READ OUR Q&A WITH STAR OF HEATHERS

1. This is your second show on the Sunshine Coast with de Jager Productions and Cope Creative, after playing Danny in Grease last year. What do you enjoy most about working with this company? 

 ⁃ There are so many great things I could say about them. ‘Grease’ was such a positive experience, the atmosphere they create within the rehearsal room, the professionalism, inclusiveness & appreciation for everyone involved is something you very rarely see. Their production of ‘Grease’ I think speaks for itself, the production quality is something they take very seriously & invest in. I trust them to put on a great show. 

 2. What is it about community theatre on the Sunshine Coast that keeps you coming back? 

 ⁃ I love it cause it’s my home it’s where I grew up. There’s not much going on in terms of performing arts on the Sunshine Coast, so when you see a company doing great things in your home town of course you want to be involved and be a part of that. Most of the shows I’ve done haven’t been close to home so it’s a great opportunity for my family & friends to see me performing. 

 3. You've worked in both professional and community settings. What do you think is the biggest difference between the two? 

 ⁃ I think with something professional there are so many people involved and a lot of money being invested there’s an added pressure, but I like that pressure it pushes you to give your best. They expect you to be able to show up and do the job straight away. There’s a certain standard you have to rise to. It’s exciting & intense. Community theatre for me personally I do it for pure enjoyment because I love it. It’s nice to do something without that added pressure. But I still approach anything I do with that professionalism and hard work. It’s more community minded and I love that experience. It’s good for the soul. The community shows I have done have been incredibly professional and high standard. Very grateful. 

 4. You trained at NIDA, one of the top acting schools in Australia. How do you think your time there shaped you as a performer? 

 ⁃ Your mindset and perspective changes coming from somewhere like the Sunshine Coast & High School where you think your top dog. Then you're suddenly in a place with the best of the best from all over the country. Getting trained by people you’ve seen on tv or on stage growing up. It’s crazy. You get humbled very quickly. The people I was around everyday were so talented & were just as hungry to grow and to achieve as I was, the environment forces you to push yourself to the max as a performer. Also the expectation that is placed upon you, if your performance wasn’t good enough they had no problem telling you that. You quickly learn to put the work in. The principles you learn shape every aspect of your life. 

5. What unique challenges do you face performing in a theme park compared to a traditional theatre setting? 

 ⁃ Theatre everything is scripted and you can feel quite safe knowing that your going to have the same show every night. Theme parks are very different, nothing is scripted, you have certain things you can and can’t say and you have to improvise and react in character when people are talking to you. You have no idea what people are going to throw at you so you have to be ready for anything. 

6. Heathers has some iconic moments—what’s your favorite scene to perform as JD? 

 ⁃ Definitely Meant to be Yours is my favourite. It’s JD at his most heightened state, so much tension and everything on the line. No turning back from this point. 

7. If you could play any character in any musical, who would it be? 

⁃ I think Frank from ‘Catch Me If You Can’ would be unreal. 

 8. What’s the weirdest or funniest thing that’s ever happened to you on stage? 

⁃ I was doing Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in high school & the fire alarms went off for the entire theatre mid song and the whole show stopped and evacuated off the stage with all us cast, we hung out on the street for a bit with everyone watching then once it was cleared, went back up and finished the show. 

 9. Quickfire round: JD or Danny? Grease or Heathers? Dream role on Broadway? 

JD, Grease, Marius - Les Mis