kim: Hello, I'm Kimberly Powell and this is Showbiz Mums, a podcast about mums working in theatre and how they juggle the chaos of parenting plus an eight-show week. We'll cover birth stories, pregnancy and postpartum in the theatre industry and discuss how to maintain a career whilst having kids, or at least trying to. We'll also open up the conversation of job sharing and why that can be beneficial. So join me as we speak to some amazing theatre parents and get some advice on this pretty niche subject matter, but something I'm really passionate about. Kim: Well, there we have it from Sarah Lark herself, just proving that it works and it works really well for people that need it and want it and have the right set up. And Lauren Hall is still working so hard to try and get a job share from the breakdown onwards, but if it weren't for the likes of Sarah and Charlene Ford and Jenny Legg and all those people that came before us, and I'm sure there are others and I know in fact there are plenty that have tried and not been successful. Today I'm speaking to Sarah Lark. ⁓ has appeared The Witches of Eastwick, Mamma Mia, War, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which is where I met her, given it full-on Dolly Parton. ⁓ She was on BBC's I'd Do Anything in the Search Nancy programme, where she ended up being offered first cover in that production of Oliver. ⁓ She's currently in Les Mis as swing and assistant musical staging and she's now part of the furniture having been there for over 10 years in everything from Dance Captain, Cover Factory Girl and Madame Ténardier and Sarah really was one of the first pioneers of job sharing and I think any time the phrase comes up everyone looks to her and I can't wait to chat about her set up and see how it all came about. Hiya Sarah, how's it going? But hopefully this is the start, this is the continuation of what could be some more exciting opportunities for parents and carers and those, as Sarah said, those that just need the flexible working. So thanks again for listening. Thank you for being here and we'll see you next week. Sarah Lark: Lovely, yeah, great, lovely. What a lovely introduction. ⁓ Kim: no. Hello. Here we are. How are you today? Sarah Lark: Great, yeah, absolutely great. Yeah, lovely. The weather is lovely and sunny. The school run was delightful instead of being with rain. So I'm very happy, feeling very happy looking out that window. Kim: Lovely. Finally Spring is here. I mean, we've waited long enough. Sarah Lark: Yes. We have. Kim: Absolutely. So do you have shows tonight? Are you on tonight? Sarah Lark: No, so I'm very lucky with my job share currently and just because of the way Les Mis currently is with our Thursday matinee, the way to divide our eight into four is that I bookend the week myself. So I do Monday show and I come back Friday, Saturday and the job share of my other half who's currently Lily Dillehay does Tuesday, Wednesday and the two shows Thursday. So I'm next in the office on Friday. Kim: ⁓ my god, what a great set- I'm so excited with this chat because I've always wanted to know how it works for you guys, like how you do it. ⁓ anyway, right, we'll get into it. Let's just go back to- take us back to ⁓ finding out that you were pregnant. Were you in Les Mis at the time? Sarah Lark: ⁓ no. So I had done three incredible years in Les Mis, started the ensemble and then took over for a maternity for my friend Katie. ⁓ Did her year with assistant dance captain and swing. And then she literally came back as the cast changed happened and talked about staying. And I was like, three years, that's a really great amount of time. I'm going to move on. And we planned our wedding to be directly two weeks after. And so that I could be like, going to wipe out that next month, we're going to get married, we're to go on honeymoon. So yes, it was all planned like that. And then we got married and just truly hoped that we'd be joined by someone. And very luckily, a few months later, I found out I was pregnant. And it was incredible. We were very lucky. And just that joy. I mean, some people are able to contain it. And I was like, I need to ring him right now. He's on a southeastern train and I'm FaceTiming him. Kim: Yay. ⁓ my god. Sarah Lark: from the loo with the two, literally with like the two lines. And he was like this, ⁓ great. I was like, I need more. Yeah, so love him. ⁓ That was exciting. And I think we felt incredibly lucky. And I was kind of treated, both pregnancies, but kind of especially my daughter, my eldest daughter, Nell, with right now I'm pregnant and that's ⁓ hopefully what's going to happen because many friends have not. Kim: ⁓ yeah. Sarah Lark: had things go as far as you'd hope and I just couldn't quite believe it really. So every time I'm pregnant, yeah, we're having ⁓ all the scans, everything's going great. So that was 2015 into 16 and she was born ⁓ two weeks late and yeah, she didn't want to come. We did everything we could. It was falling. She was due the end of May, which is going to perfectly align with my parents and my brother's half term. They were going to come up. Kim: ⁓ Sarah Lark: They still did come up and watch me bounce on a ball for a week. Like, come on, come on. I remember just looking at her crib, which was my crib and my brother's crib when we were younger. My parents brought up and I was just like with the bump going, and out you come, and out you come. Just, yeah, she just wouldn't. And so the whole of the pregnancy, I kind of done all my other jobs that I do in between. I was doing kind of working my box office at German Street Theatre. And so I'd been working in about a month before the due day. I was like, Kim: Come on. ⁓ ⁓ cool. Sarah Lark: It's time I'd done my piano bar called Show Off and I was just happily just, you know, not having to do eight shows a week, but just just thinking, right, let's do this next chapter. And and then, yes, so she finally came out. Seventy two hours of labor. Emergency C-section. yeah. mean, luckily, the emergency was just she can't be 18 in there. There was no like banging alarms. We were very lucky. It was it was just the man who put me. Kim: ⁓ geez. Sarah Lark: onto the epidural to help me in like the middle of the night was 24 hours later, him and the consultant who put me on the epidural came back and went, I think we've got to get the baby out. I was like, oh yeah, I think so. So there was no luckily alarms, but it was a C-section which was obviously unplanned, very luckily Hugh could be with me for all of it. My husband, that was wonderful. And we had a beautiful baby girl who just Kim: You Sarah Lark: appeared with this element of, right, that's who I've been given. Great. I was like, it took so long to get you out. Yeah, super chilled kid and she really was a great advertising campaign to have more children, have more of us. And she was great. And now she's nearly 10. Yes, that's my first pregnancy. Kim: super chilled. Great. Yeah, yeah, keep it going. Mental. ⁓ and how was your recovery? Sarah Lark: ⁓ actually really good. I was incredibly lucky. I had brilliant support. He was able to be home with me for the first couple of weeks and I just was desperate to show her off. felt in that world of just desperate people to come over and anyone that came over from friends who had had children before, wonderful friends who appeared with like food to friends, they'd like, what can I do? was like, can you get that buggy out of that car so I can take her for a walk? ⁓ just for the stuff I couldn't lift because of the C-section, but no, I felt like I Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: take the world on. I was pushing this pram, even voting around that time and I pushed it and then I could feel this little kind of twinge probably with my scar slightly and then I ended up going back to the doctor just saying can you check and she was like you shouldn't be out of bed. I was like I should be out of bed, I couldn't do this. But yeah I think it was just I pushed it a little far being that kind of I've got this and it was just me and my girl and we were just having the best time I did recover really well and then I had a little girl with me which was just, yeah, she's glorious. Kim: ⁓ god, I love it. Love it so much. So when did the idea of going back to work come about? Sarah Lark: Hehehehe So I ⁓ got all the other jobs that I'd been able to do during my pregnancy kind of started to be like, ⁓ should I think about going back? I did certainly give us a real good six, seven months. When I was pregnant with Nell, I'd left Les Mis June 2015. And that Christmas I was doing pantomime when I was pregnant with Nell, when I was about four months pregnant, playing a fairy in Chatham. Kim: ⁓ cool. Sarah Lark: And whilst I was there, a phone call came in saying, is Sarah and shouldn't come back for Les Mis because somebody is leaving. And I had to say, thank you so much for thinking of me. I would give birth on stage. So I'm not the one you would like to back, but thank you. So that kind of connection never luckily dropped from with Les Mis in particular being such a show that moves people around. There's so many productions of it. Things people kind of everywhere will take that person, put them in this. So ⁓ that could have happened again. But I started auditioning. We were doing a few auditions with Nell, taking her along, friends having her in cafes. then I auditioned for Oklahoma at the Proms and that she have nearly a year when I auditioned for that. ⁓ unbelievably got it. And so I thrilled and thought, what a lovely ⁓ kind of short contract that ⁓ we all go and we back to work. Kim: Hello. Sarah Lark: whatever happens, if this doesn't work, if we can't make it work, if baby's not happy with me being, whatever happens, we can get through like two months. And it gave me that real ability to feel how I'd feel, how my body would feel, how everything works. so, yeah, I went back to work and did that. And then with lovely Lauren Hall and all these wonderful people who I was, yeah, wonderful. So I was having loads of chats with people and. Kim: Yeah. Yay! Sarah Lark: I was like, yeah, my baby's nearly one. They were just like, that's amazing. So it was a lovely gig. And Wiles there got another lovely email saying, would Sarah be interested in coming back to the show? Because the friend I'd left in it, my friend, Jo Loxton, was pregnant and going on maternity. And she was going to leave in about January. And I was like, right, where are we? We're June, July, I'm working. I'd go back, the contracts for like six months again. That's the next level up, two months, six months. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: And I went, okay, okay, okay, yeah, let's chat about it. And they went, glad Sarah's interested. Can she start in September? Kim: ⁓ wow. Sarah Lark: And like, just, I'm the whole, my whole panic is now wasn't in childcare. She was with me and, and you know, for Oklahoma, it was my wonderful family, my parents and my brother, people coming up and Hugh taking time off work and holidays to just enable me to work. And I, I, and I just burst into tears to my agent and was like, I'd love to go back, but it's a little bit soon. And I don't think it's me this time. And they were so calm and they were just like, let's go back and chat because I understand maybe she might be leaving the stage at that time, maternity, but it might be that they need to, you know, they will put her off stage one, doing the other side of the jobs, which was like the dance captain side. So we all sat down as a family and then they said, they're really looking forward to having you back. When can you make it work? And I went, okay. let's do October, let's do October half term and we can start it off with my family and we found local nurseries and think we started with a charminder as well which was amazing and a mum friend so we ⁓ it was tentative steps ⁓ and ⁓ so I was back with my friend Joe Loxton who's pregnant doing a handover day you know I've been off the show for about ⁓ a year a half two years and and I was coming about full time for hermiturnecy and ⁓ Kim: Mm-hmm. Wow. Sarah Lark: And it's that stage where you have a young child, which means you have the days with them. And that gift where you're not having to take them to school as I am now, where I'm at home being like, they're not here to play. So I went back to work and very luckily they started to pull her off stage being like, well, she can do Monday to Friday, Sarah can do Saturday. So we were kind of starting the job share there and then. I did the Saturdays and the first Saturday back, didn't know what I was doing. I felt like... Kim: Mm-mm. Yeah. Yeah. Sarah Lark: I had no child that I was carrying and no push chair, no buggy, no bags. And then I was like, wow, I've just done a day at work. And then I came back the next Saturday. I felt very torn. Leaving her, everything just felt uneasy again. gosh, who am I as a person without wanting to be with her? And then slowly by doing that little baby steps and by the fact that I was taking over when it wasn't a rehearsal process, so it was all calmer. ⁓ And then, just got into a real rhythm, got into a wonderful rhythm. And then Jo went off and had her first child. know, we kept in touch with the job. And then, yeah, and then I did it until her and her husband and me and Hugh had a conversation of, ⁓ we put the Job Share idea together and propose it? And history has unfolded. ⁓ Kim: Wow, okay, so it came from her maternity, essentially. So her going off and then her deciding she potentially wanted to come back. Sarah Lark: Yes. Yeah, so I think the way that her maternity work was it was going to be coming back in the January of 2019 ⁓ ⁓ Mummy Banter the wonderful Facebook group of wonderful mums throughout the theatrical wonderful world we live in and ⁓ been lots of conversations of people being wouldn't job shares be amazing I mean obviously now we are in a fantastic momentum which is just wonderful and there's two of us that do it here it's just we know the