De La Salle Holy Cross College student blushes at Naledi Theatre Award nomination
For his role as Miss Trunchbull in the De La Salle Holy Cross College performance of Matilda, Liam Heaney has been honoured with a nomination by the Naledi Awards for Best Performance by a Student in a Student Theatre Production.
Liam Heaney’s command of the stage, and his captivation of audiences, saw him inevitably nominated for the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Performance by a Student in a Student Theatre Production.
This, after he portrayed the role of Agatha Trunchbull in De La Salle Holy Cross College’s stage production of Matilda. The nominee shared how theatre has always been part of his life, with his earliest memories being when he was a toddler, watching the ballet with his granny. His first ever stage role was as Bear Gylls in the school’s adaptation of The Jungle Book, when he was in Grade 3.
The stage has afforded him the escape from normalcy, whether it’s being ridiculously loud, or jumping around, as though one has just seen a newt in the glass of water they’re drinking. “It’s a special place where you truly can just be yourself. I’m not saying I’m a female, middle-aged, hammer-throwing school principal at heart, but you get the point.”
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For him, the Naledi nomination means so much. “Firstly, it makes me proud of my cast. We all worked incredibly hard as a family, and I truly believe that this is a nomination, not for me, but for that beautiful family.” Adding, that it makes him proud of his school, as it shows that it really can pull together something incredible. He also thanked the college for the support it has always provided to the arts.
“Lastly, I have to say I’m really proud of myself. I haven’t chosen to continue with drama as a career, so playing Miss Trunchbull felt to me like a really special send off.” Being acknowledged has been an incredible honour for him, and, as much as he says he’d never admit it out loud, being nominated for this award has always been a dream. He is incredibly humbled and grateful to everyone who helped him achieve this dream.
He’s been blessed to have been part of tons of productions at the school, more specifically the high school, adding his talents to the character of The Genie in Aladdin Jr, and Scott in the major production of When They Go Low. “An incredibly moving production that went to the market theatre and was nominated for a Naledi Award for best student production.”
Liam ultimately thanked his school, for its supports of the arts, the Naledi awards, for this incredible nomination, Devon Flemmer, for the patience and dedication shown to him, and his craft teachers, Frances Wilmot (dramatic arts) for her support, as well as Naomi de Klerk (music director) for helping him hold long notes. Not forgetting the cast of Matilda, he said: “This nomination was thanks to you.”
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