Glinda in Wicked? Tick. Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz? Double tick. Wales Online's 5th Sexiest Woman In Wales of 2010... Triple Tick! The world discovered Sophie Jenkins (Evans) when she rose to fame on Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC show Over The Rainbow, and then again in her two stints in Wicked on the West End... but her story starts long before then, in Tonypandy in Wales. On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Sophie discuss Sophie's crazy wedding drama, stepping into Glinda's shoes and...

Fresh off the back of standout reviews for her portrayal of Lois in Kiss Me, Kate at London's Barbican Theatre, the theatre world is finally giving Georgina Onuorah her flowers. Alongside her latest critically acclaimed performance, she also played Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton and Ado Annie in the Olivier-award winning retelling of Oklahoma! in the West End. On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Georgina talk about discovering theatre as a career path, winning the Andrew Lloyd Webber...

We are joined by a true legend of the theatre! Having grown up in Manila, Joanna Ampil auditioned at an open call for the original production of Miss Saigon - and, despite having no experience - landed the lead role of Kim and was flown to London to open the show at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Since then, Joanna has played the most desired roles in the West End including both Éponine and Fantine in Les Miserables, Mimi in Rent, Grizabella in Cats and played Mary Magdalene in the revival of...

With over a decades experience in the West End, Frances Mayli McCann has just about done in all. Having been nominated for an Olivier Award and a WhatsOnStage Award (including one for Best Performer in a Musical), Frances made her West End debut in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre and has gone on to play the titular roles in Bonnie & Clyde and Heathers in the West End, as well as roles in Les Misérables and Here Lies Love at the National Theatre. On this episode of...

WhatsOnStage Award winner? Tick! In the SIX family? Tick! An inspiring story from a dedicated performer? Triple Tick! From being in the Ensemble in Kinky Boots in the West End, to understudying for Evita at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, portraying Catherine of Aragon in the UK Tour of Six and even a stint on ITV's The Voice... Lauren Drew has done it all (including winning a WhatsOnStage Award for the Regents Park Open Air Theatre production of Legally Blonde). On this episode of Call...

From Wicked to Mamma Mia, Hello Dolly to Mary Poppins, Half A Sixpence, Crazy For You and Kiss Me Kate, Charlie Stemp is undoubtedly one of the West End's hottest stars. Having been discovered by Sir Cameron Mackintosh and selected to take leading man status in the West End production of Half A Sixpence, Charlie has performed everywhere from the London Palladium to Broadway. He has even been nominated for three Olivier Awards... and won a WhatsOnStage Award! On this episode of Call To Stage,...

She is one of the West End's most loved actors (and Olivier Award and WhatsOnStage Award-nominated at that!)... this week we're joined by Zizi Strallen! From her acclaimed performance as Mary Poppins on tour and at the Prince Edward Theatre to the National Theatre's Follies and a stand-out run in Strictly Ballroom at the Piccadilly Theatre, over the past decade Zizi has become one of London's most celebrated leading ladies. On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Zizi talk about growing...

Are we seeing deja vu... or is this TWO Vivian Ward's? This week's guest didn't just originate the role in the West End production of Pretty Woman - she also originated the roles of Katherine Howard in the West End production of SIX The Musical and Daniela in the London production of In The Heights (at the King's Cross Theatre). That might sound like a lot of originating, but it's all in a days work for this Olivier Award-nominated triple-threat. On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and...

From Hairspray to Hamilton, Jordan Benjamin is in the spotlight in some of the West End's most talked about shows. Currently appearing as John Laurens & Phillipp Hamilton in the West End production of Hamilton, he also starred in the acclaimed, Olivier Award winning production The Little Big Things as well as Back To The Future... where he met his friend, Amber Davies. In this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Jordan talk about meeting his girlfriend on-stage (and her Olivier Award...

This is not a drill... we got Alice Fearn on the podcast! Having occupied some of the West End's most iconic roles - from nearly three years as Elphaba in Wicked, to Rapunzel in the Regents Park Open Air Theatre production of Into The Woods as well as Beverley Bass in the critically acclaimed Come From Away - Alice Fearn has undoubtedly cemented herself in West End history. In this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Alice talk about playing characters based on real people (and meeting...

Her name is Georgina Castle, and she is a massive deal. Currently your Regina George in Mean Girls in the West End, Georgina is firmly one of the West End's most exciting rising stars. Over the past few years, she has played key roles in the West End productions of Dirty Dancing, Elf The Musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber's CINDERELLA and 9 To 5 The Musical, alongside our very own Amber Davies. In this episode of Call To Stage, Amber and Georgina recount their six-year friendships and the...

