Aspiring musical theatre star makes West End debut at national competition final

June 4, 2024

NESCol Performing Arts student, Lucy Parfitt, has sung her way to the final of a leading youth musical theatre competition. Alongside 24 other competitors, 17-year-old Lucy performed in the final of West End Calling at the Arts Theatre in London, on Sunday 26 May.

Hundreds of young people have entered this year’s competition, which consists of three stages culminating in the grand final in the West End. Lucy performed to a panel of expert judges, including Everybody’s Talking about Jamie film lead, Max Harwood, and an audience made up of the public, agents, casting directors and industry professionals.

Initial auditions were held in February this year in locations across the country. Lucy flew through her audition in Edinburgh to the heats, where she was crowned the judging panel’s overall winner for her rendition of ‘Not About Me’ from The Prom.

Lucy then took to the stage in the semi-finals in Manchester and was delighted to find out she had made it to the final.

She said: “Everyone was amazing, so I was absolutely gobsmacked to be selected for the final, I was so shocked.

“The final was so much fun. Performing on a London stage was so surreal, the power it gives you is insane. The whole experience has taught me so much and I can’t wait to see what’s next for me.”

West End Calling aims to give young people the opportunity to experience professional auditions, receive feedback from the expert judges, and grow and develop their craft.

Vicki Jamison, Lecturer in Acting & Performance, NESCol, said: “Lucy has worked very hard for this competition and done so well to get through to the final round. She hasn’t let her singing auditions ever interfere with her coursework at all and has been quite professionally organised about the whole project.

“She has done well in her college course singing exam this year, which again is down to her hard work. We are very proud of her.”

Lucy has dreamt of a career in musical theatre since she was young, expressing a passion for the arts at just five years old. She left school at 16 and came to NESCol to study Performing Arts: Drama.

The hard work doesn’t stop outside of college as she is also part of two theatre groups, Aberdeen Youth Music Theatre (AYMT) and Castlegate Theatre Company.

Lucy said: “My friends convinced me to enter West End Calling and I’m so glad they did. The competition has been incredible and the feedback from the panel has really helped me improve my performances.”

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Photo credit: West End Calling