A Chorus Line: Spotlight on Shimali de Silva

Next, we have the lovely Shimali de Silva, who was hailed for her performance of Diana and her fantastic rendition of  ‘Nothing’!

Moving A Chorus Line from the rehearsal room to the studio was…
For me, moving into the dressing rooms, being fitted for mics and finally being under the spotlight it felt like a cross between becoming a Disney princess and Beyoncé. As production week moved forward, the buildup of the costume, set, sound and lights was slick and exhilarating thanks to the fantastic tech team! The environment in the theatre those final days was something I’ll never forget, it truly offset everything we had rehearsed and worked so hard on.

I have learnt about…
Consistency, discipline, professionalism, supporting your team-members, the list goes on. A Chorus Line was such great mixture of hard work – knowing that people are depending on you to do your part and get things right – and immense passion, energy and FUN. It really taught me how do turn a challenge into an incredible opportunity.

What I am going to miss…
You mean, WHO. Easy one. The cast, crew, and of course, Diana.

I laugh when I think back to…
We all practically knew each others lines, so there was always a backstage panto synced with what was going on onstage.

Tell us something we don’t know!
hmm. Well one thing you might not have known about was Jessy (Angel)’s position as acting dressing room vocal coach, her last minute tips and warm-up sessions really saved me and a lot of the cast – especially us newbies, even after are pre-show mass exodus to the throat specialist!

Challenges?
Of course, selling as a dancer was difficult because a dance I am not. But being given the license to fake it was also immensely fun and a unique experience, and now that I have a pair of dance shoes i basically have to swing buy some classes. Other than the dancing, i’d say worrying about my voice holding up, and the 8:00 AM call times!

What’s next?
Mock exams! Someone whisk me off to the west end, please.

My dream superpower is…
The power to sing like Kristen…Chenoweth! or Idina…Menzel! of course.

If I could meet an artist for a day, it would be…
I need to fast-forward and meet famous-Ali (cast member who played Mike), my female friends are already nuts over him so I can scarcely imagine where he’s headed!