By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
THERE’S something to be said about being in the right place at the right time.
Narre Warren 12-year-old Tim Haskayne was in the car with his mum, Pauline, parked outside a gymnastics centre where his sister, Emily, was having a lesson.
Tim looked through the window and saw a dance studio across the street.
The die was cast.
“My sister used to do gymnastics and me and Mum used to sit in the car and wait for her to finish gymnastics, and across the road was a dance studio,” Tim told Star News.
“Mum said, why don’t you do a dance class?
“And I loved it.”
That dance school was Patrick Studios in Port Melbourne, where Tim has attended for the last four years and is now a full-time student.
This means Tim’s daily dancing, singing and acting lessons are consolidated with four hours a day of academic study, organised through a distance education provider.
It’s a unique arrangement but one that Tim has embraced wholeheartedly, and one that is undoubtedly paying off.
In a few months Tim will star as Kurt von Trapp in the latest production of the Sound of Music, which is set to open at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre on 13 May.
It’s the second musical Tim will star in, having played Luke in Strictly Ballroom last year.
The Sound of Music will be a quick turnaround for Tim, who only auditioned for the role three weeks ago.
“I only found out a week ago I was in it,” he said.
“We start rehearsals in April and the show starts in May.”
Tim said he was super excited to take the stage alongside the all-star cast, which includes Marina Prior and Cameron Daddo.
And there’s no doubt the sky’s the limit for the 12-year-old from Narre Warren.
“I’d love to do musical theatre for the rest of my life,” Tim said.
“I’d love to be able to perform on Broadway or the West End.”
For more information, visit www.soundofmusictour.com.au
