From Summer Bay to Queen’s servant

Darcey Wilson received a pretty special birthday present when she turned 18 this week — her stage debut in the Sydney Theatre Company’s Mary Stuart. It may have only been a preview but it was a big deal for the former Home and Away star.

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Darcey Wilson received a pretty special birthday present when she turned 18 this week — her stage debut in the Sydney Theatre Company’s Mary Stuart. It may have only been a preview performance of Kate Mulvany’s new take on the deadly struggle between Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, but it was a big deal for the young actor.

Actor Darcy Wilson celebrated her 18th birthday with her stage debut. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

“...probably the best present I’ll get for my 18th,” she wrote on Instagram.

Wilson plays “Young Girl” in the play, a servant to both the queens. It’s a small role, but the perfect entrance to the world of stage.

“I don’t have any lines throughout the entire play — I’m standing there with a tray most of the time but it’s so much fun,” she says.

It also gives her the opportunity to work alongside two leading lights of Australian theatre — Caroline Brazier, who plays Mary, and Helen Thomson, who portrays Elizabeth I.

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“Just watching their process of how they perform and how they prepare themselves to get on stage is really fascinating,” she says. “They are both such amazing actors and I’m so in awe of them most of the time.”

Despite having been a Summer Bay regular and appearing alongside some of our biggest names in last year’s movie Swinging Safari, Wilson feared she might be overcome by nerves when she first took the stage with a live audience watching on.

“I expected to be really nervous but I was just buzzing with energy, I was so excited to get on stage,” she says. “You really bounce off the audience’s energy and you try to give it back.”

Wilson is the daughter of stage and screen actress Genevieve Lemon. Picture: Brett Boardman.

As the daughter of renowned Australian stage and screen actor Genevieve Lemon, Wilson has been around theatres and television sets for as long as she can remember.

Lemon, who is best known for her roles in Prisoner and Neighbours, and her Helpmann Award-winning portrayal of Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot the Musical, had some reservations about her daughter following in her footsteps, but has been supportive or her chosen career.

“She was definitely nervous about me wanting to join the industry (but) she’s always just said that as long as I’m enjoying it, that’s all that matters,” Wilson says.“She’s never really pushed me in either direction.”

While her mum was overseas for her first performance, Wilson says she’s rapt about her debut role and the stage she’s making it on.

“She’s very proud of me because this is my first play and to be in the Sydney Theatre Company it’s so incredible,” she says.

Mary Stuart, Roslyn Packer Theatre, February 11-March 2, sydneytheatre.com.au

Originally published as From Summer Bay to Queen’s servant