“The day I watched Phantom of the Opera in Singapore was the day I knew I wanted to be in musical theatre. They came down in 2013 and I remember just how good the show was. When the lights went off and the performers started singing, I just felt it in me. From then on, I started working towards my goal.

I’m currently taking musical theatre lessons at MADDspace, which is a studio by Show Choir Academy. It’s at *SCAPE, and I’m learning acting, singing and dancing. I enjoy looking at musical theatre from different perspectives and integrating everything to develop myself as an all-rounded performer.

Yes, interning at Checkpoint Theatre is definitely a stepping stone. It’s a proper theatre company and I get to experience the reality of the industry and see if it’s really what I want for the rest of my life.

So far my experience hasn’t been what I’d expected. I thought there’d be more admin stuff, but it’s actually been quite hands-on. In terms of expressing your creativity, it’s also quite different from my time at a big organisation like Singapore Press Holdings.

When I was doing illustrations for a student newspaper, you have to keep up with the trends and convey a particular message with just one picture. With plays, you can take your time to develop an idea in many different ways and discuss valuable topics that are not necessarily sensational or in trend.

Career advice? Well, I do feel people are still very conservative with what they want to do. I won’t blame them because they are stepping more on security. Practicality is something you should consider when planning for the future.

But if you realise that what you’re doing right now is not what you really want, just take some time off and think about it. And if you really want to discover yourself and explore possibilities, go ahead, nobody is going to stop you.

Just remember that once you’ve decided on an alternative route, you have to keep track of what you’re doing and finish what you started. You cannot just give up. You have to strike a balance between responsibility and practicality and your dreams and aspirations.” – Samantha, 18

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