Nicole-Lily Baisden, Hope Harcourt, Anything Goes, Barbican

How did you get into acting?

I started at a local dance school when I was about three and then it just spiralled from there. Singing lessons, acting lessons, dance lessons and then I trained at Arts Ed in a musical theatre course. I graduated in 2019 and this is my second job out of drama school and absolutely loving it. It’s been a dream

What’s the best thing about your job?

I think the people that I get to work with, especially on this job. I’ve been so lucky to get to work with absolute legends: Sutton Foster, Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendall, Gary Wilmot. One of my closest family friends is also in the cast, Carly Mercedes Dyer and it’s just been great. It’s a joy to come into work every day.

What’s the most unique thing about live performance and theatre?

It’s just the fun of it. I’m so lucky that my hobby that I’ve had since I was a child is now my job. It never feels like a chore to go to work. I love it every single day. I get to meet amazing people, I get to perform for amazing audiences. Get to wear pretty costumes every day, so that’s pretty great!

What was the process for from theatres closing to reopening?

I was on tour with The Book Of Mormon when the theatres closed. We were very lucky that we only had about a month left of our contract, so we got the majority of our contract done and I came back. I was living with my parents for the whole of lockdown at home. It was quite nice because I’ve been away for a year. It was quite nice to spend some quality time with them.

They got a dog, like so many people did during lockdown, a new puppy, who’s one now, which is crazy how long it’s been! It was hard, going from being so full on to suddenly doing nothing and I really struggled because I like to keep busy. I was working in an estate agent which was a completely different time for me and I got some new skills, which maybe I’ll use in future!

I was so lucky, I got my self tape audition through for [Anything Goes] on Christmas Eve, so that was a nice surprise! Going into auditions and the rehearsals, it’s been so nice to just be back. I feel like I appreciate it a lot more. I don’t take it for granted and I’m just so lucky to get to do what I love every day.

How does it feel to be back in theatres now?

It feels amazing. Especially as we opened in July – I think we were one of one of the first big shows to open in London again after the pandemic – so a lot of audience members have said to us that was their first show back that they’ve seen since the pandemic started. So seeing the joy, it’s such a fun, joyous show as well, everyone it’s really been appreciative. The audience has been so generous and I think everyone just feels a lot of love.

No one takes it for granted anymore and everyone is just so grateful to be back.

Sam Edwards, Billy Crocker, Anything Goes, Barbican

What got you into acting?

Living close to London and coming to watch musicals as a kid.

What’s your favourite thing about live theatre?

It feels more special than ever, after the last couple of years to come back and share a performance with an audience of 1,000 people.

What was the journey from theatres closing to theatres opening again?

A lot of waiting! It was almost like starting again from the beginning to get back on a stage after it’s been a couple of years of not being there, going back to what we know and what we love.

How does it feel to be back in theatres?

I think people have missed theatre so much that there’s even more energy within the room than there ever has been before. The buzz when you step out on the stage! I’ll never forget the first night of this show – the buzz that we had, the buzz that the audience had how excited they were to see us back on stage, how excited we were to be back performing for a group of people. I’ll never forget that, it was electric and it was electric.

What was the thing you missed most about live performance?

I think it’s that it happens that one time; what happens on that one night it will never happen exactly the same again. I think that’s what we miss when we do filmed shoots and TV and that’s what we missed being away in a pandemic. Performing something where anything can happen and the audience can experience something that nobody else will get to experience. And that’s really exciting.