Does glittering West End stardom beckon for a talented Ormskirk teen?

In October 2017, Molly Wilkinson, 16, auditioned for national musical theatre singing competition 'West End Calling'.

Judged by West End stars, she was selected to go through to the next round performing in Manchester to a sold out audience at its heats, and on Sunday 25th February, she performed at the Stockwell Playhouse in London in our Semi-Final and was delighted to be chosen to go through to the Grand Final on the 27th May at Andrew Lloyd Webber's newest theatre, the Other Palace.

She sang 'I'd Give My Life For You' from Miss Saigon and was one of only 12 contestants, all aged between 8 and 21, to be hand picked by judges; Scot Paige (Made In Dagenham, Eugenius, The Addam's Family), Daniel Buckley (The Book Of Mormon, Eugenius, Loserville) and Emily Tierney (Wicked, The Wizard Of Oz, Ghost the Musical).

On Saturday, she told QLocal: "“I have really enjoyed taking part in West End Calling this year and performing in a variety of venues from Manchester to London.

"It has been challenging choosing the songs for each round, but I've enjoyed singing pieces that I wouldn’t normally get to perform, and have gained confidence in my ability.

"There's nothing else like it...getting the chance to perform with other really talented young people, and get supportive feedback from judges who are working in professional theatre is a brilliant opportunity.

"I wish all of the finalists lots of luck as they are all insanely talented, and all deserve to win! I have so many memories and friendships that will last.”

West End Calling is a nationwide musical theatre singing competiton for young performers which auditions all over the UK. Contestants audition and receive feedback from a variety of different West End stars during the process of the competition which begins with a private audition followed by two public performances leading up to the Grand Final.

The competition has produced a final 24 out of hundreds of hopefuls that applied and will be split into two parts for juniors (9-15) and seniors (16-21) – performing in front of an audience made up of industry professionals, agents, casting directors and the public.

Useful links are Twitter, FB, Instagram and www.westendcalling.co.uk