating in a different way in a new way that is pushing boundaries and pushing the creative limits of what they did before and it's that's really exciting to see and how people are kind of coping in that way.

[46:30] Maddie Bulleyment: But I do think there needs to be more I mean there's brilliant pages for over in the UK I mean there's so applause for thought is a big one uh my I mean obviously all not the normal um helplines and things but um I even um chatted to a mentor that I set up with over the course of this time because it got to a point when I was I'd been out the show for a bit obviously because of COVID and um and I go to sing and I've talked to friends since and realized it's really not just it's not an individual thing.

[47:03] Maddie Bulleyment: I mean there's a couple of people shared a video of them singing and just broken down into tears because it's such an emotional thing like singing is such an emotional thing and connected so deeply to your like inner like core stress or anything, and I actually sat up with a mentor because I was I was going to sing and I was just feeling completely anxious and sad and thinking and I'd never had that before.

[47:25] Maddie Bulleyment: I think when it's such a I think this is what has been the hard part of it as well, is that for all these people in the industry, this is such a part of who you are.

[47:35] Maddie Bulleyment: Like other jobs people can go to, and it's like you know, you can go to an office job, and if that is part of their person, brilliant, that's them.

[47:43] Maddie Bulleyment: But you can go to an office job.

[47:44] Maddie Bulleyment: If you don't like that job, you can leave it at the end of the day, and that is not who you are as a person.

[47:48] Maddie Bulleyment: Whereas theatre is so like it's you as you grow up, and I mean you ask actors all the time, you think what are your hobbies?

[47:55] Maddie Bulleyment: I remember being asked what my hobbies were, and I was like, uh dance with theatre.

[48:00] Maddie Bulleyment: No, like I've got outside of that, and I was like, uh yeah, it's not like there was nothing.

[48:04] Maddie Bulleyment: So like I sat up with this mentor, and she was brilliant, she's called Claire, and she's got a show Minds is her page on Instagram, and it's just and it helps so much because it helps to kind of like re-fall in love with singing again in a way that was to sing and not have that anxiety there, and I think it's just such a expressive way of releasing your emotions that when suddenly that thing has been taken from you, and yes, technically you can still sing at home, but and it's the connection to that emotional.

[48:04] Maddie Bulleyment: It's the connection to the emotion, it's yeah, and it's when it's in direct correlation with what's going on and the sadness that as a collective people are feeling, and obviously, as people involved in the industry, and like we're quite sensitive, aren't we?

[48:51] Maddie Bulleyment: We're sensitive people, and when we feel like this is so weird, yeah, and like we feel generally like sense the tone of everyone around us and online, you know, not like you know, some people are gifted with that, but you know, it's like just feeling that emotion, and when everyone is in a place of that, it's both comforting because you know you're not alone, but deeply heartbreaking because it's just you want to kind of hug everyone that you see that feels like that, and you know you just can't, but anyway, so that's my random ramblings of about all that, but yeah, so it's really strange.

[49:26] Maddie Bulleyment: That's what I think has been a big thing is that everyone's so intrinsically linked to even where you like how you sing and you hold all your like how you can hold stress in your like in your like core, and then the moment that you release it, it's like that when you think about it where you hold all that stress is the exact same point that stresses when you're about to cry as well.

[49:47] Maddie Bulleyment: It's like oh shit, yeah, like your jaw and you start hunger and all this, and like you're clenching your jaw, and the moment you release that, it's like oh the emotion, which is great to just have a cry and get out, you know.

[50:01] Maddie Bulleyment: I'm all for having a good cry and getting it all out.

[50:03] Maddie Bulleyment: So, but yeah, I think I'm glad this look at this.

[50:07] Josh: Oh yeah, oh no, it's the same, honestly.

[50:09] Maddie Bulleyment: It's been and I think I think as well, it's like being able to know that it's okay to it's not wrong and it's not bad in any way to have be fine for like a lot of the day, and then have like an hour where it's just you're really struggling, and then the rest of the day be fine.

[50:29] Maddie Bulleyment: Like, I think I know that I very much at the start of lockdown was like, Oh, I don't have anxiety, I don't have I'm not having low times because I don't have it consistently, like I'm not having it all the time.

[50:40] Maddie Bulleyment: And I think now I've realized like that's not actually how it works.

[50:44] Maddie Bulleyment: Like you can have days of feeling so great, but equally days of just you can't get up, like, and that's that is any unique way that you are feeling it is valid and okay, and that's something that you you are able to work through in whatever way you want to work through it, and there's no pressure to do it in a certain way.

[51:04] Maddie Bulleyment: Do you know what I mean?

[51:04] Maddie Bulleyment: It's all these all ramblings that kind of happen, and yeah, yeah, it's a real wild one, isn't it?

[51:10] Maddie Bulleyment: It's interesting when you start to like think about it and start to unpack it in your head, you're like it just kind of makes no sense.

[51:17] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, everything just is just like yeah, what the hell?

[51:22] Maddie Bulleyment: Well, then the painful thing is that is having to accept that there is no logic to it, like and just come to terms with that kind of suspension, like feeling quite suspended.

[51:36] Maddie Bulleyment: If like you can't I mean that yeah, there's certain things you can blame, certain governments you can you can think about and all that, but it's not even that, it's like just the whole thing about it, you know, even the governments that are controlling it, you know, as much as though there's certain ways that they've there's been things they've completely ignored.

[51:58] Maddie Bulleyment: There is no way that they could have even anticipated this happening anyway, so there's no one to blame, and I think that's where the difficult thing lies is that there's nowhere to go with it, like there's nowhere to place the blame, and there's nowhere to go.

[52:11] Maddie Bulleyment: It's just kind of to keep that there, and there's no answer, really.

[52:15] Maddie Bulleyment: Is there?

[52:15] Maddie Bulleyment: There's no answer to kind of resolve it.

[52:17] Maddie Bulleyment: What baffles me, let me.

[52:19] Maddie Bulleyment: I'm just trying to do the research, guys, as we go.

[52:23] Maddie Bulleyment: Um yeah, cool.

[52:27] Maddie Bulleyment: Last week, uh so last what's today?

[52:31] Maddie Bulleyment: Tuesday.

[52:31] Maddie Bulleyment: So last Monday, yes, um, in New Zealand, 31,000 fans were packed into a stadium to watch a live sporting event.

[52:31] Maddie Bulleyment: 31,000 fans.

[52:42] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh my god.

[52:43] Maddie Bulleyment: That's how good things are in New Zealand right now, folks.

[52:46] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh they had a sold-out crowd in a theatre to watch a musical.

[52:50] Maddie Bulleyment: No social distancing because it's not freaking needed.

[52:53] Maddie Bulleyment: Because they handled their shit.

[52:55] Josh: Yeah.

[52:55] Maddie Bulleyment: Like that's what it's like.

[52:59] Maddie Bulleyment: It's like painful, isn't it?

[53:00] Maddie Bulleyment: Painful.

[53:01] Maddie Bulleyment: And I actually also do feel for um the fact that I mean, not just theatre, not just people in theatre in America, but everyone in America at the moment with voting and with everything leading up to it.

[53:14] Maddie Bulleyment: Because it's something that really, yes, is so key and needed that is needed at the moment, but it's almost like having that on top of everything going on is just such an added stress that I can imagine is really difficult to kind of process at the moment in that kind of which again is why theatre is important because usually that's where people go to in a time where they're stressed.

[53:36] Maddie Bulleyment: And I think it's it's so weird as well.

[53:39] Maddie Bulleyment: I had a variety of different opinions about like about theatre being released um as live stream um through the whole lockdown.

[53:48] Maddie Bulleyment: At the start I was like, I was quite worried because I thought, what if this means that people see it and think, oh, I've seen that now and don't want to support theatre afterwards.

[53:56] Maddie Bulleyment: And then I realised it was the opposite.

