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A lifetime passion for musical theatre has entered a new chapter for Whangaparāoa resident Tova Maddock.
The 19-year-old has been accepted into the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Performing Arts at Griffith University, one of only 20 students chosen from more than 800 applicants.
For Tova, who began musical theatre at just six years old, this marks the next big step in her performing career. Her first show, Starlight Express, at age seven, sparked a love for the stage that continues to shine through in everything she does, she says.
Earlier this year, Tova’s moving rendition of “I’m Here” earned her first place in Performing Arts Musical Theatre at the NYPA, receiving a standing ovation. A post on social media says that the performance even moved some audience members to tears.
Tova has studied under long-time musical theatre director Sophia Pedersen at the Northern School of Performing Arts for the past 12 years, developing her skills across singing, acting, and dance, as well as a love for film acting.
Tova’s favourite musicals include Hadestown and Wicked, and she dreams of one day playing Elphaba or Eurydice. She says musical theatre “brings her joy like nothing else.”
“Rejection is huge in the performing arts industry, and stories don’t always end in success, but some way or another, the results of your hard work remind you of why it was so hard in the first place.” Tova says.
When it comes to auditions, Tova doesn’t chase the spotlight, choosing the roles she’ll enjoy most.
She says she always auditions for parts where “the songs are the most fun to sing”, rather than necessarily aiming for the lead.
Tova encourages anyone curious about the stage to give it a try.
“Even when it gets hard and frustrating, it’s still fun,” she says. “Musical theatre is so fun and so rewarding, I’d tell anyone who’s thinking about it to just do it.”
Most of all, Tova says that her family and friends were the key to her success. She expresses her endless gratitude to her parents’ late night rehearsal drives and endless support, or the friends who make her feel capable.
To support the next leg of her journey, she and some of her performing friends and family are putting on one final fundraising show at Centrestage Theatre on December 10. Tickets from centrestagetheatre.co.nz
