Ever wondered whether Caryl Churchill would do a podcast about fame? Tim Crouch has some thoughts.

In the very first episode of The FAMEHUNGRY Podcast, performance artist Louise Orwin sits down with Obie Award-winning playwright, performer and theatre-maker Tim Crouch to ask an uncomfortable question: how do you get people to see your work without turning yourself into a walking advertisement?

Tim is the mind behind My Arm, The Author and An Oak Tree - the extraordinary play in which he performs alongside a different actor every night, someone who has neither rehearsed nor read the script. Over the years, those actors have included some rather famous faces.

We get into celebrity casting, brutal reviews and what to do with them, artistic integrity, what drives us as artists, and the strange indignity of having to sell tickets to something you genuinely believe in. There are stories involving Alanis Morissette and Frances McDormand, a few existential spirals, and a conversation about TikTok that takes a surprisingly swift turn towards death. And yes, somehow, we end up talking about pensions.

Plus:

• Celebrity casting, theatre economics and the magic of An Oak Tree
• Bad reviews, walkouts and the critics living rent-free in your head
• Self-promotion and the eternal struggle to sell your work without selling your soul
• Creativity, ambition and the elusive definition of success
• Money, mortality and, inevitably, pensions

Tim Crouch is an award-winning British playwright, performer and director whose innovative and internationally acclaimed work includes My Arm, An Oak Tree, The Author, I, Malvolio and Truth's a Dog Must to Kennel. His work challenges conventional relationships between performers, audiences and the stories we tell.

An Oak Tree is playing at The Other Palace, London, until 15 November 2026.

Tickets: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/an-oak-tree/

https://www.timcrouchtheatre.co.uk/

@thistimcrouch

CONTENT NOTE: Strong language; discussion of death, grief and sexual violence in relation to theatre work.

Hosted by award-winning cult UK performance artist Louise Orwin, FAMEHUNGRY is a funny, candid and occasionally uncomfortable investigation into fame, ambition, money, power and the economics of being seen.

Follow or subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.

FAMEHUNGRY: THE LIVE SHOW

Want more existential dread, questionable decisions and a live confrontation with the Almighty Algorithm?

Catch Louise's award-winning show FAMEHUNGRY on tour, or live on TikTok (if you’re brave enough):

• 30–31 October 2026: Sesc 24 de Maio, São Paulo, Brazil
• 19–20 November 2026: HOME, Manchester
• 27–28 November 2026: Brighton Dome
• 6–7 February 2027: Canada, PuSh Festival
• 13 May 2027: Farnham Maltings

More dates for 2027 to be announced soon.

Tour dates and tickets: https://louiseorwin.com/diary

Instagram: @louiseorwin

Made with love, ambition and a deeply questionable return on investment.

Louise Orwin is an award-winning performance artist, writer and director who has spent the past fifteen years making work about the things we're not supposed to talk about.Her work has toured internationally, frequently involving uncomfortable questions, audience participation and situations that probably seemed like a good idea at the time.