Young stars inject new blood
REHEARSAL: WHS students Brylee Noble and Konrad Shaw in rehearsal.
PHOTO courtesy of Harmony May.
An injection of youthful talent is enlivening rehearsals of Roger Hall's Red Riding Hood. Several of the cast are Whanganui High School students who are breathing fresh life on to the stage.
Two of these young adults are Konrad Shaw and Brylee Noble who play the duo of Boris and Morris, zookeepers, Ches and Dale and other parts where they 'help' Lance, the man from DoC. Both Brylee and Konrad demonstrate easy versatility as they transition from one part to another.
Four years ago Konrad's Nana, a former Golden Girl, noticed an advertisement for auditions at Repertory Theatre for A Christmas Carol and encouraged Konrad to audition. "Nana thought I'd be good," says Konrad. He was good and he won the role of Tiny Tim. Since then this young man has played Ferret in The Wind in the Willows, Ivor in Repertory's 2015 production of The Doll's House and Demetrius in A Midsummer's Dream, a Whanganui High School production.
Theatre affords many opportunities to develop different skills. Konrad has shown a willingness to help out in other areas working backstage in The Rivals, Funny Money, Stir Crazy, and the recent one act plays, Snip and Bonking James Bond. At only 14 years of age Konrad has accumulated an impressive amount of theatre experience. He told me that he loves the community feeling of the theatre. "That's what keeps me going back." His dream is to pursue a career in theatre.
Playing opposite Konrad is Brylee Noble, a Year 13 student at Whanganui High School. Brylee has had eight years of singing lessons and is working towards her grade eight examinations. No doubt her strong voice was a deciding factor in achieving a part in Red Riding Hood.
Despite her youth, Brylee has also amassed a wealth of theatre experience, acting and singing in Annie, Bugsy Malone, A Christmas Carol, Crazy For You, and Macbeth.
She says this will be her last show in Whanganui as next year she will move to Palmerston North to pursue a Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University. Brylee hopes to be able to take part in Palmerston North's musical theatre while she's there. Our loss will be Palmerston North's gain.
It's great to watch the energy and enthusiasm our clever young adults so willingly share with us. Whanganui is so much richer for having them.