READ OUR Q&A BELOW WITH STAR OF SISTER ACT

Can you tell us a little about your journey into musical theatre? What inspired you to pursue performing professionally?

Of course! Growing up, I loved watching movie musicals like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Cinderella movie with Brandy and Whitney Houston, and Xanadu and I’d always be dancing along and mimicking what I was seeing/hearing. My mum put me into dance at a really young age, so that's how I started out in the performance world. I danced for about 16 years studying all styles of dance. I had always sung but never did much with it, despite my mum encouraging me with choir and singing lessons. 

In high school, I ended up auditioning and was cast as the lead in Alison the Musical. It was just a small school production, but it was my first time performing in a musical and it definitely sparked something in me. In Years 11 and 12 (in Canberra, we call this “College”), my dance/drama teacher encouraged me to audition for their production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but I couldn't attend the day they were doing the auditions because I was getting my tonsils out. She insisted I sing for her after class instead, and I agreed but was so shy and scared that I had to look away while I sang. That moment was enough for her to cast me as Sally Brown in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. The next year, she cast me as the lead in Xanadu the musical. She continued to encourage me to pursue performing professionally after I graduated. She even spoke to my mum about it and helped me navigate auditions for performing arts schools. Those two years really opened up my world and my teacher helped me realise that this was an achievable career for me.

In Sister Act: The Musical, you cover multiple roles. Can you walk us through what a typical performance week looks like for you?

A typical performance week as a swing is never really the same! Every day is different so you never know what’s going to happen. This is actually my first time being a swing and an onstage swing, which is quite rare.

There are three of us who are onstage swings. I understudy Tina, Michelle, Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours, Sister Mary Patrick, and Sister Mary Theresa - so five named characters in total, and then us swings also cover one another when someone isn’t in their usual track, which brings the number to seven.

My day begins depending on whether I need to cover a role. If I do, I receive a call directly from stage management informing me of the role I'll be covering that day. Once I know the role, I switch my cover brain on and head to the theatre.

Once I arrive, I will start checking my personal notes, then check our reblock document that our resident choreographer sends us and then I’ll check my positions, numbers and depths on an app called Stage Write which is a map of every scene, song and dance in the show. It’s essentially a swings bible (which is very fitting for playing a nun). 

I do one more once over before heading to mic check and then I’m good to go. I always like to carry my notes with me backstage just in case. You never know what can happen during a show so it’s alway better to be safe!

What's the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome being a swing? 

The biggest challenge is keeping all the roles separate, especially when two characters I cover interact with each other. It can be tricky remembering which way I’m facing or where I should be at any given moment.

Another challenge as an onstage swing is that it can be difficult observing other roles whilst I’m on stage performing my own track. In rehearsals this was even more of a challenge as I was not only learning my own track from scratch, but also attempting to learn all of the others at the same time. It’s a real balancing act of multitasking.

It’s also mentally tough to not be too hard on myself when mistakes happen. With so many roles to cover, it’s inevitable that sometimes things get mixed up. But I’ve learned to trust that I was hired for a reason, I’m good at what I do and just keep going.

The show is full of high-energy numbers. Which song or scene is the most fun to perform, whether as yourself or as a cover?

That’s a good question! I think Take Me to Heaven is the most exciting for me because it’s the start of the nuns journey into performing. The nuns are already comical, but this is their first performance so they are nervous, excited, overwhelmed etc. everyone has chosen their characters really well and seeing how everyone interprets that through their character is hilarious! 

It’s almost like a bunch of baby animals trying to walk for the first time. And it immediately follows Raise Your Voice, so we’ve just run offstage to grab a sip of water, and then run straight back on, so the energy is high! It really locks the audience in to the performance factor of the show and I think they know from then on, things are just going to get even sillier. I believe it really leaves them wanting more. And boy do they get more!

If you could swap roles with any cast member for a night, who would it be and why?

Oh I’d have to say TJ. He’s so funny and has some of the best comedic lines in the show. He’s one of the three stooges, and his character is just so dumb and silly—it’s a real standout comedic role. So yeah, I think TJ would be my pick. Also, shoutout to the incredible Jimmy Bell who plays TJ! He is one of the best performers and humans and working with him everyday is such a dream.

What advice would you give to aspiring performers who are interested in becoming swings or understudies? 

Well to become a professional performer in the first place, I think going to a drama school is the best pathway in most cases. It’s always got something to teach you and you can meet the most amazing, lifelong friends. You will get trained by industry professionals and learn skills that will help you have a sustainable and successful career. 

Unfortunately without a drama school on your CV, it can be very difficult to get work, let alone an agent. However, it’s not impossible! If you work hard on networking, creating professional connections, and learn to run your business (which is yourself), you can absolutely achieve agent representation. Or if you prefer, you can represent yourself. If you choose to not go to drama school though, make sure you book lessons/classes with vocal coaches, singing teachers, choreographers etc. and work on putting together a showreel. That’s going to help you with signing to an agency or putting yourself forward for auditions. However, keep in mind that most auditions are closed to agents only so it is worth having one. Plus they will deal with all the technical stuff like negotiating contracts and auditions times etc.

For those who have already booked a show as a swing or are working towards getting a professional contract as a swing, I’d say don’t be afraid to reach out to others who have done it before. Especially people overseas in the West End and on Broadway etc. who are either currently on the same show as you or have performed it in the past. There are also so many performers on TikTok and social media now who share tips and experiences, so take advantage of that.

It’s also important to find the best way for you to learn and retain material. Some people learn best by listening, others by reading or writing things down. Figure out what works for you and hone in on that. And finally—be resilient, stay positive and confident, and don’t be afraid! You’ve got this!

Looking ahead, do you have any dream roles or shows you’d love to be part of? 

My biggest dream has always been to play Jane Seymour in Six. When the original cast came out, I was blown away by their diversity. It was the first time I’d seen a curvy woman playing a role that was soft, kind, romantic and beautiful and got to sing a gorgeous and powerful ballad. Being a part of Six in general would be such a dream. What a fantastic show.

I would also love to play Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables, Ursula in The Little Mermaid etc. all of those hilarious feature comedy roles.

Oh and I always wanted to be the first woman to play both Galinda and Elphaba in Wicked. But unfortunately Louise Dearman beat me to it…. But I’m happy to settle for second!

In saying all of this, I do think if we were to see more diversity in theatre when it comes to body shapes, sizes, ethnicity, gender, and more, that would open up more opportunities and make it easier for people like myself to define a “dream role.” But honestly, I haven’t seen enough shows yet to say definitively, but I just want to be known for being really good at my craft. I’d love to be a legend like Patti LuPone one day!

If you could only listen to one musical soundtrack for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably Miss Saigon. It's incredibly captivating and the orchestrations and vocals are just phenomenal. I was blown away the first time I saw and heard the production in Sydney.

Describe Sister Act in three words.

Fabulous, camp, and fun!