gifts it gives and we know the gifts it gives the company so we were carrying on with the idea of let's try and get this going. We had heard of two that were starting, one that did go to completion and happened, I think just slightly was ahead of us. But when we put it together, the proposal, Jo and husband Sean had written this fantastic proposal because it's obviously her job. I was her maternity cover. So I always took the lead from her. And then we looked at it and I did any bits because, ⁓ My husband works in theatre in production on the other side. So he was able to kind of offer a few of the things I hadn't seen of how would that help the company. And we've always sat down and gone, especially as performers on a job, so that the how would it help? The obvious reason it helps us and how does it help the company? And wrote a proposal that ⁓ was very much how we'd spent the week. I'm not telling them how they want it, but this could be how we could divide it. this is how you divide sick, this is how you divide holiday, this is how we'd be up for it and communication between us that, you you tell her something on a Tuesday and I won't know it on the Thursday so that, you know, all the stuff that you want to achieve from a company. And then we, with our agents as well, proposed it to our associate producer and said we'd be really interested to chat about it and have meetings. And their response was, sounds great, when should we start? Just like. Kim: totally. Sarah Lark: absolutely bowled over by it. It was incredible. Kim: incredible. That's the perfect story. you know, what a good foursome. feel like each one of you, like her and her partner, you and your, like, Hugh's got so much knowledge, like you say, coming into it saying, well, actually, there's things on the other side here. Let's think about the company. And yeah, I can see they went for it. I find with my company, it was similar. They were a little bit like, you guys go away and sort it out, come back and... and tell us what it is and we're happy to go for it. And so we were like, all right, great, sort of out between you. Sarah Lark: Yeah, yeah, I think it does make sense. It was the time when we had Wednesday matinee. So again, it was a slightly easier slice of the pie. So that even holidays weren't affected, which currently they slightly are because people take three day breaks and six day breaks. But again, the company have always been really great that actually me and all the lovely women I've shared job show with, we have so much communication about holidays as well. And mostly as parents, you're probably going to go for the holidays because That's when you need to be taking the time off. That's when your children are able to be out of school. So we kind of, we proposed it. They were very happy about it. And then we started it in January, 2019 when she came back and that was so lovely to bring her back, having her brought me back. And we had an amazing kind of get back into the show. And at that point, we were like, we're doing a job show. And even the company were really excited about it. You I wasn't having to leave. Joe was coming back. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: And then they went, but big news, Les Mis is closing. Yeah, it was literally, I think it could have even been the same day when all the new plans for the new version was coming out, which was we're closing this production, there will be something interim, and then we reopen the new production in December. So it was like, So, you know, it was after the end of our contract, so we all got extended. So it wasn't like anything changed for us. It just was a new curve ball. And then... Kim: Stop. Sarah Lark: The next swing through us were they then auditioned for what was the first version of the Les Mis concert in the Gielgud Theatre. And a few of us kind of were called about it and Joe and I were luckily called about it and asked to do exactly what we do on town, which was swing, assistant dance captain and on a job share, which is probably the first time we cost them money because then we were in rehearsals for this new version, both of us full time. which was incredible because we knew that was always the thing because I had costumes, she had costumes, logistics of where they are because, you know, where they fit in the building. But we hadn't cost anything before then to the company, which is obviously it's a business. They have to look at that. But with the concert, they said, let's do it. Let's keep everything as it is. And ⁓ we job shared the concert, which then and that was an incredible summer just because alumni that I had spent many years with on and off through Les Mis were back and Kim: Britain. Sarah Lark: people who'd done it for years, people who'd played all the parts and now back in the ensemble. It was a glorious summer of celebration that then took us up to the new version. Kim: Wow. Great. How does it work as, I mean obviously I can see how it works as swing, how does it work as dance captain or assistant dance captain? Is there like Sarah Lark: Yeah, mean, we just became a good trio. So when she on maternity, what they rightfully and cleverly did was move the assistant dance captain, Oliver Brennan, up to dance captain. And I came in as assistant dance captain and we were there before when I was full time. Then on Joe's return, we just shared that. And we just became a really good trio in terms of on my days, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but it was, when I got the offs. ⁓ I'd be cutting the girls and looking at who covering what. And then on the other days, Joe would do it. we, suppose we, we, the communication was always such a main thing for me because I want this job share and have always wanted this job share to be such an appealing thing for a company because the more it appeals to them, the more they'll go, we'll do that on this production, which has happened with CML. They then were using the same setup that we have in the same proposal when somebody asked for it. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: over at the Phantom, it happened. And that brings me so much joy that it's never caused any issues ⁓ it works. So we ⁓ of all just shared that as assistant dance captain and dance captain, we were kind of all a team of mostly cutting off the show, looking after the show, and we'd rehearse on our days. ⁓ if there were rehearsals on a Monday, you had me. Rehearsals on a Tuesday, know, the day, you now we rehearse on our days. and yeah. ⁓ Kim: Okay, okay, I was gonna ask for rehearsal. So it's just whoever's in that deck, perfect, that makes perfect sense. Sarah Lark: who ever's fallen on that day. And that time we were covering Factory Girl, which that feature, and that didn't really affect, we were able to do that as a job share. But then later on in time, as you talked about when it came back to the new production, just because of logistics, and I think it was the time they wanted to move it and everything that then I did come back full time. And that was the year of Twitter, 2019, and I... very much thought this is probably the last year I would be able to do full-time because I knew my daughter Nell was starting school in the following September and the contract was until September and I thought okay this is is the year and then I got Dance Captain and the Madame T cover so I then did that thought I'd be doing it year in March 2020 so yeah we only opened the new version for four months so when I came back to relaunch the new version when we came back in 21 my brain was like Kim: There you go. Yeah. Sarah Lark: We didn't even get our feet under the table with that. I'm so used to the years before. So yes, and then lockdown. Kim: Totally. And then lockdown. So how long until you then got pregnant with your second? Sarah Lark: Well, so we, we always wanted to, we always said to, we always thought about actually when, when Nell turned about one or two, we'd be like, right, is it the time? But we've also, especially with my side of, with my career has been when an opportunity comes, we look at it as a family, we look at how it works for our children and, and especially Nell at the time, what would make her happiest and how would we make work as a family? And we've just gone, we say yes, if it works. And so everything kind of led us to that point. So we ended up having four year old and being like, oh, are we going to have a second? And we kind of looked in the loft, realized we'd kept everything from like every sanogenic bin to we were like, I I think, I think there's another person wanting to join us. and it was, yeah, Feb 2020, I'd ridiculously in the Christmas before felt we were outgrowing our lovely little two up two down in it around the corner and I had kind of really, was like someone was pushing from behind my brain going, I think we need to move. My husband's hang on, hang on. You know, you're back in the work full time. And I was like, need a new house, you need a new house. And ⁓ we found, we somehow put a house up for sale on Valentine's weekend, ⁓ found a house that we really love, put an offer in, then went, maybe it is, maybe we should think about number two. And then, ⁓ pandemic hits and I go into work on a Monday, I'm dance captain, I'm cutting the show and I'm watching Boris say, don't go to theatres. And I walk into work. I've cut the show to an inch of his life because people have been told to sit home and rest and walked into my company manager, Hannah, and we looked at each other and went, this isn't happening, it? Both burst into tears, left the building, had a week's worth of going, I'm not working. At the same time, I'd remembered that I'd offered to, been an equity deputy for years on Lemmys and in the new version I said, look, I'm full time, I'm dance captain covering, I'm swing, I'm really happy to just look after equity debt for a minute, but if somebody wants to come in and they're like, great, you can do it for a little while, we opened and then next thing I wake up and we've all been shut down, I'm on a call with equity, try to work out how we're all gonna survive and have a week's worth of just like, what's gonna happen? Boris does lockdown fully the following Monday, we're locked down. my parents are all just devastated we can't all see each other. And then on the Tuesday I woke up and I'm oh, I feel a bit funny, did a pregnancy test and it was positive. Yep. Absolutely. Couldn't have imagined that we'd be like, you are all locked down, Which of course felt like, I just felt like, goodbye alcohol. Because that's all I thought was doing. But it meant... Kim: Talk about timing. ⁓ my god, perfect. ⁓ god yeah, of course it was, absolutely. Sarah Lark: It meant I could cover it. It meant I could pretend to have like beers, even though my friends were like, she doesn't drink beer, she drinks Prosecco. So I got away with it actually it meant, it ⁓ perfectly work out because actually at that point, I would have been personally terrified to have tried to get pregnant if we hadn't already fallen pregnant to put myself within the hospital system, you know, with the differences of things happening and... Kim: Hehehehehe Hey. Sarah Lark: And so I just, yeah, I just got more and more pregnant and showed very quickly. So very lucky because that would have been a massive giveaway at work. And work were fantastic and were like, because I'd fallen pregnant at work, my last thing I did on the stage and something like 12th of March 2020 was my Madame T cover run. And little James was my son was just like, just being there. He was just there. Because when I turned out, was pregnant. Yeah. So he was on stage with me. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: just and it meant that very kindly they said, okay, well, tell us when you want to start maternity. So I was like, well, I'm not working. I have no idea. And yeah, and so into the next few months, I got more and more pregnant. And obviously, every time with all the shows, it was like, are we opening? Are we not? No, we can't. Yes, we can. And the world was, you know, was starting to wake up a little bit. And then luckily in the October month before I was due, we were invited to Britain's Got Talent. Kim: ⁓ Sarah Lark: So Les Mis, Phantom, Mary Poppins and they were like, would you like to do it? I was like, are you sure? I'm very, very pregnant. And they're like, no, we'd love to do part of it. And you go back and watch the video. Really pregnant woman. And yes, I turned up. We did a few days and by that point testing is in and everyone of course is in and sound of like, you're pregnant. And I was like, yes, but don't come near me. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: terrified. I was just terrified. I wanted to cuddle people because it was so emotional. We're all in masks, but you we're all testing, none of it's October 2020. Everything was so early. And so I did Britain's Got Talent. And I kind of not seen people COVID not really. I never normally say much on social media, especially about the children, especially until they're born. Unless you knew me or were talking to me, I wasn't secretive. But I mean, that was a big hello, I'm pregnant world. If I haven't told you. Kim: Mmm. Mm-hmm. Now you know. Sarah Lark: I'm eight months pregnant. And so, yeah, so we did that and then, no, I'm attempting. Kim: But it's great you were able to do part of the show or do a bit of performing ⁓ in your costume or in a costume. ⁓ Sarah Lark: Yeah, it was lovely. Yeah, it was so lovely. It so lovely to have that moment where you're like, okay, and I looked in the mirror with the same costume and because I hadn't had that with either children. In terms of with Les Mis, I've had it on a panto with James, it was obviously just a different experience. And then he was born, so I then went on maternity leave from a job that didn't exist, but that was fabulous because it did. And then they did the concert over the Christmas, which obviously I was on maternity and then... Kim: Yeah. You Sarah Lark: And then I had James in