The next interview in our stagey chat series is with Katie Pritchard, who's currently preparing to take over Edinburgh Fringe with her role in A Jaffa Cake Musical and her own solo musical comedy show, "Katie Pritchard: I Kiss the Music".

Hi Katie, how are you? Thanks so much for chatting to Stage to Page today! Would you mind introducing yourself and telling our readers how you first got into acting?

Helloooo Stage to Page! So, my first acting job was actually age 6 months old when I took on the role of “Baby Jesus”. It was a tough role to take on as my first, but eyewitness accounts say that I was incredibly method in my preparation for the role, I did everything a baby would do to get myself into the psyche of my character, and that I didn’t cry not even once during the shows. It was my dad who cried when he came to see the show as he didn’t realise that the show involved someone carrying me, a baby, up some scaffolding. Poor Dad - even then I was doing all my own stunts!

After that, I did a lot of Amateur Dramatics shows, and this formed a huge amount of my acting training as a kid. Then, at age 10, I joined Chicken Shed Theatre Company (a fully inclusive theatre company) – which was AMAZING!!! I stayed there until I went to Uni, and I really didn’t want to leave.

I wasn’t too sure what to go on to study at Uni – I was also a real science kid, and I was struggling to decide what route to go, when my Physics teacher told me I should look into acting and music for my future career. Thank you Physics teacher!! And since I’ve left Uni, I’ve been working non-stop in a whole host of different performance styles – Acting, Comedy, Music, Writing, Art, I’ve even played multiple small animals for shows (and big ones too, but I wasn’t tall enough - I was once hired to play a Gorilla in a show, but all the kids just thought I was a monkey).

You're currently preparing to take A Jaffa Cake Musical to the Edinburgh Fringe. Can you tell us about the show and the character you play?

This show is so funny! We did the workshop of it in January, and Sam Cochrane has written such a wonderful script and Rob Gathercole’s arrangements are so beautiful, so I can’t wait for audiences to come and see the show! I play the big bad baddie of the piece – the Tax Man (booooooo!!!!)!! This is actually, I believe, the first adult character I’ve ever played on stage, so I am very excited to be playing a character who has gone through puberty and isn’t a woodland creature. The Tax Man, as you all know, I’m sure, just loves being bad. He loves receiving your money, he loves counting it to check it’s the right amount, he loves fining you if it’s wrong. He doesn’t love not being given your money. There’s not too much mention of the Tax Man’s hobbies and interests in the script, but I like to think he has a pet hamster called Damien and loves watching The Chase.

You were previously part of Scouts! the Musical for which the production was nominated in the Offies for Best Ensemble. How was the experience working on that show?

Oh, Scouts was such fantastic fun! I was so chuffed when we got the Offies nomination for Best Ensemble as it really felt like such a strong and solid ensemble performance, and it was lovely for that to be recognised! Again, Sam’s script was brilliant and David Fallon’s music was simply stunning! And to be involved with such an outstandingly talented Actor-Muso cast who were all able to switch instruments mid-song and multirole some of the funniest characters I’ve been on stage with, was a real joy! And I was very chuffed to have been involved with that show from the MMD showcase all the way through to performing the full show at The Other Palace. Thank you Gigglemug!!

If you could play any role, regardless of age or gender, who would it be and why?

This is a real tough one, but it’s got to be Beetlejuice. Imagine me as Beetlejuice hehe – I’d have the BEST time! Can someone please do this? I’ve got my own costume, I’m ready whenever you are! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuic…….

A question I ask everyone we chat to - my blog is called Stage to Page. But if you could turn any book, from page to stage, what would it be and why?

Fantastic question! For me, it would have to be Bob Mortimer’s “The Satsuma Complex” – make that into a musical, and it would just be such bonkers fun! Imagine, a Bob Mortimer comedy crime thriller musical! I’d dig that – who wouldn’t dig that?!

And finally, why should anyone reading this book tickets to see A Jaffa Cake Musical?

Is it a cake?...Or is it a biscuit!?!?!?! Come to the show to find out! (Or just google the original court case it was based on, but then come and see the show). Trust me, it’s such enormous (that’s a clue for anyone coming) fun!