Sophie Evans (she/her)

Sophie Evans auditioned for Over the Rainbow, a reality show in which young actress/singers competed to play the role of Dorothy Gale in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2011 production of The Wizard of Oz. She advanced to the final along with Danielle Hope and Lauren Samuels. The finale aired in two parts on 22 May 2010. Hope was the declared the winner and Evans the runner-up. Lloyd Webber elected to assist Evans, with the aid of casting director Bill Kenwright, to start her professional career, funding her continued training as a performer at a one-year musical theatre course at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, London. In autumn 2010, Lloyd Webber cast Evans as the "alternate" Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. On 7 February 2012, Evans took over the role of Dorothy full-time in the West End production. She remained in The Wizard of Oz until the show closed on 2 September 2012. Evans performed as Dorothy at the 2012 Olivier Awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London. The same month, she headlined a concert with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Evans presented and starred in The Really Welsh Christmas Show for BBC Television with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the Wales Millennium Centre. Also featuring Michael Ball and Only Boys Aloud, the 45-minute show first aired on BBC One Wales on 19 December 2012. In 2013, Evans starred in the final installment of the "Cornetto Trilogy", The World's End, written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. She later performed at Proms in the Park, in Caerphilly, South Wales.In early 2014, she was part of an all-star cast performing, Irving Berlin: From Rags to Ritzes, beginning in London and later touring nationwide. Among the songs will be classics such as White Christmas and What'll I Do. She also featured in the 2014 film Pride, directed by Matthew Warchus. From October 2015 Sophie performed with Lord of the Dance as Erin the Goddess a month run at the Playhouse Theatre, London, a 9-week run at the Lyric Theatre, Broadway and a 6-week American tour finishing a Caesars Palace, Las Vegas for Michael Flately's last ever performance. From July 2017, Evans took over the role of Glinda in the West End production of Wicked from Australian actress Suzie Mathers, and as a result became the youngest person to play the role in London, at the age of 24. She starred opposite Alice Fearn as Elphaba, with Fiyero being played by David Witts.