HE honed his craft in school musicals and amateur dramatics at his local parish church in the east end of Glasgow, but in two weeks' time Scottish actor Stephen Ashfield will be treading the boards of the world's most famous theatreland when he makes his Broadway debut.
The award-winning performer was headhunted by the US producers of hit musical, 'The Book of Mormon', and will begin starring in the New York stage show from August 23.
Mr Ashfield, 36, has already spent more than three years playing Elder McKinley in the London West End version, which saw him scoop a prestigious Olivier for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical in 2012.
However, this will be the Glaswegian's first time in front of a Broadway crowd, which he described as a dream come true.
He said: "Especially with musical theatre, Broadway is one of the places to be and to perform. I love performing in the West End, but to get this opportunity to go to Broadway is incredible really.
"I had been doing Book of Mormon in London since it opened three and a half years ago, and basically I just got a phonecall from our producer over in America saying that there was a vacancy and would I like to come over?
"Of course my jaw dropped - it was incredible. When the opportunity arose, I jumped at it."
Mr Ashfield, originally from Carntyne in Glasgow's east end, first discovered a love of musicals while he was a schoolboy at Smithycroft Secondary where he performed in school shows.
In his spare time, he also took part in amateur productions at High Carntyne Parish Church.
In particular, he remembers being inspired by Jamie Stuart, a best-selling author and former actor, who attended the church and who sadly passed away at the end of July this year, aged 95.
Mr Ashfield said: "He was always incredibly encouraging and got me involved in many shows at the church. One of my very earliest mentors."
However, it was his music teacher, Maggie Milton, who encouraged him to audition for the children's chorus at Scottish Opera and paved the way to his first taste of the big time.
He said: "It's that first time you step on a professional stage - I was like 'Wow, this is incredible, this is where I want to be'. You get the buzz. Even at a young age - I was probably 12 or 13 then - I thought 'this is amazing'.
"It is a completely different world."
After school, Mr Ashfield completed a four-year degree in music and classical singing at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama - now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - before heading to the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2001 to pursue his first love, musical theatre.
Since then, he has never looked back, with long stints in hit shows including 'Jersey Boys' and 'Legally Blonde' before landing a coveted part in the 'Book of Mormon' in 2013.
The religious satire, created by the writers and composers behind South Park, Avenue Q and Frozen, follows two Mormon missionaries as they attempt to share their scriptures with the inhabitants of a remote Ugandan village who are grappling with more pressing concerns such as AIDS, famine, and oppression by a warlord.
"It's very, very funny," said Mr Ashfield, who has also appeared in BBC series, 'Call the Midwife'.
Mr Ashfield jets off to New York next week and will have a week to rehearse and get to know his new castmates before taking to the Broadway stage.
He adds: "When you go to Broadway and it's a completely different theatrical neighbourhood, new people, you don't know what's going to come of it. It's a big adventure."
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