She’s sung for the Queen and starred in student productions of well-loved musicals.
Now 22-year-old actress Ellie Pawsey is raising funds to help pay her £13,000 course fees after landing a place at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to study for a masters degree in musical theatre.
Ellie, who lives at New Mill, is one of only 12 students to gain a place on this year’s course, which starts in September. She had to attend two auditions before being accepted.
The college, based in Cardiff, is highly-rated, having been ranked top of for drama and dance training in the Guardian’s latest league table.
It’s a dream come true for the stage-struck former Greenhead College student.
She said: “I have always been interested in signing and drama. I have been singing and performing since I was six. I absolutely love it. I cannot see myself doing anything else.”
Ellie attended Holmfirth High School and Greenhead College before graduating in music theatre at the University of Central Lancashire last July.
Before attending university, she sang with Huddersfield Choral Society junior choir for 10 years. Through the choir, she was chosen as one of 100 singers out of 2,000 who auditioned to make up Youth Music Voices, an organisation that encourages young people from all backgrounds to get involved in the music industry.
She sang as part of the choir at events for the 2012 London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
At university she toured France as a member of its chamber choir. She also took the principal roles of Laurey in Oklahoma and Beth in Merrily We Roll Along as well as appearing in the musical version of Jekyll and Hyde.
Now Ellie’s busy raising funds to pay for the course at Cardiff. She has held a pirates and princesses fun day at a local play group to raise £600 and will be joined by university friends and other performers giving a concert of popular musical numbers at 7.30pm on Saturday, July 11, at Hope Bank Works in Honley. Tickets are available by contacting Ellie’s Facebook page.
She is also seeking donations and sponsorship website through www.gofundme.com/r7uu74
Said Ellie: “People need to give money to lots of good causes, but I believe the arts are a really important thing and we need to keep them. If we didn’t have any entertainment, I don’t know where we would be.”