second lockdown, which wasn't as fun because Hugh couldn't be with me. And we did a plan C section for that because of the emergency and because of having a now four and a year old at home, it felt like they were very happy with me being either way. had two lovely, pregnancies and they were very happy. But they said, you know, there was no reason why she was in emergency. I think she just never tucked her chin down and she was well and safe, but they offered me both. And I, because my parents were in Wales at the time, we decided if I did it planned, then my parents could come up ⁓ and ⁓ then ⁓ be here with my daughter. And cause she wasn't allowed the hospital, he wasn't really allowed in the hospital, my husband. So it was a different experience. Kim: Yeah. Sarah Lark: And then so what happened we and we had moved in the middle of this pandemic just to add to a bit of fun to the to the wonderful it was just yeah so we had a new house we had a baby and so in the end it was planned and I went in and Hugh was able to take me to the door and then wait in the car Kim: ⁓ bloody hell. chaos. Sarah Lark: And we both were watching British Bake Off, that was on in the time he was in the car watching Bake Off, just to take my mind off what's going on. And then he was allowed to come in and meet me for the surgery. And that surgery was completely different because I wasn't already lying down, tried to push for 72 hours. I was perfectly awake. was, James was like a week early, he would do it like 39 weeks for me, walked into the thing, just like, I'm going to walk out with a baby. And walked out and then, then see section number two. And then. Kim: Yeah. Yeah. Sarah Lark: My husband was just, the whole time, he was just trying to keep me going and just being like, so do you think he's going to go through to the final? I mean, that was a good shortbread. I was like, yeah. Kim: ⁓ so Hugh allowed in there for the birth then for the for the C-section Sarah Lark: he was allowed for the C-section and then he was allowed for certain visiting hours because by this point we're in lockdown two. We're not, and I had many friends who had horrific, you know, husbands outside looking through windows. it was hard because I'd had such a nice experience on the first, even though was an emergency section. I mean, Hugh were able to three days be in a hospital. And if there was a problem with, like if she just needed comfort and didn't need me to try and feed her and change a nappy, I could pass to him. Kim: Okay, right. Sarah Lark: This one was a bit trickier. He was with me and because that kind of went into visiting hours, he could be with me for a few hours and then he had to come home. And I understand all the rules. just felt, it just was really hard. It was hard. And it meant that the staff in the hospital working harder because I would be like, dinging the bell, being like, he needs changing nappies. I can't do that. He needs comfort. So was all, it was tense. ⁓ But it was safe and I was fine. just wanted to be home. I wanted to be at home with my daughter and just wanted to introduce them. know, introducing them on FaceTime is never a thing I planned with my children to be like, this is your brother. completely wild. But we were lucky and it was very lovely to have him kind of really be ours, whereas obviously I'd really, I would love to have shown him off, but he became very much our... Kim: Mm-hmm. Yeah, of course. ⁓ god, isn't it wild when you think back what ridiculous. Sarah Lark: you know, people would be able to come or maybe see us at the garden. And then, you know, the world, you know, we had again where we had real lockdown of 21, the beginning, and it was January, February, and it was raining and it all just felt quite like, oh, I don't know if we're ever going to get out. And, you know, it all just felt quite a lot for the children as well, because Nell had started school. She did amazingly. She started school in 2020 and that was her reception year and everyone's in masks. Everyone is. She doesn't know people. She doesn't know the school, but she did so well. Kim: Mm. Sarah Lark: And then obviously a little brother comes along and I'm pushing a pram and it's like, my brother. ⁓ So yeah, it was lovely. And then when you're at school and then, world slightly started to open and then we came back to work in August 21. Now ⁓ two kids. ⁓ Kim: ⁓ bless her. Okay, so yes. So how old was James by the time you went back to the show? Sarah Lark: So when they finally started to realize we could open, they emailed and said, you know, you'll be coming to the end of your maternity. We'd love to offer you a job back. And at that point, again, Hugh and I sat down and went, I don't think I can go back full time. I don't want to. He was about six, seven months at that point. That's a lot. That's a lot. And childcare, he hadn't been in anything because of COVID. So we as a family were like, we need to ask for a job share. So we looked at that. And so I asked my agent to say, thank you so much for the offer. would, would you consider a job share again? And of course they had so many ⁓ juggling, you know, trying get, is the show opening? When's it happening? And so in the end they ⁓ looked and that was first time I think a job share went on Spotlight where they actually advertised it as a role they needed. And at that point ⁓ I was going to down simply a swing just because of ⁓ what I'm wanting. Kim: Okay. Sarah Lark: a creative team that were already in the building. I, at that point was like, I'm very happy to return to work to a job I love, but I now have two children, which is a juggle. I, you know, it's, it's a juggle and, and you want to be there. It's a juggle. And so I very luckily went back and they did. found my other lovely colleague, Emma Barr came back into the show and we came back and in the heady August 21 of testing and Kim: It's a struggle. Sarah Lark: the euphoria of coming back and then also the massive implications of trying to open a West End show properly and the West End starting to wake up. We came back in, we reopened September 21. Kim: Yeah. On the job share. Great. Sarah Lark: Yeah, on the job share. we use exactly the same that we had worked before with Jo. Emma was a previous cast member and they had auditioned, they had auditioned as they do in any other way. So at the time Emma wasn't a parent as well. It just fitted perfectly with her life because we were all coming back with Sunday shows. Yeah, yeah. So she later went on to have children, but at that point it just worked for her life. She had her own school and we've, I've always wanted. Kim: Okay. Well that's interesting. So she, yeah, okay, great. Yeah. Sarah Lark: you know, obviously it's fantastic for parents and, but there are so many other responsibilities, especially from COVID, caring responsibilities, people's other businesses that she was always had her own business. But I know so many people had other strings to their bow, other things. And we want to do, you know, any conversation we've always