[53:58] Maddie Bulleyment: It was like people, if you know that you like a show, you're gonna want to see it live because you know it's different.

[54:03] Maddie Bulleyment: You know that feeling is different, and actually the fact that this has provided such relief and such comfort to people everywhere, whether you're in theatre or not or anything. I was having friends that aren't in theatre that were messaging me saying, "Have you seen this? Have you seen Twelfth Night that was up on the National's YouTube and Frankenstein?" And wasn't it amazing, a small island, and it's just like people that have, you know, don't go to theatre and they don't know about theatre in the same way because they're not in theatre. And like my friend that's, we did dance growing up together and she's in architecture now, but she was in the queue for the Les Mis tickets and the moment everyone, the Les Mis tickets went out, everyone went to try and grab them and it was everyone was sharing that again.

And it's just like, so now I'm obviously of the mind of it's so important to keep theatre going out there because the mental health of how it helps people is far more important at the moment than the financial implications. And actually those financial implications will make things better for theatre, I believe, is gonna encourage people to go again because they're more aware of it. And I know that people that hadn't gone to the theatre before are now considering it because they have seen things and they realize they might have seen one thing that was really, I don't know, maybe like a Shakespeare tragedy, which they're brilliant, but obviously if you don't watch theatre often, that is a lot to handle.

[55:29] Josh: Yeah, exactly.

[55:30] Maddie Bulleyment: And like now people have had a kind of thought where they go, "Oh wait, that isn't everything about the theatre, there are musicals and there's this and there's that and different ways of performing," and now they're interested in supporting it. So now I'm of that mind, and I think actually acknowledging that there can be a change of opinion and that'd be okay is a good thing, yeah. But I think that's the thing, like the more, like once that boiling point reaches, which is gonna happen, like America's gonna crack and the whole industry over there is just gonna erupt.

[56:01] Josh: At that point.

[56:02] Maddie Bulleyment: Like Hamilton kind of set the ball rolling with their digital release.

[56:06] Josh: Yeah.

[56:07] Maddie Bulleyment: People are like, "Oh cool," and they bought in.

[56:10] Josh: Yeah.

[56:10] Maddie Bulleyment: And then it's like, cool, cool. I don't like the Hamilton recording on Disney Plus. I'll be honest. I've seen Hamilton live and the recording is terrible compared to seeing it live.

[56:22] Josh: I haven't seen it live so I can't really say that.

[56:25] Maddie Bulleyment: It's the feeling. Like I'm very much when I see a show, like this is just me being the theatre person that I am.

[56:36] Josh: Yeah.

[56:36] Maddie Bulleyment: Very rarely will I watch the leads because the leads don't tell the story. They sing the story. The ensemble and everything going on in the background is what's going on. So when you're watching Hamilton and they've got a sick close-up of Lin-Manuel Miranda, sick, but what about man three and woman four that are doing something in the background? They're actually telling you what's going on there. That's what I, that's what in Hamilton for me. And I'll be honest, like people agree with me. That's cool with you. But like all the theatre fans go like, "What?" I'm just like that, I know exactly what you mean.

[57:10] Josh: I know that I, it's made me want to see it now in person because I do want to get that context of seeing it and being able to take in all of it, like and see how the shapes and how the glances are actually like directing your attention and how that works and like flows around the stage. And I know that I watched it and then I watched it again to watch the ensemble because I just thought this is, it's so clever. I mean how the ensemble is used in that show is so fantastic and I mean even like learning about how the bullet character, I mean, even that is just like magical, and like I'd love to see how that character again works from afar, seeing how it moves and like art, just so magical in that way.

[57:59] Maddie Bulleyment: But I know I do know what you mean, and I think that is what has been exciting for some other theatre productions is that there's been slightly more zooming out, but I do know what you mean, and I think it would be really magical for people to hopefully be able to see it. I mean, I know it's obviously very expensive, but to see it in person because, and I think that's actually what I realized is that you do get a different experience from how it's filmed to how you see it, and that is what will make people want to see it in person.

[58:31] Maddie Bulleyment: And again, it's that whole mood. Opening it up for Six in Australia, guys, I sat behind the stage, like I literally looked down at the backs the whole time. Like I saw transitions, I saw movements, I saw things that I didn't see, I wouldn't have seen if it was front-on recording.

[58:48] Josh: Like, yeah, yeah.

[58:50] Maddie Bulleyment: You get experiences like, it's just so, it doesn't matter if you're in the very back row of the mezzanine or whatever it is. No matter when, you will get a different experience because every time it's gonna happen on stage. Someone's gonna say a word wrong, someone's gonna do a wrong movement, go to move to the wrong spot, move at the wrong time, and there's gonna be a glance that you're gonna pick up on, not knowing that it's not choreographed.

[59:18] Josh: Yeah, sure, if you've seen the show like 12 times, you'll know.

[59:21] Maddie Bulleyment: But yeah. But it's just a completely live magic moment in that moment that is. I mean, I remember even like so. I remember being a student and seeing Matilda for the five-pound tickets that they do in the West End, and I remember sitting in the, I'd seen it from the stalls really close up for a birthday present, and I just like, it's just magical, and it was just, you know, so close to the actors and seeing how everyone moves, and but then sitting in the balcony bit, I saw all of these shapes of the choreography and how the stage actually works and moves and people bringing things on, and I was sat from a point that I could see slightly in the wings, and it was actually quite comforting to see people in the wings and kind of prepping and getting things on.

[1:00:09] Maddie Bulleyment: So I thought that's really cool, like because you get that feeling, and it's just lovely to see how it functions, and even I know you're not meant to be able to see the stage managers, but like seeing how the stage managers are passing them things and seeing how it all was. Or sitting in like the front two rows and hearing people warm up or do something on the stage, but you know you're not supposed to be able to hear it, but you're that close that you can hear something that's not tangible.

[1:00:32] Josh: Like I had that experience with Hamilton, like I saw it twice within two weeks, saw it in Chicago right up the back, very back row, back corner. Got to see all the movements, all the stage movements and everything, and then saw it on Broadway five rows from the front.

[1:00:46] Maddie Bulleyment: Could when the revolve happened, all I saw was people turn, and it was, I was like, sick, I know there's a revolve there, but that, like I get it. Like it looks weird when you can see the revolve, but like yeah.

[1:01:00] Josh: Oh, like so magic, so magic, so magical.

[1:01:06] Maddie Bulleyment: And um, what was it? Oh, oh okay, so there was Wise Children. Was it the Old Vic? And I saw it again when it was in training and in third year, and they purposefully made it so the wings were completely open, like they took away all the curtains and it was completely open, so you could see, you could literally purposefully could see everything and like characters because they were multi-rolling getting into the next costume and the stage managers were really visible and it was really, it was just again magic because you could see little conversations people were having in and, "Oh could you just pass me that quick? Oh thanks so much." Like it was so honest and raw and I think that is what is really cool about Six is that again there is something every time that you watch and it is different, like even a way that you'd look at, I don't know, but I'd look at Arlene on the keys or sharing a moment reaction like when you're doing something with like a bass player or something like that.

[1:02:07] Josh: Yeah, there's just a vibe or like if the crowd reacts something to a different, you're gonna turn around and have a different reaction with the band, like especially on tour because each place has such a different, yeah obviously the consistency is that everyone thankfully loves the show, but that's how different places react. So Oxford loves the, like I got the vibe that Oxford really appreciated the facts and the historical elements and they got all the in-jokes about the history and that was really satisfying because it was like, "Oh that's really cool," but like so Glasgow was, I don't know whether I probably mentioned this on the other podcast, but Glasgow was so like, they were so receptive to everything and it was kind of, they'd react according to what the joke actually was.

So it could be a joke about like, I don't know, either a sexual joke or putting someone off, and like the joke, the reaction wouldn't just be ha ha ha, it'd be like, "Oh," it would be like, and that's really exciting because it gives you that tennis, that almost tennis match of like throwing it and then giving it back and so what we're gonna get now, it's like, yeah, I just love it.

