Absolute Scenes

This month, we’re shining a spotlight on Absolute Scenes, the podcast co-hosted and produced by Bristol’s very own Andy Barton and Gabrielle Sheppard. 

Andy is a Bristol-based actor, writer, and director and Gabrielle, a born-and-raised Bristolian performer who's been in the spotlight since she could walk (almost!). Together, they’ve worn many hats in the creative world, and this podcast is no exception. 

Absolute Scenes takes a fun yet insightful look at life and work in the entertainment industry, focusing on—but not limited to—the West Country.  

Each episode, they invite special guests to share their personal stories and experiences, all leading to that one key moment: their Absolute Scene. 

Here’s what the co-host’s shared about season one: 

First of all, tell us about the name, why is it called Absolute Scenes? 

Every guest presents us with their 'Absolute Scene', a piece of creativity that lives rent-free in their head. It could be a scene from a play, TV show or movie that sends shivers down their spine every time they see or read it. It might be a scene that doesn't necessarily do any of these things, but that they look to for inspiration when they may have a block in their own creative process. Of course, it could instead be a song, a poem, or even a chapter from a book. We've loved hearing the things our guests have chosen - it's been so varied and really reveals a lot about them. Plus, we've now got loads of great recommendations of things to go and consume ourselves! 

What have been some of your most memorable moments from season 1?  

Some of the Absolute Scenes and revelations that have come along with them have been huge surprises, not to give any spoilers away, but we had lots of fun with Chris Cox in Episode Three... 

Actually, all of the Absolute Scenes have really encapsulated each person and been fun to get a look into their psyche... 

But also our audiences and the feedback, questions and ideas we've received from them have been such a lovely surprise. We found out we have audience members as far away as Australia!  

Have there been any challenges?  

How to create something like this. Having both worked throughout theatre and film - producing and creating in both these spaces, we knew we had the skillset to do so, but it was scary taking a leap into something relatively unknown. We've embraced that fear and are so glad with what has been created, as well as the gorgeous feedback we've received from the audience! 

Space and location was also a challenge - we needed a recording space that would be convenient, comfortable, accessible but also sound great – not an easy checklist to achieve. But Bristol Old Vic, despite being a very busy working theatre, with a large workforce and daily visiting companies have managed to get us a space to fit those requirements! 

What do you hope listeners will take away from the podcast? We hope people come away feeling entertained, inspired, and hopeful—whether from a guest's Absolute Scene or a unique perspectiveit's usually the result of a team’s collective creativity. 

 We hope those with no experience in the industry feel entertained by behind-the-scenes snapshots from some very cool and inspiring humans. For those familiar with the industry, we hope hearing honest perspectives provides comfort, knowing that everyone has their struggles, even in an industry often viewed through a ‘glitz and glam’ lens. 

What can we expect from Season 2? We’re planning to release Season 2 in January and have some incredible guests lined up (though we can’t reveal names just yet!), there'll be We’re also expanding into video, making it more accessible with YouTube content for those who prefer to watch or use captions and lip reading. 

 We’ve learned a lot from Season 1 and are making technical tweaks and slight format changes. We’re focusing more on guests' personal experiences, as feedback showed this resonated most. We’re moving away from instructional segments like "how to do a self-tape" and letting the stories themselves provide insight. While we have big ideas like live shows and multi-guest recordings, those are likely further down the line! 

Absolute Scenes is available to stream now on Spotify, Apple Podcast and YouTube.