Millie Manning – From competitive gymnastics to acting at the Globe Theatre

Millie Manning started acting in 2007 when she was in Bugsy Malone at Amdram and she says, “I remember how much I loved the experience and how I resonated with the theatre environment.”

She adds, “I’ve always loved to perform whether it be through dance, singing or both. I love the idea of story-telling and how many different creative ways to tell a story and how powerful and political it is.”

Millie started competitive gymnastics when she was 8 and was selected later to do a gym exchange in Denmark (The Boys and Girls Gym Club select one person a year to receive a scholarship to go to Denmark for either 6 months or 10 months). “Denmark was a beautiful experience; I made some of my closest friends there who are from Mexico, Finland and Denmark.”

However, in the first two months in Denmark, Millie tore her ACL in her left knee which really affected her time there. She says, “I almost decided to come home, but I wanted to make the most of the time and do what I could do so I spent most of my time dancing and doing work-outs. After returning back home 10 months later, I decided I would retire for good from gym and focus on acting.”

Even though she is not doing gym anymore, “I often incorporate my skills in some performances. I am so grateful for all the years of training and competing as it has made me really dedicated and quite resilient.”

Last year was her first year at Auckland Unitec drama school and in the holidays she was offered a two month secondment opportunity to be in the ensemble of pop-up Globes show, Emilia, directed by Miriama McDowell.

“It’s a feminist play full of inspiring diverse females and it’s about the story of Emilia Bassano - the supposedly ‘dark lady’ in Shakespeare’s sonnets. It’s such a dream to be a part of it while I’m only still studying.”

The show opens on March 5 and closes on the 22nd. “When uni starts back again, the shows will start, but most of them are evenings so even though I will be busy busy, it will work out plus it’s a fantastic learning experience!”

Millie has another two years of learning at drama school, so that will be her focus for now before she decides what comes next.

River City Press 21/2/20