[1:03:14] Maddie Bulleyment: So I know that that is something that I'm gonna have that connection with an audience and looking out to an audience, and even with them, it doesn't matter about the masks and you know, seeing smiles and all that, it's like the eyes, it's the eyes are so important, and it's what the eyes give, and it's like I can't wait to have that again and share that. And even like I remember there was, it's things like there was a little girl who came to see it who was quite autistic, was quite severely autistic. And Six has been something that it helps her stay quite calm, and she loved the show, and she was dressed fully in Anne Boleyn, like green costume, everything, and she was watching, and her eyes were just, she was so like still in the seat, and she was just like her eyes were lit up, and her family, it was the beautiful thing about it was watching her family watch her, like as I was on stage, is watching their reactions and her reaction, laughing her head up, and then looking at her and seeing how special that was.

[1:04:11] Maddie Bulleyment: And she was so lovely. She actually gave, she's made a B for a necklace, and it was this beautiful little thing where she'd glue gun sequins onto it, and it was just so special. And she stood up and gave it to me, and I was on stage, and she gave me this thing, and I remember being like thinking, saying, "Oh, really? Oh, thank you so much," and she was like nodding, and I got to see her afterwards. And her mum, I remember her mum saying to me, like, "She's never, that's the most calm and relaxed and focused she's been in such a long time," and because it, and that is what it is, that is the magical thing about it, is seeing how it actually creates that feeling and that effect.

[1:04:34] Maddie Bulleyment: And even what I also love as well is that you can tell when someone, and I'm not trying to generalize at all here, but I generally tend to find it in when for Six at a show, older men in a couple that, like older married men, right? That wouldn't normally come and see each other. So many of these experiences in scene. And I love it because like for the first 10-15 minutes, there's a sense, not everyone, there are lots of couples and lots of men that come to see it that love it from the get-go, and it's like, it's brilliant, but certain times you see a sense of wariness where it's like the first 10-15 minutes, there's a sense of, "Oh yes, yeah, yeah, yeah." Sitting back in, yeah, and you kind of get a sense of you think, "Hold on, stick with us," because I just feel like and buy like whole bind, right?

Buy like the laughs that you get in "Don't Lose Your Head," you can see him starting to like, "Okay, get into it." Holbein hits, and they are like, "What the flip is going on?" And then from there they are like leaning forward in their seats and like so with it and standing up and clapping, and it's just, it's really lovely to see perceptions change through theatre.

[1:05:57] Maddie Bulleyment: It can do great things, it can change in minds, it can change perceptions, it can, oh yeah. I mean, we could just, yeah, yeah. I literally, I had it at one of the shows, there was an older couple sitting there, and the guy was just complaining. He didn't want to be there, he was just complaining. He's like, "What is this?" And I had like a full conversation with him trying to explain the show, and he was like, he was like kind of buying in, but he was like, "Oh, I don't want to be here, waste of money, rah-rah." I just walked behind him as he was walking out, and he was just like, "That was amazing." And I was just like, "Oh, tell me this industry is a fucking important, guy."

[1:06:37] Josh: You know what? My mum was sat, someone was sat behind my mum. They came to see it in Chichester, and there was an older guy, I don't think his reaction changed, but there was an older guy sat behind my mum, and in the bit when he goes, "I guess I just really like my head," and the whole like blowjob joke, he went, "Ugh," and it killed me off.

[1:07:04] Maddie Bulleyment: Well my mum told me that. I was like, "Brilliant, brilliant." I thought, "Do you know what? No matter if that perception changes or not, it is great to know that this show is doing what it's meant to be doing in the sense of challenging perceptions about women on stage, what women can say." Like it's just brilliant, and I just loved that. It really kind of reaffirmed what like the faith I have in the show of challenging that and actually doing it, serving the purpose of getting people to think, even if that meant that he had a conversation with a partner and then they said, "Why?"

[1:07:40] Maddie Bulleyment: It's like why can't women say that and all that? Even that, like, it's just brilliant. And if not, then we know that it's doing something, like it's got a purpose. I love sitting in an audience when it gets to that joke, and you get like at leading up to it, you know no one else in the audience has seen the show. Yeah, just like oh shit, here we go. And it's like as it hits, you just like yes, uh yeah, and it's the first ripple of laughter, yeah, of people like ha ha ha and then it's that second, like, oh like people get the joke, like they think they get it, and then they get the joke, like they're like oh that's cute, and then the action is like, yeah, oh shit, we laugh, we laughed really.

It's perfect, it's perfect. Oh Toby Lucy, you guys are freaking geniuses. Um guys. I just freaking love this industry. Oh and thank you for doing these as well. Because honestly, like I know that when um the one that on my the our podcast was released, um number 15. Anyone anyone want to listen? Um links below. It was really it was a real moment where people would message and go, Oh, that's made my day, that's really lifted me up today, and that's really helped me through today. Or like I'm still getting tagged in stories every now and again being like I'm still listening to this, or this is my favourite podcast right now. I'm like, and you've like helped do that, like that's something you've helped to do through this time, and and you've used your like skills and your like time and your care to do that, and I think that's something really special that you should be so proud of because that is something that's really helped people through, even in the smallest or biggest way, like that has really helped people.

So thank you for doing these because it's I can you know it's so much planning and so much behind the scenes that you know that goes on, and and yeah, and you appreciate it. It's not just like and I love being asked questions like um, what's what's your favorite character and what's this and what's that? I love that. I I'll always take that, and I think that's beautiful that people want to like ask those questions and take that time and will never take that for granted. And at the same time, it's lovely to speak in depth about theatre, like from someone that like really is involved and and loves it as much, so yeah, thank you.

[1:09:59] Josh: Yeah, it's just one of those things where like, and I hope like this conversation goes. Like those people that have seen shows multiple times. I'm looking at frozen up here behind me. Like you guys can't see anything. I just realised this is getting audio. But I've got my frozen paper, and frozen's gonna open it in Australia, and I I'm just so excited to watch it. I'm so excited to see that.

[1:10:19] Maddie Bulleyment: Like, have you seen it yet?

[1:10:20] Josh: No, I haven't, no.

[1:10:21] Maddie Bulleyment: It is I heard so many bad things before I got my ticket, and I got an 80 dollar ticket. It was like six rows, dead center, and I was like, cool, I'm here for it. Elsa's costume change. Even watching like videos of random videos that are up, it's just magical. It's just and I think the fact that you can tell that the way they use the lighting and the set and in time to in order to make that snow and the visuals, and it's just oh and even so. I was lucky. So before lockdown, I saw Prince of Egypt um at a Dominion, and it was magical. It was had chills the whole way through it, and the spectacle was phenomenal, and the choreography was beautiful, and the voices were just I mean, I could just go on, but they had a really um incredible thing where they had the the Dominions huge, huge theatre, and um they had these huge kind of like hanging almost drapes that they acted as as different things, so you almost imagine them as vines, imagine them as as hanging canvases and things like that, and they actually during this big storm moment pulled out round the side of the circle and theatre.

So you literally were in enveloped in this in it was when the parting of the seas, like the that moment, and it was just I can't describe how magical it was, like that you were actually in the sea. It was like I can't even it was just break it down even further and think about how many months of planning it took to figure out how to make that work. How many people it took to figure out that the design and not just about like the like the visuals and how it's projected and all that, but actually the physical architecture of how in this theatre, being as old as it is, how are we gonna set up this framework in order to support it and not have to go and then you actually then go through to like this theatre is probably a listed building supported, so how has it got the legal rights?

Literally, like there's so many like legal theatre advisors, and like and the the teams and people in the offices, and it's just like it's just and then all for all that to come together, and then and then everyone get that moment. Oh, it's just it's just amazing. It's just amazing. So many people involved.

[1:12:39] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh, oh and rouge is another one. I want to see that so badly. Sonia Tyreek. I saw it three times on my last trip.

