She grew up watching the Disney hit Frozen and dressing up as Anna for children’s parties. Now Laura Dawkes from Cardiff has landed the role in the West End production straight out of drama school. The 21 year-old said it’s a dream come true to join the cast as her professional stage debut.
She’ll play Anna opposite Jammy Kasongo as Kristoff in the multi-award-winning Disney show at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. The last time she was there Laura was 16 and seeing a production of 42nd Street, never imagining a few years later she’d be on the famous stage in the heart of the West End herself.
The former Eastern High pupil never had formal acting, singing, or music lessons before getting into drama school aged 16. She said she was more sporty than theatrical before joining Eastern High’s drama club as a teenager.
When Laura left the Emil Dale Academy drama school in Hertfordshire in May she was hoping for a chorus part to start out. She never dared imagine she would land a lead role. “It’s my dream to play a Disney princess. It’s incredible and so unheard of to get a role like this straightaway out of drama school," she said.
“I know the film and all the songs from it and used to dress up as Anna for children’s parties. I thought when I auditioned I would love to be in the ensemble of Frozen but then my agent texted me to say they were struggling to find someone as Anna and told me I had to go for it.”
After gruelling auditions in May against more seasoned actors Laura was over the moon to be told she had the coveted part in the Disney Productions show. Rehearsals started in London this week and her family and friends have already booked seats to see her opening night of the show on September 27.
Laura does have some experience of being Anna. As a teenager she worked for Belle of the Ball Princess Parties dressing up as Anna being hired out to children’s parties in Cardiff. “When you turned up the little children really believed you are the real thing. I loved that,” she said.
She said it was hard work auditioning but she loves what she does and spent a lot of time at Eastern High staying to rehearse for school shows long after lessons had ended. “Kids that do musical theatre usually do lessons from a young age and do ballet and singing but I only started singing in school productions when I was in year eight at secondary.
“I did all the shows at Eastern High. I was in Back to the Eighties, We Will Rock You, and was Rizzo in Grease.”
Laura loved it all so much that after GCSEs she auditioned for drama school and got into the Emil Dale Academy which meant leaving home aged 16 to live with a host family in Hertfordshire nearby. The budding actor admits she’s not sure where her theatrical talent comes from. Mum Rhian is a teacher at Bryn Hafod Primary in Cardiff and dad Jonathan works for Kier at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. Her parents and brother Jonathan, a student at Cardiff University, can’t wait to go and see her on her first night in the show.
Laura added: “They have all booked for the opening night. It’s incredible to be in a Disney production and we are treated so well. But I worked hard to get here and it’s not easy. There is so much competition in this industry but if you love it you’ve just got to go for it."
The production, which opened at Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in August 2021, will shortly be celebrating its second birthday in the West End with the much-loved film on which it is based turning 10 later this year. The production has been playing to capacity houses, and received seven WhatsOnStage Awards – the most of any production – and four Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Musical.
Between now and her opening night in September Laura, who has a year-long contract to play the part of Anna, will be rehearsing from 11am until 4.30pm every day in London. And like all good Frozen fans she has lost count of the number of times she has watched and sung along to the famous animation, which was first released in cinemas in 2013.
