Call To Stage with Amber Davies

On this episode of Call To Stage, we're joined by the wonderfully warm and completely charming Laura Baldwin.
Laura has built one of the most raried and impressive careers in British musical theatre. A natural comedienne with a voice to match, her credits include Lena Lamont in Singin' in the Rain (Royal Exchange Manchester), Dawn in the original West End cast of Waitress, Danielle in the London production of 101 Dalmatians and a stint in the original West End cast of Cinderella — where she found a lifelong soul sister in co-star Georgina Castle.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Laura talk about the surreal experience of landing Lena Lamont after a single audition, the door-flinging moment of being cast in Waitress and stepping into the West End for the first time, and the beautiful chaos of being bridesmaid at the wedding of the season.
There are also brilliant stories from 101 Dalmatians, Shrek and Cinderella as well as an honest and funny conversation about imposter syndrome in the rehearsal room, the agony of first day read-throughs and the importance of learning to fill your own cup.

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On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber is joined by the effortlessly charming, brilliantly funny and refreshingly down-to-earth Jacob Fowler.
Jacob has had one of the most unconventional and exciting paths into musical theatre - after discovering a love of performing doing Into the Woods at school, he left drama school early to compete on Little Mix: The Search — the BBC talent show that changed the course of his life — before going on to win the competition and support Little Mix on their final arena tour at the O2.
He made his professional theatre debut as JD in Heathers at the Other Palace, went on to play the Addams Family on tour alongside Alexandra Burke and Leslie Joseph, and most recently starred in in the eleven-time Olivier Award-nominated production of Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Jacob talk about the surreal bubble of filming Little Mix: The Search during lockdown, the unexpected joy of being a standby and the unconventional routes into the industry.
There are also brilliant stories from Heathers, the Olivier Awards and life with the Into the Woods company, as well as a lively debate about touring versus the West End and Jacob's dream role...

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On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber is joined by the extraordinarily talented, endlessly wise and brilliantly warm Killian Donnelly.
Killian is one of the most decorated and versatile performers of his generation. A GRAMMY Award nominee and two-time Olivier Award nominee, his remarkable career began — with no formal training — as a swing in Les Misérables in the West End, a show he has returned to time and again, eventually playing Jean Valjean in the West End, World Arena Tour and the iconic 40th Anniversary Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
His other landmark credits include Charlie Price in Kinky Boots in the West End and on Broadway, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Hughie Calhoun in Memphis The Musical, Tony in Billy Elliot, and Deco in The Commitments under the direction of Jamie Lloyd.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Killian talk about the extraordinary moment he performed at the Academy Awards in LA, what it was like standing on the Royal Albert Hall stage surrounded by 400 amateur theatre performers for the Les Misérables 40th Anniversary Royal Variety Performance and how he went from no training to becoming one of the most sought-after leading men in British musical theatre.
There are also brilliant stories from Kinky Boots, Memphis, Billy Elliot and his time on Broadway, as well as a masterclass in acting — the power of the pause, honouring the most important thing in the room, and why banging a table always means you've lost the argument.

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On this episode of Call To Stage, we're joined by the gloriously warm, funny and brilliantly candid Helen Woolf.
Helen has become one of the most beloved Glinda's in the history of Wicked, accumulating an extraordinary six contracts with the show across more than a decade — including the first UK Tour and multiple West End runs — before bringing her time with the show to a close alongside Lucy St. Louis, playing the role over 1,000 times in total.
Her career also includes performing in the West Side Story Arena Tour, as well as concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall and many more.
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Helen talk about the long and winding journey to landing Glinda, the terrifying reality of being thrown in at the deep end as an emergency cover in week one of the first UK Tour, and the extraordinary experience of attending the Wicked film premiere surrounded by an array of Glinda's past and present.
There are also brilliant stories from the bubble as well as a deeply honest and moving conversation about the realities of returning to eight shows a week as a new mum and why the industry urgently needs more job-sharing options for working mothers.

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We're joined by a true legend of the British stage on this episode of Call To Stage - the endlessly charming, irrepressible, genre-defining Michael Ball.
With over four decades in the industry, two Olivier Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, two BRIT Awards and GRAMMY nomination - Michael is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the industry. Having made his West End debut originating the role of Marius in Les Mise´rables (a show he has returned to multiple times in his career), he has gone on to define such iconic roles as Edna Turnblad in the West End production of Hairspray, Sweeney Todd in the revival of Sweeney Todd and Alex in Aspects of Love (which led to him charting in the Top 5 UK Singles Charts).
Michael has also had renowned starring roles in The Phantom of the Opera and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, released numerous albums and has sold out every venue from the Royal Albert Hall to Radio City in New York.
Michael Ball's new album Glow is out on May 22nd. You can order it here: https://michaelball.tmstor.es/
On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Michael talk about the advice that has underpinned his four decade career, his experiences performing in front of royalty, why he keeps returning to Les Mise´rables and how he asked Imelda Staunton to star in Sweeney Todd alongside him...
There are also stories from Hairspray and Aspects of Love as well as a masterclass in nerves, superstition and what it means to savour the rare perfect moments.

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