[1:12:50] Josh: Did you?

[1:12:50] Maddie Bulleyment: That's how good it is.

[1:12:52] Josh: Oh my god.

[1:12:53] Maddie Bulleyment: I spent something I spent something ridiculous, like 400 quid. Um Robin Herder. Yeah, she's been nominated for Tony, isn't she? Freaking love that woman. She is like goals. She is just so down to earth, so sweet. Oh freaking oh and I got to see one of like my all time favourite people play Satan that wasn't Karen Olivo, and I was so excited. And also it's like watching um videos of how giving like Sonia Tyre and and the team were at giving these videos of the Choreo and talking through the Choreo, and and it was just to watch that magic in a rehearsal space and then watch it, like clips of it in the show, and and again, like the the complete magic and artistry of making that set, and like even when Paloma Garcia Lee like when she's in that cage at the top corner and it's just like like oh and the wigs in that even the wigs like the fact that they right how firmly they have to be on their heads like to in order to do the choreo that is like whipping their heads over and like whacking their leg up and like some of them are sitting a solid foot foot and a half off the heads guys like that small these are like Priscilla and the fact that that how the architecture that would have had to have gone into and even actually also shouting out to like Laduca and the boots that the time that goes into measuring I mean when we had our fittings it was like it really opened my eyes to like measuring the even your toes like I mean measuring everything in your foot and the fact how much craft goes into making the boots so that you are cared for and you are supported and you don't have long term injuries and even if you do have a slight injury then the physio team that are there and and the uh the care team that are there and the mental health team that are there and like how that links and and I mean like also I mean I know I'm going on about Sonny Tyre but to what I would what I wouldn't give to see on Rouge to see her choreo because she's so aware of how the choreo has to be used to inform the story and inform not just the story but the energy and the the mood of that moment and how ugly that choreo can look in a way that serves the story and the purpose and there's no fear of looking pretty or looking like it can be ugly and grotesque and like they're bohemians and they move like bohemians.

It is it blew my mind. Like I'm still not over how great it is. Oh my gosh, I cannot wait to honestly, if I am lucky enough to get to New York again and and see that, then that is oh please an open here.

[1:15:37] Josh: I'm there with you go. It's supposed to be if we're getting you're getting it to us, so you definitely should get it. Honestly, I would be in that theatre 24-7 seeing that show if I could. I would be like the front house, getting in.

[1:15:53] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, literally, can I work for the theatre, please? Like, yeah, let me work. I will be there for free. I will volunteer, I will help. Like, let me dress. I'll dress. I want to be in it, but if I can't be in it, I will dress. I don't even mind. Like, oh guys, there's just so many elements.

[1:16:10] Josh: Yeah.

[1:16:10] Maddie Bulleyment: Like it's really humbling to think about, isn't it? It's just like the actors on stage are the tip of the iceberg, like the tip of the iceberg. And it's just like, I mean, even with um Kenny Wax and the production team for six that over here that have been so instrumental in like when we've been on Zoom calls and when we've had emails, and you can tell the heart that has gone into and the work that's gone into trying to get this show out. And the fact that they were leaving it to the last minute to announce that it's not going ahead. Like I mean, we found we found out it wasn't going ahead an hour after they found out it wasn't going ahead. Like it was literally, and that's that's the good thing about them.

It's they're so they're also so mindful of the mental health of their um their team that they knew that they had to tell us immediately because they said it's no good us like you sitting there and us telling you a week later that it's not going ahead, because that's then you'd be thinking, Why haven't we been told and all this? Like they're really aware I remember seeing the team on on the screen and then being exhausted because they really had literally been staying up all night and all day and all night to try and get this going and and it was just knowing that it meant as much to the team as it did to us like it was a real special moment of you know all being in this team together and it was just yeah it was a real important thing and it's can't praise them enough.

Six and Jamie and whoever else is in a shapes for that's opening um but they're gonna be like that that kind of forefront of okay yeah what are these teams doing why are they going back now what what is it that's pushing them and that's what we're gonna see in all these long running like I reckon wicked's in for all overhaul now like it's gonna yeah everything like that lame ears all these they may have just announced their six week um opening isn't it so that's gonna be incredible because like how that's gonna run and and how they're gonna oh it's just it's really exciting.

[1:18:15] Maddie Bulleyment: It's it's as somebody like for those of you that don't know my position I am nobody I'm literally just somebody that understands how things work.

[1:18:25] Josh: I literally I would dispute that you're a fantastic theatre mastermind and wonderful podcast creator that is important to this industry but I but I but you can say what you you can say what you want but like my background is literally I have a technical degree so I can do lighting sound anything like that um and then I went into performing makeup, hair, learnt how to do all that. So when I look at a detail, I know how it works.

[1:18:49] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes.

[1:18:49] Josh: Yes.

[1:18:54] Maddie Bulleyment: And that's what I think is important. And for you guys that have seen shows multiple times. Next time you go see it, look at it with a different perspective. Don't go for that same person you've gone to see 16 times. Sick. You're gonna see them at stage door, you know that. Cool. Look at everybody else. Look at everything you missed.

[1:19:09] Josh: Mm-hmm.

[1:19:17] Maddie Bulleyment: Even the band. The fact that the band changes the instruments. I mean, Maggie, Maggie on the guitar, like Frankie, when um it blows my mind how literally in a song she in X Wives, she changes from the electric guitar to acoustic guitar in like a second, but then switches back and like I remember at one point I ended up sitting slightly too close to her at one point. And the next show she said, Oh mads, I loved it, but just to be aware, I am actually changing my guitar at that moment, like a couple of times, so I don't want it like hit your head. And I thought, Oh my gosh, I had no idea you were even changing your guitar at that point. And that that's like and that gave me such a whole new appreciation for that number because it made me hear things differently and it's so I mean, even I mean at one point we were um in Salford and doing all you want to do and Jodie's mic stopped working, because I for no re I had no idea why it was like remnant in the system and basically um Monty had to uh run on stage and give the mic to there was no other solution.

He had to physically run on stage, give another mic to her and run off stage. And it was like such a moment because it was like, Yes, this is the amount of effort and teamwork that goes into this. Like and how quickly I mean in the end, we only lost like half of us, and it's like how quickly that turned round, and and we were still able to carry on as as we were meant to, and it was just there's so much going on behind the scenes. What that was was someone sitting at a desk, my cat's come to join us. Hello. It's someone sitting at a desk seeing a light flash, being like, you know, we've got an issue to stage management, stage manager being like how dire, and they're like, you need to change, then split second decision call I'm running on stage right now.

[1:21:11] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, like oh, so bad at handling um under pressure situations, like how calm I think stage managers and adept of stage managers are some of the most and technicians are some of the most calm people I've ever met, like not calm in a relaxed, not focused way, it's like hyper fit vigilant focus, but in a very like, okay, we'll do this, get it done, get it done, get it done.

[1:21:39] Maddie Bulleyment: Like, I take my hat off to anyone working in that area of the theatre because without them we literally would not have a show, like it just would not work, like it's so wise.

[1:21:51] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, makeup, yeah, mics.

[1:21:53] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, even the whole thing, what you don't see before the show is that obviously we come down at the five-minute mark and we get our in-ears in, but it's like we put this stuff in to keep the in-ears in, so put the in-ears in then, let it dry, all that, and then they’ve been checked so that there's nothing in the in-ears that's gonna like stop us from being able to hear properly, and they've literally gone through the in-ears and gone, are they plugged in right? Is that in the park? Like all this at the levels, and then they've cleaned the mics, and then you give them the mic, um, set up with the tape, and like then you do the sound check, and they go, okay, great. Let me just check that thing on the antenna.

