I have come a long way since being a ‘Wave’ in Frozen. Ever since I was young, I have had a passion for musical theatre. I started at Joyce Mason’s Dance Academy at the age of 3, doing ballet and tap. I danced to Veo Veo and Mr Sun as part of the showcase ‘Dancing Times’ in 2014.

My passion for singing led to becoming Angel Gabriel in my primary school’s Nativity where I sang Little Donkey. I later joined The Fame Academy, a local group in Gainsborough, at the age of 7. I found out about them through a friend and was selected to be in their summer school production of Frozen as a wave. Though I was only a small part of the ensemble, I had a great time with my friends and it led me on to do bigger and better things. When I was 9, I passed my Grade 2 Musical Theatre Exam with a distinction while rehearsing for my part as ‘Little Nala’ in The Lion King. I found a passion for freestyle dancing in 2019 and trained at Tara Fox’s School Of Dance. I competed in the 10-11 years division and won first place.

Also that year, I performed in the musical Olivia, a female version of Oliver, as the leading role with The Fame Academy.

2019 was a fun-packed year for me as I went on to win the East Midlands Regional Gymnastic Competition. I also took my Grade 3 Musical Theatre Exam and passed with a distinction. After attending an audition earlier in that year, I landed the dream role of ‘Annie’ with Brigg Amateur Operatic Society. During this role, I had the challenge of working with a dog but I enjoyed every minute of it.

I shared my role of ‘Annie’ with my new friend. We both went on to be in the pantomime Mother Goose at the Trinity Arts Centre. I decided to focus on my dancing skills for a while and we both joined Musilova Theatre Arts in Brigg. I was enjoying my ballet training for about two months until Covid-19 disrupted my dancing. We continued to dance over Zoom, which I found to be extremely difficult, until the pandemic was over. I took part in the events at the dance school such as the ‘Choreographic Competition’ and the summer showcase of Seasonal Elements. By the time Covid restrictions were eased, a date had landed at the Trinity Arts Centre for The Fame Academy to perform Fame The Musical. I played a ballerina called Iris Kelly after two years of on-and-off rehearsals due to the pandemic. In 2022, Brigg Amateur Operatic Society announced their new production of Carousel and I was keen to be a part of it. The show took place in October and I was happy to be back on the stage as part of the ensemble.

During my time back on the stage, I auditioned for Stagebox, a national recognised performing arts group, to further my career. I was accepted and started training on Monday nights. Stagebox is also a management agency so I was sent for headshots and my profile uploaded for casting directors to see. Stagebox includes workshops and training which I am excited for in the future. Currently, I am taking my Grade 6 Musical Theatre Exam and awaiting my Grade 2 Piano Exam results.

Zarna L, 9A