‘Dream’ West End debut for rising star of musical theatre

Mya, a Year 11 pupil at Banbridge Academy, was selected to perform on stage to a packed Lyric Theatre at the 75th Birthday concert for Stephen Schwartz, the composer of famous musicals such as ‘Wicked’ and ‘Children of Eden’.

The local girl is a member of Stagebox, an industry accelerator for junior performers which nurtures and builds talent for leading film, television, theatre, musical theatre and commercial projects.

During her time with Stagebox, Mya has gained invaluable experience working with seasoned performers, leading creative teams and vocal coaches.

Stagebox auditioned over a thousand of their students and Mya was selected to make her West End debut, alongside fellow Stagebox students, at the Lyric Theatre, London on September 17.

Matt Lucas compered the shows and West End royalty such as Rachel Tucker, Emma Kingston, Kerry Ellis and Adam Pearce sang songs composed by Stephen Schwartz, in front of the world-famous composer himself.

And, Mya was thrilled to meet some of the performing stars in person!

“They were all so friendly and encouraging,” the 14-year-old recalled.

“I really loved the whole experience of being in the West End and singing alongside so many famous singers.

“Performing in the West End has made me even more determined to follow my dreams and pursue a career in musical theatre.

“I would love to have further opportunities to perform again.”

Mya’s proud mum Lorna told the Chronicle: “The weekend in London was such a wonderful experience from start to finish.

“My husband and I are so proud of Mya, as Stephen Schwartz is one of her favourite composers.

“Mya was honoured to be able to perform in front of him on such a joyous occasion. That being his 75th Birthday concert.”

This week Mya was excited to return to London’s West End on a school trip to watch ‘Wicked’ for the third time, as it’s her all time favourite show.

Mya comes from a very musical family, with two sisters and parents who have been involved in music and singing.

She is currently studying for her Grade 8 in musical theatre, classical singing grades and she also plays the violin.

At the Academy, Mya is a member of the school choir, chamber choir and orchestra, and is currently studying for her GCSE in music.

During the summer, the local teenager was selected to be a member of the prestigious Charles Wood Girls’ Choir and took part in their summer residential, which was attended by world-famous choral composers John Rutter and Bob Chilcott.

Mya was thrilled to be in such company and said it was a “fantastic experience”, singing at multiple events in front of the composers.

She is also a member of the National Youth Choir of Northern Ireland and has participated in multiple training events and performances, which she enjoys immensely.

Mya loves singing, dancing and acting and, from an early age, she attended the Belfast School of Performing Arts, the high point being appearing as Young Fiona in ‘Shrek’.

Over the years, she has also been in productions such as ‘Footloose’, ‘Matilda’ and ‘Annie’, to name a few, for NISMAT and JUST STAGE IT (JSI) at the MAC theatre in Belfast.

Another highlight in her career, so far, was when she was chosen to perform a solo dance with Brendan Cole in his last concert at The Waterfront Hall.

If you want to follow Mya’s performing career, check out her regular updates on her Instagram page mya_mckinney_music.

The future certainly looks bright for this rising star of musical theatre!