If you don't know, now you know! Welcome to Season 2 of what is now officially called: Call To Stage with Amber Davies! This season we have even more exciting guests, special announcements and we're getting closer and closer to being centre stage. On this episode of Call To Stage, Amber talks about this exciting news and then shares a never-before-heard story about getting ill whilst on-stage and talks about taking care of your skin whilst performing 8 shows a week. Follow Call To...

From Elphaba to Maria, Laura Pick has played some of theatre's most iconic lead roles. Having trained at Mountview, the triple-threat rose from stand-by in the West End production of Wicked to defying gravity, a role she still fly's in night after night in the UK Tour of the production. She has also starred in the Regents Park Open Air production of The Sound of Music and performed everywhere from The Palace Theatre to the Royal Albert Hall. In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and...

There are lots of different routes into the musical theatre world, and this weeks guest proves that if drama school isn't for you, there are other routes to achieve your dreams! Carl Man went from a bar in Soho to roles in Disney's Aladdin, the West End production of &Juliet, Starlight Express (at The Other Palace) and, today, he is your Fiyero in the touring production of Wicked. Along the way, he's performed on cruise ships and truly hustled his way to centre stage. In this episode of...

This one gets emotional... Jade Davies is undoubtedly one of the most exciting rising stars of the stage. She has swung in major productions including Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and she currently stars in the touring production of Wicked. In addition to her illustrious list of on-stage credits, she also serves as Amber's biggest inspiration. In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Jade share their memories of performing together as kids, the journey from a small-town in...

From Newsies to Elf, the original casts of both Back To The Future and 42 Balloons, Morgan Gregory has starred in some of the most exciting productions in the West End. In his role as a swing, Morgan has the super-human task of understudying multiple ensemble roles... including covering 13 out of 16 tracks in Newsies! In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Morgan talk hilarious backstage mishaps (including getting his foot stuck in a prop track!), the demanding life of a swing, the...

The boy is back! Following the incredible response to Ben Joyce's first episode on Your 5 Minute Call, the West End's leading man returns to the sofa to answer your questions with Amber. Amber and Ben talk about navigating love and success in the entertainment industry, how they make the most of their free time together, learning lessons as a couple, and his experience playing Frankie Valli (in Jersey Boys) and Marty McFly (in Back To The Future The Musical). Thank you to our...

Shan Ako's journey to centre stage started in the halls of the acclaimed Brit School, where she started releasing self-produced music as a teenager. Just a few years later she would find herself touring arenas as part of The X Factor Arena Tour, after being mentored by Simon Cowell in the final series of The X Factor, only to then be thrust into the West End to play Eponine in Les Miserables (The Staged Concert). Currently, Shan is playing her dream role, Eliza Hamilton in the West End...

He is our most-requested guest to-date... Ben Joyce's West End debut saw him take on the lead role of Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. His second role? Marty McFly in Back To The Future The Musical. Having graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2021, Ben has launched into leading roles and has never looked back since! Alongside all of this, he is of course Amber's boyfriend. In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Ben talk about going from theatre school to leading roles,...

Who else can play both Elle Woods AND Anne Boleyn?! Courtney Bowman is quickly becoming one of the West End's most exciting stars. Having won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Performer in a Musical for Legally Blonde last year, alongside roles in Pretty Woman, Six The Musical and Everybody's Talking About Jamie... it's all happening for Courtney Bowman! In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Courtney talk hilarious confessions, life in Sheffield and Doncaster, going from dancing to...

Oliver Savile has travelled the world performing on stages. From the European Tour of The Rocky Horror Show to the USA Tour of The Last Ship, as well as playing Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked alongside roles in Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and more... listening to this episode, it feels like there are more countries Oli has gone to than hasn't! In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Oliver talk about when he discovered his voice, his experiences travelling the...

Olivier Award nominated actress Natalie Paris made her name in the theatre as Jane Seymour in the hit musical Six! But, she's been dominating the stage since the age of 10 - when she starred in the West End productions of Les Miserables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Sunday In The Park With George, amongst others. In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber and Natalie talk about life in the West End as a child, getting into RADA, audition anxiety and being in the original cast of Six The...

First known as the friendly face of CBBC's Newsround, Ore Oduba has become one of the nations most-loved presenters, having hosted The One Show and This Morning, as well as participating in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and, perhaps mostly famously, winning Strictly Come Dancing. In recent years, he has switched the screen for the stage - starring in the 2019 "Grease!" National Tour as well as the West End production of "Curtains" and the UK Tour of "The Rocky Horror Show". In this episode of...

With over 20 years of experience on stage and screen, Caroline Sheen is a theatre legend who has ticked off a record amount of "dream roles". From making her West End debut in Grease at the Cambridge Theatre, to being in the original cast of Mamma Mia!, as well as playing Fantine and Eponine in Les Miserables, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the titular role in Mary Poppins in both the UK and US Tours... her credits are endless. In this episode of Your 5 Minute Call, Amber...