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.
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 (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Publisher
Kara Alberts-Turner, Liam Horrigan and The Sound Company Ltd
I Had 18 Minutes To Become Meryl Streep | Last-Minute Leads & Life-Changing Moments - Steph Parry
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 (https://www.instagram.com/youreontonight/)
TikTok @youreontonight (https://www.tiktok.com/@youreontonight)
YouTube @youreontonight (https://www.youtube.com/@YoureOnTonight)
Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com (mailto:youreontonight@gmail.com%C2%A0)
Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.
Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.
For The Sound Company (https://www.sound.co.uk/): 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:
youreontonight@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
18 Oct 2026
David Tarkenter - Experiencing a Real-Life Acting Nightmare
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 (https://pod.link/1875555963/episode/Njk5ZTQwODQ0M2NlYjAxMDVkOTZlNDc4?view=apps&sort=popularity)
If you enjoyed the show, you can follow us at:
Instagram @youreontonight (https://www.instagram.com/youreontonight/)
TikTok @youreontonight (https://www.tiktok.com/@youreontonight)
YouTube @youreontonight (https://www.youtube.com/@YoureOnTonight)
Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com (mailto:youreontonight@gmail.com%C2%A0)
Hosted by Kara Alberts-Turner & Liam Horrigan.
Produced by and recorded at The Sound Company, London.
For The Sound Company (https://www.sound.co.uk/): 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:
youreontonight@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
13 Oct 2026
What Do Casting Directors REALLY Do? | Stories, Self-Tapes & The Secrets of the Audition Room – Lucy Jenkins & Sooki McShane
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.
Produced by The Sound Company. www.sound.co.uk
Get in touch:
youreontonight@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/youreontonight
www.youtube.com/youreontonight
www.tiktok.com/youreontonight
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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