Building a Career for 11 Months of the Year

07/01/24 • 39 min

In conversation with writer and director Jack MacGregor, this episode inspects how to build your creative practice and career sustainably as an emerging artist over 11 months of the year. What are key points in the calendar emerging practitioners should bookmark and how is wellbeing prioritised in times of rejection?

Jack MacGregor is a writer and director based in the Highlands. Longlisted for the JMK Award and Discover Artist with National Theatre of Scotland, Jack’s writing-directing credits include ‘Nightlands’ and ‘Everything Under the Sun’. He is one of ten SSP Fellowship writers and has previously been awarded a Fringe First and Scottish Arts Club Fringe prize for ‘Best Scottish Show’. Jack has previously participated in projects 2020 Stories; The View From Here and COP26 Performance Commissions with Scottish Youth Theatre.

This episode was recorded in May 2024 as part of our Dialogue programme.

This episode was recorded in May 2024 as part of our Dialogue programme.

Previous Episode

In-between Writing and Performing

In discussion with 6 emerging writers from the textLAB programme – Anna Whealing, Bo Hogan, Calum Philp, Dylan Russell, Lara Delmage and Lintong Zhang – episode 2 tackles the space between writing and performance: how can and should a piece of writing be responsive to current world concerns, how may text challenge the role of the performer and, contrarily, how may the audience have a direct impact on the writing and how it is performed?

This episode was recorded in September 2022, when the artists were on the textLAB programme on the lead up to their collective Rehearsed Reading. To find out more about the project and how their works developed, please visit: https://scottishyouththeatre.org/national-artistic-programme/2022/textlab/

You can also find short interviews with each of the artists over on our TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scottishyouththeatre

Next Episode

Edinburgh Fringe: Now, Then & Beyond...

Ed Fringe: Now, Then & Beyond – A Conversation with Mikael Philippos.

In Dialogue is back with this amazing episode featuring past participant, co-founder of Under the Rug Theatre Company and emerging writer & director, Mikael Philippos.

Mikael goes into detail on his last two experiences of the Edinburgh Fringe and putting new work on during the festival. With podcast host, Josie, he divulges how we were able to make it happen and how he now feels that it's all done. If you're an emerging theatre-maker considering taking work to the Fringe or just curious about what it's like then, this is the perfect podcast for you.

In Dialogue... - Building a Career for 11 Months of the Year

Transcript

Jamie00:00:17.699

Hello and welcome to the podcast series from Scottish Youth Theatre, where we explore the pinnacles, pitfalls and peripheries of establishing your practice as an emerging theater maker. I'm Jamie Steedman, and on today's episode, I'm in conversation with writer and director Jack McGregor, breaking down how you build a career for 11 months of the year, we will be covering things such as key points in the calendar an emerging artist, should look out fo