Like, there's so much that happens in that 10-minute, five-minute mark before, and even at that point, because the costumes are quite difficult to there's quite a lot to the costumes I get my costume on about 10 minutes before we go down and before the production starts because actually if you look at my costume it's one of the costumes that has the least to get on with help like I can do most of it myself like Aragon there's a lot to do that needs help with with the costume right and um so in my last 10 minutes it's literally like pop the lipstick on make sure my earrings are in pop the arms on uh in ear thing pop that on make sure it's all working have I forgotten anything spraying this drinking that going down seeing the stage managers saying that I'm here like there's so much and then the checks the amount of checks that sat there going okay clear with the house clear with front of house clear with um all this time the stage managers looking at the shit guys and being like cool cool cool uh okay yeah go and if there's one small moment that that they haven't got a check then you have to wait for that check and like also that actually opened my eyes to how important front of house is because like it's so important I mean I worked there for two years and the amount that front of house do is phenomenal and um and like even because you're able to get the checks off of front of house and it's funny because some venues um actually you find with older audiences because it actually takes physically longer to get in and out of the theatre like it's how how much they yeah yeah keeping in contact with the front of house and going there's been an issue here we just need to clear this up that's fine okay great, this is going all ahead.

[1:24:01] Maddie Bulleyment: Hold on a second, we just had an alert here.

[1:24:04] Maddie Bulleyment: Even things like um, I remember one time in front of house where um we it was during the production, and the actors on stage had no idea this was all going on, but the stage managers and the side stage, and everyone would have known that there was a fire alert that we knew about, and we were preparing to basically evacuate, but the actors on stage had no idea, like they're not gonna be able to do it because the actors on stage don't need to know until they need to stage. This is why stage managers are so like the coolest cucumbers in the world because they're like, cool, we might be pulling this show. Might be pulling and the thing is it got also I've got to call these 14 lighting cues that are about to come out with the next 30 seconds, like yeah, at the same time, and it was 15 seconds until we physically had to say we need to stop the show.

They found out what the fire alarm was, it was faulty or something like that. It was not an actual fire alarm, and literally in the 10 seconds before the deadline of when you had to say, the stage managers had to call off about 10 different alerts. So, um, like front of house, all is clear, this is clear, this is clear, this is clear, this is clear, this is clear, this is clear, this like literally like that. Um, okay, Q, go ahead. And I was just literally it gave me such an appreciation of like you could tell on the orchestra, like he was still going, but he had the phone up to his ear, and like all of this, and it was just such a moment where I saw fully how crucial every single member of that team, like even in box office, like because they've got a role, they've got a role to like open up the doors and open this and like alert authorities and do like it was just like think about the 10 people that knew trying to figure that out. The conductor being like, cool, I've gotta stay on time, yeah.

[1:25:46] Maddie Bulleyment: On time anything dynamics while this is because also in the dynamics completely different, yeah.

[1:25:51] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, because also in the dynamics of the music, they're like with it being a tap show, there are accents that have to hit because the tap has to go on the accent, like oh, oh, it's just everybody's in the stream. Everyone, everyone, everyone. Next time you guys are at a show, if you have never done this, walk down to the pit. If there's not a band on stage, I'll walk down to the orchestra pit. Look in it. Like I will chat, like I know most of the musical directors here in Australia, just because I'll walk over and be like, hey, like, I'll introduce myself or say you guys did awesome, or like if I hear something in the music and I know the drummers right below me, I'll be like, you know, what would the stuff feel? Like, holy crap, like yeah, like yeah, and like that that was the thing when I heard um I don't need your love, the new bass line that they bought in.

[1:26:42] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes. When I heard that for the first time, I went to Jess and I was like, what the f what the yo and I'm like, I don't know if anyone else knew that, but like holy crap. And then every time I was in, she'd look at me when she was about to play it. I'm like, oh it's the line, it's the bass line, yeah. Also, what gets me as well is that um um uh on the drums, um oh my gosh, who who's on drums? I know it's V in our cast it's V, but like Maggie on the guitar, best on the bass, Maria Maria on the drums, Maria in it. Oh my gosh, I thought my mind was fully going on. Um, but she how in every single show is so exciting because we wait in the mega six, you can watch all the mega sixes of the tour cast, right?

And I'm sure of all the casts, but she does a different drum solo every single time, and you can tell in the day that she is prepping that drum solo. Like she comes in early and like thinks, what am I gonna do today to challenge myself and like have a go at something different? And the amount of different drum solos, it's just so cool, and you just think that is different every time. So, our enthusiasm there when that happens is like, yeah, because it is actually pure enthusiasm for yeah, so amazing, and and and how everyone, even how everyone stays on the toes. So, at one point, um, we were doing the show, and for some reason the track um skipped. Um, actually, it didn't skip, it went back slightly, and it was during Don't Lose Your Head was the first time it happened.

And I remember being on stage thinking, okay, where am I? I'm here, and like the band having to reprogram and things, okay, and the drums, and V was like in a lightning flash, was like, okay, we're on this beat, bum bum, bum, bum, and I was just like that. Is so quick, like I was almost seamless. And I had someone watching, and they didn't realize something had happened, and I thought that's why that's why it's recovered. Like, as soon as I found out the whole show was set to a click, I was like, yeah, holy shit, something goes wrong. Like literally, literally, and there was one show when it went forward too quickly, slightly, but it was like it didn't matter because then Maria just played the like brum bum bum bum bum bum bump.

Like it didn't need the track underneath it, and they just did the whole thing, and it's a magic, yeah. Literally, there's a second plan, and it was actually like such adrenaline because it was like oh my gosh, this is a completely unique situation. Like Lauren's doing the monologue to this moment that hasn't got the track in it, and then V's playing the drums, and she's thinking, okay, what drums do I need to do? What beats do I need to do? And um, she's coming in with the bass, cat's coming with the bass, and Frank's trying to figure out what she's got to get to, yeah. Musicians, man, holy crap, that's just we're just touching on every freaking sector here, yeah.

[1:29:21] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, musicians, yeah. Yeah, oh my gosh, it blows mind blowing. Absolutely mind blowing, and also I want to shout out to um Tom Levi. I'm sure you might have talked about her with maybe with Jen, but if not, like Tome Levi is the um physical, I I can't think of the proper term, but she basically works on um strength training and um physio and basically preventative measures individually tailored to each person's body so that they don't suffer in the show, right? And um, so she I mean, she's an absolute wizard. She we she watched the show once, and then she went through each of us individually and went, okay. If you did you hit your foot once on your left foot, and then you that you go over on that, so there's sway back and there's this.

And I sat there and literally it's spot on. She's an actual wizard, and and then from there, we individually had sessions where she would work on individual strength training for different areas of the body that she knew that over time, over repetitive movement would suffer, and because of that, purely because of that, what we do those exercises every show, every warm-up, we didn't have the problems that we would have had, and so important. And six has been a real pioneering show, actually, for that, because they've really taken note of how important preventative measures are, but instead of just treating things like preventative before it gets there, and um, I'll shout out my the vocal coach that I go to see as well, Dane um Um Dane Chowfin, he's just phenomenal, and um and he works on like the and there's a lot of fantastic vocal coaches out there.

Um it works in the preventative, like um how to support a certain vowel shape or a sound that you're not gonna get that repetitive strain, and then if you do get that, then you go to the physio, and the physio works out, and the thing you just have a setup there and vocal warm-ups to get back to it, and it's just there are so many steps and processes to it, and it just is amazing. Like one big tree, and there's all these branches, and like oh good. It's one whole ecosystem. I love it so much. Bringing noobs to the podcast.

[1:31:30] Maddie Bulleyment: Um, welcome.

[1:31:31] Maddie Bulleyment: Hi.

[1:31:32] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, hi.

[1:31:38] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah.

[1:31:39] Maddie Bulleyment: Well, I hope I I hope we've opened your eyes, guys. Like, honestly, like next time you go see this.

[1:31:46] Maddie Bulleyment: I just want to have this type of chat with everybody in the industry.

[1:31:49] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah, everybody has a different experience.

