Charlotte, 14, has come a long way from the 4-year-old who outshone her classmates in her preschool production of The Night Before Christmas.
“All of the other kids were having their lines fed to them by teachers as none of them could read. Charlotte had memorised the entire poem and recited it word for word – we couldn’t believe it,” recounted mum, Annette.
It was just two years later that Charlotte discovered the Carillon Junior Theatrical Society (CJTS) in Bathurst and she has never looked back.
“As one of the longest standing students, she just loves it there. She attends every single class they have – Medieval Monday, Dramatic Tuesday, Theatrical Thursday, as well as speech, drama and performance group,” said Annette.
“On average, she’ll be there for around nine hours a week, plus she does two hours of dance, but it can be even more when she is rehearsing for a show,’ said Annette.
Charlotte has relished recent opportunities to tread the boards as ‘Lumiere’ in Beauty and the Beast and ‘Charlie Bates’ in Oliver but her teenage heart belongs to Shakespeare.
“Ever since I saw my first Shakespeare show I fell in love. Something about it just drew me in. The language, storylines and skill are just amazing. If I was to pick a favourite play, it would have to be ‘Macbeth’” said Charlotte.
In pursuit of her passion, Charlotte has worked incredibly hard to overcome the challenges presented by multiple diagnoses including Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety, Dyscalculia and Motor Dyspraxia.
“She succeeds because she is so driven and passionate about what she does. She’s her own worst critic and she does get tied up in knots before a performance but once she gets out there, she’s just amazing,” said Annette.
When Annette discovered that Charlotte had been selected as a Variety Heart Scholarship recipient for 2023, she burst into tears.
“She may not be the kid that suffers the most, but she is a kid that suffers and struggles. She tries so hard in everything she does and I see that every day but to think that Variety sees it too and believes that she deserves this opportunity – it’s just so wonderful.”
“There are so many things she wants to achieve but she has a lot of hurdles to jump so we are very grateful to Variety for helping to move some of those out of her way.”
Charlotte’s first goal is to attend school holiday workshops at NIDA and beyond that her dream is one shared by many a young Australian thespian – to conquer the USA.
“I have always wanted to audition for Aussie All-Stars. Auditions are held at the Australian Junior Theatre Festival in Newcastle each October and if you’re successful, you travel to New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles and immerse yourself in the life of a Broadway artist,” said Charlotte.
“It’s been a dream of mine for the longest time but I know how much it costs and never thought it would be something we could afford. I can’t thank Variety enough for making the America trip more achievable and giving me the chance to make my dreams come true.”
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