In The Spotlight - Ria Wicks
How long have you been performing in showsI have performed all of my life. When I was a child, around the age of 7 I joined a dance school and danced with them for years. We performed an anual show, regularly took exams and as a school, we also took part in competitions in which I competed in therefore, I have had a fair bit of experience on stage!
What got you interested in music / theatre
I have always loved listening to music and this I think has come from my parents, who would always play music in the house when I was young. I enjoy all types of music from classical to pop. When I was about 9, my dad took me and my siters to Spain, during the holiday, we decided to stay in the hotel for the evening's entertainment. The holiday reps put on a short showcase of songs which were all from musicals, this was the first time I'd really heard some of the songs and it was when I fell in love with musical theatre. A few years later, I went to see a showcase of work at Brooksby Melton College, There were dance pieces and acting pieces shown to begin with which I enjoyed and found interesting but later, the students perfomed a couple of musical theatre pieces, I was completely fascinated and couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved them for the rest of the week. This was the moment I knew theatre was my true passion.
What was your first show
My first show was a musical named 'Olivia', a spin off from the show 'Oliver', which I performed with a small youth theatre group situated in Thurmaston. I was about 13. I only had about 3 lines in the show but I absolutely loved being a part of it and as I grew more confident over time, I knew I wanted to aim higher and eventually join a bigger society.
What has been your favourite show and/or character and why
I'm not too sure on what has been my favourite show, I have loved every single show I have been in so far, whether dance shows, or musicals. I felt a over-whelming sence of pride when stepping on the Town Hall stage for the first time when performing in Greasepaint's FAME, which made it a very special show for me. Parade also meant a great deal to me for several reasons; that I played the part of Mary Phagan, that it is an absolutely beautiful musical and finally that it is a true story which made it such an honour to perform the show and tell such a heart-breaking story with such an amazing company. West Side Story was great too as I adore the musical and finally Carousel meant a lot to me too, perfoming another beautiful musical with the great cast and playing the part of Louise was so great. I adored performing the ballet each night and working alongside James Nelson who played my father and Morven Harrisson playing my mother. For this, I think Carousel has been my favourite show so far, but each show I am in is special because I am so passionate about musical theatre!
What has been your most embarassing or funniest moment in a show
I think the most embarrassed I have felt on stage was when I was in a dance show at the age of about 13 and my costume came undone and basically fell off me. I wasn't wearing anything unerneath other than knickers and so I was pretty mortified. Also, it was pretty humiliating during Fame when getting my foot caught in Kevin's braces and both had to hop off stage together to get it un-hooked.
Describe the best and worst costumes you have had to wear
I haven't disliked any of my costumes that I have worn during shows with Greasepaint however I some of the costumes I have had to wear for dance shows have been pretty bad. I think the worst has been a costume which I wore for a duet to a song from the musical 'Cats'. I wore a catsuit which had fur sewn in all over it and with it I had a long furry tail and furry ears. Also, dressing as an old lady for the musical 'Cabaret', which I performed at Rawlins CC, wasn't great either. It took me about 2 weeks of washing my hair every day to fully get all of th grey out of my hair. It was horrid!
What has been your proudest moment
I don't think you can ever beat the moment you walk forward to take your bow and you hear the audience cheer. It is such an amazing feeling. I don't really have a singular moment which I can depict as being my best and proudest, as I said before, just performing on stage makes me so happy.
If you could choose any show to perform in, what would it be and why
I think I have to say two, because both of them are so beautiful and I can't choose between them. I love them for different reasons but my two favourites have to be Les Miserables and Blood Brothers.
Do you have any plans to pursue theatre as a career
I aim to perform for the rest of my life, whether that being as a hobby or a career. To perform and get paid for doing so would probably be the best thing I could ask for for my career, but it is a tough business and so I will work hard and see where the future takes me but in the mean time, I will continue with my singing lessons and various other things I do to work on my fitness and ability and hope for the best!