Around this time last year, Coquitlam's Jennifer Gillis was auditioning to be part of a new CBC-TV reality competition called Over the Rainbow with the aim to be cast as Dorothy in an upcoming stage musical by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The 16-year-old was shortlisted after "Dorothy Farm" and, for four months, she lived in the same house as the other contestants also vying for the role of a lifetime - all of which was broadcast before millions of people across Canada.
Fast-forward to this spring and the Grade 11 Gleneagle secondary student says she has now "fully recovered" from what she describes as often a brutally tough experience, but one that also opened her eyes to the performing arts world.
When she came home after placing seventh, Gillis - the youngest in the competition - decided to take some time off to catch up with her school year and recharge her batteries before heading back into the limelight.
On Wednesday, Gillis makes her return to live theatre, opening Thoroughly Modern Millie for the high school that rooted for her throughout the T.V. competition. She plays Millie, a small-town woman who moves to New York for wealth - not love.
Gillis said she's grateful to drama teacher Ashley Freeborn for picking her for the lead role when she got back last fall.
"I was really stressed out about trying to catch up with half a semester of Grade 11," Gillis said. "I definitely needed to take a break from everything and re-evaluate the situation so, for me, Millie was the right thing to do at the right time."
But while all eyes will be focused on Gillis during the production that includes 34 Musical Theatre 11/12 students, the role of Millie will be shared by Cassidy Stahr, a 15-year-old triple threat with Lindbjerg Academy who's making a name of her own. Last year, she played Elle Woods in Theatrix's Legally Blonde and a bird in Gleneagle's Seussical; she is currently in two Lindbjerg spring productions.
Being double cast with someone who has had so much attention "is a little nerve-wracking," Stahr admitted, "but it also makes you a bit competitive to see who has the bigger audience. I've just advertised to my friends as much as I can."
Still, while overshadowed, "we've grown closer," Stahr said of her former Lindbjerg alumnus. "We support each other."
Gillis said Stahr offers a fresh spin on Millie and hopes theatre-goers see both girls perform (they play alternate nights).
"I have been double cast in many shows and I love it," Gillis said. "I learn so much from somebody else playing the same part. Cassidy is terrific and we are very encouraging."
As for Gillis' next steps, she will make a guest appearance later this month as Dorothy in the 45th annual spring show for the Maple Leaf Singers, a choir her grandparents founded; Gillis will sing with the choir during its Wizard of Oz medley.
And in July, she will be back in front of live television cameras to sing the national anthem at the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa - an invitation that came from Prime Minister Stephen Harper via Canadian Heritage Minister and Tri-City MP James Moore, who had asked Gillis to sing O Canada at local Diamond Jubilee medal events.
For her Grade 12 year, Gillis has set her sights on auditioning for large theatre companies such asTheatre Under the Stars, Footlight Theatre, Royal City Musical Theatre and Arts Club, to name a few. "The more exposure the better," she said, adding, "The year off has made me a stronger girl and a better actress. I am hungrier to be part of the business more than ever.
"I know there is a big stage out there waiting for me."
Thoroughly Modern Millie runs May 8 and 10 and May 15 to 17 at 7 p.m. at Gleneagle secondary (1195 Lansdowne Dr.). Tickets at $12/$8 are available in advance by calling the school at 604-464-5793 or at the door on show night.