had is this, this is so inclusive, it can't be exclusive. It needs to be for any reason that people want to work in a flexible way. Kim: Yeah, for sure. Sarah Lark: And I've done panels on that before for the stage and flexible working. I never want it to just come from either parents, be be dads, it could be people with elderly parents, it could be other other responsibilities. ⁓ yes, having someone when Emma came back, that was that was lovely to the two of us work together again. And so we did do rehearsals. And then that's where my job that you kindly introduced me as is this assistant musical staging role came back because I was handing over my DC stuff. Kim: Yeah. Great. Sarah Lark: to a wonderful colleague, Matt, who was taking over as DC, Matt Dempsey, and he came back and I was there just handing over. And then they were trying to open everything else. And then Les Mis, the tour opened about a month later. And because everything came back at the same time and it doesn't happen, know, Phantom will cast Change another time, Les Mis, then certainly for CML, for then, you know, Hamilton will, that you have time, well, everything was coming back. So I got a phone call from CML saying, the work you did in the studio for relaunching town could you come and help us on the tour?" And I was like, absolutely, yeah, I'd love to. And because I was this point now job sharing, I'd done a bit of rehearsals full time to get the show up and running, I do is that side of my job, ⁓ the creative side of it. And then I went and worked on the tour. And on the first day rehearsals, ⁓ said, I'd love to come, I will have my son. And they were like, great. And I appear with James. ⁓ Kim: Great. Sarah Lark: 10 months in a carrier. Katie Hall appears with her daughter. The Children's Resident Director, Lauren, appears with her son. And we're all in the circle. Hi, I'm so... And they'd invented this title and I was teaching it. And then it got to Claude-Michel Schoenberg, whose son Thomas Schoenberg is executive producer for CML. And he just said, I'm not going to try his accent because that would be offensive. But he said, I can't carry my son anymore because Thomas is like in his thirties. Kim: ⁓ great. ⁓ gorgeous. was brilliant! Sarah Lark: So we were all there like the baby carries and pushes and he's like, I can't carry him anymore. I was like, ⁓ fabulous. So yeah, that started that road. And then ever since every cast change, I do this five week full time of teaching new people the show. And that side of my brain gets, kind of fire up and then I teach it. And if a new cast is just, we just had a cast change of a couple of characters and I've come in full time and just done some logistics with it. ⁓ Kim: Go Olaf! Sarah Lark: Yeah, and that's the other side of my job. ⁓ Kim: That's great. So the creative kick in. feel like you get that to be like, okay, I want to come in, but I ⁓ know I want to be doing it all day, every day, ⁓ but five period here, five weeks there. Sarah Lark: Yeah, I think that's the joy of, because I love swing and I get that variety being swing, having done two years Nails on Bull and then I've been swing ever since. And yet this is coming up to my 14th year. I joined 14 years ago, which is incredible. And I've probably done, yeah, but yeah, with kind of COVID and with leaving and having Nail, I probably have worked about 10 years on the show and then obviously take job share off. So I can't, I've never been able to work out fully my number, but. Kim: My god, that is incredible. Yeah, you sure? Mm. Sarah Lark: Yeah, 2012 I joined and it kind of flukeingly was I think because the associate director came to see the best little hall house in Texas that I did with you. Yeah, yeah, because I'd auditioned for Les Mis for years. After Witches we got our two weeks notice on Witches of Easterwick in 2001. Unfortunately, and a pile of us weren't auditioned for Les Mis and some wonderful people got it. Caroline Sheen, Sophia Ragavellis, think my friend Jenny Dale. They all got the job that year and I, you know, I was... Kim: mad. No way! There you go. Sarah Lark: I wasn't right for it and I didn't get it. Did train at Water Academy Music, came back and auditioned again, didn't get it. Just that time, it's like when I auditioned for Mamma Mia, I auditioned for it the year before and didn't get it. It wasn't the right fit. I didn't fit the right hole the person was leaving. And I didn't know if Les Mis had kind of just passed my time because I then was more in the age group. I'd passed the cassettes and the epinines and I thought maybe, maybe it's not for me. And then got it in 2012 after they'd seen me do something different. Kim: Yeah. Nope. Yeah. So you'll miss Mona? Sarah Lark: They saw my Miss Mona, my middle aged character. was a little bit young, just a little bit. So yeah. No, it's fabulous. We had a good time, didn't we? You were fabulous as well. As were you. Thank you very much. Wonderful. We had a great time doing it. No, I don't. I such lovely times doing it and meeting new people and friends. I think it really did show a different side because, you know, I'd luckily been working, but kind of as a younger character and as I'm ageing and so. Kim: You were incredible in that. That was such a funny, it was such a random production but I do look back with fond memories. Yeah. You were amazing. they're ridiculous. Mm-hmm Yeah. Sarah Lark: Yes, it was lovely. I think from seeing that, I got that audition and then it tumbled and I got the job and then very luckily being kind of associated with it ever since. then, so I'm now on my, so I've got lovely Jo Loxton, Emma Barr, then Sophie Fiek. Sophie Fiek came in and took over when Emma Barr ended up having a pregnancy and had a baby and so she left for maternity. Sophie came in and then Sophie's on maternity. Kim: course. I love it. Sarah Lark: And now Lily de la Hay, so I'm on, yeah, I'm with, I just had wonderful time with wonderful women. And sometimes it's hard because I didn't get to work with them that much. That's why the five weeks is also great because I get to work with them and because we sometimes come in to help each other, which has always been the nature of it that we said that if it's not, we don't cover each other's holidays all the time. But if the show gets into trouble or people are sick or injured, they can call either of us. And the times I've been on the show with. Kim: Yeah. Sure. Sarah Lark: my other half is just like, we're here together. It's brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant. Kim: Yeah, brilliant. I love there's so many Les Mis babies that have come through the maternity and then someone else has come back and dipped in, dipped out. But again, it proves that women of childbearing age still want the work and are needed. There's work for us, ⁓ Sarah Lark: Absolutely, and I think that's where age is a gift and I think ages in theatre is wonderful. Having a theatre show that has a mix of ages, a mix of experiences from my first job when I was 16 and I looked