Moments of joy are often held tightly but not all of us dare to keep pursuing them.
But what would it look like to chase happiness?
On January 27 and 28, you can get a front-row seat to young Kayla Nicol doing just that.
The Aberdonian – who is playing the lead role of Matilda in Giz Giz Youth Theatre’s production Matilda Jr – found her passion in theatres and on brightly lit stages.
And she is not letting go.
Kayla said: “I always went to see shows and I’d see the people on stage and I’d think ‘I want to be one of them one day.’
“Their talent and singing made me happy. I just wanted to be like that.”
‘I’ve always dreamed of being Matilda’
On top of joining two dance groups, four years ago the 12-year-old became part of Giz Giz Youth Theatre.
This year she applied for her first leading role and landed her dream character Matilda – the book-loving girl with superpowers.
When asked what the musical based on Roald Dahl’s beloved novel was about, she said: “It’s about a girl that loves to read books and her parents don’t listen to her or like her.
“And she goes to school and she has a bad teacher. She’s very mean, she’s a bully but she has another teacher Miss Honey who is much nicer and Matilda just has lots of friends.
“And Matilda finds strength reading books and it makes her happy.”
But it was not the book or bookworm character that made Matilda a favourite. In fact, Kayla admitted she is not a big reader herself.
Rather it was the songs by Tim Minchin in the award-winning Matilda the Musical she fell in love with.
“I’ve always dreamed of being Matilda when I was younger because she has lots of songs that are famous,” she said.
“She’s really fun to play. Very opposite to me.
“I don’t really like reading books but she loves reading books. She has powers and I don’t.
“She’s quite quiet but when she’s with her friends she’s a bundle of joy. I have lots of friends and I love my friends and she does too.”
Young Aberdeen star’s moving innocence made her a natural fit for Matilda role
When speaking with Kayla it is hard to miss her endearing joy.
A quality which co-director for the production, Lauren Ritchie from Giz Giz, said made her perfect for the role.
She said: “Kayla has been with us for four years and we have seen her grow up and gain a lot of confidence and it’s just in the last few years she’s pushed herself forward a little bit.
“So when we were holding auditions we did have quite a few potentials for Matilda but there’s just something about her innocence and just the way she portrays it that is really quite heartwarming.
“Even though she doesn’t understand it herself when you watch her, she just plays it so naturally. It really touched us so we went with her.”
While Kayla expects to be a bit nervous before the show, she said she is excited to perform in front of her friends, parents, brothers and grandparents.
Beyond that, the young star is in high demand.
In June she will be going to Prague for the Dance World Cup in June with Kerry Watson Performing Arts and then taking part in another Giz Giz production Legally Blonde in July.
‘Our kids are talented and deserve an audience’
When asked why people should book tickets to see Matilda Jr, Kayla quickly responded: “Because everybody is a great performer and great singer.
“I think everybody is just really talented and you should definitely come and see it.”
To that Lauren added the production was a chance for 30 of their younger members, aged eight to 18 to shine.
She said: “Our kids have worked so hard. They’re very talented and they deserve an audience to see their talent.
“It’s always hard with the arts and especially in Aberdeen with it being such a small city. All amateur productions should be supported, there’s great, great talent in Aberdeen.
“We have so many people from Aberdeen…Amy Lennox is from Aberdeen amateur dramatics. You support them now so support them when they’re younger so they’re able to thrive.”
Matilda Jr is being performed at the International School Aberdeen on January 27 and 28. Visit Aberdeen Performing Arts’ website to book a ticket.
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