[1:31:52] Maddie Bulleyment: Like, yeah, yeah.

[1:31:55] Maddie Bulleyment: Hello, Jen.

[1:31:56] Maddie Bulleyment: Um, I was talking to Jen about the fact she um was a dresser on quite a few shows at one point, and she said it was just so magical because seeing it from that side and like and how different it was, and it gives you any perspective on what people actually have to like do to prep the costumes and like and also how early what gets me is how early the our costume department have to come in to re-stud things and wash certain things, and because it's a really elaborate way of washing it because the way obviously the material it's made of um can't go in a washing machine or whatever. It's like hand washed because the inside has to be hand washed so it doesn't get really smelly, and um and uh the process is such a long process, and it's incredible, like they're so clever, and uh you know we could yeah, we could yeah, go on.

[1:32:44] Maddie Bulleyment: Could have had a hundred percent this could be literally three episodes worth, yes, surely, yeah.

[1:32:51] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh guys, this I'm gonna start a whole new podcast.

[1:32:54] Maddie Bulleyment: This is it.

[1:32:55] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes, yes.

[1:32:57] Maddie Bulleyment: It's gonna happen.

[1:32:58] Maddie Bulleyment: Yes.

[1:32:59] Maddie Bulleyment: Because everyone is gonna have such different stories as well, and like things that shaped them in like growing up and or like things that they just like different experiences, like people had different paths to being on stage. Like I started as a tech, you started in front of house. Like not everybody goes to college and then goes straight on stage.

[1:33:18] Maddie Bulleyment: Mm-hmm.

[1:33:19] Maddie Bulleyment: It's just not the same.

[1:33:20] Maddie Bulleyment: And I think actually front of house is such an important when I was doing you know, I trained up till 18 and then I did drama school and actually doing front of house at the same time as doing drama school um was and like working over the summer and staying there was I I so recommend anyone listening that loves theatre and uh wants to go into it or is training and they need a job or whatever to go for front of house because it's such an eye-opening magical experience. At least mine was anyway, I was very fortunate. And it's just that you see first off you see it all working as it does. And um even like the bar would be asked for ice for the dancers so they could ice their legs in between shows because of how intense the show was, and and it was just even that like it was just such a magical environment to be in, to even just be in a theatre, work in the theatre and be around that and see the effects that the theatre has.

I'd recommend front of house to anyone because it's all right, pay as well, like it's really you know, it's great. You're a crucial part of the show because without you being frank and seated and the show. Don't be seated at all.

[1:34:23] Maddie Bulleyment: And it's so lovely to okay, so beautiful story that I did um that stuck with me for such a long time. Is so I was why was I positioned? I was positioned in one of the doors that was like uh near one of the sets of stairs before people went into the stores, and um there was a man in a in a wheelchair um waiting for his partner that had gone into the loo and basically he was sat there and he had this beautiful extravagant clothing on and he was just like really doled up and it was gorgeous and um I just got chatting to him and I was like oh how how are you?

[1:34:55] Josh: What are you um have you seen the show before? And we were just chatting away and he was asking about front of house and all that, and I said, like, what's have you seen 40 seconds street before? And he said, I was the original stage manager on the original West End cast here back when it was on here before, and it really touched me because I just thought, Wow, like, and you're coming back to see this, and he said I wasn't going to come see the first. From the wings, like during that period, like yeah, and it made from a new yeah, exactly. It made me see from a completely new perspective, and it was just so touching because every you could tell that he was sat there watching the show, and tears were like running down his face, but not at even at times when you'd even expect, and you could remember that it's almost you could see that there were times because I watched the show so many times that I was able to kind of occasionally glance at people and see, you know, as I was checking, and it was a really subtle moments, and you just thought that must have been such a a memory must have flashed up of like a lovely little backstage moment that you'd have with someone and this sort of thing, and just remembering back to the whole beauty of that time, and even things like so I was doing front of the house and I was I was an ice cream seller this time, and and uh this man came up to me and he had a tremor in his hand, and um, and he was kind of buying this ice cream and he had quite slow speech, and I um I said, Oh, you know, how are you?

We're having a normal conversation, and he said, I said, So, what is what has brought you did theatre? Like, like why why and he said, This is um, he said, actually, and he was kind of really I can't even explain. He's he's going, Well, yeah, actually, um, I'm going into surgery tomorrow and um uh having brain surgery, so um this is kind of my why treat before I go into surgery, and there was this kind of unspoken knowledge that there was no knowing how that could turn out. Do you know what I mean? There was that unspoken, it what didn't need to be said, but it was said in everything that he said that you knew how important this moment in this theatre moment was to him and his family, and experiencing, and you just think you could see that he was getting emotional because you just think you wouldn't know if you could even experience theatre in the same way again.

Like you could even probe mentally if something happened, or I don't know, and it was really and then he went, okay. Well, it was just all the things that were unspoken, and then he said, Yeah, so um have a look and he was asking about drama screws, like, you know, best of luck with everything and have have a lovely time, and then he went off to his family. And I honestly stood there and I thought that is what it's about, like how it it was just such a moving moment, and it made me see the show in completely fresh eyes because it made me see it how I'd originally seen it again because the spectacle and and the remembering that you know I knew the show inside out now, and and like remembering what an incredible magical moment it was when the stairs would come out and they you'd hear the steps, and it was just a real special.

And I thought that's what it is. And actually, there was a brilliant um documentary that Coldplay does. It's called Headful of Dreams, and it's on Amazon. If you haven't seen it, you would love it. It's just it all talks about all this, and it's just brilliant, right? And it talks about their journey through, and even if you don't like Coldplay, or you're not as much of a fan, it's just really enlightening to see. I love Coldplay. Um, have you seen it? Yeah, but I talk about at one point, he says he said yeah, that he had a moment where it's like each show is either someone's first or someone's last, like it can be either or, and it makes you go into the show completely fresh every time, and like share that experience, seeing people and sharing that.

Um, there's a phrase that and I'm doing a little shameless plug here. I'm in the show DVD for uh the Coldplay um tour DVD, me and my dad, slow-mo, black and white, running to the stadium. Just gonna put that in there, everyone. Milo's I tone. But basically, the reason why I remember the quote is because it's the same time. But basically, it's um it's the quote that sticks out is that it's a wonderful feeling of togetherness and possibility, and that is what theatre and live music is. It's like everyone coming together in that moment to share that singular moment that will never be the same again, and then go their separate ways and all have their own memories of it, and like and I mean, really random story, but I um I was I have asthma, and I had it quite bad at this point, and we were stood, and I made sure to bring all my asthma pumps right and be really prepared, and I was stupid, and I left them all at the hotel, right?

So we got to the stadium, and there was like these asthma pumps, and this would not obviously ever be able to happen now, but basically, I was feeling an attack coming on, and I was like, flip's sake, this is the one time I don't need this happening. And I remember my dad just disappearing for a second and going up to the stand, and I just remember him hearing him go, Does anyone have an asthma pump? Anyone have a fresh asthma pump? My daughter's got asthma, and I remember everyone, like in people, no one would ever come together normally. Went, I've got one, I've got one. And it was such a moment where it was like, I think we could have everyone went, Whoa! Like, it was such a like special.

And obviously, I know, like, we had antiseptic wipes, don't worry, it was all clean, and we like sorted it out. And they said just keep it. It was a new one, so I'm just putting that out there, right? Just put it out there. But um, and it was the same one that I have. I wasn't taking any random medication that I'm not meant to be taking, just saying, but um, we you know, I took it and I was fine, and I just thought, what a unique random moment that that happened, and that would never happen anywhere else. Like, where do you get that? And it's the idea that everyone wants it to be this amazing time, and like the idea that someone wouldn't have that amazing time because of something is like unbearable, and it's like that's so sad.