up, which is especially my first job, me and Scarlett Strelin were both 17 turning 18 on the job and you had people at the top. Like Morris Lane and Julia Sutton who were probably in their 60s, nearly in 70s. And I just remember just trying to just take it all in, just being like, I want to be that age. So I think that's where I've always wanted. I feel so lucky to be still part and be able to continue working through these years that I always wanted to give my all to, that I always want, that, you know, the times when they're at home with you, I've had so many lovely times with both of them when I've been at home with them. and then they go to school and then they need me in a whole different way. And I want to be there for all of the, you know, the competitions that they're doing, the sports days, you know, those kind of moments are just so special. that's why I'm so thankful for the job share and that we've been able to make it work and that I've been able to make it work with many different of us doing it in combinations. And then that getting bigger, which is why currently as an equity deputy, I'm still and on the working party, flexible working is such a big. talked about subject because it keeps so many people still in the industry and so many people of age that, gosh, that have experience and so many wonderful things that everything, and everyone's valid. I'm me starting at 16, 17, I bought something different than I would now. And it's that everything, that mix of ages is wonderful. So yeah, I very lucky. Kim: I love it on a show when you've got like, I think also everybody gets on really well, you know, it can be nice to have so many different dynamics having a whole different variety of ages, Mamma Mia as well, there's all the, Sarah Lark: absolutely. know as a Mamma Mia alumni, having done it in 2005, 2007, I adore that show. I adore your show that you're doing. I came to know, I love it. I had the time of my life when I came to see it. The food was yummy, the dancing, and fabulous. And well, it's Mamma Mia for you, isn't it? It's Abba's fantastic music. Kim: ⁓ ⁓ good. Yeah, does what it says on the tin. Yeah. Sarah Lark: I had two of most amazing years, made friends for life who just this morning, it's one of my birthdays and we're all messaging each other still. it's just nearly, it's just 21 years now. Yeah, fantastic friends for life and friends that we've all seen each other through everything and my friend Tasha, who you know very well Tasha Sheridan, we met on Mamma Mia and then... Kim: mental. Love Tasha. Sarah Lark: we've been kind of through life together. And when I was offered to come back to Leemans full time, she was one of the people I turned to because she'd been back, I think, at School of Rock by that point. And I was like, how can I make that work? Because I'm a planner. I love my year ahead. I love looking and going, booking a holiday at the time it's cheapest. This is what we're going to do with the children. This is where I want to go. And the idea of just being like, I hope we make childcare work, was making me like, I just, need to know. And that's the getting, you the older I get and the more slight experience I have with my 10 years with my daughter and my son is that you can plan as much as you can and then life is gonna go. So those, she really helped to be like, make this plan as a rough and then have, know, it's everyone, it's your family, it's your friends. I have the most support and my parents who've now relocated to London and live, yeah, yeah. So just last year, it's nearly gonna be a year they moved up. They were my, Kim: Doya. ⁓ have they? ⁓ Sarah Lark: Wonderful Brother got a job as a in North London and it just made sense for their life now that they wanted to be close to my children and to us and then now they live around the corner and that's opened. The support is incredible. They've always, even you'd never have guessed that they've lived in Wales, the amount of support they've always given us. ⁓ But having that and to be close to them now as well because I want to also be able to see them without being like, here's my children. I just want to be like, yeah, I'm going to come over and have a cup of tea. ⁓ Kim: Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Sarah Lark: We're entering another change again, as everything is, isn't it? It's all changing. My daughter needs me in a different way she used to. She's 10, she's about to do her 11 plus. Like, how, how have I got that nearly aged child? don't know. Yeah. Kim: Totally. ⁓ it's amazing. It's so good though, like you say, I think speaking to other mums and having mummy banter or having other mums in the industry, which is why I love having this chat with you, because it's what kind of us do it all. Because I'm a bit the same. I'm a bit like, I don't really know what's coming ahead. So how can another mum tell me? ⁓ know, ⁓ feel it helps. Sarah Lark: Yeah, they've experienced it or they've done it for them. think that, and I do think that luckily the more we do have job shares, the more we can work out how's the best way to go about it, how can you apply for it in jobs and just have that conversation and then how does this work for people? Because as we said, job shares work incredibly well for many of us and but for some it wouldn't. Even for me the financial reason has always been will I be able to pay the childcare side of it from my side because otherwise it Kim: Mm-hmm. Sarah Lark: It's me, I'm at home just because of Hugh's stability and work and his happiness there. it's, can't, it doesn't always work because like you said, we're on exactly half, we're on exactly half holiday, half sick, half because we are working half of that. So it's just, it's, yeah, it's having conversations and being able to say to friends, how did you do, what that, and how's this part of life? And then just going along with the going, just, this is what's happening today. And, just trying to, yeah, have all the fun. and not miss any of this stage because yeah, very precious. Kim: That's it. Not miss any of it. ⁓ ⁓ you have a career highlight? Is there any moment in your career? It doesn't have to be an entire job, but just any moment Sarah Lark: Yeah, I think and I think this is really funny. think this is I've had some amazing experiences ⁓ amazing times ⁓ and ⁓ ⁓ doing a TV program that was random and wonderful and open so many doors and that was a ⁓ time of my life. And but actually it's probably most recently ⁓ I ⁓ I said, I'm not the ⁓ person on social media because I don't understand it. Whenever someone's like, I a concert and they're like, could you retweet that? Retweet, I can do. But anything that's got tags in it, I'm just like, I'm really sorry, could you do that with my phone? But this one was a big one for me because when I sat, when I was eight, I turned to my parents watching what was now I know is the Children's Royal Variety Performance. And I fell in love and was just like, ⁓ I'd like to do that. How do I do that? And my parents were... ⁓ were just