Since the launch of the Performing in Life podcast by Trafalgar Education, the guest list has included performers, presenters as well as our very own Dame Rosemary Squire!

However, the latest guest set new listening records for the podcast which is still in its infancy. 

The podcast team were lucky enough to secure an interview with performer and former Stagecoach Teacher Bethany Weaver, who was cast as Dorothy in the Wicked movies after considerable speculation.

The episode was actually recorded back in September 2025 and was set for release on the same date as Wicked: For Good in November. However, with the hype that was surrounding the mystery of who was playing Dorothy in the movie, Universal put a stop to Bethany doing any press or interviews. 

Chase Demmers, Head of Events and Partnerships for Trafalgar Education and Podcast Host, said: “It was really frustrating and and a massive blow. I found out about the delay the night before the episode was due for release. It was gone 9pm and and I received a frantic message saying that the episode couldn’t go out! Absolute panic set in as it was so late in the evening, and the episode was already uploaded to the distributing platform for a 6am release the next morning. I was desperately trying to get hold of the podcast team to stop the episode from going out and our marketing team and PR Agency to stop any promotion about the episode.

“We had all worked so hard and signed an NDA and what we thought was going to be an amazing launch turned out to become a real anti-climax. We were then obviously thrilled when we got the news that the episode could finally be released on the 9 February as we had been sitting on an episode that we knew was gold dust. While we weren’t able to release the episode around the hype of Wicked: For Good coming out as we had hoped, Bethany’s episode of Performing in Life has had a very positive impact on our listening stats and our social media channels.”

Trafalgar Education has seen strong momentum across all platforms, with clear signs of growing reach and new audience discovery.

The launch of the episode trailer on Instagram and TikTok has achieved significant early reach with strong engagement indicators including high like‑through, save‑through, and repost rates. 

New audiences have increased tremendously since the release of this episode, with the majority of Instagram views now coming from non‑followers. YouTube also saw a strong start, with healthy view‑through rates in the first day of release. 

The Bethany Weaver episode is proving to be one of our most engaging releases to date for the Performing in Life Podcast, not only generating views and listens, but also drawing in fresh audiences across platforms. We’ll keep tracking the numbers as they grow, but it’s already clear this release is shining bright.  

WATCH NOW!

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