A rising star from Merseyside explained how her life changed on a whim ahead of a starring run in a new stage show.
Kelly Sweeney grew up in Bootle and is now preparing to star in 'Halls: The Musical' at the Turbine Theatre in London next month. The 26-year-old plays Sam in the coming-of-age musical, a character from a working class background who has given everything to get into university and is often misunderstood by her more privileged flatmates.
The play boasts a Liverpudlian heartbeat as it has been penned by fellow Scouser, Jennifer Harrison, and is inspired by their experiences of breaking into the world of performance arts. Kelly told the ECHO how she gets emotional at times during the show because the story accurately captures the challenges of overcoming class barriers to follow your dreams.
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She told the ECHO: "The song I sing is called 'A Little Hard Work' and it does get a bit emotional because my character is a bit stressed out, she's got a lot on her plate. She's doing a law degree but she's also working full time to afford to stay at university.
"That was how I was when I was in university. I did everything, saved every penny that I could to get to university because it's so expensive and then was just grafting. Jen has similar experiences too so I feel like I'm doing it for us Scousers."
Kelly's dream of becoming a performer started at a young age and she honed her talents at Rare Studio in the City Centre before she landed a place on a Master's course at the Royal Academy of Music. The 26-year-old said she applied for a place at the school "on a whim" after being encouraged to believe in her talents by her teacher at Rare.
Kelly had never dreamed of landing a place at a prestigious school - but was determined to go down South for the audition to make the most of the experience. However, this relaxed approach allowed her natural ability to shine through and ensured she bagged a deserved spot.
She said: "It was Central London by Madame Tussauds. I ate my lunch in the park and thought this is just going to be a real breeze. I think because of how calm I was that they enjoyed the Scouse charm. I got in and I remember opening that email and being so shocked. I couldn't believe it."
Kelly is proud of her Merseyside roots and said the character of our city provides people with the ideal traits to be successful in a notoriously tough industry. She said: "Scousers have the ability to make anything funny. Even when it might be inappropriate to laugh but we have a great ability to find joy in things and we're also an extremely resilient city with our history.
She added: "There's no airs and graces about us so when we meet somebody that maybe we're supposed to feel intimidated by, Scousers are very good at not being intimidated by anyone so I'm going to ask that question other students wouldn't ask.
"It's got me into some sticky situations at drama schools when I was like 'I don't like that performance' and everyone else that said that was good. But you get friends who then say I trust your judgement because you're not afraid to be honest."
Kelly also credits the unerring support from her family in turning her passion for performing into a career. Her mum, Kathy, was the first in her family to break down class barriers to go to university and Kelly said this inspires her to pursue her own dreams. She said: "She's never let anything stop her and that is what has kept me going.
"How many times in this industry you get told no or you can't do that. I think about her and and think I actually can do that but maybe I need to go back and learn something new before I get to that place."
Kelly landed her first ever part just before she graduated and recalled the emotional response from her mum and dad, Alec, when they found out all their support when she was growing up had paid off. She told the ECHO: "I remember I got the news and I was a bit shocked.
"Then I called my mum and dad, put them on speaker and there was silence for a couple of minutes. I was like 'have you hung up' but my mum was just crying. My mum and dad never wavered with what are you gonna do if it doesn't happen or what are you gonna do if it fails.
"Equally, they didn't become stage mum and dads where if you didn't get it, it brought shame on the family. They kept me grounded while also being a major support which is very special and I'm very lucky to have."
Kelly has enjoyed early success since she graduated as she was cast as Anne Boleyn in the Breakaway Cruise production of smash hit musical, Six, which was performed around North America. However, she is not resting on her laurels and is ready to get back to the grind after she has finished on Halls the Musical as she aims to bolster her musical theatre experience to land her first role in front of the camera.
She said: "I'm going to try and basically rinse London for everything it's worth and get as many classes in as possible because that money that you pour into it will pay itself back when you get the next job that you want."
Halls the Musical is playing at the Turbine Theatre from July 7 - 30. You can find out more details on the show here
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