amazing and you know got an advert that they looked for like summer schools and they found a summer school at Italia Conti and I came up to Italia Conti and they then I did summer schools and then they became my agent which then led to my first job and it's kind of like the trickle effect of how I got there but any show I've luckily been part of I've never done I've never done the Royal Variety because they'd send maybe the principal different numbers never done that and I was always just like one dad loved to do it and it It's ridiculous, but it really did come true in November when we were asked to do the Royal Variety performance. And it was an epic 400 performer. We had something like 20 drummers and we did the celebration for Les Mises 40th. And I got to be part of it from the rehearsal process to staying till midnight one of the nights of teching it and just loving my life. Ended up on cans running around with people with flags. Kim: Wow. Sarah Lark: And I just, from that side of my job as well as just standing on stage at the Royal Variety and just thinking, I made that little eight year old really happy. That's so silly. But I was so thrilled. I was so thrilled doing it. It was. knowing that, and knowing that like my two beautiful children were at home with my husband and my family and my parents had helped in the day. Cause it was, you know, I three crazy days of being in just. Kim: ⁓ that's so special. ⁓ Sarah, God that's so lovely. Sarah Lark: loving just being like I'm immersed in it. We rehearsing in one venue, we all going down to the Royal Variety. It was a 400 strong with the Western cast, the French cast and then about 320 people who had done Les Mis this year in amateur dramatic companies all around the country which of course is where I'm from and so we just had a ball and I then watching it with the children afterwards just going wow that's... was ⁓ made me start this journey. I've just done it. So ridiculous isn't ⁓ But yeah, it was absolutely lovely to do. ⁓ think career highlights, gosh, I've been so lucky to work. And those moments were like, that's to share that with your family and just look around and go, we're lucky, aren't we? So yeah, that's probably my highlight, but also just making friendships along the way and meeting people and having a network of people that are all there for each other. That's what life in this business is. ⁓ Kim: That's so lovely. Yeah, yeah. Sarah Lark: is most important about is support and navigating all the times. I'm very lucky I'm 26 years in from my first job and I still love it. Kim: But also I think you've had so much longevity because, partly because of the job share, but also because you're such, you're clearly such an amazing employer, like employee, I should say, because you made yourself so valuable that, no one get rid of you. Like, it's so amazing. Sarah Lark: You And even if they want to, they're like, that woman, just keeps coming in. We don't pay her anymore, but she keeps coming into work. Now, I think the joy of what Les Mis has given me in that respect, it has been variety and has been slightly having a creative side, which, thing with swing, it? When you've got uncovering, when you're covering something, when your brain has got one focus and other focuses going around as well. I think that's where. I really feel alive and I feel very lucky that that gift that the variety and that I think I just I love being there and I've enjoyed all of that so yeah. ⁓ It was a pleasure. Kim: That's amazing, brilliant. Well, thank you so much. Thank you for sharing it all with us. And also I want to say thank you so much for being the pioneer that you are because if it weren't for you and it was Charlene Ford, I remember her in the years and years ago, that's it. Sarah Lark: Yeah, yeah, she got it. She was the one that just ahead of us on 42nd Street, wasn't it? think it was, yeah. Kim: is that, yeah, I remember reading it and thinking, God, that could only be the dream. I can't imagine that ever actually happening, but God, if only. And then seeing well, you both, but seeing you do it and then it go on and on, I thought, you know what, fuck it, it's worth asking the company. I doubt they'll say yes, but it's worth a try. And then they did because you can see other people doing it and it works and it was really, really inspiring. So thank you. But I do, I... Sarah Lark: No, don't give me that again. It's my pleasure. Kim: No, no, but I do. think it was, I appreciate that you did it and it's all come about and it's then given loads of other opportunities to other people and companies because they look to it and they go, yeah, okay, fine, why not? You know, why not? Sarah Lark: I think that as every commitment is when you come take a job, you want to go and you want to do your best and you want to work as hard as you can. And I think that really was always what I wanted to do with this. I wanted us to all be a team, all singing from the same hymn book, all of us going that we want to come to work. You want to have, like I said, I imagined as probably many women do that there would be a time I wouldn't be able to work. because not just not wouldn't be able to, I'd like to be at home with the children and this, and luckily this has afforded me both. And I also understand that people need to work. in a completely different world than we have been previously as well. And that's why, again, I take my hats off. And I have done the full time when Nell was little and that worked for that time. And I was very lucky that I was back full time. I got that kind of show fit and I was working and I was really enjoying it. And I also got her in the days, but. Kim: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Sarah Lark: Like every life bit changes and I just have always imagined from my first job looking up to the people who were in their 60s, 70s being like, I look forward to hopefully doing this as long as I can do this through the years because yeah, my children were only going to be at home for a little while. I'm sure they're going to be off flying the nest and running around and doing all of their stuff. And then yeah, long may job shares continue for people who need it for various reasons. And I think the more open conversations we have, the more conversations we have with companies. ⁓ I've, you know, ⁓ like I said, I've a ⁓ panels just want to keep talking about how it can work. And then looking any obstacles, which for us was just where your costumes are stored. And obviously physically for the dresses to keep changing and whoever's doing your wig, otherwise. It's just a different mic that's being set. So it's trying to look at any obstacles and go, how can we help that? we're all, we all wanna work together to make this a really exciting thing that more people in the future can continue doing. Kim: absolutely. yeah brilliant. thank you so much I really appreciate it. ⁓ what fun. thank you Sarah. we'll see you soon. bye. Sarah Lark: Pleasure, absolute pleasure. I hope to see you soon. Take care. Bye.