Siobhan Dillon has come a long way since she made the final of the live audition show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria.
She has starred in Grease, Legally Blonde and Ghost the Musical.
West End Star Siobham Dillon with her dog Daphne
You can catch Siobhan playing the role of Ellen in Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward theater.
Here Siobhan talks about her career, life and a bit about the future.
What things are most important to you in your life at the moment?
MY FRIENDS, FAMILY & MY DOG DAPHNE. THIS YEAR HAS BEEN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING AND WHAT IT ALL COMES DOWN TO IS LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS.
REDUCING STRESS AND FILLING MY DAYS WITH HAPPY/POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS IS KEY FOR ME RIGHT NOW.
What things do you think about when you are performing live in front of an eager audience?
I TRY TO BE “IN THE MOMENT” AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BUT IT’S INEVITABLE THAT OCCASIONALLY THE MIND WILL WANDER- AND WHEN IT DOES, ITS USUALLY THE ANNOYING LITTLE DEMON SAYING THINGS LIKE;
“Ooooooh YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THE NEXT LYRIC IS” OR “YOUR PERFORMANCE IS TERRIBLE TONIGHT. THEY DON’T BELIEVE A WORD YOU’RE SAYING!”… STANDARD PERFORMER STUFF REALLY!!
If you could live and perform anywhere in the world then where would it be?
SOMEWHERE WARM, BESIDE THE THE SEA!
Do you prefer singing solo or with others?
I LOVE SINGING SOLOS AS YOU CAN REALLY GET LOST IN YOUR OWN WORLD (VERY SELFISH REALLY!) BUT ONE THING I USED TO ADORE WAS SINGING A CAPPELLA IN CLOSE PART HARMONIES IN A GROUP. I DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE BUT TECHNICALLY ITS PROBABLY HARDER AND ACTUALLY A LOT MORE SATISFYING MUSICALLY.
Who do you admire as a singer?
SARAH BAREILLES. HANDS DOWN THE BEST SINGER/SONGWRITER OF OUR GENERATION. GENIUS.
Do you have a favorite composer of songs? Is their one writer that you would really like to work with?
AGAIN- SARAH BAREILLES. SHES JUST WRITTEN THE MUSIC FOR A MUSICAL CALLED WAITRESS WHICH IS CURRENTLY PLAYING IN NEW YORK…. LOOKING LIKELY TO TRANFER TO LONDON IF THE TITLE SONG IS ANYTHING TO GO BY! THEY MAY WANT TO CAST UK ACTORS???
(Cough cough, *)
What single thing would you encourage people to do if they want to be successful in musical theatre?
SING SING SING!! I BELIEVE IF YOU’RE CONFIDENT WITH YOUR VOICE AS YOUR INSTRUMENT AND CAN CONCENTRATE ON YOUR CHARACTERISATION AND STORY TELLING, IT MAKES APPLYING YOURSELF TO ANY ROLE THAT MUCH EASIER.
…AND OBVIOUSLY INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS BY LEARNING AND PRACTICING AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHILST RECOGNISING WHERE YOUR NATURAL ABILITY LIES. EVERYONE’S HEARD THE PHRASE TRIPLE THREAT, RIGHT? SINGING DANCING AND ACTING. WELL, IN MY OPINION, ITS BETTER TO BE EXCEPTIONAL AT 2 OF THE 3 RATHER THAN GOOD OR COMPETENT AT 3 OF THE 3!
I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GO UNDER THE RADAR FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS WITH MY DISTINCTLY AVERAGE 2/3!
What thing do you like to do just before going on stage?
I STAND RIGHT DOWN STAGE IN THE WINGS BY THE FRONT CLOTH AND LISTEN TO THE AUDIENCE CHATTERING. (SOMETIMES IF YOU GET THE ANGLE TIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE FIRST FEW ROWS!) ITS THAT SOUND OF ANTICIPATION THAT REALLY GETS ME EXCITED AS I REMEMBER THE FEELING MYSELF AS I WAIT FOR THE CURTAIN TO GO UP ON ANY PLAY OR MUSICAL.
What 5 things do you like to every day if you want a ‘great’ day?
1- WAKE UP AND SMILE. EVERY DAY IS A BLESSING.
2- TAKE MY BEAUTIFUL DOG FOR A WALK.
3- ENJOY AN AMAZINGLY CREAMY 5* MOCHA COFFEE. (THERE ARE ONLY 3 COFFEE SHOPS IN CENTRAL LONDON THAT I HAVE FOUND THAT MAKE THIS!)
4- COMPLIMENT A STRANGER.
5- I AM VERY HAPPY WHEN I REALLY REALLY CONNECT WITH THE PERFORMANCE IN THE SHOW.
What is your single best thing to do in London?
SUNDAY MARKET SHOPPING AT CHRISTMAS TIME
What makes Miss Saigon as hugely popular as it is?
I CAN GUESS AT THIS BUT I DONT KNOW FOR SURE….
FOR ME THE MUSIC IS ICONIC, RESONANT AND TIMELESS AND THE STORY IS TRAGIC YET BEAUTIFUL.
(& CAST ARE PRETTY GOOD TOO 😉)
Is being on stage as glamorous as it looks?
NO! GOODNESS NO!
ITS HOT AND STICKY AND EVERYONE’S GIVING IT THEIR ALL! ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT I AM VERY LUCKY WITH THE ELLEN TRACK BECAUSE THE SCENES SHE IS IN ARE QUITE SPARSE IN STAGING AND YET WONDERFULLY DIRECT AND POIGNANT IN THE TEXT SO IT’S MEATY IN MATERIAL BUT NOT HECTIC OR CROWDED WHICH CAN ACTUALLY BE QUITE EXHILARATING.
Miss Saigon is set to close February 2016
Interview by David Ridings
