This October, Owen Johnston will be touring for the first time when he joins the cast of a new production of Miss Saigon as Ensemble/cover John for their UK & Ireland Tour, working alongside a cast including Seann Miley Moore (The Engineer), Julianne Pundan (Kim), Dom Hartley-Harris (John) and Bea Ward (Ensemble/Alternate Kim). Owen has recently finished in Stiletto at the Charing Cross Theatre for the world premiere production as Ensemble/cover Pietro, and last year, he made his pantomime debut playing Prince Charming in Cinderella at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre. Having graduated in 2022 from Italia Conti on their Musical Theatre course, the following year, Owen was a contestant on MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream, where he reached the live Final held at the Novello Theatre in the West End, where MAMMA MIA! currently runs. We chatted to Owen about his upcoming Ensemble/cover John role in Miss Saigon, his time in the cast of Stiletto at Charing Cross Theatre, playing Prince Charming in Cinderella last year and being a contestant on MAMMA MIA! I Have a Dream.

From 4th October, you will be performing in the Ensemble of the Miss Saigon UK & Ireland Tour, how familiar were you with Miss Saigon before auditioning and what do you think the musical will be like to be part of?

This is easily one of my dream shows, just to be a part of, never mind covering John, another dream role, so it’s basically a dream job! I saw it first in 2014 at the Prince Edward Theatre, and that was when I was only just starting to get into MT. I think this is going to be such a privilege to get to perform every night – not only will it be so fun, but it’s a story that I’m grateful to be a part of telling.

How did you feel finding out you’d booked Miss Saigon, and have you worked with any of your fellow cast members previously?

My agent asked me to come into the office to “sign some fanmail” and surprised me with the offer – the shock knocked me for six, so safe to say it was one of the best surprises ever! Yes, one of my closest friends, Evita Khrime, is a part of the show, and also some old mates from drama school, which makes me even more excited to be working with them!

What are you looking forward to for opening in Miss Saigon and touring for the first time?

I can’t wait for the whole rehearsal process, especially as this is a new production. It’ll be fun to build a new version of something that I’m already familiar with! This show is a mammoth and will be so fun to do every week. Touring is a new one for me but I’m looking forward to what it brings, especially with some of my closest friends.

How will you prepare for the show, and how does it feel to be covering the role of John?

I’ve been listening to the soundtrack constantly! It’s great because there isn’t really a bad part of this show. So for me, doing ensemble and covering John will be so fun and so fulfilling! I’ve been watching a lot of Vietnam documentaries to get a feel for the show and period. I feel so lucky and privileged to be covering for John because, when I watched this show for the first time, it became a bit of a dream role. Even though most boys that I’ve spoken to loved Chris, I felt more drawn to John!

You have recently finished your run as Ensemble/cover Pietro in Stiletto at the Charing Cross Theatre, how did you find the experience working on a world premiere production?

Working on a brand new production was interesting; it’s cool to see first hand how something new actually gets onto its feet, while you’re hoping the whole time that the creatives are happy with what you’re all doing to their work!

What did you enjoy most about being in the cast of Stiletto and was there anything that drew you to the musical?

We had a really, really cracking cast for Stiletto, and we all really looked after each other. It’s a great feeling when you’re coming to work and looking forward to seeing the people in your dressing room! I think the fact that it was a new musical drew me to it the most, as I’ve always wanted to be part of an original cast.

Can you tell us about Stiletto, and how was it performing at the Charing Cross Theatre?

Stiletto was a brand new musical following the life of a castrato singer in high class Venetian operatic society. The music was written by Matthew Wilder, who famously wrote the music for Mulan. It was very fun to be a part of something new for the first time; it’s an eye-opening experience seeing something grow from what’s on paper to what’s on stage! Also, who doesn’t love a drunk priest track?!

What was it like making your pantomime debut in Cinderella at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre over Christmas last year?

Having never done panto before it was a real eye-opener as a performer. Having that much audience interaction felt so odd at the beginning, but after the first week and when the schools started to come in, I was having more fun than I ever thought I was going to!

How was it taking on the role of Prince Charming and interacting with the audience?

Prince Charming was a lot of fun, and as a cast we all had great craic together, which I felt very lucky about!

What are some of your favourite memories from your time as a contestant on Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream?

It’s hard to narrow it down to one memory, but a special time that I’ll never forget was getting to Corfu for the first time with the rest of the boys and the first two days before filming started we just got to enjoy our time with each other; the calm before the storm! But that was only the first days… I probably haven’t got long enough for the rest of my favourite memories!

How was your time as a contestant on the show and what do you feel you learnt from performing on a TV talent competition?

I had such an adventure on MMIHAD, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. As a group, it was hard to feel like a contestant, because it felt like just performing with your mates on a huge scale and for TV, which made it so fun rather than competitive! Everyone also had each other’s backs, because we were always kind of kept in the dark about what we’d be doing the next day, so everyone really looked out for each other! I learnt that TV is very different to theatre. The pace is so much faster and a lot more overwhelming. But despite this, I’ll say it again, I’d do it again in a heartbeat!

What was it like receiving feedback from the judges, and how was it reaching and performing in the live Final at the Novello Theatre in the West End?

Getting feedback from the judges for the first time was one of those pinch-me moments, like “is this happening?”. I was just thinking in my head, “relax, you’re being filmed right now, smile and be grateful”! Reaching the Final was so surreal. I remember when I found out… it was another “is this really happening right now?” moment. The whole time at the Novello was just fun, even the live episode which was such great craic.

Having graduated in 2023, was there anything that encouraged you to apply for Italia Conti and how was it training on their Musical Theatre course?

Nothing encouraged me to apply specifically to Italia Conti; I had just heard it was a great MT course. I was getting turned down by every straight acting course I could find the year previous, so I thought “why not MT?” even though I thought I couldn’t dance! But it wasn’t until I was in my audition that I kind of felt, “here feels like the right place to be”. My training and experience at Conti were great for me; I definitely reaped the rewards of going there. They allowed me to really be myself and not just slot into a box.

Where does your love of performing come from and how did you get into it?

I saw The Phantom of the Opera in London when I was 14, having had no interest in or love for theatre prior. I guess I caught the bug and knew that was what I wanted to do!

Do you have any favourite theatre shows to watch, and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?

I love watching actor-musician shows. I think they work so well with a lot of today’s theatre. Favourites to watch currently are Benjamin Button, Hadestown, Cabaret and Phantom. Shows that I would love to see would be Jagged Little Pill and The Outsiders, with the latter being a new dream show, as I’m sure is the case with every other boy in MT!

How do you like to spend your time away from your acting career?

I’m a big people person, so I love having my close friends around me a lot! So spending time with them or probably fiddling about with an electric guitar!

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