At the age of eight, Orla Woods secured her dream role.
She was living Dubai at the time and had just been cast in her school’s production of The Lion King.
But while most would be gunning for leading lion Nala, Orla had her sights set on a heinous hyena.
“That was the role I wanted,” she recalled.
The rest was history.
Orla, now 17, had caught a severe case of the acting bug and when she returned to Scotland she sought out to join a performing arts community.
She said: “I always loved performing. When I moved back to Scotland that was definitely something I wanted to get involved with.”
The Albyn School student went on to join Ragamuffins and Leading Lights, volunteer-led musical theatre groups for young people aged between five and 19.
“They definitely helped a lot with figuring out whether I wanted to do this,” Orla said
Through performing arts, aspiring actress Orla has gained a strong network of peers and supporters and has broadened her resume in just nine years.
“It’s weird because when I look back there’s been quite a lot in such a short space of time.
“I’m really happy I had the idea of doing shows and then ran with it because it has led to a lot of amazing things and memories, and I’ve met so many people and learned a lot from them.
“I am proud of what I’ve achieved and the memories I’ve made through the shows I’ve performed in,” she said.
Audiences may recall the teen’s show-stopping gig in Aberdeen Youth Theatre’s adaptation of Legally Blonde earlier this year.
She played Elle’s hilarious manicurist Paulette Bonafonte.
Orla put on a performance that Jennifer Coolidge herself, who portrayed Paulette in the 2001 film, would be proud of.
Full of dry wit and charm, Orla filled Coolidge’s hot pink heels with ease.
It really wasn’t shocking when she received the loudest cheer at curtain call.
And the youngster continues to bring down the house with performances in Chicago, where she played leading lady and aspiring actress Roxie Hart, and belted out the iconic Elaine Paige ballad Memory when she took on the role of outcast Grizabella in Cats.
Taking on such prolific roles would be daunting even for seasoned performers, but Orla takes it in her stride at just 17-years-old.
She believes her confidence, on and off stage, has grown since she first ventured out onto the stage.
Orla said: “Right before I go on stage I try to fully get into the character as best I can.
“Of course I get nervous before I go on but it’s more adrenaline and good nerves.
“When you’ve been rehearsing for something for a lengthy amount of time there comes a point where you feel like you need an audience for the whole show to be fully appreciated otherwise you start picking it apart, but then you realise the audience probably wouldn’t even notice.
“I try to keep that in my head.”
The talented teen spends weeks on perfecting her performing, creating backstories for them, analysis their relationships with other characters, makes mood boards, and even changes the voice of Siri on her phone to match her character’s accent.
However, in the last few weeks, Orla has been channelling her energy into finding a drama school.
She hasn’t “fully decided” on where she wants to go but she has her sights set on the likes of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Guild Hall and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Orla said: “My goal is act in one of those places, but as straight acting.
“I feel like after leaving drama school, acting gives me the most options as to what route I can go down.
“I thought acting was the better route for me as it would open me to screen acting, musical theatre.”
Looking ahead at what the future may hold, Orla assured that she “isn’t picky” so long as she can act in some form.
“I’d be happy to get whatever I can.
“I just want to act or perform in some way as a career,” she added.