A Grade 10 student from Rothesay Netherwood School (RNS) has advanced to the International Thespian Festival.
Charlotte Harriman received the highest score in Canada at the National Thespian Festival in the musical theatre solo category, and will now be part of the international competition.
Harriman mentioned in an interview that she will take years of experience to the event.
“I started camera acting camps when I was three years old, and then I started singing lessons when I was five years old and I haven’t stopped, so 11 years singing lessons, 13 years of acting.”
At the national event, Harriman sent in a recording of her performing the ‘Wizard and I,’ a song from ‘Wicked’ the musical, and will perform it again at the international level.
“I recorded it twice, and sent it in, there was not a lot of preparation,” mentioned Harriman.
It is the first time RNS has been involved in the International Thespian Festival.
“I know in the past the event has had thousands of kids participating in one way or another, but it’s not just all musical theatre solo performances there are a few different categories a performer can submit,” said Dayna Ellis, a teacher at RNS, and director of the school musical.
The international competition is being held in Bloomington, Indiana, and Ellis mentioned the event is quite popular in the United States and is gaining traction in Canada.
“The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) runs the event, and Canada just joined officially this year as its sort of national branch, so the national festival where Charlotte scored the highest mark was the first-ever festival of its kind in the country, so this will be the first time that somebody will be representing the EdTA as a Canadian student in that festival.”
After hearing that for the first time from Ellis during the interview, Harriman was left shocked.
“It’s an extremely exciting thing because it’s not often, especially here you hear the words ‘international’, I’ve competed before, but it was like your town, or even your province was the biggest it’s gone, and now it’s multiple countries.”
RNS entered four drama students into the festival. Harriman was one of four RNS students who submitted video performances for the Musical Theatre Solo category.
Harriman and fellow student Megan Leung earned “Superior” results high enough to qualify them both for the international festival.
The International Thespian Festival is being held at Indiana University from June 20 to 24, and Harriman added she is not sure if she will participate online, or in person.
