Performance Anxiety

Alex Dale and Maren Thom
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The art of performance needs some love and understanding. Film, TV, theatre and comedy: we celebrate and dissect the performances everyone’s talking about.

  1. 2025-04-28

    Can Paapa Essiedu play Severus Snape?

    When HBO cast Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, the internet promptly fell into a state of operatic despair. But is there more going on than meets the eye (and X feed)?In this episode of Performance Anxiety, hosts Dr Maren Thom and Mr Alex Dale unpack the hidden class structures of JK Rowling's world, the myth of 'authenticity' in adaptation, and why appearance might matter far less than you'd think.Along the way: Alan Rickman’s shadow, the curious English obsession with social climbing, and the great question — can a handsome, decent chap really pull off being Hogwarts' grumpiest potions master?

    19 min
  2. S03E01// Why the Oscars still matter

    2024-04-15

    S03E01// Why the Oscars still matter

    Everyone is wrong – the Oscars are still relevant. Maren and Alex are back and kicking off season 3 in style! In this episode they explain why the Oscars, as a celebration of a populist art form, are the only game in town. They also ask why, in spite of everything, the Academy keeps rewarding films no-one has seen.

    26 min
  3. S02E12// Emma Stone & Poor Things

    2024-01-29

    S02E12// Emma Stone & Poor Things

    Maren and Alex ask why everyone is raving about Emma Stone's performance as Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos's new film Poor Things and why its success is so hard to pin down. What does Emma Stone stand for as a performer? The team use Freud and Žižek to explain Stone's unique quality and appeal, and why her performance is bigger than the film itself.

    24 min
  4. S02E11// Vibe Check with Jacob Elordi

    2024-01-16

    S02E11// Vibe Check with Jacob Elordi

    In this episode, Maren and Alex analyse why vibes are gaining such prominence when it comes to understanding culture. Is story is getting lost as a casualty in a culture war over meaning? Maybe, but sensation and emotional affect still exist and still make for artistic experiences. The duo then look at the performances of up-and-coming vibe exemplar Jacob Elordi to see how vibes work on screen, and how an actor's persona are affected by – and help create – vibes.

    21 min
  5. S2E10// Ridley Scott's Napoleon

    2023-12-05

    S2E10// Ridley Scott's Napoleon

    In this episode, Maren and Alex ask why so many historians are upset with Ridley Scott's Napoleon, explore the different requirements of artistic and historical representations, and ask what the film Napoleon call tell us about Ridley Scott's film-making and preoccupations. Why did Scott chose to dramatise Napoleon's story, and why is Napoleon the archetypal Ridley Scott film? Why cast Joaquin Phoenix? Listen and find out!

    18 min
  6. S2E09// Maestro, Live! from the Battle of Ideas, ft Timandra Harkness

    2023-11-20

    S2E09// Maestro, Live! from the Battle of Ideas, ft Timandra Harkness

    A very special episode, live from the Battle of Ideas, discussing the meaning of performance and "cultural cosplay"! In this first ever live episode of Performance Anxiety, Maren and Alex are delighted to welcome their first ever guest host and interlocutor, writer and broadcaster Timandra Harkness. Timandra helps the team explain why they started the podcast and why they chose to analyse performance in particular. The team then use their particular set of skills to analyse the Bradley Cooper film Maestro, looking especially at whether or not Cooper's prosthetic nose is "cultural cosplay". This episode contains one reference to the sitcom Larry Sanders. A special prize awaits the listener who spots it!

    42 min
  7. S2E08// Unhappy Christmas from Marks and Spencer

    2023-11-06

    S2E08// Unhappy Christmas from Marks and Spencer

    In this episode, Maren and Alex analyse why so many people hated the Marks and Spencer Christmas advert by examining the meaning of each performer, look at why Christmas adverts are such a phenomenon in the first place, and use Kant to explain the clash of values in the culture war arguments around the ad. Warning: this episode contains two bad impressions.

    29 min
  8. S2E07// How creative is The Creator?

    2023-10-09

    S2E07// How creative is The Creator?

    In this episode, which ranges from Stanislavsky to Futurama, Maren and Alex ask: how creative is the Creator? What do actors inherit as part of an acting dynasty? What do the central performances reveal about humanity and AI? And will this film encourage Hollywood to be more original?

    27 min
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About

The art of performance needs some love and understanding. Film, TV, theatre and comedy: we celebrate and dissect the performances everyone’s talking about.

Information

  • Creator
    Alex Dale and Maren Thom
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Alex Dale and Maren Thom
  • Show Website
    Performance Anxiety