And I even remember the end of that concert, Viva La Vida had played, and it was just like, oh, it was just amazing, and so we were all leaving, everyone was leaving, I was everyone's on that adrenaline buzz, and someone started the Viva La Vida chant, like, and everyone erupted, all singing it exactly the same time, to the point of everyone was singing it to the point of when we left the stadium, got to the tube station, everyone was still going on the tube. Like, it was just like this magical, and you know, all these people from all different walks of life that would have probably you'd never meet them in real life normally, like someone everyone's got this random job, and then they've gone over to this like country and all this, and they've come over here to seeing a girlfriend or whatever, and it's like just everyone bought together in that moment, and it's just oh, it's just so special.

And as it's such a privilege being on stage knowing that. Like it's the biggest privilege that I will never take for granted, knowing that people have chosen to spend their time with you and for you to share that with them. And they are choosing to share that humanity with you. And like so, how lucky are you to be able to share that with people? And that's your job. Like to to know that that's the job to share that humanity and share that that life experience and and reach someone somehow. It's just I can't, it's just we're so lucky. We're so lucky.

[1:42:18] Josh: Talk to all the people that have lined up for ages, and like build a buzz, and I'll like I did it at six, like just get people excited because like guys, this there was a reason you bought the ticket. Mm-hmm. Like whether it was something you saw on a board or you didn't want to see it for months. This is an experience that some people can't afford. Some people will never get to experience. So like special. Like, and that was the coolest thing about my last trip to New York is that every show I got there early, and I met people from all over the world. I met someone that lives like a couple of kilometers away from me, like stage door, just being like, yo, what where are you from? They're like, Oh, I was like, Stop.

That's so cool. Yeah. It's just cool to hear people's stories. Like Beetlejuice was the funnel. Like there was people full dressed up, and I was like, it was just a really unique thing. And like if you guys should have the most present things, I think, of all the things that you can experience, it's so present. Like, even in the moment where you're talking to that person, it's such a like you are so in that moment and it's like you know that there's a limited time that you will be in that space and how present people are taking in even the architecture and the the the merch and and all this and and you know having been served the drinks and all that like they're so present and taking in every moment because they know there's a memory that they want to keep and it's just that such a unique like again I've said it but like present like sharing of with people and like people keep yes it's it's chasing that feeling of cool this was magical once and it doesn't matter if you like I've seen shows when I've had a shit day and I'll I had to drive two hours to get there and I'm like I get to see I'm like man I'm really not feeling it tonight like all it takes is for someone like I had it closing night or six the show I saw before I was I had a shocker just yeah had a really bad vibe had an issue with the opera house da da da yeah yeah walk in and the costume designer talk turns to me he goes go make it loud tonight and I was like yeah fuck it's just like it was just like it took one thing like I walked in there not knowing what to expect and then I just like it was just theatre is so freaking cool man like yeah so cool and it's oh I think in a in a world where there's increasingly like yes social media is so up to date and yes in in the in the factual sense it's very present because it's very up to date and quick but it's you're not sharing that presence in person immediately with someone and I think theatre and live music and live performance is such a unique thing in this growing kind of like seeing things from afar not really connecting like online presence isn't full like presence I think it makes people scared to connect as much and actually theatre opposes that and like yeah makes you get out of that comfort zone and and lets you realize that it's okay to like connect with people and like chat to people and yeah think of you're sitting in a theatre think of how many people are in a ten foot square around you right there's probably eight to ten.

[1:45:46] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah right yeah yeah everyone's gonna experience something different throughout the show and they're gonna have a reaction that you're gonna pick up on and then you're gonna look at that and be like oh shit I missed that like yeah or the person next to you seen the show six times already and they know somebody misses this moment coming up twelve times and they'll on the leg and be like yo pay attention yeah yeah I love there was someone I think it's Paige Paige um she's someone that comes to the show and she takes a lot of photos and they're they're wonderful photos and I remember that she there was a a venue that was relatively quiet and she there was a line the feminism line we were talking about um it hadn't really gotten a reaction the show before just because people were quite quiet and I I wondered I was like is it the way I delivered it and I asked the girls and they said no it was just quite a quiet show and so I did it again I delivered it um kind of looked at it and delivered it and the way I did and Paige made a point of really laughing at it and being like woo like really making a thing of like yeah feminism and I was like yes yeah yes I did that did that a couple of times I was like sitting there and you're like this show like people don't understand like it it might be just people don't understand that this show is like a it's okay to be loud like it's okay yes yes that's so true yeah like you know like and like I'll get looks like is I'll give standing ovations gore like yeah I like I'll get up and people will stand there I don't care if I'm blocking an old mate behind me they're bowing cool sick yeah sit there and clap like I know how much hard work you put into that freaking hour and a half yes that is the thing that's why it's like there's so much hard work that's gone into it and it's like there is that that that awareness of like you're not just bowing like the actors like it's not just that it's bowing not just standing up and clapping the actors it's like the whole thing like you are appreciating the whole thing and if it's something that you see that you don't feel like it's not innovation fair that's fine but like if you do see it and you do feel that it's just such a lovely thing to like give and like to share and I know that there's always debate about whether people should stand up as much as they do and I just think what's the harm in standing up and giving an ovation like showing your appreciation.

[1:48:02] Maddie Bulleyment: I do it, I do it with things that I see whenever I see it because again it's like you've worked so hard, yeah, so hard. Or if what I'll do, shake, there's been times during shows where like early on in act one there's a moment that gets me and I'm like, shit, and I'll make a point to grab that ensemble or that lead, like that minor lead's attention and be like, fucking yes, like that was, yeah.

[1:48:32] Maddie Bulleyment: Like I don't know if you were feeling something for that, but yeah. But that was just on another level. On another level. Maybe it's just me being the way I process shit, but like No, but I think it's important to like I think that really means a lot when people notice small moments that you do that maybe you tried something and it you just thought, oh I mean that's the first time I tried it, did it work? Whatever. If someone then goes, Oh, I love that moment that you did, it's like, oh wow, like you you really noticed that like and it kind of reminds you that the work that you're doing outside of the show and on the show, and like the work that you're doing on character and the work you're doing on script, like it actually is for a reason, like it reminds you of how important that is to get that clarity and all that. Yeah, it's really it really means a lot, yeah. Yeah, I love it. Let it out, guys. Yes. Do it.

[1:49:24] Josh: Um let's quickly talk about going back to work. We've already done it a little bit, but on a scale of one to a hundred, how excited are you?

[1:49:31] Maddie Bulleyment: 109. Um literally, I couldn't even tell you like 10 and 10% as they say on X Factor all the time. Um wish I could be there. Like as soon as the announcement came, I'm like, I'm literally moving like five months after you guys finish like I honestly think, right? I honestly do think I'm either gonna be so in the zone that I'm not gonna cry at all and I'm gonna be in shock. Or we're gonna get too bareheaded. I had this I had this conversation with Vicky the other day. I was like, everyone's just gonna everybody cast crew audience, everybody. Stop. There's gonna be a standing ovation for the freaking overture. Like it doesn't matter what show it is, as soon as that first one plays, it's just it's gonna be nuts. It's gonna be absolutely wild. And I do think I'm so like I know like 20 people going to your first show, and I know it's gonna be nuts.

[1:50:32] Maddie Bulleyment: Do you? Oh, I love that. I'm so excited because like the moments there are certain moments that I just you just I just love, I love the whole show, obviously, but there's certain moments in particular where it's like it's the first the very first time that everyone comes together and go welcome to the show. It's the very first time when it's like here we go, like welcome to the show. Like that's magical. And then um, and then oh don't lose your head. I love when um that that sorry that first chorio break in no way is gonna be uh like it's gonna be so good. And oh literally, let's go! And then um don't lose your head when they've just gone the the blowjob joke five, six, seven, eight, sorry, not sorry.

