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 into a role normally played by one of the most iconic names in the industry.

As the cover for Jenna in the 10th anniversary tour of Waitress - a role normally played by Carrie Hope Fletcher - Emma knows what it feels like to walk onstage as an understudy in front of an audience who have arrived expecting somebody else. In this episode, she takes us inside that experience - the pressure, the nerves, the expectations and the challenge of trusting that you are enough when the spotlight suddenly lands on you.

But Emma’s story goes much further.

She opens up about one of the biggest decisions of her career: stepping away from acting altogether. She talks about why she left the industry, what eventually brought her back, how much she missed the people and community she had left behind, and why she’s now approaching her career with one very different priority - having fun.

Emma shares some of the most extraordinary stories we’ve heard yet, including one spectacular piece of backstage chaos involving a moment where - in her own words - her life flashed before her eyes.

We also talk about the power nerves can have over you, what it’s like performing when every instinct in your body is telling you to run, and Emma gives perhaps the most honest answer we’ve ever heard to one very simple question:

Why do you do it?

Emma Lucia - 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 for more information.

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 the people who know better than anyone what happens when the show has to go on.

The calls nobody expected. The performances nobody planned for. The stories that have never made it beyond the dressing room - until now.

These are the stories you don’t hear in the programme, the press interview or the curtain call. Told by the people who actually lived them.

Twelve episodes. Plenty more stories to tell.

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

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 for more information.

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… this isn’t the end. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming announcements from us soon!

If you want to get in touch with the show, share your story, or just say hi, you can reach us at youreontonight@gmail.com or over on socials below.

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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

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 any performer’s nerve.

But if that sounds intense, it’s nothing compared to her time with Sh*tfaced Shakespeare.

In this episode, Princess takes us inside one of the most gloriously chaotic shows in theatre – where one performer is absolutely smashed and the rest of the cast have to somehow keep a Shakespeare play on track. From audience members being dragged onstage to impromptu dance breaks and theatre mayhem, she shares what it’s really like to perform in a show where anything can (and does) happen.

Princess also introduces us to her unforgettable stage persona Levi, explains why she keeps coming back to the madness, and offers a survival guide to dealing with the world’s worst hanxiety.

Alongside the chaos, we hear about her meteoric rise in the West End, and Princess reflects on her journey into an industry she didn’t grow up around, what kept her going through those early years of graft, and why she’s so passionate about making sure everyone gets their shot.

This is an episode about resilience, risk, and the joy of letting go – and a reminder of exactly what makes the West End so special.

Princess Donnough – You’re On Tonight

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

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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

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 understudies - he goes all in. He tells us how he covered fourteen roles in a single production, and is currently understudying Beetlejuice on its Australian and international tour, stepping into the shoes of the role’s creator, Eddie Perfect.

In this episode, James shares what it’s really like to cover such legendary parts, and how connecting with other covers across the world became a lifeline in some of the most high-pressure moments of his career.

Along the way, he takes us inside his time performing with the Pop-Up Globe in Australia and New Zealand – from ‘original practice’ Shakespeare to sweating it out in full armour in 40-degree heat. He also tells the story of being pushed onstage on opening night of his first understudying job - handed a script, a shot of whiskey, and told simply to get onstage.

We also dive into the surprising differences between working in the UK and Australia - and why it’s not just about the weather.

But more than anything, this is an episode about resilience. From struggling to find work in Australia, to moving across the world to go to drama school, to nearly giving up on acting altogether - before one final audition changed everything.

James Haxby - You’re On Tonight.

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

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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

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 play in history. In this episode, he gives us a fascinating insight into what it’s like to work on a show of that scale, covering performances from an extraordinary cast including actors who have won Tony Awards for the very roles he covered, as well as Olivier Award nominees such as Zachary Hart (nominated for Stereophonic and The Seagull).

But Sam’s role went far beyond covering actors. In a show built around a live band, we hear how Sam also had to be ready to step in with instruments - a completely different kind of pressure that demands precision, musicality, and total calm under fire.

Alongside this, Sam talks about taking on the iconic role of Frank Spencer in a stage adaptation of Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, and what it was like bringing such a beloved, well-known character to life again.

More than anything, this is an episode about what happens when people truly support one another, and about the quiet encouragement and generosity that stays with you long after you’ve finished a job.

Sam Denia - You’re On Tonight.

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

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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

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.

Laura has incredible stories from her time understudying – from being called back to play a role she’d not performed for over three years, to what it’s like when The Play That Goes Wrong… goes wrong.

But this episode is also about something much more.

In 2020, Laura set up the Page One Project – a mentorship programme supporting emerging artists from the global majority. At the same time, she began working with Applause For Thought, providing mental health support for actors and artists in the creative community.

Laura tells us why she works so passionately to support others in the industry, why it’s important to ask for help, and how her experience understudying in the West End made her realise she could be the change she needed to see.

Laura White - You’re on Tonight

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

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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

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 played one of the most famous - and secretive - roles in the history of theatre. In 2021, Megan was hired to play ‘The Woman’ in the long-running West End production The Woman In Black.

And she wasn’t allowed to tell a soul.

We find out what it was like to play a role shrouded in secrecy, our most last minute you're on tonight story ever and what happens when touring shows overseas and things get lost in translation. We hear tales of trampoline terror, missing entrances, and why it's okay to not want to do eight shows a week.

Megan Armstrong - You’re On Tonight.

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

Instagram @youreontonight

TikTok @youreontonight

YouTube @youreontonight

Get in contact at: youreontonight@gmail.com

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:

youreontonight@gmail.com

www.instagram.com/youreontonight

www.youtube.com/youreontonight

www.tiktok.com/youreontonight

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