JESSICA Redmayne has just scored a job that would make any little girl’s dream come true.
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The former Ballarat resident and Federation University Music Theatre student has been snapped up by megastar children’s entertainment group Hi-5.
She’s the latest in a series of success stories from the university’s performing arts faculty, which seems to have become an incubator for the country’s future stars.
It was only a few years ago that Redmayne was performing in local productions like the Ballarat Cabaret Festival and 42nd Street.
Now, the 24-year-old is delighting children across Australia and beyond with three shows a day as well as being busy with promotional filming, special events and guest appearances.
Redmayne initially auditioned for Hi-5 back in March. She’s now an understudy and has stepped up to cover another cast member this month in Singapore.
“The initial audition was to send in a self-tape including a short clip of singing, dancing and talking to children.
“From there I progressed to the Sydney callbacks which were a group of the top 18. That was then cut down to eight and from there I was selected.”
She said she loves her newfound fame.
“It's overwhelming the support and encouragement I've had, especially from my family,” she said.
”Performing was always the career path I wanted and yearned for. I consciously made the decision in my second year of uni that I wanted to become an artist not for the fame or glory but to actively affect people’s lives.
“Now I'm doing that but to children which is possibly even greater then I imagined.”
Redmayne said performing for children was a special calling.
“When they perform back to you, you know that you're making a difference in their lives. You're educating them and allowing them to be creative through song, dance and imagination,” she said.
“Keeping children engaged is in fact easier than adults. As adults in this day an age we're easily distracted by social media, our to do lists and what is going on in the world. I look at all forms of art as escapism and for adults that's certainly what we are, even if they are enjoying it for the sake of their children.”
