IN PROFILE HARRIET ALDER

Year 8

A star on the rise - Harriet Alder shines as Jane Banks in Mary Poppins

Why did you audition for Mary Poppins?

I was encouraged to audition for Mary Poppins by the principal of my dance school because she thought I was a good match for the brief. My dual nationality helped as I can put on a pretty good British accent! Ultimately I wanted to try something new and just give it a go.

From when you first auditioned, how long was it until the show went live?

How did you manage your schoolwork with your commitment to the musical?

How long have you participated in musical theatre (singing/dancing/acting)?

With musical theatre my driving interest started with dancing. I took my first ballet lesson when I was 3 years old. When we lived in England, I did two years of musical theatre classes. I loved it! I’ve also sung in choirs throughout Junior school. Whilst I’ve done some drama classes and followed the speech program at school I haven’t really had any formal acting training. It’s been more just singing around the house and cutting the odd iMovie with my sisters! When I got into the character of Jane Banks, I really surprised myself with my ability to act, as I had never done anything like that before.

Is Mary Poppins your first professional production?

Yes, Mary Poppins was my first professional production.

What other shows have you been a part of?

I was part of the chorus in a junior musical of Wicked in England, which I did when I was 6. I was part of the 2020 Ed5 International USA cast that was due to perform at Disneyland, Florida, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to Covid. Nevertheless we got to perform the show at NIDA.

I auditioned for Mary Poppins in early February. I signed my contract on my birthday (3 March) and we started rehearsals on the 28 March. It was nerve wracking waiting to hear if I had been cast as I knew the casting tapes were being sent to Cameron Mackintosh in the UK for approval. We rehearsed for 6 weeks and opened the show at the Sydney Lyric mid May.

What was your favourite part of being in Mary Poppins?

There were so many amazing parts of Mary Poppins journey; the people, the thrill of performing, the friendships I made… I could list so many amazing aspects. Though if I had to pick one, my favourite part of Mary Poppins was having the opportunity to work with and learn from so many talented, professional actors, in particular Stefanie Jones.

Through my time with Mary Poppins I mainly used Google Classroom to receive and complete any class work. It was really helpful having such amazing teachers that were really supportive of what I was doing as they posted all the work I needed and answered any questions over email. Doing online learning in the pandemic really helped me to understand the virtual side of school. I mainly did school in the morning time and shows at night. I tried to keep a rough routine as much as possible, to allow me to work efficiently whilst away from the classroom.

What performing arts subjects do you study at school?

At school I am involved in 3 different choirs, I play the clarinet in a few of the bands and I also follow the AMEB piano exam program. I also do dancing and singing lessons outside of school with Ed5 international. In Year 7 we did Music as one of our subjects, unfortunately we aren’t doing it this year, but I am definitely keen to pick it up again as an elective in Year 9.

Do you have any idea yet if you’d like to continue down this path in the future?

I’d like to focus on my acting and see if there’s a possibility of doing some TV work. Unfortunately there’s not many professional opportunities for teenagers in live theatre, so I may have to wait a few years before another big opportunity comes along. A show like Mary Poppins only comes around every 10-12 years. I would love to try out for Mary next time it is here!

Which parts of Australia did you travel to for the production?

I performed in 3 different states: Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Do you have plans to audition for anything else in the near future?

Who knows… watch this space!

Photos courtesy of @peakhourimages