You're On Tonight

Jonathan Sayer knows better than most what happens when theatre goes wrong. As one third of the writing team behind Mischief Theatre, he helped create The Play That Goes Wrong, A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and The Comedy About Spies - shows that have gone from humble beginnings to international success, playing everywhere from the West End and Broadway to stages in more than 50 countries.

But when it comes to things going wrong, Jonathan has stories of his own. From spectacular set malfunctions to improvised lines he wishes he could take back, Jonathan has an extraordinary catalogue of backstage chaos. And for the first time, he shares what he considers the worst moment of his career: a story involving a harness, a toilet, and a ticking time bomb of a disaster.

Alongside all this, we hear how understudies in his shows have saved the day time and again - including one of the most unbelievable understudy stories we've ever heard, complete with a transatlantic twist.

We also explore the journey of Mischief Theatre, from its very early days to becoming a global theatrical phenomenon, and what Jonathan has learned about navigating success, and why he’s learning to spend more time appreciating what’s already in front of him.

And despite having created a role played by hundreds of actors around the world, Jonathan is full of admiration for the understudies and swings who keep theatre running. He tells us why he finds what they do extraordinary, why he couldn't imagine doing it himself, and what makes their work so essential.

Jonathan Sayer - You’re On Tonight.

If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:

Instagram @youreontonight

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Get in contact at: [email protected]

Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.

Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.

For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.

Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

Get in touch:
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicola Espallardo is a trailblazer. Not only has she appeared in some of the biggest musicals in the world (Les Miserables, Hamilton), she was also the first Asian person to play Elphaba in the West End’s Wicked. All before the age of 30.

In this encore, Nicola discusses achieving her dream – not only how empowering it felt, but why it can also lead to the scariest moment in any career: figuring out what comes next. We also hear an incredible story of what happens when Elphaba sings the wrong line – and why that moment is a part of theatre history forever.

Link to the full episode: https://pod.link/1875555963/episode/NjlhNzQxYTNkYjk0MmU4NWNjOTNmMjFi

If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: [email protected]

Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.

Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.

For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.

Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

Get in touch:
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steph Parry’s most memorable understudy story sounds like something straight out of a musical. In 2016, while working as a standby in 42nd Street, Steph got a phone call telling her to run to a completely different theatre, where a different cast, performing a different show, desperately needed her to step in as Donna in Mamma Mia! With just 18 minutes to get on stage, she went from eating her dinner in the dressing room to playing one of musical theatre’s biggest leading roles - and the press attention that followed changed her life.

In this episode, Steph takes us behind the scenes of the whirlwind that followed, from a week in the spotlight to the strange reality of returning to understudying once the moment had passed.

Steph also opens up about a very different challenge: taking her newborn baby on an international tour. From the realities of balancing parenthood with performance to the support that working mums and dads actually need, she has plenty to say about how the theatre industry could do better for parents.

And after a career full of last-minute call-ups, unexpected opportunities and extraordinary saves, Steph reflects on why she can no longer do understudying - and what happens when the job you’ve built your career around no longer fits.

Steph Parry - You’re On Tonight.

If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: [email protected]

Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.

Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.

For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.

Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

Get in touch:
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Tarkenter is a rare thing – an actor who simply hasn’t stopped working. For decades he’s graced some of the country’s most iconic stages – The National, The Old Vic, The Globe – alongside theatrical heavyweights including Alan Cumming, Bertie Carvel, Daniel Radcliffe, Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn.

And his stories left us speechless. In this Encore, David tells a truly unforgettable story about being flown around the world at a moment’s notice to cover in a production of Hamlet – only to have no idea who he was playing, which were his costumes, and who anyone else on stage was supposed to be.

Link to the full episode: https://pod.link/1875555963/episode/Njk5ZTQwODQ0M2NlYjAxMDVkOTZlNDc4?view=apps&sort=popularity

If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: [email protected]

Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.

Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.

For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.

Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

Get in touch:
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucy Jenkins and Sooki McShane have cast some of the biggest hits in British theatre, including The Play That Goes Wrong, the original cast of War Horse and A Comedy About Spies. But what does a casting director actually do?

In this episode, they take us behind the scenes of the casting process, revealing how the industry works, what a casting director is really looking for, and how the job has changed dramatically over the course of their careers.

From delivering scripts by hand to actors’ front doors (and their favourite Soho pubs) to the rise of self-tapes, Lucy and Sooki reflect on how technology has transformed the audition process – for better and for worse. They explore what we’ve gained, what we’ve lost, and what it means to find the right actor in an industry that looks very different from the one they started in.

And, of course, they have the stories to prove it. From casting their first Bollywood film to taking matters into their own hands and puppeteering the horses in War Horse, their careers have taken them to some extraordinary places.

But what does a casting director actually look for in an audition? How do they balance a director’s vision with the needs of an actor who might be nervous, inexperienced or having a particularly bad day? And what are the definite do’s and don’ts that every actor should know before walking into the room - or switching on their camera?

Lucy and Sooki give us the real lowdown on life on the other side of the casting table, offering an insight into one of the theatre industry’s most misunderstood jobs. Whether you’re an actor preparing for your next audition or simply curious about how the people on stage end up there, this is an episode packed with industry secrets, hard-earned wisdom and a few surprises along the way.

Lucy Jenkins & Sooki McShane - You’re On Tonight.

If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: [email protected]

Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.

Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.

For The Sound Company: Dom Boucher, Luke Nagy, Gareth Wood & Nick Thackeray-Cron alongside Freya Baldwin & Seb Stone.

Show image by Louisa Sexton.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

Get in touch:
[email protected]
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.