WEST End musical actress Emma Hatton will be performing in York for the first time from Tuesday when she takes the title role in Evita at the Grand Opera House..

"But I have been to York before," says Emma. "I used to work for the British Heart Foundation, going into schools to train up teachers in the programme the BHF ran for schools and I came to York to do that.

"I was 22 at the time and at that stage I'd just finished my degree doing sports science and English Literature at Loughborough University. So I did that but then I decided I'd not taken a gap year, so I thought I would train in musical theatre with a little bit of inheritance money I'd received. I couldn't afford a three-year course but I could do a year at the London School of Musical Theatre."

Pause for breath; let's back-track for a moment. How come Emma studied sports science and English Literature at Loughborough? "I went to Loughborough because I used to do a lot of athletics, and I've still never really planned my career as I've always just done what I've loved, so I feel lucky that I'm still doing that with musical theatre," she says, before being steered back to the athletics field.

"I competed in national championships in the long jump and triple jump, though I always used to call it 'cripple jump' as it's pretty brutal on the joints," she says.

So, goodbye athletics, it was time for Emma to take a leap into the world of theatre. "I had a really lovely time at college, making some of my best friends, and the training was really unconventional and vocational, which I loved," says Emma. "I still go in and do workshops there, and I got my first theatre job while I was there, in When Midnight Strikes at Finborough Theatre in Earls Court."

Emma's first pantomime role ensued as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella in Redhill. "I had an absolute ball," she recalls, and she was off and running, since then playing Donna in the West End production of Dreamboats And Petticoats, Scaramouche and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre and the lead role of Elphaba in Wicked, The Musical at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

"I was the stand-by for Elphaba for 18 months and then took over as the lead for 18 months, which was pretty challenging, but I learnt a lot, especially about how to manage yourself, as it can be deemed to be very glamorous but it's also very physically and emotionally demanding, making that jump from stand-by to lead," she says. "You might get a diva badge, but sometimes it's about having to say 'No', as it's about self preservation.

"I didn't say 'No' very often; I built up my stamina, learnt how to sing safely and correctly, and as long as you respect your limits, others will do too. I get so much joy from singing that if I were to damage my voice, it would really affect me. Coming from an athletics background, I've always been aware of my body, so I've always taken that very good advice that you should take your job seriously, but not take yourself seriously."

Taking her job seriously also has seen Emma perform regularly as a jazz and blues singer, with past London residencies and appearances at The Savoy Hotel and Ronnie Scott's, while her one-woman show, Songbird, sold out at the Live At Zedel’s season for Crazy Coqs and was followed by Unforgettable at the Jazz Café for the London Jazz Festival.

Now comes the role of Eva Peron in Bill Kenwright’s touring production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, the musical story of Eva’s journey from humble beginnings through to extraordinary wealth, power and iconic status that led her to be heralded as the "spiritual leader of the nation" by the Argentine people.

"It's such a privilege to be able to play such a strong, iconic figure, who is a real person, so you have to do it with sensitivity, and doing the show seven times a week, what's fascinating is that there are so many layers to Eva Peron," says Emma, who will be on tour until July. "Some people put her on a pedestal, others vilified here, with each having a reason for that. Eva's story shows that no one person is wholly good or wholly bad."

Evita runs at Grand Opera House, York, from Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Box office: 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york