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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Singing siblings pack bags and head for musical life in Australia

Bay of Plenty Times
10 Sep, 2015 06:50 PM3 mins to read

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Venice, 9, and Flynn Harris, 14, have been accepted into Australia's leading Academic and Performing Arts School in Sydney. Photo / John Borren

Venice, 9, and Flynn Harris, 14, have been accepted into Australia's leading Academic and Performing Arts School in Sydney. Photo / John Borren

At the ages of just 9 and 14, two Bay siblings will be packing their bags and crossing the ditch to pursue budding musical theatre careers.

Venice, 9, and Flynn Harris, 14, are no strangers to the spotlight and will soon be students at Australia's leading Academic and Performing Arts School in Sydney.

Venice has also landed a role in the Sydney and Brisbane tour of Les Miserables.

The current Bethlehem College students have been on stage from a young age and they were "very excited" about the move to the McDonald College, mother Melanie Harris said.

They would complete a regular curriculum with two hours extra per day dedicated to musical theatre or acting.

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The family of five travelled to Australia at the end of August for the children to audition.

"Flynn saw it and was just desperate to go and the Les Miserables audition was on the same weekend so we thought 'why not?'.

"We decided a week before. It was really last minute."

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Only a week later and the family was suddenly trying to get their heads around the fact that Venice and Flynn had both been accepted into the school, with Venice also securing a role in the Sydney and Brisbane tour of Les Miserables - her third professional show.

"It is crazy. We actually said 'are we crazy?' ... Just trying to wrap your head around it because there is so much that's happened."

They had a short time to recover this week before leaving for Sydney for five weeks of Les Miserables rehearsals, followed by a three-week break and then an 11-week season.

The show would finish just before school started.

Mrs Harris said they were still in the early stages of planning, but they would be looking to move over next year.

Her husband, Clayton, would need to look for a new job and she hoped they could find somewhere to live in time.

They had lived in Sydney about six years ago before they moved to Tauranga, which made it an easy move to go back, she said.

"We're really behind them and I think because they are such determined children and really driven so we want to do that for them," she said.

Both children had been awarded scholarships to the school, which would take about $12,000 off the $40,000 collective annual fees.

Venice could be offered a role in the Les Miserables tour of Asia when the Australian season finished, which would mean the family travelling, but Mrs Harris said they were behind her 100 per cent.

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