Taking to the stage at Stockton Globe feels extra special for Toby.
It has meant a return home for Christmas for the 21-year-old former Stockton Riverside College student, currently on tour with Pretty Woman the Musical.
“When I got the tour dates through for the show at the very first audition and I saw that it meant spending Christmas at home in Teesside, I knew this was right for me,” he said.
But in the face of fierce competition, it took Toby a further 10 rounds of auditions, and even a rejection, before receiving that all-important offer.
“It felt amazing to get the call as this was something I have really had to work for,” he said. “It is a great musical, with a great creative team and it’s incredible that I get to tour the UK for a year.”
Being home for the festivities was, of course, an added bonus, as he said: “I get to stay at home and see my family, and my dog!”
Plus, family and friends get to see him on stage.
Graduating from ArtsEd in the summer, Toby made his professional debut playing Brad in Hairspray at Kilworth House Theatre in Leicestershire.
He said: “That was a massive thing for me to do in a show like Hairspray that everyone knows and is such a fun musical. I was so fortunate to get that.”
But as an actor, he explained, you always have to be planning for the next job, so travelling back and forth to auditions, when the offer for Pretty Woman the Musical came along, with a year-long contract, he said it was “a no-brainer”.
Toby’s mum and nana travelled to Birmingham for the show’s preview night back in October, but bringing the tour to Stockton Globe has offered the chance for the whole family to see the show.
“After three months performing in different cities, looking out at the audience in Stockton felt amazing but weird,” he said. “To get to perform in my hometown is fantastic.”
Building a career on stage has been a lifelong ambition for Toby who previously went to Egglescliffe School. Choosing to study musical theatre at Stockton Riverside College helped set him on his way starring in college performances of Miracle on 34th Street, West Side Story and Annie.
Still in touch with his teachers and choreographers from the college, he said: “I am very grateful for everything they taught me. After so long looking at people from the area who are making careers on the stage, I am finally one of them.
“It is not an easy career path, you have to work hard. It’s not all the sequins and glitter that you see on the stage. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and rejection. But when you get there and you are performing on stage, there’s nothing like it. I am just enjoying the ride and everything I am doing.”
Pretty Woman the Musical is showing at Stockton Globe until Saturday December 30. For more details visit the Stockton Globe website.
Photos courtesy of Toby Shellard and Stockton Globe (Pretty Woman the Musical cast shot by Terry Blackburn).
