One young local performer is making waves in the world of theatre. The Canberra Area Theatre Awards were held in Dubbo over the weekend and 12-year-old Luca Yi of Buckajo made an impression on the judges.
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Luca took home the Patricia Kelson Encouragenment Award for his performances last year as both Benjamin in Dreamcoat Productions’ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Pugsley Addams in Spectrum Theatre Group’s The Addams Family.
He also performed Those Canaan Days from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat to a packed house of 500 theatre lovers during the awards ceremony, after just one rehearsal run.
“I was pretty nervous on stage,” Luca said on Monday.
Luca’s mother Marianna and his younger sisters were in the crowd on the night.
“They were very supportive,” Luca said.
I was pretty nervous on stage.
- Award winner Luca Yi
He rubbed shoulders with more experienced performers such as Louiza Blomfield and Billie Bouchier who told him to “keep going” and do what he loves to do – entertain the crowd.
“I’d really like to thank Spectrum Theatre and Dreamcoat Productions for the opportunity,” Luca said.
For the first time since its inception in 1994 the awards were held at a venue outside Canberra. Hundreds of people flocked to the Dubbo Regional Theatre to acknowledge the talent that graced stages across NSW in 2016.
Awards patron and Gold Logie-winning Australian actor and writer, John Wood of Blue Heelers fame, helped present awards at the event.