I cannot wait. I cannot wait. That I live for that moment, live for that. Run down the stairs when I don't fall down it, run down the stairs and go absolutely. It's not even gonna matter. I'm gonna be like, yeah, like get up, and then seem I cannot wait to hear Carly's Heart of Stone. And it's gonna be exciting because it's gonna be her first show too. Like, it's not just first show back, it's our first show. Like, it's gonna be so cool. And like sitting there, and the fact that we're paid to like sit there and listen to someone sing heart of stone. I mean, like, it's the best job ever. And then House of Hole Burn, I cannot wait to turn around with the glasses and just be like, just going all out.

I'm gonna have to really pace myself though, because I know that I'm gonna get back and be like, oh going all out, and it's gonna get to like House of Hole Black, but it's all behind goes it. Like, I've got a really place. And then get down. I cannot wait for the first um first get up. Whoever's in the front row, you're gonna freaking get up if you don't get out of slap. Literally they're and then um all you want to do. I actually do know what I really can't wait. Because I really I do really enjoy doing what you want to do because I just think it's such an epic saga in itself, like the story and the amount of actually oh, that's one. If you are watching and you haven't and you've seen it multiple times, watch yes, obviously, of course, watch the Howard, of course, but there are so many little nuances in the choreo and the facial expressions in the on in these other five girls, right?

So just pay attention because the amount of they're so clever, like Jamie and Franny and um Grace and um everyone, Toby and Lucy are so clever at knowing when the little nuances have to, and this is what we were talking about with the ensemble and how the ensemble tells a story, right? Like the little tiny there's moments when we either go blank or we are we act as the guys, or we go blank or we stare at the end. The guys gets me all the time, like the switch. Yeah, you're like it's so so have a watch of that, and then I so I can't wait for it. All you want to do, I actually really love it. And then there's a moment in I don't need your love that I really enjoy, and I I can't put my finger on why.

I just think it's that whole what moment is it as me appreciation. It's when we sat on the steps and past starts and just before you get up. You know, I love you, boy. No, it's literally when she's not the step, and it's that it's she goes, Dear Thomas, dear Tom, and it's that moment, there's complete silence, the inner silence, yeah, silence. We sat there watching her, she's about to sing, and it's just that you could not hear a pin buff in the audience, and everyone is looking, and it's just the most like I think it is that literally the embodiment on stage of like, wow, I'm so lucky to be here in this moment. Like that is a real moment that gets me every time, and I just and then obviously we get up and do the whole I don't need to go out. And then it drops for a second. Yes, yes. That is the note out of thin air. Start this whole thing that just it's like kind of like a roller coaster. It gets to the top of the hill.

[1:54:15] Maddie Bulleyment: Uh-huh. It's just yeah, and it's the moment that it gets to I love when it's we've had the first like bum bum and the break and the chatting away in the chat chat chat, feminism, chat chat chat, and then the cheeky look when it's like, oh, don't really and then it's the fact that at that point the audience and the cast are one. Like the audience know everything now, and they know the plan and they know the whole thing, and they are with you fully in that moment, and you are literally all together, like in Oh my god that you see like the final bricks in the wall fall down. Like anybody that was just putting it on. Like it's yeah, they're in. And it's also I can't wait for the um the uh in six when it's the first like clappy clapping and getting everyone involved, that bit, and also um the bit when it when it goes um the shows the show's basically what's the lyric?

Um that's it's the it's not the we want to say before we drop the curtain, although I love that line, it's the we want to say before we drop the curtain. It's a bit before it's like the show is almost over, or something like that. But it's like we want to say before we drop the curtain, or that bit, and it's like I feel like it's gonna be so oh just oh it's just beautiful, and oh I just love it. So lucky to be part of this show, so lucky, and lucky dumb fans that love it and like people like you that just get it and and just like click. Like shit, guys.

[1:55:46] Josh: No, it's so emotional, isn't it? It's just so much. It's just like I get like so important. I know there's like some really huge fans out there, and I love you guys. Just the way I look at this show, man. Like, I don't know what it was. Like that first time I saw it, I was like, Huh. Yeah. Okay. And like I turned around. I think that day Lucy was in the audience, so I turned around and like chatted to her and chatted to the producers afterwards, and it was just like everyone's bought in. Like there is one person involved with this show that doesn't believe a hundred percent in what this show's about. Fully. Like everyone is so invested in like let's go. Like, let's do it. Like, everyone throws everything they have into it, and and you can tell it's like the love that you feel.

I remember watching it the first time, and even from the moment when it was like if they come through the curtain, it's like divorce, boom boom. I thought this is something different. This is something else. Like we didn't curtain. You can't put your finger in.

[1:56:54] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. Yeah. So we just had to walk on stage. Oh yeah. So we just had the lights go, and then they just come up the stairs, and it's just silhouettes to take the devils. Oh you just you heard tip and them just walk across, and you heard everybody either cheer or just drop dead silent, waiting for that first. It was I'm getting proper emotional, honestly. Like literally crying. I can picture the whole show in my head. Can hi, excuse me, six. I know I can't make it to the UK, but can you please set me up with like a Skype or something, please? Because I'll be good.

[1:57:39] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. Oh my gosh. It's oh the love, honestly, the love that that everyone has for it. And it's so lovely talking about it because it lets you remember like all these little nuanced moments and and just the excitement of the buzz that you feel going into it. It's just nothing. There's nothing like it. There is nothing like it. I can't even explain. It's just magical. Oh love it so much. So so lucky. Oh I just love the fact that I get to talk about this shit. Like Yeah, yeah. This is like I have gone so in depth with the with this show right now that like Yeah. I don't even know if there's a part of the show that I don't know about. Like I don't know if there's anything.

[1:58:31] Maddie Bulleyment: Oh, I mean, oh it's even like what you don't see when we go off stage and and we're putting the ruffs on. Like that is such a quick that's a performance of six high. Can you hire me? Like, I will literally I know I know the shit. I can stand backstage. Yeah, you're set up. You're set up. Like it's the fact that um to know if you've seen it lots before, to know that when Cleves is on stage doing the whole um oh is me, it's so sad and all this. Like, we're off stage for literally about 30 seconds. Um, roughs, drink, glasses, this, blowing your nose, this, that, this, sorted, and back on. Like, I think that's such a and that's even though that's stressful, that's such a magical part of the process as well, because it's like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, we're gonna start adrenaline rusher.

Yeah, oh here we go. Let's get the roughs on. Like, it's just so exciting. It's so exciting. It's so exciting. And even they might that you don't you don't see like they reuse the um the confetti, so when they're sweeping it up at the end of the show, it takes about 20 minutes to sweep up the confetti, and yeah, suit up a confetti, sift it all out so that there's no random like gems and bits that are gonna fall on us, and it's just the confetti, pop it back in the bucket, get the the the thing down, pop the bucket on the thing, lift the bucket back up again. So that requires like the stage management team, the tech team, the theatre team that know about the architecture and all this, like everyone in the theatre to do just that, to do just that. It's just like oh, it's just amazing. It's just amazing, and I can't wait. I cannot wait with everything in me to get back to it. I just can't wait. It's just magical.

[2:00:16] Josh: Well, if I wasn't sure about making another podcast, I sure am now, guys, because it's happening. Maddie, that brings us to two hours, which makes this the longest episode. So we're gonna we're gonna press stop there. Thank you so much, thank you. Guys, thank you for sticking around. Uh I'll probably I might split this into two, I'm not sure. Um but um yeah, make sure you guys are I'm gonna do some research into all the things, and if I pop any links down below, I pop links down below. We've spoken about so much here. There's too much to put links to. Um Just be vocal, guys.

[2:00:56] Maddie Bulleyment: Yeah. Yeah. Just be vocal. Talk about it. Talk about your friends and and family and and keep going with it and keep sharing the importance of it because it's important. It's important. It is. We've cried about it. Umright Queens, we'll wrap this up before we go down another rabbit hole. Thank you for joining us this week, and we will be back next week with a brand new episode of the Queen of Podcast. Bye.