This week, I chose to interview Avery for her lead in the school play, Little Shop of Horrors. Avery is not only extremely talented, but has also faced lots of challenges whether that be the sacrifices she has to make between the play, swim, school, and her social life, or the competition and hard work to keep up with her cast mates and perform to the best of her ability. Even with all this pressure, Avery has still managed to come out on top and exceed the expectations set by her and others around her.

Avery is originally from the U.S and is currently a sophomore at ISB. Even though Avery has only been at ISB for a year and a half, this is her second year in the play. Avery says, “I have always loved to sing, act, and dance, and my dream ever since I was little was to be on Broadway or pursue acting professionally when I’m older. I also just love being on stage and performing in front of large audiences.”

During her time at ISB, Avery has played Beth March in Little Women and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Avery, as well as all of her cast members, worked very hard this year in performing the Little Shop of Horrors, and she says, “I think that being in the musical, with all of those talented people, inspired me because I was able to push myself to try and be like them. I also felt like we had really good chemistry and since we were all really talented, we were able to brainstorm creative ideas together and perform better.” 

When I asked Avery what her favorite memory of being part of the play was, she said that it was the show days and actually being able to perform on stage. “Although rehearsals were enjoyable, the performance was such a high,” she goes on to say, “I was able to show off all the hard work I’ve been doing, and I thought that the musical was super entertaining.” 

Avery started acting outside of school, when she was living in Ireland, around the ages 11 to 12. She said that what has inspired her most so far is watching other people perform in musicals, on stage, or even in movies and TV shows. “Seeing those professionals on stage or in theaters inspires me to become like them,” She says. Avery goes on to say that when she was in London, she and her family went to see Wicked the Musical, she says “I was amazed at how talented the actors were and how incredible the performance was. It looked so fun to not only watch but also do, and it inspired me to try and be on Broadway.”

Even though it all looks easy for Avery, she has had to overcome many obstacles to be as talented as she is today. A recent challenge that she had to face was memorizing all her lines for her role as Audrey. “I was trying to balance school work, swimming, and friends, so it was hard for me to make time to memorize all the lines, songs and choreography. Near the end though, and closer to the performances, I was able to have the pressure fuel my motivation to learn my lines.”

Even though Avery has struggled learning her lines, balancing her school and social life, having the pressures of performing well, and trying to not to fail/keep up with her cast mates, she has managed to transcend expectations set for her and come out on top every time.