A young actress will learn from professionals after being accepted to theatre school down south this summer.
Anja Hanington, Grade 10 student at Caledonia, will head to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York for two weeks.
Hanington, who was mistress of ceremonies at the recent Comedy Calamity series of seven mini-plays at Skeena Middle School, performed in Red Herring, Caledonia’s entry into the high school drama festival and was Chip, one of the main characters in Beauty and the Beast, Caledonia’s musical theatre production last December and Terrace Little Theatre’s summer drama program.
“It was just I think ‘why not do it now?’” says Hanington about why she chose to apply for the course now.
She says she had been researching universities specializing in acting and theatre and noticed this one had summer courses in musical theatre for teens. After applying, she found out within a few days that she had been accepted.
“I didn’t expect to hear back so fast and wasn’t entirely sure I was going to get in,” she said.
The two-week course is from July 27 to August 7 and includes musical theatre, dance, voice and stage techniques.
Her dream is to act professionally and take more theatre at university after high school.
“I think I always wanted to be an actor,” she says, adding she found a youtube musical performance from a Chicago theatre group that showed her it was possible and at a young age.
“It just basically confirmed that that’s real and it doesn’t have to be sort of a far away dream.”