Musgrave actress to play childhood dream princess role

MUSGRAVE Haylea Heyns will realise her childhood dream of being a princess this month when she stars as the female lead in KickstArt’s family festive panto, Sleeping Beauty, which opens next week at Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.

The brown haired-bombshell from the small holiday town of Umtunzi says she has always loved the limelight and nurtured a passion for singing from a very young age. While her parents enjoyed her sweet voice, they discouraged her following a career in music.

“They were concerned parents and wanted me to get a degree before I could follow my music path, so I finished my Honours degree in Media and Communications, but still had a burning desire to get back into music,” she said. While job hunting for nearly a year after graduating, Haylea started performing at small gigs around Durban and realised she had to pursue her passion. “I thought I don’t want to do it half-heatedly, it is my passion after all, so I had to take out a massive R150 000 loan to cover my studies and accommodation in Durban and thankfully managed to pay it off after two years of working,” she said proudly.

Haylea said she noticed that having to go back to studying and paying for it herself, she had taken her studies a lot more seriously and graduated cum laude with her Music and Drama Performance BA.

A soprano singer specializing in light classical music, Haylea was thrown into theatre stage performance as part of the ensemble in KickstArt’s production of the Sondheim classic, Sweeny Todd, before she played the Mamma Ogre and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Shrek. Last Christmas she performed in Aaron McIllroy’s Funny Father Christmas and her last role was as Rapunzel in another Sondeim Classic, Into the Woods. “I’ve learned so much in this short time working with such talented and professional people,” she said.

“It has been a dream of mine to play a princess in a classic fairy tale and with Sleeping Beauty I get to sing beautiful songs. The highlight is definitely the music, there’s even a Sarah Brightman song that I do and because I’m a soprano singer, it is in my range and I can’t wait.

“My character has a modern twist so she’s interesting and wants to see the world, not just waiting to get rescued and married. I like that it sends a good message to little girls,” she explained.

While landing a leading role has always been a dream, Haylea, does not take it for granted. “As artists there are a lot of talented people out there, all wanting the same role, the competition is huge and out of a hundred auditions you might be cast in two, the trick is to keep knocking on those doors! When you are performing in the background at coffee shops, bars, and weddings wondering if people are taking notice of you at times and then get the opportunity to play a lead role in an amazing Christmas panto, that is when it is all worth it! The key to success is carrying on, keep showing up, persevering, try your best and hope that one day you get noticed,” she said.

Haylea said her parents are so proud of her and she also has a supportive husband. “I’m glad I took the plunge, it was hard but I’d read of success stories like Barbara Streisand, who pushed on through difficult times, to pursue their passion. A quote that really speaks to me is, “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”