Podcasts · Arts · TV & Film

You're On Tonight

Kara Alberts-Turner, Liam Horrigan and The Sound Company Ltd

25 episodes

You’re On Tonight is a weekly podcast shining a spotlight on understudies, swings and covers in the theatre industry. Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner and Liam Horrigan, it shares extraordinary, behind-the-scenes stories from the people who ensure the show must go on.

More about the show

New episodes every Wednesday.

Get in touch:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk

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

Episodes

  1. Nicola Espallardo - Why Achieving Your Dream Can Be Terrifying

    · 14 min

    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…

  2. I Had 18 Minutes To Become Meryl Streep | Last-Minute Leads & Life-Changing Moments - Steph Parry

    · 49 min · S2 E5 · Explicit

    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…

  3. David Tarkenter - Experiencing a Real-Life Acting Nightmare

    · 10 min

    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…

  4. What Do Casting Directors REALLY Do? | Stories, Self-Tapes & The Secrets of the Audition Room – Lucy Jenkins & Sooki McShane

    · 57 min · S2 E4

    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…

  5. Ellie Leach & Hannah Boyce - S*x Scenes and Strictly Come Dancing

    · 13 min · Explicit

    Strictly Come Dancing winner and star of Coronation Street, Ellie Leach, had her stage debut as Miss Scarlett in 2024 in Cluedo 2. Hannah Boyce starred opposite her, directed the show while it was on the road, and also…

  6. I Understudied on the West End’s Biggest Play in a Generation | Hysteria, Hype and Hollywood Press Nights - Harry Bradley

    · 1 h 00 min · S2 E3 · Explicit

    When Margot Robbie produced one of the biggest plays to hit the West End in a generation, Hollywood came with her. Quentin Tarantino was at press night, A-listers were descending on the theatre - and Harry Bradley was…

  7. Clive Marlowe - 15 Years Understudying the Same Roles and Becoming a World Record Holder

    · 14 min

    Clive Marlowe is a world-record holder: he has been covering the same roles on The Mousetrap for 15 years, making him the longest-serving understudy in history and understudy royalty. In this encore, Clive reveals…

  8. I Was Thrown On in the West End for a Role I’d Never Played | Awareness, Attitude, and Always Being Ready – Allie Dart

    · 55 min · S2 E2 · Explicit

    Allie Dart’s days never seem to go to plan. From tiny fringe theatre to massive West End shows, Allie’s career has never shied away from backstage chaos. And she has the stories to prove it. In one of the most…

  9. Dawn Buckland - Flooding A Theatre and Playing Danny Dyer's Mother

    · 14 min

    Dawn Buckland has been performing for over 40 years, starting her professional career on Starlight Express when she was just 17. Since then, she’s worked non-stop on stage and screen from Billy Elliot and Fame, to…

  10. I Stepped Away from Acting - And Then Got Offered One of Musical Theatre’s Biggest Roles | Pressure, Perspective and Performing for Someone Else’s Fans – Emma Lucia

    · 45 min · S2 E1

    Emma Lucia has spent the last year doing one of the hardest jobs in musical theatre: being ready to step on at a moment’s notice and make one of the Musical Theatre’s most recognisable roles her own. All while stepping…

  11. We are BACK for Season 2!

    · 1:51

    WE’RE BACK! Season Two of You’re On Tonight is here - with more extraordinary stories, more backstage chaos and 12 brand-new episodes. More hero stories, more horror stories and completely unbelievable moments from…

  12. And That's Season One...

    · 0:47 · S1 E13

    Somehow… we’ve reached the end of season one. To every single person who’s sent us a message, an email, a DM, or shared their own experience with us - we genuinely cannot tell you how grateful we are. And of course……

  13. I Was Paid to Perform Drunk on Stage | Shocks, Shenanigans & Sh*tfaced Shakespeare - Princess Donnough

    · 55 min · S1 E12 · Explicit

    Princess Donnough is an icon. After making her West End debut as an understudy in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, she was quickly “bumped up” to leading the show night after night – a whirlwind experience that would test…

