An interview with...

Wickedly funny, bursting with wit, song and dance, Matilda Jr.  promises to be a veritable extravaganza! With a cast of characters ranging from the tyrannically deranged to the brilliant, brave and true of heart, next week’s production promises to wow and entertain audiences over four big nights.

Collectively bringing together an impressive resume of on-stage experience, Dakota Soccio in the title role as Matilda, Taj Leader as the bullying Miss Trunchbull and Charlotte Seddon as the kind-hearted Miss Honey have all graciously agreed to share their insights on being a part of yet another fabulous College production.

When asked to describe their lead characters and how they prepared for each of their roles, the three stars eagerly responded.

Dakota/ Matilda said, "I watched both the new musical and the old movie. I think Matilda is a girl that is not that well understood; she absolutely loves reading and she tries to fit in with everyone else, but she knows she can’t because everyone her own age can’t read. She also has a very magical side to her. In one scene she just can’t handle everything that comes her way, so she powers it into something incredible and magical - she can move a cup with her mind!"

Charlotte/ Miss Honey said, " I’ve always been a reader and Roald Dahl was one of my staple authors as a child. Matilda was a big part of my childhood learning how to read and I’ve always kind of connected with Miss Honey. She’s a kind and caring person and there’s really an emphasis on her arc about what it means to be weak and what it means to be strong. Everyone like Miss Trunchbull always called her weak because she’s kind and at the end you really see that her strength comes from that kindness, and I’ve always found that really inspiring."

Taj/ Miss Trunchbull said, " Miss Trunchbull is meant to be scary and is the villain in Matilda. As I’ve stepped into the role, I feel I’ve kind of lent towards a more comedic version of the character which I didn’t mean to do, it just sort of happened. I do try, however, to be true to her evil in some scenes, such as during the spelling contest and the PE lesson.

"I feel the way I found the character was by watching the musical version of the movie and something that really stood out for me about Trunchbull was that she is not only evil but even seems deranged when she sings some of the songs. It’s like she has lost the plot and I feel like that stood out to me."

Unanimous in their love of theatre performance, Dakota, Taj and Charlotte said they would all pursue future stage acting opportunities both within the college and beyond, while Dakota added that she hoped to even study drama at university. 

Strongly encouraging students from across the college to get involved in future productions, the three stars said it was a great way to strengthen community while building confidence and making new friends.

Having given it their all with fellow cast and crew members since Term 2 to bring Matilda Jr. to life, the three leads said none of it would have been possible without the amazing support of all the behind-the-scenes crew and staff, however, marked their stage directors and choreographer for especial praise.

“We really have to credit Mel, Steph and Kat because we’ve had our own turns for breaks, but they haven’t, they’ve worked almost every single lunchtime, helping us, they’re just amazing,” the actors agreed.