My Journey on the Musical Theatre Stage

Musical theatre is something that has always been very important in my life. As of right now, I have been in five musicals since I was nine years old. I love the bright lights and the adrenaline before stepping onstage. Every year I hope that I get a little bit better in terms of my acting and singing. Acting is so expressive. Everything has to be ten times more dramatic then it would be in real life which is so awesome and fun.

In seventh grade, I had the privilege of starring in a production of High School Musical playing Gabriella Montez.  She is the new girl who is very smart but loves to sing. She has a crush on the captain of the basketball team who also loves to sing. Together they break barriers and show people they don’t need to stick to the status quo and they can be whatever they want to be.

It was truly an incredible experience. Before playing Gabriella, I had never been the lead before! I had big roles but never like this. It was quite the undertaking, memorising all the songs and dances along with all my lines. On show day, I was a little bit nervous but I went out on stage and gave it my best and I think it went pretty good. Our director even said it was the best show she’d ever put on. All in all, it was amazing.

Since playing Gabriella, I decided that I wanted to get a little bit more serious about musical theatre. As of this year I joined a selective troupe at Bravo Academy, one of the best theatre schools in Toronto. We just recently put on a production of “The Big One Oh Jr.” It is a story about a ten year old boy who is really into his comic books but doesn’t have any real friends. Since his birthday is coming up, he sets out to make some friends. Lots of crazy things happen but in the end, he has the best birthday ever.

I had the privilege of playing his older sister, Lorena. She’s sassy and rude most of the time but when her little brother needs her, she really steps up. I made the audience laugh a lot so I assume I did well. Again, I was a little nervous before stepping on stage but I tried not to show it. After all, confidence is a state of mind.

Our next production is “Anne of Green Gables”. I have read all the books and I cannot wait to be in the play!  I feel I can relate to Anne in many ways and I think we’d be good friends if she were real. Whichever part I get, Anne or not, I can’t wait to be a part of a show again.