KING’S Ely Senior student, Isobel Holland, has achieved a place with the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT)!
Isobel, who is in Year 11, will not only benefit from the plethora of opportunities that the leading arts organisation provides to young people, but she has already been cast for their production of ‘A Kiss for Cinderella’, a new musical written by Annabel Mutale Reed and Jack Trzcinski, being performed in a London theatre in August.
Isobel, who is a familiar face on the Performing Arts scene here at King’s, said: “I am incredibly excited to be a part of NYMT. I have been doing musical theatre my whole life and I have performed in some amazing places, but to be selected for something as big and important as NYMT is truly an honour, especially considering that I hope to pursue a career in musical theatre. It is such an incredible opportunity that I will wholeheartedly make the most of.”
When asked what she enjoys most about musical theatre, Isobel said: “I just love performing! Being on a stage, dancing, singing or acting my heart out is where I feel I belong. I do hope to continue my passion on to adulthood and make it as a professional musical theatre actor or just theatre actor, but even if this does not prove to be possible, I will always keep musical theatre in my life, whether job or hobby.”
Describing what she had to do to audition for NYMT, Isobel said: “I first had to complete a form detailing my musical theatre experience, including dance grades, roles and theatrical skills, along with a video tape of a song of my choice that I felt best fitted my voice in order to fully show off my range and capability. I then participated in an online workshop in which there was an acting portion and dancing portion, where we worked with professionals to show our skills in both aspects of musical theatre. Within a couple of weeks, I discovered that I had been granted a place at a recall audition for one of three productions being put on by NYMT, which would take place in London. I almost didn’t make it to due to Storm Eunice’s meddling, but thankfully a wake up at the wonderful hour of 4am saw me there ready to perform my heart out! The audition consisted of dancing, singing and acting, where we had to learn and perform a dance, sing a prepared song from the musical we were auditioning for, and then act in prepared scenes.”
When asked about the Drama Department here at King’s, Isobel said: “The Drama Department has helped me to mature as a performer so much. When I first arrived at King’s, I was anxious and didn’t really put myself out there very much, but being a part of productions here has really helped my confidence and theatrical skills. There is a strong sense of family in the Drama Department that has not only helped me connect with like-minded people who also love performing, but also helped me learn valuable skills that will help me in my pursuit of a musical theatre career. I especially got tonnes of support from the Sixth Formers active in Drama, and the fact that such accomplished and mature actors believed in me and saw me as an equal really did help me flourish. I am a much stronger performer because of all of the incredible support from the Drama Department.”
Congratulations Isobel and good luck with everything for ‘A Kiss for Cinderella’!