Ilse is the strangest, most remarkable character I’ve ever encountered. For a young lady of 15, she has had a lifetime of suffering. There are moments when the

darkness of her childhood peeks through her sunny exterior, but most often she remains stoic and keeps the world naïve to her pain. She is whimsical and sometimes off-putting, unintentionally humorous, and kind to her core.

Playing Ilse in Spring Awakening has been a most incredible challenge for me. Up until late last year I had maintained that I am strictly a chorus member, right up until my dear friend Annie Neville asked me to sing solo at New Year’s Eve at the Civic 2013. I was trembling so hard you could hear my knees knocking from the audience, but her trust gave me confidence. I’m still terrified of spectators, and will no doubt attempt to convince myself that the audience does not exist, but in this beautiful show I hope to bring Townsville a glimpse of the world of Ilse – the young girl whose story is unfortunately not that uncommon. She is a victim of abuse, but her history gives the audience a unique perspective on coping with heartache.

Spring Awakening is a beautiful and stunning show. The direction and staging by the wonderful Sandy Neal is astounding and distinctive, and the music is heartbreaking yet captivating. At the core of this is a story that is not so unfamiliar. It reminds us of the suffering of adolescence and trying to find our place in a terrifying world. But, above all this, it is overwhelmingly hopeful. Townsville really cannot afford to miss it!

If there is one thing I have learnt from being a part of Spring Awakening, it is this – everything, whether it be a high or a low, a success or a failure, feels better when you can share it with people you care about.

When I auditioned for Spring Awakening, I honestly wasn’t trying to get in. I’d never done an audition before, let alone a full musical, and so Spring Awakening was just supposed to be an audition experience so I might do better next time. My knees knocked, my hands shook, and I’m pretty sure I dropped my sheet music about four times in the space of five minutes.

So, you can imagine my surprise when the phone rang that night asking me to be apart of the ensemble. I squealed, I teared up, and I even made up a little victory dance when I realized that, somehow, I was going to get to be a part of this amazing show.

From the second I stepped through the TCS Hall doors for our very first cast reading I knew Spring Awakening was going to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life so far. The amount of laughter and joy emanating from the room that first day was crazy, and the cast instantly bonded. Readings soon turned into singing rehearsals, where the talent of the people around me blew me away. Everyone had a voice completely unique to himself or herself; yet somehow, when we all came to sing together, the sound we created was perfectly balanced.

Bit by bit we began to create the story that is Spring Awakening. It was at this point that I began to realise what a big job being in this ensemble was going to be. I was chosen to understudy Wendla (Amelia Doolan), the lead female role, and I quickly learnt that being an understudy is a tricky gig – not only do you have to learn your own vocal and movement parts, but you also have to constantly be aware of what the person who you may have to replace is doing. It’s also a fair bit of pressure – Amelia could suddenly lose her voice halfway through performance week, and I would be stepping on stage on her behalf. At the same time though, it really gave me a lot of motivation and enthusiasm to get to know this musical as best as I could – I went home everyday from rehearsals and studied my lines, sang my songs and worked my hardest to ensure that, if something was to happen, I would be able to get up on that stage and do the rest of my Spring family proud.

And now we are a week out from opening night. We’ve swapped our rehearsal clothes for costumes, scripts for props and backing tracks for a fantastic rock band. I have had the most wonderful experience being apart of this group, and now all I want is to have the chance to perform it for all of you. So please, go and buy a ticket and support some local talent - you won’t regret it.

When I first got the call to tell me that I was going to be a part of TCS’ Spring Awakening, I was full of excitement and anticipation. Cast in the ensemble, I was curious to see what my part would be. That magic word can mean anything from show to show – you could be singing a few songs at the backstage microphone, or you could be onstage throughout the entire show. So, as a part of Spring Awakening’s ensemble, I had no idea what I’d be getting up to.

As it turns out, being a part of the ensemble has proven to be a really rewarding experience which has taught me a lot of patience and perseverance.

I appear in various numbers throughout the show, singing and dancing as part of the ensemble cast. I perform in a small role as Reinhold, one of the reformatory school boys that Melchior encounters in the second act. And I act as a male swing, meaning that I understudy two of the lead male roles.

This last job has proven to be a massive learning curve for me – I have to keep track of the blocking and vocals not just for my own part, but also that of Lachie (who plays Moritz) and Brady (who plays Georg) throughout the whole show. It can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to keep three separate parts straight in my head – Moritz, Georg and my own.

I have almost as much of a split personality as Rachel Cairns and Brett Greenland, with their eight separate characters each throughout the show (OK, maybe not). But ultimately, being a part of Spring Awakening has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences ever. It’s taught me so much, and I can’t wait for our performance season in August. This show is going to blow your mind!

Book tickets to this years season of Spring Awakening!