Theatres and film sets around the world are closed for business, but this didn’t stop Danae Conradie’s passion for performing.

The eight-year-old Curro Krugersdorp actress, who is part of the Linda Theron Drama Studio, submitted an entry to the World Monologue Games, a global event with competitors from over 80 countries vying for prizes and glory. When she received an email announcing she had made it to the Regional Finals, she was over the moon.

“I am so excited to be competing for my country, my school and my drama studio in this amazing event. It’s an honour to be selected.”

World Monologue Games is only in its first year, but already attracted thousands of international performers.

Pete Malicki, event founder from Sydney, Australia said, “Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on people’s lives, the global economy and many different industries including arts and entertainment.

I wanted to create an opportunity for actors around the world to show how resilient they are. The response was massive – I’m not sure if this many actors have participated in one event before!” Danae will be performing a piece about Minnie Mouse rebelling against her traditional role.

“I really love performing this piece. I like the cheeky Minnie who prefers Justin Bieber to Mickey Mouse! I also like that she refers to so many of the other Disney characters whom we know – it makes the piece kind of personal. My favourite part of this monologue is where I throw my ears on the ground!”

The Regional Finals will be live-streamed on Saturday, 19 September at 10.30pm Australia East Standard Time (2.30pm local time), with the winners of each category competing in the Global Finals in front of hundreds of thousands of performing arts fans. Follow the events on YouTube and Facebook and vote for your favourite actors!