Article: Rachel Comer. Published: Timaru Herald Oct 25 2023.
A Timaru teenager is living up to the lyrics of the song she sang on her way to winning a national musical theatre performance competition. Performing Don’t Rain on my Parade, and in character as Fanny Bryce, from the musical Funny Girl, 18-year-old Sophie Hogg won the Performing Arts Competitions Association of New Zealand National Musical Theatre Young Performer of the Year 2023 competition at the weekend.
Sophie said the win had been “very validating’’, with the final note in her winning performance lasting 24 seconds. “I really believed in myself,’’ she said.“All the other performers were outstanding.’’
The musical theatre of the competition was run for the first time this year, with other categories including instrumental, speech and drama and modern dance. Sophie was selected for the competition after winning the Musical Theatre Young Performer of the Year Award in Christchurch earlier this year, and being nominated for the national competition.
There were 25 competitors in the national competition, held in Palmerston North, who were required to sing two contrasting musical theatre songs. Sophie’s first song was Little Girls, as sung by Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie, followed by Don’t Rain on my Parade later that day. A master class was also held on day two with the adjudicator where dance and other musical theatre challenges were thrown at competitors to see how they would cope. There were six semi-finalists, and then three in the final round. Sophie said she had been unaware of the competition’s prize money so it had been a nice surprise when she was told she would receive $5000 for her win.
“It’s a whopping big prize, and it will also give me more opportunities.’’ She said she thought she would save the prize money, and was considering a gap year in 2024 to work out her options. Another highlight had been performing on a large stage again, as the last time she had performed at Timaru’s Theatre Royal was as a 12-year-old. “I was performing in a 1500-seater theatre.’’
The win came during a busy year for Sophie who was the winner of the South Canterbury Drama League’s 2003 singing and speech and drama competitions in the 16-to-18-year-old section, a finalist in the Play It Strange Song Writing Competition, with her song recorded for the National Secondary Schools album, and the recipient of a student conductor award at the Dunedin Big Sing. She acknowledged the drama league’s support over the years in getting her to where she was now. She was “very grateful to all the teachers and directors of voice, dance and drama along the journey’’ who had contributed to her success.
The national young performer awards were established in 1977, and since then more than 175 awards had been decided at competitions hosting thousands of aspiring performing artists.
Sophie will perform her winning song at the Craighead Diocesan School Music Cup Singing Evening tonight , Thursday 26 Oct at 7pm, in the school’s auditorium, along with other budding junior and senior performers.
Entry is by gold coin.