Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre, Little Seed talents reveal love for acting
Young Sunshine Coast and Noosa theatre talents reveal what they love about stepping onto stage, their acting dreams and career highlights to-date. See the full list.
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From Oliver to the Sound of Music, there are groups of Sunshine Coast and Noosa children stepping into the limelight and learning important life skills along the way.
Read more about why these up and coming actors love the stage as the Sunshine Coast Daily celebrates their blossoming acting careers.
Jack Miller
Theatre is a family affair for the Miller family after Jack started acting in 2014.
Jack’s dad saw the fun his son was having at the Little Seed theatre group and thought he would give acting a go too.
One of the 17-year-old’s favourite on-stage memories is of being in a production with his father.
“Our first show together was Oliver and that was his first show as well,” he said.
The young actor has graduated high school and is taking a gap year to work, travel and also keep working towards roles in movies.
“I’d love to be on the big screen one day, it’s been a dream of mine since I started, it’s all I want to do,” Jack said.
He also said his mum “made” him start acting, and at first he was unsure because he was a rugby player and wanted that career instead.
“Acting has given me so many skills and I’ve got lifelong friends out of it now,” Jack said.
“And Little Seed is like a family as well, Jo (the theatre director) is like a second mum to me as well, she’s watched me grow up.”
Check out the rest of the list below:
Koko-Rose Carasso
Age: 15
Favourite role: My favourite role would be the one I am currently rehearsing which is Grandma Addams in The Addams Family, A New Musical Comedy, which will be shown in January.
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Career aspirations: I currently not only perform, but am studying film, TV and new media and love writing, directing and film in general.
What I love about theatre: I love the whole experience, the people you meet and the relationships you form and I love the feeling and excitement of performing and being part of a production and cast.
Abby Erceg
Age: 17
Favourite role: My favourite role is Nancy but I’m currently starting a new role of Wednesday Addams which I’m sure will become my new favourite.
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Career aspirations: My career aspirations is film and TV acting. I am a massive film nerd and anything surrounding the creation of films whether it comes to the acting, design or cinematography, I love space also so that would definitely be a second option.
What I love about theatre: I love the entire process of doing a musical, getting nervous for auditions, being brave, getting a role, learning lines, blocking, singing, creating an hour and a half of fun entertainment for anyone who loves a good time and showing off your talent. It’s the best experience in the world plus I’ve made a lot of my closest friends from doing musicals. Every musical is different but you share the same love for the work we do.
Christopher and James David-Moody
Ages: 9
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Mum Valentina David-Moody said her twin sons loved the roles they had in Time After Time, which was performed by the Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre group at the weekend.
“Christopher loves delivering his lines and James loves the thrill of each time you go up in front of people,” she said.
Bailey Warren
Age: 16
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Fagin in Oliver Jr, I loved playing this character for his charismatic presence and fun, interesting songs combined with a fantastic show filled with amazing people.
Career aspirations: I would love to continue to work in theatre and music.
What I love about theatre: I love the community and friends and also creating interesting characters through acting, song and dance.
Matthew Bartley
Age: 13
Group: Little Seed
Favourite role: Albert in Picnic at Hanging Rock with Little Seed. It was such a lot of fun playing an Aussie lad.
Career aspirations: Film actor, stage actor and musical theatre.
What I love about theatre: I love preparing for a show, interpreting the character and performing that character for the audience. I love the variety of people I get to meet who are involved in theatre.
William Graham
Age: 13
Group: Little Seed
Favourite role: Simba in The Lion King
Career aspirations: To travel and perform on global stages.
What I love about theatre: The incredible group of people I get to meet and doing my best to captivate audiences.
India Lee
Age: 13
Group: Little Seed
Favourite role: Nancy from Oliver Junior
Career aspirations: I hope to be involved with animals, perhaps a veterinarian but I also want to have theatre involved in my life.
What I love about theatre: I love the creativity that theatre allows me. It’s my family, my ‘theatre family’. The freedom to be your own person. Plus the whole cohort are so accepting of each other and so supportive. Then there’s the costumes, the songs , the acting, the sets … the everything! I just adore every single part of the process and outcome.
