IN THEATRE productions, Meg Geljon tends to be typecast in comedic roles often with the more memorable moments in stories.
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Meg said this was different to who she was off the stage - most of her on-stage characters take themselves way too seriously - but plenty of people have told Meg she has great comedic timing.
Immersing herself in new worlds interests Meg. She loves to learn from others and their stories.
The Ballarat Clarendon College student, who is in year 12 next year, hoped this might be an interest and skill set to lead her into a future journalism career.
This is a key reason why Meg can hardly wait to get started in the ABC's Heywire program, a well-established platform pulling together young Australians from regional and remote communities to share their stories, amplify their voices and advocate for the issues that matter most to them.
"I'm very excited to meet new people and I'm excited to hear new stories," Meg said. "Everyone has interesting stories."
To apply, Meg had to write a story about her life and she chose to write about her life in performance.
As one of the 39 young people chosen for the program, Meg was given the chance to have her story produced and recorded for the national broadcaster.
Heywire will involve a trip to Canberra to meet with other participants in late March - she leaves the day after the final show of College's school production The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. Meg is playing Actor, one of the hardest roles in the show.
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Meg used to be part of Gateway Performing Arts Studio but now focuses on school productions as a hobby and way to build confidence.
"Acting is about breaking social and emotional boundaries through theatre. You learn to share that," Meg said. "I'd encourage others to get involved in something they're not really comfortable about because you can make new friends."
Meg took up acting when she was 11 years old. One of her first productions was pieced together in a week: she got the show on a Monday, had rehearsals all week and performed on the Sunday.
"Acting is also about teamwork," Meg said. "You're learning to go with other people's choices and directions, even if it's not always what you might do."
Meg will join a vast array of Heywire voices and aspirations, including: one with dreams of representing Australia in the Paralympics; supporting young people living with a chronic illness; speaking up against racial discrimination; rebuilding after disaster; and, listening and learning from Country.
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