  14. I’ve Covered Beetlejuice & Willy Wonka | Ambition, Adapting & Almost Giving Up - James Haxby

    · 49 min · S1 E11

    James Haxby is an understudying legend. He’s worked on some of the biggest shows in the world - from 9 to 5 to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where he covered the iconic role of Willy Wonka. But when James…

  15. I Understudied on the Most Nominated Show in Tony History | Stereophonic, Support & Swapping Roles - Sam Denia

    · 41 min · S1 E10

    Sam Denia is quite simply one of the loveliest people we’ve ever had in the studio - and one with the most strings to his bow (pun intended). In 2025, Sam understudied in Stereophonic - the most Tony Award-nominated…

  16. I Went On For A Role I Hadn’t Played in Three Years | Anxiety, Advocacy and Asking For Help - Laura White

    · 45 min · S1 E9

    Laura White is an inspiration. Not only has she been in everything in the last decade from The Play That Goes Wrong to BBC’s Doctors, she’s also been one of the leading voices shaping the culture of British theatre.…

  17. I Wasn’t Allowed to Tell Anyone What I Did for a Year | Secrecy, Swing-Eye, and Censoring H***er - Megan Armstrong

    · 49 min · S1 E8

    Megan Armstrong has been in some of the most exciting shows in the world. From Cats, to Avenue Q, and currently The Producers, Megan has been an understudy, swing, and principal throughout her career. But she has also…

  18. I'm Inside The Rehearsal Rooms of West End & Broadway Smash Hits - Hamlet, Operation Mincemeat and Flo & Joan | Georgie Staight

    · 44 min · S1 E7

    Georgie Staight is working on some of the most exciting and dynamic productions in theatre today. From Hamlet at the National Theatre to the West End and Broadway smash-hit Operation Mincemeat, she’s built a career…

  19. I Had to Perform Without Ever Seeing The Script - Eddie Marsan | Class, Prejudice & Stepping On Stage For The First Time in 24 Years

    · 53 min · S1 E6 · Explicit

    Eddie Marsan has built one of the most extraordinary acting careers in Britain. From Ray Donovan and Ridley Road to blockbusters like Vera Drake, Back to Black, and Sherlock Holmes, he’s almost never been off our…

  20. I Was The First Asian Elphaba in the West End’s Wicked - Determination, Delusion & Dreaming Big | Nicola Espallardo

    · 50 min · S1 E5

    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…

  21. I Understudied Donald Trump, Joe Biden & Ralph Fiennes - Presidents, Panic & Preparation | David Tarkenter

    · 54 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    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…

  22. I Was Terrified to Walk Out on Stage - Ellie Leach & Hannah Boyce | Nudity, Nerves & Never Giving Up

    · 1 h 08 min · S1 E3 · Explicit

    Strictly Come Dancing winner and star of Coronation Street, Ellie Leach, had her stage debut as Miss Scarlett in 2024 in Cluedo 2. Hannah Boyce starred opposite her, was the show's Resident Director, and also…

  23. I’ve Understudied The Same Role For 15 Years - Longevity, Addiction & Being a World Record Holder | Clive Marlowe

    · 43 min · S1 E2

    Clive Marlowe is a world-record holder: he has been covering the same roles on The Mousetrap for 15 years, making him the longest-serving understudy in history and understudy royalty. This is an episode like no other.…

  24. I Was Booed By 3,000 People - Musicals, Mayhem & Menopause | Dawn Buckland

    · 40 min · S1 E1

    Dawn Buckland has been performing for over 40 years, starting her professional career on Starlight Express when she was just 17. Since then, she’s worked non-stop on stage and screen from Billy Elliot and Fame, to…

  25. Welcome to You're On Tonight

    · 3:14 · Trailer

    Launching 11th February, You’re On Tonight is a weekly podcast shining a spotlight on understudies, swings and covers in the theatre industry. Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner and Liam Horrigan, it shares extraordinary,…

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