Oliver!: Spotlight on Claudia Sham

Next up in our Oliver! blog series, we have Claudia Sham (photo: right)! This was her 2nd YAF musical experience and this year, she was part of the dance and singing ensembles. 
 
What are your top three tips for giving a good performance?
1. Run through the sequence before you perform it
2. When performing, focus on what you're doing and block everything else out! 
3. Always have energy!!!

What are you going to miss the most?
Definitely everyone involved in the production! As cliché as this may sound, we are like a family; everyone is so loving and caring for each other and I love it :) This whole experience was extremely worth it.

What was your favourite scene/song and why?
Honestly such a hard question... But if I had to choose one, I would say "Who Will Buy". The atmosphere just completely lights up. It's so full of energy and I'm happy I was a part of it!

What was the process of moving from the rehearsal studio to the theatre like?
Definitely very hectic, because we have to re-space everything and it can get a bit hard, especially when there are so many people in the cast!
 
What is the one thing you learnt that you can use for life?
It is important to show your care towards other and anticipate their needs! 

Funny memory?
Too many funny moments... but one would definitely be when Conor performs his scene. His character never fails to make us laugh!
 
What was your preparation ritual? 
We usually have a vocal and dance warm up, and go through the notes Lindsey gave us. When we are backstage waiting for the show to start, we all give each other big hugs!!

Tell us something we don’t know about...
Patrick (Mr Sowerberry)... he is a HUGE K-Pop fan!!!!
 
What was the most difficult thing for you about the show?
Being both mentally and physically ready. Being committed to such a big performance like this requires a lot of time and effort, and it can be tough at times!

What’s next, now that Oliver! is over?
Back to reality... to the beloved IB. Haha hopefully I'll get a chance to work with YAF again before I graduate!
 
What is your vision for performing arts in HK? 
I feel like more and more young people are getting exposed to the world of performing arts through YAF, which is great! It's nice seeing so many talented people through all the different events that are held. It really helps prepare them for the future with all the opportunities and experience that they're getting!

If you had one superpower, what would it be?
To be able to teleport!

If you could meet any artist for a day? 
Travis Wall! I see him on 'So You Think You Can Dance' and through his choreography he is able to bring out the best in each dancer!! Not to mention he's an amazing dancer himself!