Indigo Collings
Age: 9
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Performing Owl City in the finale at the SCYT end-of-year concert last year
Career aspirations: Musicals, singing, solo, dancing
What I love about theatre: I love to sing and dance, I also love to do musicals. I like meeting people and the friendships that I’ve made. I hope to inspire other people to perform.
Hannah Tullett
Age: 9
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Monster Under the Bed
Career aspirations: To sing or work for her friend in her cake decorating business
What I love about theatre: Singing and dancing
Callum Johnston
Age: 18
Group: Little Seed
Callum has done about 16 productions with his theatre group over a five-year period.
He said his favourite role was Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and in the stage play he took part in, they changed the Shakespeare classic’s context to 1950s Italy.
“I have one goal to act as much as possible and live off said acting,” he said.
“The lifestyle I’m attempting to get towards is a contract for a stage show that goes over three years.
“To be on an Australian tour of some theatre show would be great.”
He said one of his favourite onstage moments was a miscue by another actor.
“One of our actors didn’t come on stage and in Shakespeare you can’t really ad lib so we jumped to the scene ahead and once the actor came on stage we were jumping between the two scenes,” Callum said.
“That’s one my favourite memories because it shows the teamwork on stage.”
Isabella Kelly-Mandalis
Age: 7
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Nipper in Oliver and Gretl Von Trapp in The Sound of Music
Career aspirations: Musical theatre/actress
What I love about theatre: It’s just so much fun! My older brothers started before me and I remember watching them in awe on stage thinking I couldn’t wait to be able to do it to.
Charlie Kelly-Mandalis
Age: 13
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Fagin’s gang in Oliver and Fredrick Von Trapp in The Sound of Music
Career aspirations: Musical Theatre/Actor
What I love about theatre: The atmosphere. The excitement. You never know what’s going to happen. Getting to be creative and express myself.
Noah Kelly-Mandalis
Age: 12
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Artful Dodger in Oliver and Kurt Von Trapp in The Sound of Music
Career aspirations: Musical theatre/actor
What I love about theatre: I love getting to play different characters, it’s a lot of fun. I love the excitement of being a part of a production and working together with the whole cast and crew. I’ve made so many great friends at Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre.
Ewan West
Age:15
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Preparing the role of Mal Benieke in the Addams Family is awesome and loads of fun. I can’t wait to perform it at the J in January 2023.
Career aspirations: I’d like to work in theatre in some capacity either on stage or behind the scenes in lighting, rigging etc.
What I love about theatre: I like the excitement of performing on stage. I like the people! I like working on a character and also seeing how all the different elements come together at the end to create the show. I also love the comraderie.
Raine-Angel Barr
Age: 15
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Gabriella in High School Musical and looking forward to a major role in the Brisbane Junior Theatre’s The Pirates of Penzance production in January.
Career aspirations: My career goals have always been to perform for others for their enjoyment. I would love to be a working actor on Broadway or West End.
What I love about theatre: I love the fact that a good play or musical can have people talking about the show they have just seen for hours. They may talk about the actors, the plot, the casting, the props, the costumes and the list goes on. It can be really interesting to just sit and listen to a group of people discuss a musical they have just seen.
Sabre-Lilly Barr
Age: 17
Group: Sunshine Coast Youth Theatre
Favourite role: Nickie in Sweet Charity, which was with the Buderim Youth Theatre. This role was the complete opposite of how I am as a person. Nickie’s character is sassy and sexy and showed a lot of flesh whereas I am usually quiet and reserved and definitely covered up in the clothes department!
Career aspirations: Presently learning all I can about performing and backstage crew as I would like to eventually move onto directing theatre. I feel that having as much performance experience as possible will help me with directing in theatre, especially musical theatre. I have a lead role of Alice in the upcoming The Addams Family production in January.
What I love about theatre: What I especially love about the theatre is that it gives you the chance to get up on the stage and show that no matter what sort of life you come from, or what challenges stand in your way whether they be physical or mental, you can still get up there and do what you love. The stage also gives you the chance to portray all sorts of characters and express yourself in ways in which you would not normally do in everyday life.
Chinta Wallace
Age: 14
Group: Little Seed
Favourite role: Helena from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Career aspirations: To perform professionally.
What I love about theatre: The friends I have made, playing different characters and the chance to be creative.
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