Showbiz Mums

Broadway sensation, Rebecca Faulkenberry has appeared in shows such as Rock of Ages, Groundhog Day and Spiderman Turn of the Dark.... (at time of recording!) She talks about her experience with pregnancy, childbirth, and the challenges of navigating her career while being a mum. She provides valuable insights into the intersection of motherhood and professional life and delves into the challenges...

Welcome back to Season 2 of Showbiz Mums. In this chat, I talk to Lucy Williams as she is about to embark on a flexible working scheme at the National theatre as a sound engineer. We discuss her journey through pregnancy and childbirth, the challenges of returning to work while parenting, and the impact of COVID-19 on family life. Lucy also emphasizes the importance of vocalizing challenges and ad...

In this chat, Melissa Jacques (Just For One Day, Mamma Mia, Wicked, Spend Spend Spend) covers her experiences as a working mum in the theatre industry, including her pregnancies, her comedy descriptions of childbirth, and balancing work and family life. Mel talks about taking over the role of Margaret New in Everybody's Talking About Jamie in the West End and how her family adapt and make it work...

Zoe Birkett (The Bodyguard, Priscilla, Moulin Rouge, Great British Bake Off) chats today about her experience of doing a job share split when she played the role of Tina in Tina: the Tina Turner Musical with the lovely Karis Anderson. She talks about how well they got along and how she made the juggle of performing and parenting work for her family. We spoke about Zoe's pregnancy and her preferenc...

*Trigger warning - there is conversation around eating disorders and body image in this episode. Steph Elstob (Wuthering Heights, The Bodyguard and Oliver) joins me to talk about taking her son on 2 International tours, alongside her partner Sam, also a performer in the industry. We chat about how the company went above and beyond in order to keep both Sam and Steph on the show as they were 'too v...

This episode I chat to Jackie Hughes (Groundhog Day, Wicked, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) about how she manages the juggle of parenting her two boys and performing 8 shows a week. Currently in the Original West End cast of Paddington, Jackie shares her experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, returning to work, and the support network she relies on. Find her @jaxhughes1903 and as a coach fo...

Sarah Lark (BBC's I'd do Anything, Witches of Eastwick and Mamma Mia) talks all about her experience of working in Les Miserables for over a decade. Sarah is known for being one of the original pioneers of working in a job share in the West End. In this conversation, she explains how she proposed the idea to the company, when Jo Loxton was returning from her maternity leave. @misssarahlark Origina...

Katie covers her pregnancy journey as Swing and cover Nini in Moulin Rouge and her return to theatre after a C section. She shares her experiences of navigating work during pregnancy, and the challenges of postpartum recovery. She also discusses the financial and psychological pressures of returning to life as a mother working in the West End. Katie highlights the importance of advocating for the...

Trigger warning - explicit sexual violence threat reference at 23 mins. Weight discussion also occurs. Four time Olivier Award nominee Emma Williams joins the podcast this week to discuss what it's like being on tour with Top Hat, away from her 6 year old daughter, Izzy. Emma was so generous with her time and we managed to cover so much in the chat, including how she copes with being away, how dif...

Chiara has appeared in Sweeney Todd, Jerry Springer the Opera, Legally Blonde and Sister Act amongst many other shows. In this conversation we discuss what it was like for her to perform in Come From Away at 37 weeks pregnant and how well the company treated her and any adaptations that were made to accommodate the pregnancy. Chiara was in a same sex relationship for many years and explains her fe...

Marianne has appeared in Chicago, We Will Rock You, Cats and The Wizard of Oz amongst many other productions. She's most well known for her incredible portrayal of Mrs Wormwood in the RSC's production of Matilda the Musical, where she performed up to 5 months pregnant and then came back to join the production after the birth of her son. This conversation delves into the unique challenges of job sh...

Emma has appeared in Kinky Boots, Sister Act, Wind in the Willows and is currently Alternate Donna in Mamma Mia in the West End. In this conversation she covers the challenges of maintaining a career while raising her son, Bruno and her experience of pregnancy and childbirth. The conversation also delves into the unique experience of being a stepparent and highlights the importance of support and...

Lauren has many theatre credits including Gypsy, Sister Act, Mamma Mia and 42nd St. After having her daughter, Robyn, she decided to open up the conversation of job sharing and why flexible working can be beneficial for working parents and carers. This conversation delves into the challenges of parenting and working in the theatre industry, with a focus on job sharing as a solution. Lauren shares...

This conversation covers the challenges of juggling a career in theatre with motherhood, including the impact of pregnancy on career, the journey of pregnancy and its impact on the industry, the challenges of labour and postpartum, returning to work, and the experience of touring with a newborn baby. Steph delves into the challenges of parenting while on an international tour, the postpartum exper...

Showbiz Mums - Introduction